Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast

Exploring ADHD diagnosis, misconceptions, and treatment challenges. Highlighting the impact on daily functioning and the importance of accurate diagnosis. Discussing medication options, psychological testing, and non-medication treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy.

What is placebo? The original meaning of the word placebo is, "I will please." That statement comes from a time when doctors didn't have our modern code of ethics, and they would prescribe whatever would make the person feel better. They probably had the best intentions, but they also would have known that whatever they were prescribing might not have been a real medication for the symptoms the patient was experiencing. Doctors, even then, knew that suggestion was powerful, sometimes more powerful than the medicine they were prescribing. Laypeople who hear the word "placebo" automatically think of sugar pills. They may think only that it's something a doctor gives to placate and make people feel better when they aren't getting the active medication. Placebos have long been used as a comparison arm for clinical trials. Usually it is in the form of an inert sugar pill or sham-procedure. Researchers can observe a psychobiological response known as the placebo effect. But when thinking about the word "placebo," we must think of the entire effect of it, and it is perhaps better termed "the meaning effect." As I discussed in last week's episode of the podcast, the meaning we give something creates belief, and belief is a potent change mechanism, even when it comes to our physical health. It is especially potent when it comes to mental health. The placebo effect encompasses the therapeutic alliance, expectations, natural healing of the body and mind, and the environment of therapy. It involves the power of suggestion, mood, and the beliefs behind even one positive or negative interaction with a doctor. It also, as we will see, involves studies involving heavy-hitting medication. When there is an increased ritual, there is an increased placebo effect. During a hospital stay, the surgery preparation, meetings with doctors, nurses and therapists can have an incredibly therapeutic effect on a patient. It is possible to see biological mechanisms triggered by psychosocial context and attribute it to a placebo effect. What is the power of suggestion, the meaning effect, placebo effect, and how do we use it or avoid it in our practices and when testing new medical treatments? By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook:DrDavidPuder

For many, motherhood is a beautiful, unique, and meaningful experience. The mother-child bond is a relationship that has the potential to be a deeply loving and positive experience for both the mother and child. However, motherhood can be distressing, which is why it is imperative that we, as providers, understand the unique psychiatric issues that are associated with this time period in a woman's life. Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, or PMAD for short, is the term used to describe mood and anxiety disorders that affect women during the perinatal period, which is the timeframe from pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. PMAD encompasses a variety of disorders, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar mood disorder, psychosis, and PTSD. Details on connecting with Kelly Rivinius through social media or about her free support group:here By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video.

Viktor Frankl, a renowned psychiatrist and founder of logotherapy, shares compelling insights on finding meaning, especially during suffering. He discusses personal experiences from the Holocaust that highlight resilience and choices amidst adversity. The conversation emphasizes the role of meaning in therapy, focusing on empathetic listening and building a therapeutic alliance. Frankl also touches on the importance of meaningful connections in medicine and how observing children can reveal deeper joys and purposes in everyday life.

Timothy Lee, Loma Linda's Residency Program Director, delves into understanding delirium and its psychiatric implications. He distinguishes between hyperactive and hypoactive delirium, highlighting how symptoms like agitation and confusion can mislead families into thinking of schizophrenia. The discussion extends to the impact of simple infections, especially in the elderly, and the challenges in diagnosing related cognitive issues. Lee emphasizes the importance of careful medication management and tailored recovery strategies for affected patients.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I interview Dr. Cummings, a reputable psychopharmacologist, about ketamine. We talk about psychedelics, the research behind it, both the positives and the negatives. We will look at how it is or is not helpful in psychiatric treatments. (Disclaimer: There are no conflicts of interest to report. Neither Dr. Puder or Cummings is affiliated with any companies in favor of ketamine and other drug companies.) Ketamine Although ketamine has recently become a medication of great interest in psychiatry, it actually is a fairly old medication. It was first synthesized in 1962 and began human trials for anesthesia in 1964. It was finally approved by the FDA as a dissociative anesthetic in 1970. What has piqued interest in psychiatry is that infusion of a smaller dose of ketamine produces a rapid response in terms of reversal of depressed mood, suicidality, and some treatment-resistant depressed patients. The literature is rich (in one sense) as the most recent consensus statement (Sanacora, 2017) looked at seven randomized controlled trials, all of which support a robust antidepressant response and anti-suicide response. The difficulty with those trials is the majority of them lasted only one week. A few of the later trials lasted two to three weeks with two to three infusions per week. So, what's lacking at this point is adequate data regarding long term treatment response and data about transitions to more traditional antidepressant treatments. By listening to this episode, you can earn 0.75 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder

The podcast explores psychodynamic theory in therapy, discussing concepts like transference and unconscious processes. It highlights the impact of additional training on therapists' practice and the importance of empathy in therapeutic relationships. Emotional breakthroughs and transformative journeys of self-discovery are also explored.

