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As a clinical psychologist with a specialty in chronic pain management, I am often referred patients with both chronic pain and psychiatric issues. Many of these patients see a psychiatrist and a therapist, and are taking with both psychotropic and pain medications. The referral is often made because there is...

Many chronic pain patients are dealing with psychiatric problems. Pain patients have tremendously high rates of major depressive disorder which is undertreated and underdiagnosed. It's easy to assume that the depression is a reaction to living with chronic pain, but in fact it’s often the other way around. Dr. Michael Robert Clark describes evaluations and treatment methods clinicians can use to address pain management with their patients.

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Psychoanalytic training may not be right for you, but here are some analytic concepts that can be useful to anyone practicing psychiatry.~ The unconscious: Patients are often unaware of patterns of behavior and their underlying conflicts. Unacceptable feelings like aggression and sadness may be banned from conscious thought, and therefore...

The patient is a 31-year-old, single female attorney, who was referred by her primary care physician for somatic complaints that have been worked up thoroughly, with normal results. In the past, she has been worried about and has pursued various diagnoses, including endometriosis, neurofibromatosis, and ovarian cancer, and has doctor-shopped...

Dr. Twersky-Kengmana is an early-career psychiatrist, trained in a mainstream residency, and she prescribes medication to the majority of her patients. Yet, about 10% of her practice is psychoanalytic. In this article, she discusses the current status of psychoanalysis, some of the evidence for its efficacy, and why she has found it so useful for her patients.

Patient details have been fictionalized in this presentation of real cases that represent common critical issues.

Psychoanalytic training may not be right for you, but here are some analytic concepts that can be useful to anyone practicing psychiatry.