Articles
All Topics
- All Topics
- Addiction: Alcohol, Opiates, Nicotine, and More
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder & Psychosis
- Depression
- Insomnia
- LGBTQ+
- Medication: Side Effects, Dosing, and More
- Nutrition and Body Image: Weight-loss Struggles and Body Positivity
- Optimizing Mental Health: Self-help, Exercise, Wellness, and Resilience
- Seeing a Psychiatrist FAQ's
- Suicide Prevention
Craving Food and Late-night Snacking: How to Counter Mindless Eating
Unlike Halloween and special events that come yearly, every 24 hours brings with it nighttime... and an opportunity to struggle with craving food and nighttime snacking. A daily cycle can develop...
Food Cravings and Shame: A Perfect Storm of Emotional Eating and Discomfort
Do you "sneak" a piece or two (or many more) of candy at Halloween? Or a slice of cake at a birthday party? Does the desire for a late-night snack...
Shifting the focus from diet and weight loss towards improving overall health
If you starve yourself to be thin will this make you healthier? Can a number on the scale determine an individual's health status? Health and weight are related concepts that can...
5 Steps to Body-Positivity and Self-Love: Changing the Negative Self-Talk
In a society enthralled with selfies, surrounded by images portraying what appears to be the "ideal" body size and shape, it's easy to feel negative about the parts of our...
At war with ourselves: Tools to improve your health and stop fighting the weight-loss battle
Why go to a war that is being fought for the wrong reasons with an outcome that is outside of our control? How did the world start believing the complexities...
The Keys to Ending the Weight Loss and Body-Shaming Struggle: Mindful and Intuitive Eating
Consuming food on the run is a skill I have mastered. Never one to sit for long, fitting eating around other priorities is a pattern "perfected" while in medical residency...
Living with Uncertainty: Managing the Fear of Cancer Recurrence and “Scanxiety”
The truth is, we all live with uncertainty, but for people who have experienced cancer, the awareness is heightened. For some, the relief that comes from being declared "cancer-free" is...
Sleep Anxiety: Is the Fear of Insomnia Causing Your Inability to Sleep?
Is the fear of insomnia causing your inability to sleep? In some people, insomnia can begin abruptly after one bad night of sleep. From there, sleep anxiety develops and becomes a...
Is joy possible? Finding your purpose through active living
Do you believe joy is possible? Many people I work with feel they passively exist without joy. Depression, anxiety, trauma, etc. may initially cause this, but then it is perpetuated...
Life in Search of Meaning: Finding Your Meaning and Purpose of Life
People that are suffering can sometimes lose sight of the meaning and purpose of life. At times, they begin to question the meaning of it all and the reasons why...
A Review of Antidepressant Side Effects: From Common Nuisance to Dangerous
One of the most frequent reasons people decide to stop taking their antidepressant medication is because they experience side effects. Sometimes side effects of antidepressants are quite minor and time-limited,...
How to stop ruminating: Ruminative thinking doesn’t solve problems!
Do you get a thought stuck in your head and then can't stop thinking, analyzing, and worrying about it? Are these thoughts negative and focused on possible mistakes you have made?...
Tolerance to Alcohol, Addiction, Alcohol Blackouts, and Potential Deadly Withdrawal: The Dangers of Alcohol Abuse
There are downsides to regular alcohol use and this post will go into detail about the certain drawbacks and dangers of alcohol abuse: addiction, tolerance to alcohol, alcohol blackouts, and...
Take psychiatric medications? Be aware of SIADH hyponatremia and SIADH symptoms
Hyponatremia means a low amount of sodium in the blood. This may sound like a good thing since doctors are frequently telling people to limit salt intake, but in this...
10 Coping Strategies for Distress Tolerance
Because distress is so uncomfortable people understandably want to make it go away as soon as possible. At the moment of intense emotions, it feels like it may never...
Akathesia: A Tortured Restlessness
There are particular side effects from medicine that physicians want to know right away if you have. Akathesia is one of them. Akathesia is a sensation of inner restlessness so...
48 of the Best Resources to Help with Overcoming Anxiety (Includes Help with Anxiety for Adults and Children!)
Anxiety is a treatable condition. Depending on the intensity, some people can get better on their own and others need therapy and/or medications to help with anxiety. Either way, recovering from...
Adventure Awaits! How to Overcome Fear of Flying Phobia.
Recently, I took an international trip with my family that required a 16-hour plane ride. Stuck in an uncomfortable middle seat for this unpleasantly long flight I had lots of time...