Timothy Lee has talked to thousands of medical students about how to applying for residency programs, and here, he gives us a few tips on how to make it through the gauntlet, and how to have your best chance at landing the program you want. Here is what Timothy Lee says: Stay calm Many students have been fine tuning their personal statements, and trying to get their resume just right, or hurrying to press the faculty to write letters of recommendation. It can be very stressful. It's okay to turn in information a little bit later, in order to have all of the paperwork you need. It's even okay to review your statement after you've already turned it in. No one will lower their opinion based on that. You will need to have applied for the majority of the programs you are interested in by early or mid-October, otherwise the program director might wonder if you're applying to them later as a backup plan. What matters in a personal statement? Every program director will have different opinions on what you write, and every program director will be looking for different things from your personal statement. For some people, it's a chance to get to know the applicant a little bit. For others, it doesn't really matter that much. As long as your grammar and syntax are competent, you should be fine. Some people don't worry about the format, and others are more particular. To be on the safe side, if you have access to a good mentor, run it by them. Also, don't be too wordy—stick to a page and a half. Do step scores matter? Step scores are a very convenient screening tool for what matters, but there are studies that show that step scores are not directly correlated to success in residency performance. They are helpful, but are not the end-all-be-all. It's only one part of the picture of an applicant. However, if you are going for a highly-competitive residency, you might need to worry about step scores a bit more. Apply to the right number of programs The number of programs is not the only way to increase your chance of success of getting in. Pay attention to the types of programs you are applying to as well. If you are applying for a good number of programs, make sure at least half of them are are ones you are a solid and potentially attractive candidate for. Keep a good perspective Ultimately, you are more than your CV, step score, or personal statement. If patients like you, that's going to go a long ways. Your patients won't know your scores, or where you graduated from medical school. They will know if you were competent, caring and connected. That is ultimately what matters. Join and discuss this episode with David on Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder

Explore the essence of the therapeutic alliance as a partnership between clinician and patient. Discover how empathy and active listening foster trust and enhance treatment experiences. The podcast delves into patient fears and emphasizes the need for a supportive environment to address shame and anxiety. Learn why some therapists achieve better outcomes than others, and uncover the power of emotional transactions in therapy. Join the discussion on how simple gestures can dramatically influence patient dialogues and healing.

What is trauma? Emotional trauma comes from stress that is overwhelms a person's neurological system. Some stress can be good and formative, or it can be bad and get stuck in the brain, causing someone deep emotional pain. Think of climbing Mount Everest. Some people choose to do that, and it's easily one of the most stressful situations you can put yourself in on purpose. That's good stress if you have trained for years and are ready for it. If someone forced you to climb Mount Everest, it would register in the brain as a trauma. Trauma is too big for the mind, brain, and nervous system to assimilate. It's a memory, or experience, that gets stuck because the person believed it would result in their death, or at least serious injury. The brain has several mechanisms to keep something stuck so that the person will remember it, and try to avoid getting hurt in the same way in the future. It is a survival instinct. People commonly demonstrate symptoms of trauma when they've: Experienced a sexual violation Seen violence Experienced violence or abuse Been neglected—experienced the absence of something that they should have had. Been in near death experiences like car accidents or war People who have PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder, have experienced a soul-level of brokenness, and even talking about the event, or having a memory of it, can bring it back with the same force that occured in the actual accident. They often have recurring nightmares, or repetitive symptoms that continue long after the event. Typical PTSD symptoms alternate between chronic shut down and fight and flight Fight and flight symptoms are: Sweating, nightmares, flashbacks, anger, rage, panic, hypervigilance, tense muscles, painful knotted gut Shut down symptoms are: Dissociation, freezing, emotional detachment, voice trembling, difficulty getting words out, numbness, apathy, fear, helplessness, dizzy, empty, nausea Moments in connection mode look like: curiosity, exploration, relaxed and full breathing, feeling grounded, true smiles By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.25 Psychiatry CME Credits. Link to blog. Link to YouTube video. Join and discuss this episode with David on Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder