The federal government is urging hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare stakeholders to collaborate for better patient care and smaller medical costs through accountable care organizations (ACOs). But with Washington, D.C., still undecided about what ACOs will look like, physicians nationwide are left wondering about their roles in this new initiative.
Dr David Osser has chosen as one of the Top Papers of the Year a meta-analysis on second generation antipsychotics and the effects of these agents on patients with schizophrenia.
A meta-analysis sheds new light on the safety and efficacy of antidepressants in the acute treatment of bipolar disorder.
With the availability of drugs for ADHD and Alzheimer disease, more and more healthy people who have no mental health condition have been asking their psychiatrist to prescribe neuroenhancing medications in the hopes of improving their memory, cognitive focus, or attention span. What's an appropriate response when one of your patients asks for a prescription for a drug for this off-label purpose?
Since the 1980s, there have been growing concerns that chronic cholesterol depletion may actually increase noncardiovascular deaths by suicide and violence-related deaths.
Is combination therapy with lithium and valproate more effective in preventing relapses in patients with bipolar I disorder than monotherapy with either drug alone?
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) may be more common than generally recognized, according to Dr. Katharine Phillips-a leading expert on this disorder.
Some psychiatrists include “testimonials” from their patients on their web sites. Such recommendations are a major source of new referrals. . .but is this an ethical way of promoting my clinical services?
Like millions of Americans, I’ve joined Facebook. I really enjoy it because it conveniently lets me stay in touch with my friends. I don’t tell my patients that I have a Facebook profile, but many patients tell me about their Facebook activities during therapy. How should I respond if a patient to “friend” me?
I’m one of the only psychiatrists practicing in this area. What am I realistically supposed to do when I see one of my patients in public? Whenever I go to the gym or library or grocery store, I see several patients I’m actively treating. Some want to say hello and some want to socialize. My response so far has been to try to avoid them.
One of the country's leading experts on career development offers guidance on job resources; on practicing alone, in a group or clinic or hospital, or in a government facility; on presenting your academic credentials most effectively; on locum tenens practice; on consulting for insurance companies or Medicare; and on alternatives to full time practice.
You have prescribed an atypical antipsychotic for a patient who is undergoing psychotherapy. You need to check for signs of the metabolic syndrome with a physical exam. . . but is it ethical to touch the patient for this clinical purpose? Listen to ethicist Dr Cynthia Geppert examine the issues in her series “Living the Questions: Cases in Psychiatric Ethics.
Charles Bowden, MD, clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, describes the management of patients with bipolar depression who are pregnant.
Charles Bowden, MD, clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, describes the challenges physicians face when they treat patients with bipolar depression.
Charles Bowden, MD, clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, describes the challenges physicians face when they assess and diagnose bipolar depression.
Marc E. Agronin, MD, medical director for mental health and clinical research in the Miami Jewish Health Systems, and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, discusses therapeutic strategies for older patients.
Laurence J. Kinsella, MD, FAAN, professor of neurology at St. Louis University and chief in the division of neurology and neurophysiology at Forest Park Hospital, St. Louis, discusses serotonin syndrome and P450 drug interactions.
Bill H. McCarberg, MD, founding director of the chronic pain management program at Kaiser Permanente, Escondido, California, discusses the need for collaboration between psychiatrists and primary care providers to identify and treat patients with fibromyalgia.
Victor Strasburger, MD, professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of adolescent medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, discusses the impact of television and movies on the sexual behavior of teens.