How Does Antabuse Work? Everything You Need to Know to Decide if Disulfiram Antabuse Treatment is Right For You
Antabuse (Disulfiram is the generic name) is a medication given to people who are struggling with alcohol addiction and need medication to support their efforts to abstain. Breaking the cycle...
Fall Prevention in the Elderly: Improve Sleep and Reduce Anxiety Without an Increased Risk of Falling
Preventing falls in the elderly can significantly improve quality of life. Unfortunately, falling and injury happen too frequently. Fall prevention in the elderly is the result of common sense safety...
9 Facts About the Sexual Side Effects of Antidepressants: They are common!
Sexual side effects of antidepressants are common yet often people feel too embarrassed to discuss these with their doctor. To make it more complicated, a common symptom of depression is...
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Rare but Potentially Deadly Side Effects of Antipsychotic Medications
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) is a potentially life-threatening condition that is one of the rare side effects of antipsychotic medications. It is fatal in 10% of patients. Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome...
How to Prevent Suicide: 4 Coping Strategies to Use When Thinking About Suicide
Preventing suicide takes forethought and planning, not only in the world as a whole to create better support systems and treatment, but for individuals struggling with how to deal with...
15 Interesting Facts About Alcohol: How Does Alcohol Work?
Drinking alcohol is ubiquitous in society but how does alcohol work in the body? Many people don't know what it does or how it causes intoxication. Read these 15 interesting...
What is Serotonin Syndrome? Hint: It’s an Emergency. Know the Signs and Symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome.
Serotonin syndrome is an emergency and can be fatal in extreme cases. It is important to recognize serotonin syndrome symptoms when they are happening because if medications are stopped early...
The Controversy Around Use Of Benzodiazepines. What Are Benzodiazepines Used For And Is It Ever Okay? (Yes)
Benzodiazepine medications have gotten a bad rap and there is much controversy in the psychiatric community about their use. Some people feel they should never be used and some feel...
Recommended melatonin dosage for adults: You may be surprised!
Melatonin is widely used to treat difficulties with sleep and is readily available given the lack of need for a prescription. Because it is classified as a dietary supplement (not...
How are you at regulating emotions? Learn essential emotional regulation skills from children.
Kids can teach us many things if we let them: how to play and have fun, relax more, get dirty, avoid homework yet also persevere, be compassionate and open-minded, and...
Effects of Antidepressant Medications: How Do You Know if it is Working?
How will antidepressants make me feel? How do I know if it is working? Before starting antidepressant medications it's important to know what to expect; both with potential side effects but...
26 Symptoms of Adult ADHD: Can You Relate?
Although each person is unique, there are many common signs of adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The symptoms of adult ADHD listed below aren't only experienced by those with...
Can Adults get ADHD? 5 Reasons why diagnosing ADHD in adults is legitimate
ADHD is a condition with childhood onset and cannot begin in adulthood. Can adults have ADHD? Yes! But adults don't GET ADHD they have always HAD it and just never received...
Esketamine (Spravato) for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Will it Live Up to Expectations?
The FDA's recent approval of Esketamine (Spravato by Janssen Pharmaceuticals) has been met with much excitement (and some controversy) for it's potential to help people with treatment-resistant depression. Despite it being...
Pulling weeds and psychotherapy: What do self-exploration, self-discovery, and gardening have in common?
As winter dredges on I find myself beginning to think about spring and the joys of planting a garden. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, where...
10 Children’s Picture Books that Celebrate Gender Diversity
One of my most important jobs as a parent is to allow my children to have the freedom to discover and be their true selves. I want them to find...
Side Effects of ADHD Medication in Adults: Watch For the Crash!
The goal of ADHD treatment with stimulant medications is to find a medication that is both effective and has no (or minimal) side effects. Sometimes it takes a couple of...
Too good to be true? An effective goal setting process you can sustain even when motivation is lagging. Learn how!
It's hard to sustain effort over time. Sometimes it's easier to get started than it is to keep going. This happens all the time with New Year's Resolutions...if you belong to a...
Writing SMART Goals Makes Achieving Your Dreams Possible.
Without setting goals, we may never achieve what it is we dream. Dreams are an endpoint and don't include the steps to take to get there. The goals we decide...
Achieve Your Dreams! A Series on the Importance of Setting Goals
Goals are part of every aspect of life and achieving them comes down to priorities and proper planning. Without setting goals and objectives, life becomes a series of chaotic events...
