Let's Get Psyched

We ask our guest, Dr. David Orentlicher, to explain how different work environments emphasize different ways of relating to others and thinking  about problems. He's a good person to ask given he is a medical doctor, lawyer, professor, and elected representative.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan

Guest: Nevada Assemblyman David Orentlicher, MD, JD

We have a conversation with an elected representative from Nevada who is also a lawyer, doctor, and law professor for his take on the pressures influencing political decision-making and voting, return guest Dr. David Orentlicher. We hear his views on what it will take to create true bipartisanship.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan

Guest: Nevada Assemblyman David Orentlicher, MD, JD

A criticism of psychiatry (and psychotherapy in general) is that can be paternalistic. The clinician can set oneself up as an expert on the  patient’s life which leads to withholding information, choices, and autonomy. The most extreme form of this is when a psychiatrist or psychologist commits an individual to a locked inpatient facility because s/he believes the patient might seriously harm themselves or someone else. But there are subtler forms of paternalism such as giving too much advice and limiting information about treatment options. When the overall condition of the patient is improved, does it justify being paternalistic? Listen to the show and decide for yourself.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan, Joshua

References:

Blease, Trachsel, M., & Grosse Holtforth, M.  (2016). Paternalism, Placebos, and Informed Consent in Psychotherapy:  The Challenge of Ethical Disclosure. https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-127954

Prass, Ewell, A., Hill, C. E., & Kivleghan,  D. M. (2021). Solicited and Unsolicited Therapist Advice in  Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Is it Advised? Counselling Psychology  Quarterly, 34(2), 253-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070/2020.1723492

We (especially Alan) want to make a point with this episode: electroconvulsive therapy is great. And by "great," we mean that ECT, in its current form, is an effective and underutilized treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, mania, catatonia, and psychosis. Please listen and then share this episode so the word can get out and the stigma against it can stop.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan, Joshua

References:

Singh, A., & Kar, S. K. (2017). How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works?: Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms. Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 15(3), 210–221. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2017.15.3.210

Psychiatrist Dr. Marshall Forstein started his residency in Boston in  1981--just when the AIDS pandemic was starting. In our interview, he outlines how he spread the word on how to reduce the spread of the virus while facing prejudice and intransigence from a variety of sources.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan

Guest: Marshall Forstein, MD

In 1997 Oregon became the first state to pass a law allowing terminally ill individuals to complete suicide with the help of a physician. Only 4 more states followed with their own "Death With Dignity" laws. Have any of the concerns raised in 1997 come to pass? Should this be a human rights issue? Join our discussion with guest David Orentlicher. Dr. Orentlicher is a doctor, lawyer, elected official, UNLV law professor, and medical ethicist, who has studied and published in this very divisive issue.

Hosts: Eyrn, Alan, Joshua

Guest: Nevada Assemblyman David Orentlicher, MD, JD

Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian physician who campaigned successfully for the world's first assisted suicide law. He went on to found the non-profit, pro-euthanasia organization, Exit International. How did a physician trained under the medical ethics of beneficence and non-maleficence decide to make euthanasia and assisted suicide his life's work? Listen to our interview with him and decide where you stand.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan

Guest: Philip Nitschke, PhD, MBBS

Do you think people who spend their day analyzing people for a living suddenly stop when they interact with friends and family? We share our  thoughts on how much we do this and how it affects our relationships. We also touch on whether one’s theoretical orientation makes a difference. To help us answer these questions, a familiar voice returns to the show! Dr. Joshua Poole is currently supplementing his residency training with a course in psychoanalysis.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan, Joshua

Psychologists and psychiatrists rarely receive any type of training or experience in how to talk about religion in therapy--let alone how to utilize a person's spirituality to promote growth and change. Enter psychologist David Rosmarin's SPIRIT intervention. Dr. Rosmarin explains the practical ways religion can be incorporated in psychotherapy and the surprising research findings on the type of clinician best suited to provide this intervention.

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia

Guest: David Rosmarin, PhD

References:

Clinical Protocol for Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential & Intensive Treatment (SPIRIT)

McClintock, Clayton & Worhunsky, Patrick & Balodis, Iris & Sinha, Rajita & Miller, Lisa & Potenza, Marc. (2019). How Spirituality May Mitigate Against Stress and Related Mental Disorders: a Review and Preliminary Neurobiological Evidence. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports. 6. 10.1007/s40473-019-00195-0.

Portnoff, Larissa & McClintock, Clayton & Lau, Elsa & Choi, Simon & Miller, Lisa. (2017). Spirituality cuts in half the relative risk for depression: Findings from the United States, China, and India.. Spirituality in Clinical Practice. 4. 22-31. 10.1037/scp0000127.

Rosmarin, D. H., Salcone, S., Harper, D., & Forester, B. P. (2019, September 19). Spiritual psychotherapy for inpatient, residential, and intensive treatment. American Journal of Psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://psychotherapy.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20180046.

Several mental health professionals decided to speak publicly about Donald Trump, but no one had the specific expertise, influence, and organizational talents of Dr. Bandy X. Lee, the author of "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President." In this episode, Dr. Lee discusses how she came to the historical decision to speak out on the potential threat of Trump and thus step into a maelstrom of controversy. (This episode was originally recorded as part 1 of a two-part interview with Dr. Lee. Part 2 has been published as episode #112.)

Hosts: Eyrn, Toshia, Alan

Guest: Bandy X. Lee, MD, MDiv