Chris Aiken, MD

Uncontrolled Misuse

October 23, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

There are many reasons why patients misuse medications. Today, Joseph Pierre shakes us out of our 1990s understanding of addiction and explains a new trend, misuse of uncontrolled medications like Bupropion, Quetiapine and the Gabapentinoids.

Bipolar Upgrade 7: Social Rhythm Therapy

October 2, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Social Rhythm Therapy helps patients regulate their circadian rhythm. It treats bipolar disorder, and here we show how to weave it in with medication therapy.

Throwback Thursday: ADHD and Identity

September 21, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

You started a stimulant medication for a young woman with ADHD. When she returns her symptoms are 70% better, but what can we do about the rest? Today a conversation with psychiatrist Scott Shapiro about behavioral interventions for adult ADHD.

Throwback Thursday: Brief Therapy for ADHD

September 14, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

You started a stimulant medication for a young woman with ADHD. When she returns her symptoms are 70% better, but what can we do about the rest? Today a conversation with psychiatrist Scott Shapiro about behavioral interventions for adult ADHD.

Bipolar Upgrade 6: Dark Therapy

September 11, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Updates on dark therapy for mania from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference.

Throwback Thursday: Neuroticism and SSRIs

September 7, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

"I think that anxiety is the fever of psychiatry, not a disease, it's not a diagnosis, it's not an illness. It's just a symptom, usually of other illnesses or condition." - Nassir Ghaemi

Bipolar Upgrade 5: Light Therapy

September 4, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

New research on light therapy in bipolar disorder from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference.

Clinical Update

The Antipsychotic-Stimulant Combo

September 1, 2023

Avneet Soin, MD., Chris Aiken, MD, and Deepti Anbarasan, MD.

Avneet Soin, MD. Psychiatry resident, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Deepti Anbarasan, MD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Neurology, New York University, New York.

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Psychiatry Report; Assistant Professor, NYU Langone Department of Psychiatry; practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

Deepti Anbarasan, MD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Neurology, New York University, New York

Dr. Soin, Dr. Anbarasan, and Dr. Aiken have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

As antipsychotic indications have spread, more patients are taking them in combination with their opposite: a stimulant. We look at the risks, search for scenarios where it might make sense, and come up with an action plan for this paradoxical pairing.

Throwback Thursday: A Scandalous History of Anxiety

August 31, 2023

Kellie Newsome, PMHNP and Chris Aiken, MD

What is generalized anxiety disorder? Is it an anxious temperament or is it a symptom of another mental illness such as depression? Or is it a valid disorder on its own caused by a buildup of sexual tension?

Bipolar Upgrade 4: from Valproate to Functioning

August 28, 2023

Kellie Newsome, PMHNP and Chris Aiken, MD

Updates from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference: Avoid valproate (Depakote) in women of childbearing age; who to blame when patients are noncompliant; and functioning trumps symptom reduction.