Need help quitting Juul? Learn more about treating Juul addiction.
The quit-smoking techniques available for traditional cigarettes also work for people treating Juul addiction. A Juul e-cig is unique, but not so special that it needs separate therapies to treat...
What is Juul? Hint: Teens love it! Find out what you need to know about Juul.
In this last year, people have started to reach out to me for help quitting Juul. I've been asked "Do you know how to treat Juul addiction?" as if it...
There is a drug called Lean in school. Have you heard of it?
Truth be told, I read my daughters texts. I don't feel great about it but 7th-graders aren't "oversharers" (with their parents) and I want to have an idea of what...
Feeling stuck in life? Instructions from a psychiatrist on how to live the life you love
If we are feeling stuck in life, or even uninspired, we have the opportunity to be creative and infuse passion back into our journey. You can create your future one...
7 Alternatives to AA in Recovery from Addiction
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has helped countless people in their recovery from addiction but one size does not fit all with healing. The messages of AA don't resonate with everyone and...
We Can Help Prevent Prescription Medication Abuse and Drug Diversion
Prescription medications stolen from friends and family are a major source of abused medication and are often the initial way middle and high schoolers first get access. To find your...
Want to Motivate Behavior Change in Others? Apply Motivational Interviewing Techniques to General Life
Motivation is the fuel needed for change. Without it, it is difficult to create the inertia to move past status quo. People often gravitate to what is known rather than...
A Preschool Book Reveals the Secret to a Happy Life for Us All…Yup, It’s That Good
Well done, author Michael Hall. I am impressed. Red: A Crayon's Story takes the complicated subject of living authentically and successfully sums it up in a story about a mislabeled...
Shifting Thoughts and Taking Control: Cognitive Restructuring for Anxiety Management
Anxiety management and recovery require recognizing anxious catastrophic thinking when it is happening (read here for more details). Once recognized, you can reduce anticipatory anxiety by changing thoughts and interrupting projections. Break down...
“Embrace the Suck” How the Power of Positive Thinking Can Turn Your Day Around
Tonight, on the way home from work I was sitting in stopped traffic, wet from being caught in a downpour, and feeling hungry. I wasn't super excited about my predicament...
Would You Do 23andMe Genetic Testing?
Have you thought about getting 23andMe genetic testing done? I recently did a 23andMe test and had a lot of fun with the results. However, I was surprised by the...
Catastrophizing Anxiety
We all know what a catastrophe is but what about catastrophizing? Catastrophizing is a common occurrence in people that are feeling anxious. Catastrophizing is caused by anxiety but also serves...
2 Simple Things You Can Do to Support Gender Diversity in Children
ALL CHILDREN, not only gender diverse children, are at risk when their sense of identity is discouraged or disallowed. Parent and family acceptance offers CRITICAL protective factors that lead to short-term...
ADHD and Sleep: 6 Things People With ADHD Can Do to Get More Sleep
Sleep is an essential ingredient for a fully functioning, well-performing brain. In particular, it can assist in boosting moods, increasing focus, improving concentration, and helping with general health and well-being. For...
Top Books on Executive Functioning Disorder
The last 2 posts I wrote are geared to empower people to take charge of their executive function skills (or help guide their loved one to do the same). In...
Journal Prompts For Depression and Anxiety
This post today is written by an awesome guest blogger who has experienced anxiety and wants to let us know what she has found helpful. Megan realized she can successfully...
The Ultimate Guide: 15 Tips to Improve Executive Function Disorder
Are you someone that struggles to stay organized? Has trouble following projects through to completion or even getting started? Is chronically late and forgets things that need to be done?...
Light Therapy for Seasonal Depression: What works?
It's that time a year again! How did it come back so fast? With summer winding down and fall weather returning, depression can rear its ugly head for those who experience...
Executive Functioning Skills: Do You Have Them?
Calling it executive functioning makes these skills sound fancy, complicated, and only for the most sophisticated among us. But really executive functions are automatic skills that run in the background and...
14 Benefits of ADHD
When determining if someone meets criteria for ADHD we focus on what a person is struggling with and what isn't working for them. For people with ADHD, the symptoms are significant...
What is Telepsychiatry? How a Virtual Doctor Visit Can Help You
Telepsychiatry visits are just like any other medical appointments- the only difference is they are conducted from the comfort of your own home or office using live video-conferencing. There are...
What is Self-Respect?
WHAT IS SELF-RESPECT? In my profession, I see lots of people who feel broken. Some have been struggling for years with depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc.... but others are broken because...
