Because of several factors, including high levels of dopamine, adolescents are prone to risky behavior. Controlling that risk and keeping kids safe isn’t something we as child psychiatrists can do on our own. It also takes support and help from parents, says Jess Shatkin, MD, an expert on adolescent behavior,...

Michael Gitlin, MD, director of the Outpatient Mood Disorder Program at UCLA gave The Carlat Psychiatry Report his view on newer antidepressants. He emphasized that these newer medications are no more effective than our standard antidepressants, but that it’s always good to have more options available for patients who may...

The old rule of thumb used to be that “you don’t need to worry about the person who’s worried about their memory; you need to worry about people who aren’t worried.” Although that might still be true for people already with dementia, it’s important that you pick up on memory...

Psychosis in children is difficult to determine, especially in younger kids who might not understand the concept of psychotic behavior. In more obvious cases, children will come into your office saying that they are hearing voices, or that someone is chasing them. But how do you evaluate a child for...

Choosing and prescribing the right medications for treating ADHD can be challenging. The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report spoke with Anne Buchanan, DO, Child psychiatrist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, about her approach. She offers the following tips.When choosing meds, Dr. Buchanan recommends that you: Consider stimulants first line.

When we see patients with a first episode of psychosis, it can be difficult to know what the diagnosis is, and how to proceed with treatment. The Carlat Psychiatry Report spoke with Ann Shinn, MD, Director of Clinical Research, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Research Program, McLean Hospital, for some tips...

In The Carlat Psychiatry Report's 2016 update on Complementary Alternative Medicine, Dr. Lila Massoumi, an expert in integrative psychiatry, gives provides a timely and practical overview of the vitamins, supplements, and herbal adaptogens that you should consider prescribing. As a preview. Here are some tips from the first part of...

How can we help our psychotic patients cope with hallucinations that are still bothering them, despite adequate doses of antipsychotic medication? Here are some techniques to try (acknowledgments to Dr. Dost Ongur of McLean Hospital, who had discussed these in a past issue of The Carlat Psychiatry Report).Music. This sometimes...

Regardless of where you practice, you'll increasingly hear patients acknowledging regular marijuana (MJ) use, sometimes as a "medical treatment" for conditions ranging from back pain to ADHD. You might want to remind your patients that, whether legal or not, marijuana is still a drug with potential negative consequences. Here are...

I don't specialize in addiction treatment, but occasionally I do have patients who tell me they've been overusing prescription narcotics. For example, I once treated a woman for depression who was dependent on Vicodin that was originally prescribed after surgery by her OB/GYN. Over the years she had tried...