Chris Aiken, MD

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.

Zuranolone: 10 Questions about a New Antidepressant

August 14, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD

Zuranolone (Zurzuvae) is newly approved for postpartum depression, but does it work in regular depression? And why did they put so many “Zs” in the name?

Clinical Update

Stimulant Dosing Limits

August 7, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kelvin Quiñones-Laracuente, MD, PhD.

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

Kelvin Quiñones-Laracuente, MD, PhD. Psychiatry resident, NYU Langone Medical Center.

Drs. Aiken and Quiñones-Laracuente have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Dosing is not a collaborative venture when it comes to controlled substances, and here we look for the safe upper limits of stimulant dosing.

How to Set Behavioral Goals in the Med Visit

July 31, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Do you see patients who have no motivation to do anything? Michael Posternak has a novel strategy for working with this depressive symptom during the medication visit in this special tribute to the late psychiatrist.

Bipolar Treatment Upgrade Part II

July 17, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Updates on lithium from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference.

Bipolar Treatment Upgrade Part I

July 10, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Updates from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference, including new diagnostic tools for bipolar disorder. Stanford researchers propose a new subtype of depression.