Have Medical Questions to Ask Your Doctor? 4 Tips to Get Them Answered
How many of you have had the experience of going to the doctor, having tons of medical questions about what is going on with your body, and then leaving the doctor...
Why You Need to Ask Your Doctor Questions!
Let me clear up a couple of myths regarding asking your doctor questions. Some people are too afraid and feel intimidated to ask a doctor a question. The truth is that...
Medication Prices Vary! How My Patients Save Money on Prescriptions
Ask my patients and they will certainly verify that I can't stand it when they are overcharged for medication. I spend a good amount of time spreading the word about...
Suicide Prevention Plan: 5 Tips to Deal With Thoughts of Suicide
Preventing suicide does not happen by offering simple platitudes ("You have so much to be grateful for") or by saying comments like: "It's wrong", "It's selfish", etc...but by coming up...
7 Ways to Sleep Better Tonight!
Looking for ways to sleep better? Insomnia and exhaustion are such a drag! If you are having problems sleeping read these 7 tips for better sleep. The benefits can be felt...
A Psychiatrist’s Take on Suicidal Thoughts and Suicide Prevention
As a psychiatrist, part of my job is to talk to people about suicide. In my profession, hearing about suicidal thoughts is not uncommon. Read this post if you need...
16 Questions to Answer If You Are Seeing a Psychiatrist for the First Time
Going to see a psychiatrist? Make sure you are ready! Before you come in for your first psychiatrist appointment get prepared by answering the following questions. If you do this, we...
8 Questions You Need To Ask To Get The Best Psychiatrist
The fit between you and your psychiatrist is extremely important. You could see the best psychiatrist in the world, but if you aren't comfortable sharing personal information with them then...
Psychotic Episode and the Support of Others: How to Help Someone With Psychosis
Psychosis can be a terrifying experience for everyone. When a loved one has a psychotic episode, families, and friends are usually not prepared. The first step is figuring out "What...
Will You Have Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal from antidepressants can be uncomfortable if they are not tapered properly. Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, also called antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, can happen when lowering a dose of the medication or...
3 Easy Ways to Remember to Take Medications
Remembering to take medicine can be a challenge. I was taught that the average person remembers it 70% of the time! That is a lot of missed medication! There are...
Side Effects of ADHD medication: Advice from a 10-year-old on ADHD and Weight Loss
Even though I am writing this blog to help other kids who have ADHD feel more comfortable I still feel embarrassed to write about this topic: ADHD and weight loss...
Keys to Coping with Bipolar Disorder
A key to managing bipolar disorder is to recognize early relapse warning signs. Medication will minimize, but not eliminate, mood swings for many people coping with bipolar disorder. Changes in...
2 Reasons Your Antidepressant Medication Doesn’t Work
Don't make these 2 common mistakes when deciding if an antidepressant is effective. Many people have inadequate trials on antidepressant medication due to dosing that is too low or taking...
6 Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing an Antidepressant
Which antidepressant is right for me? Sometimes we can figure out what is the best antidepressant just by asking the right questions. Before choosing an antidepressant, I think about these 6...
8 Facts About Common Side Effects of Antidepressants
It's important to know what to expect when starting on an antidepressant and to be aware of common side effects of antidepressants. Most commonly, antidepressant side effects happen when a...
Black and White Thinking- Don’t Fall Into the Trap!
Do you get stuck in black and white thinking and it is hard for you to see options other than all or nothing? Does rigid thinking cause you to live...
11 Effective Interventions for Depression
Are you looking for ideas how to beat depression? There are many interventions for depression that can help. Don't let your brain trick you into thinking it will never get...
30 Healing Mantras For Depression
Our thoughts help shape how we feel. Depression can cloud people's outlook with negative thoughts that focus on everything that feels wrong. When thoughts are shifted toward the positive, outlooks...
3 Tips For Exercise: How to Stay Motivated when Depressed
In the last 2 posts about exercise and depression, I discussed how to help depression. We talked about how exercise helps depression, why it's important to exercise even if you...
Exercise and Depression: How to get started when you want to stay in bed
In the last post about exercise and depression, I discussed the benefits of exercise on depression and why it is worth it to push yourself even when you have no...
Treating Depression with Exercise
Exercise isn't just about physical fitness. It also benefits your mental health! Research supports the link between depression and exercise. Even 1 hour of exercise per week can be effective...
