Dr. Paul Corona

Dr. Paul continues his discussion on depression, the third of a four part series. He continues to discuss what depression is really all about, and that it is Not the fault of the person who suffers with this. He explains that the factors that lead to this are often not within a persons control, and it’s quite easily treatable.

Dr. Paul continues his discussion about depression, and explains that people who suffer with this do not need to live with this any longer. The factors that lead the two depression are not within the person’s control, mostly caused by genetic predisposition, worsens with times of hormonal change, worsens with situational stressors, as well as certain seasons of the year such as the holiday season especially and when the weather is not good in general. He explains how psychotropic medications work and why he chooses specific medications for specific individuals depending on their history, their symptoms, family history etc. The discusses why psychotropic medications are the most preventative and holistic solution to heal mental and other physical health problems. In addition to medications he explains the importance of lifestyle changes, developing coping skills and getting counseling when needed.

Dr. Paul discusses depression in this first of a two-part series on the D word. Dr. Paul explains what depression means by defining the disorder by describing the several different symptoms and the diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis. He explains that depression is a pervasive set of symptoms that is beyond just having a bad day here and there. Dr. Paul explains that people who are depressed are just not feeling their old selves, and this can be a hopeless condition that can even be life-threatening. He addresses the stigma that holds people back from getting the treatment that they need. He instills hope that this is an easily treated condition, since it is a medical problem with groundbreaking medical solutions.

Dr. Paul continues discussing the various places the people get medical advice. The other very commonplace is on the Internet. Dr. Paul cautions people to be very careful about such advice, even if it seems to come from credible sources. Certain people on the Internet have an agenda that may not be in the best interest of the person suffering. There is a lot of advice from non-medical sources to have strong opinions. He cautions that even sources that are medical or from the pharmaceutical company can lead to a lot of confusion because there is conflicting information from different sources. This advice is probably not individualized to the needs of the individual reading the material. Also, a lot of the medical information is regulated by the federal government’s, which prevents freethinking and advice and prevents out-of-the-box thinking and prescribing, which is essential in the field of mental health. Another source to be cautious of getting medical advice from his the pharmacist. Even though they know a lot about medications, they are not clinicians and likely do not understand how we experts prescribe and combine certain medications. The best source is a clinician who has an expertise and deep understanding of mental health and other physical health problems.

This is the first part of a two-part series on where people get medical advice from. Dr. Paul hints at the beginning that doctors and other medical personnel are not even near the top of the list of sources. In this show Dr. Paul explains that the most common source of medical information is family and friends, along with the media and even TV commercials. He explains why that is a very bad idea, since the majority of time those people do not have the medical training or knowledge or expertise to give such advice. They may have very strong opinions, but this can be very damaging and dangerous to the sufferer who may heed that advice from people who may mean well.

Dr. Paul discusses the issue of stress in this show. Everyone can relate to stress because everybody experiences it at certain times of life. Some people have more stress than others, and some people handle stress better than others, since coping skills are key to handling stress. Stress can actually be a good thing at certain times for some people, and he explores the concept of positive stress versus negative stress. He also discusses ways to deal with stress, which include relaxation techniques, medications for some, and ways to cope with stress.

Dr. Paul focuses in this episode on the factors that lead to mental and other physical health issues. The main factors are genetic predisposition/family history, which is the number one cause. The second cause is that hormonal imbalances lead to neurochemical imbalances, and there are several times of life when this occur such as puberty, premenstrual, postpartum, pre-, peri-and postmenopausal. These hormonal imbalances occur in men and women. A third factor is severe stressors that can occur in life. Other factors include weather and seasonal patterns as well as others.

Dr. Paul discusses the issue of stigma in mental health. He chooses to address this early on since stigma is what holds a lot of people back from getting the help that they need. There is unfortunately a significant stigma attached to mental health. He explains that mental health is physical health, since the brain is a vital organ of the body. The notion that mental illness is a weakness of character or will is wrong and very damaging to those who suffer. Mental illness is best treated with curative and preventative medications that are not addictive and can change people's lives dramatically for the better. The stigma regarding health needs to end.

In his first podcast, Dr. Paul tells his story starting when he was a young boy of five years old and how he got the nickname Dr. Paul, which stayed with him through the years. He discusses his journey since then and how his early interests in elementary school stayed with him. This interest continued during college as a biology major premed. He discusses his inspirations along the way throughout med school and why he chose to be a family doctor initially, and then during his first years of clinical practice he developed a special interest in psychiatry and mood disorders. He discusses his many aha moments and revelations during his first several years of practice which then led to the decision to focus his attention on mood disorders and chronic physical problems. He discovered the mind-body connection and what that really means. This then led to the writing of his books, currently working on his sixth, to be released next year. This first podcast tells his journey from the beginning until now.