In Part 2 of our Listener Requests series, we will cover a variety of topics that will hopefully be of interest to you, our listeners! The topics included in this series were suggested topics from listeners who e-mailed, tweeted, or gave us feedback on our Facebook page or website. In this episode, we will discuss […]

Episode 40- Reader Requests 2

In our new Listener Requests series, we will cover a variety of topics that will hopefully be of interest to you, our listeners! The topics included in this series were suggested topics from listeners who e-mailed, tweeted, or gave us feedback on our Facebook page or website. In this episode, we will discuss designer (or […]

Episode 39- Listener Requests 1

In the final episode of our personality disorder series, we will dig deeper into cluster C personality disorders. We’ll review the three cluster C personality disorders (avoidant, dependent, and obsessive compulsive) and specifically focus on effective communication strategies to use when working with these patients. Using a few different clinical examples, we’ll highlight both helpful […]

Episode 38- Cluster C Personality Disorders

In this episode of our personality disorder series, we will dig deeper into cluster B personality disorders. Many clinicians struggle working with patients who have cluster B personality disorders since they can trigger very intense emotional reactions in the providers who care for them! We’ll discuss the importance of cultivating empathy and describe common challenges […]

Episode 37- Cluster B Personality Disorders

In this episode of our personality disorder series, we will dig deeper into cluster A personality disorders. We’ll specifically focus on effective communication strategies to use when working with these patients. Using a clinical example, we’ll highlight both helpful and less helpful ways to interact with patients who have cluster A personality disorders. Photo credit: […]

Episode 36- Cluster A Personality Disorders

What is the difference between a personality and a personality disorder? When do personality disorders arise, and what do they look like?  In our new series on personality disorders, we’ll discuss all of this and more. We’ll review the 3 personality clusters (cluster A, cluster B, and cluster C) and describe the 10 different personality […]

Episode 35- Intro to Personality Disorders

In the final episode of our Picture This series on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, we discuss how to talk about suicide at both the individual and societal level. We’ll discuss how characters in the show react to Hannah’s  mental health crisis and then explore strategies for what to do when someone discloses suicidal […]

Episode 34- 13 Reasons Why: Discussing Suicide

In the second episode of our Picture This series, we will use the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for exploring and understanding reactions to suicide. The characters in the show have a wide range of reactions to suicide, which span from anger to grief to altruism. We discuss these different reactions in […]

Episode 33- 13 Reasons Why: Reacting to Suicide

In the first episode of our Picture This series, we will use the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for discussing and understanding suicide. Why do people die by suicide or engage in suicidal behaviors? We will discuss several main theories including the interpersonal theory of suicide, Linehan’s theory of suicidal behavior, and […]

Episode 32- Understanding Suicide through 13 Reasons Why

Check out the “trailer” for our upcoming new miniseries “Picture This.” There are tons of movies, songs, books, and other media that talk about mental health. We are going to discuss and analyze some of them from a psychiatric perspective. First up is 13 Reasons Why, a TV miniseries made by Netflix based on a […]

Trailer- Picture This!

A Psychiatry Education Podcast For Students and Learners

Podcast

Med student here! I love the content, but the guy’s prosody drives me nuttttssss.

Good content!

Psych Essentials

Get ready to learn about the essentials of antipsychotics! In the first part of our introduction to antipsychotics, we are going to talk broadly about uses for antipsychotics, how they work, and common side effects. We’ll then discuss unique characteristics of specific medications within the typical class of antipsychotics. Photo Credit: Olivier Chateau, “Hasselblad Xpan,” […]

Episode 11- Antipsychotics (Part 1)

Get for ready for some fun psychopharm basics! In this episode, we will discuss commonly used antidepressants including SSRIs, SNRIs, and atypical antidepressants. We’ll review general indications, side effects, and clinical circumstances which might cause you to favor one antidepressant over another. Finally, we’ll help you to solidify your knowledge with some clinical cases.  Photo […]

Episode 10- Antidepressants

In today’s episode, we will discuss benzodiazepines, a commonly used type of sedative-hypnotic medication. We will start by reviewing their mechanism of action, common indications for use, contraindications for use, and side effects. We’ll also discuss how to differentiate benzodiazepines based on their unique pharamacologic properties. Finally, we’ll explore some of the controversy around benzodiazepines, […]

Episode 29- Benzodiazepines

In the final episode of our psychopharmacology basics series, we are going to discuss commonly used mood stabilizers including lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine. What conditions are they used for? How do they work? What are their side effect profiles? How do we dose and monitor them? And what’s up with all these […]

Episode 13- Mood Stabilizers

In the final episode of our psychotherapy series, we will discuss cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).  We’ll review the cognitive triangle and illustrate how our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings influence one another using a hypothetical scenario.  Finally, we’ll discuss the rationale behind key CBT concepts and techniques including monitoring, behavioral activation, relaxation, exposure, cognitive errors, and […]

Episode 25- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Can’t tell your olanzapine from your risperidone from your quetiapine? Well, don’t you fret because we’re talking about the atypical antipsychotics in this episode. We’ll discuss specific medication side effects and scenarios when you might favor using one atypical antipsychotic over another. Finally, we’ll briefly review long-acting injectables! Photo Credit: Diana Mehrez, “Triangled,” Flickr Episode […]

Episode 12- Antipsychotics (Part 2)

We are revisiting psychopharmacology in our second psychopharm series. We will kick things off by talking about the “older antidepressants”- tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). While these medications are used less frequently than SSRIs due to their side effect profiles, both TCAs and MAOIs have their select uses in psychiatry (i.e. treatment […]

Episode 28- TCAs and MAOIs

In the fourth and final episode of our “Art of Psychiatry” series, we will discuss anxiety disorders. We’ll start by discussing the  purpose of anxiety, why it is often a normal reaction to stressful circumstances, and what it looks like when anxiety becomes more maladaptive and functionally impairing. We’ll provide an overview of common anxiety […]

Episode 20- Anxiety

In today’s episode of our psychopharmacology series, we will discuss insomnia and treatments for insomnia. Most of the time, sleep medications are not the solution for addressing insomnia! We’ll briefly describe cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which is THE first line treatment for insomnia.  We will then review 6 different classes of medications used […]

Episode 30- Sleep Medications

In the final episode of our second psychopharmacology series, we will discuss how to manage antipsychotic side effects. Side effects are quite common for patients taking antipsychotics unfortunately. Knowing how to manage common antipsychotic side effects is incredibly valuable for your patients as it can improve tolerability and treatment compliance. We’ll provide a broad overview […]

Episode 31- Managing Antipsychotic Side Effects

In the third episode of our “Art of Psychiatry” series, we will discuss schizophrenia, a chronic mental illness that affects 1% of the population. We will focus especially on the patient experience of what it’s like to live with schizophrenia. We’ll start by reviewing the key symptoms of schizophrenia as well as other diagnoses to […]

Episode 19- Schizophrenia

In our two-part series on substance use, we will first discuss drugs of abuse and intoxication/withdrawal syndromes. We’ll provide a conceptual framework for how to differentiate common toxidromes frequently encountered in psychiatry. We’ll then reinforce your knowledge through a series of cases highlighting the clinical presentations of  sedatives, opioids, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabinoids, and dissociatives. Come […]

Episode 21- Intoxication and Withdrawal Syndromes

In the second episode of our “Art of Psychiatry” series, we will discuss bipolar disorder, a chronic mood disorder that affects 1% of the population. We’ll start by reviewing the diagnostic criteria for bipolar 1 and bipolar 2 disorder. We’ll then spend some time discussing mania, a key feature of bipolar disorder. What is it […]

Episode 18- Bipolar Disorder

In the first episode of our “Art of Psychiatry” series, we will discuss depression, a common and debilitating mental illness. We will start by reviewing symptoms of depression. We will then discuss what it’s like to be depressed, how to better interact with someone who is depressed, and helpful questions to ask a depressed a […]

Episode 17- Depression

Get ready for a big, information-packed episode featuring two of the most interesting parts of the mental status-exam: thought process and thought content! This is where we get to explore the weird, wonderful, and wild things the mind can manifest. In this episode, we will first look at thought process by defining and providing examples […]

Episode 4- Thought Process and Thought Content

In the second episode of our psychotherapy series, we will discuss supportive and psychodynamic therapy. To illustrate principles of supportive and psychodynamic therapy, we will do a role play and then afterward, use the role play to explore the difference between supportive and dynamic approaches to the situation. We will discuss how to use reflections […]

Episode 24- Supportive and Dynamic Psychotherapy

In the first episode of our series on somatic treatments in psychiatry, we will discuss electroconvulsive therapy, otherwise known as ECT. ECT is one of the few procedures used in psychiatry. Despite its excellent safety record and remarkable efficacy for treating many psychiatric disorders, there is still significant stigma around ECT. We’ll dispel some of […]

Episode 26- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

In this episode, we will continue our series on the mental status exam by reviewing mood and affect. What is the difference between mood and affect? This can be a common area of confusion for learners, and we will spend some time reviewing the key differences. Following this, we will dig more deeply into affect […]

Episode 3- Mood and Affect

Do you find the psychiatric interview a little overwhelming or intimidating? Where do you start? What do you need to ask about? What do you do if it doesn’t go as planned? Well, breathe a sigh of relief because we at Psych Essentials are going to break it down for you in our three part […]

Episode 7- Psychiatric Interview (Part 1)

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The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!