Kids with ADHD: A 10-year-old’s experience
I Have ADHD Lots of people in this world have ADHD. For one, I have it. I am 10 years old and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was...
3 Types of Paranoia: What does paranoia mean?
Recently someone asked me a question regarding the relationship between anxiety and paranoia. They reported feeling paranoid and were wondering if treatment for anxiety would help them feel better. Is...
4 Myths About ADHD in Adults
ADHD myths can get in the way of people seeking treatment and contribute to the stigma against people with ADHD. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 4.4% of US...
Bipolar 2 Disorder and Hypomania: What Everyone Should Know
When people think of bipolar disorder they often think of mania and the extremes that can happen. However, bipolar disorder exists on a spectrum with 2 main types: Bipolar 1...
Physician Burnout: We all Lose
Despite loving my patients, I burned out. I chose my own quality of life over continuing to work with the chronically mentally ill population that I adored. This patient population...
5 Ways to Stop a Panic Attack
Panic attacks can be terrifying and life-altering if they are not controlled! Often they are so scary that every detail of someone's first attack becomes etched permanently in their mind....
Will a Prescription Monitoring Program Help Combat Addiction?
Up until recently, doctors had no reliable way of knowing what controlled substance medication patients were filling and if the patient was "doctor shopping". Diverted prescription medications flowed into communities...
The Best Resources for Anxiety
Want to learn additional ways to deal with anxiety? Don't spend any more time letting anxiety interfere with your quality of life. Get help if you need it. Here is...
Do what you are afraid of! Stop letting anxiety control you
If you didn't have anxiety what would you do differently? How would you live your life? Let me tell you how to deal with anxiety and how to stop anxiety...
3 New Year’s Resolutions to Improve Your Mental Health
The new year is a time to refocus priorities and set goals for the upcoming year. This year make a New Year's resolution that will improve your mental well-being. Read ahead for...
Sleep and aging: What happens to our sleep and how to make it better
Oh, the joys of aging and sleep! Insomnia in the elderly is a frequent struggle. The amount of sleep people need (and the quality of sleep) changes over a lifetime....
4 Easy Ways to Save Money on Medication. Get Cheap Prescription Drugs!
The high cost of medications can be prohibitive for patients trying to fill them. Frequently, people are forced to go on and off their medication depending on when they can...
Seasonal Affective Disorder? Light therapy can help!
Seasonal Affective Disorder typically occurs in the fall and winter with a remission in spring and summer. People with Seasonal Affective Disorder have symptoms of depression that follow a seasonal pattern....
Top 10 books about ADHD
I'm frequently asked about what books I recommended on different mental health topics so I decided to compile a list of these books on my website. In this post, I will...
Benzodiazepines: Do They Treat Anxiety?
Are Benzodiazepines a Treatment for Anxiety? A quick fix or a long-term problem? They are frequently used but there are potential side effects of benzodiazepines and, even worse, risk of dangerous...
ADHD? Calling Out Stigma: Doctor to Doctor
Recently I had an interaction online with a physician regarding his thoughts on ADHD treatment. (Let's call him Dr. Stigma). This post is not about doctor bashing but more to point...
8 Great Options to Treat Insomnia (Without Medication)
Do your worries keep you awake at night? Restorative sleep is so important for our health yet is often sabotaged by anxiety. If you are a "sleep worrier" you may...
Naloxone: The antidote for opiate overdose
We can do more to stop the surge of deaths from opiate overdose. Naloxone is an opiate overdose treatment. It is an antidote that can be used to reverse an...
Can’t sleep? Back to basics!
Is your sleep suffering? Can't sleep at all? Let's talk about sleep problems, some basic information about sleep and sleep hygiene, and how to sleep better. We often don't make...
Alcohol Dependence and Withdrawal: Are You at Risk?
Are you at risk for alcohol withdrawal? First and foremost if you think you need help to stop drinking alcohol let your doctor know! Withdrawal can be deadly and you want...
Alcohol Use Disorder: Do you have a drinking problem?
Do I have a drinking problem? It is not uncommon for people who drink alcohol to wonder if their drinking is normal or problematic (or somewhere in between). Some people...
The Truth About Alcohol and Sleep
Many people believe having a drink will help them sleep better. Insomnia is a common problem and alcohol can help people fall asleep quicker. On the surface this sounds great...
Coffee before bedtime? How does caffeine affect sleep?
How does caffeine affect sleep? Sleep aids are a necessary part of treatment for many people suffering from insomnia. However, sometimes it may be as simple as altering the time...
