My Three Shrinks

February 11, 2007: Be Mine

Topics include:

* AJP: False positive drug tests on Effexor XR (venlafaxine) (positive for PCP, or phencyclidine). * Chocolate and Mood [PubMed]: a look at chemicals in chocolate which affect mood, such as theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine (PEA), and anandamide. * First study mentioned by Clink, on chemicals in chocolate. * Second study, about mood modulation by food. * Third study, about chocolate and atypical depression. * Green M-and-M's. Also, design your own M-and-M's, even what is printed on them. * Dogs: Don't eat the chocolate. * Children of Psychiatrists (The Last Psychiatrist). Do psychiatrists have crazier children? (See Dinah's post) * Suicide risk in physicians. A European study (Hawton 2001) found that female doctors, and not male doctors, had increased suicide risk. Furthermore, specialties at highest risk included anesthesiology, generalists, and psychiatrists. A meta-analysis (Schernhammer 2004) found that physicians in general were 1.4 (men) and 2.3 (women) times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. * Questions for us? Email at mythreeshrinksATgmailDOTcom. We'll answer some starting with Podcast #11.Next week: Black market price of psych meds; side effects of psychotherapy.Last week's musical snippet was from 1983 release, Genetic Engineering, from the Dazzle Ships album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

February 04, 2007: My Three Chromosomes

Topics include:

* AJP: Genetics of depression. Two related articles in this month's Green Journal are from the GenRED study (Genetics of Recurrent Early-onset Major Depression). The Levinson article reports significant linkage for an area on chromosome 15 in 631 families with recurrent early-onset major depression ("early onset" less than 40 yrs old). The Holmans article reports results of a genome scan in 656 families, finding significant linkage in areas of chromosomes 8, 15, and 17. * Mandatory screening for depression? Clink conducts a thought exercise. * Blogs and Identity. We talk about Dr. Anonymous' recent troubles after Fox News brands his one of 5 great medical blogs, and our feelings about blogging behind anonymous names (or not). See Dr A's post on the Myth of Anonymous Blogging. Moof's post is also worth reading on this topic. (We suspect his video blog may have given away his identity.) We look forwards to the congressional hearings on who leaked his identity and how high up this thing goes. * Whither Public Psychiatry? Where have all the public sector psychiatrists gone? The number of HPSAs (Health Professional Shortage Areas) have decreased, while there seems to be less physician trainees who accept partial payment of their educational costs in return for a pledge to work in a HPSA after completing their training. But, Maryland has the most psychologists per capita in the US. (Search for Maryland psychiatrists at mdpsych.org.) * Questions for us? Email at mythreeshrinksATgmailDOTcom. We'll answer some starting with Podcast #11 (in two weeks).

* Feel free to write us a review on iTunes.

Next week: Biochemical effects of chocolate on mood (we really mean it this time). Also false positive drug tests, and children of psychiatrists.Last week's musical snippet was from the 1986 release, Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes), from their eponymous album by Book of Love (lyrics).

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

January 30, 2007: Positively Lost

Topics include:

* Lost. 8 more days (good collection of media snippets at LostHatch.com). * NYT: Optimism. "You Are What You Expect" by Jim Holt in the Jan 21 issue. The NYT Magazine also ran a story on Jan 7 about positive psychology (the link is actually to The Huffington Post's post about this), and talks about one of the field's founders, Marty Seligman, who runs the Positive Psychology Center at UPenn (you can also participate in some quick online research there). Link to My Thought Coach on iTunes. "Expect more of yourself, and less of others." * AAPL: Lies and Coercion: Why psychiatrists should not participate in police and intelligence interrogations, by Jeffrey S. Janofsky. History and ethics of psychiatrist involvement in police interrogations. * Book: Maconochie's Experiment, by John Clay. Clink: "This is the fellow who invented our modern parole system." * Shrink Stalker Jailed 9 Years. Woman stalked psychiatrist, attempted to blow up his houseboat. * Book: I Know You Really Love Me: A Psychiatrist's Account of Stalking and Obsessive Love, by Doreen Orion. Clink: "Psychotic killers are easier to treat than non-psychotic killers." Qu'est que c'est?Next week: Biochemical effects of chocolate on mood.

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

January 24, 2007: Fireside Chat

Topics include:

* Dinah's post on the "WELL-WORRIED WELL" provokes dissension amongst the Shrink Rappers. Are folks who go to high-end hospital units, such as The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt, just the worried well, or are they "rich people with mental illness"? * PAYING FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY: "That's the problem with reimbursement for psychotherapy. How do you decide what is and isn't valid psychotherapy?" * BusinessWeek, 1/29/07: "HELD HOSTAGE BY HEALTH CARE", by Michelle Conlin. Article about people who stay in jobs they hate due to fear of losing their health insurance coverage. * Movie: IDIOCRACY [IMDB link] from Roy's post of YouTube video, Hospital of the Future. * NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

January 14, 2007: Advice on Manipulating Your Psychiatrist

Topics include:

* EMERGENCY CALLS: what constitutes an emergency, and how do psychiatrists handle after-hours calls? * PHONE MESSAGES: what do shrink-types put on their voice mail greeting, instructing patients what to do in an emergency? * TOP 10 FAVORITE SEARCH PHRASES for 2006: includes such classics as "how to worry your psychiatrist", "advice on manipulating your psychiatrist", "sex with fish", "how to talk to your shrink so he will listen", and "how to get cats from under the floorboards". * OMNIBRAIN KUDOS. * BETA BLOGGER BLUES.

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

January 9, 2007: Sex, Lies, and Neuroeconomics

Topics include:

* New Yorker Magazine (Sep 18, 2006): Mind Games: What NEUROECONOMICS tells us about money and the brain, by John Cassidy. The neuroanatomy and functional connectivity that lies behind our economic decisions and risk aversion. As measured by functional MRI imaging (fMRI), the constant tug-of-war between the orbitofrontal lobe, the amygdala, and the insular cortex mediates everyday economic decisions. Related links include the Neuroscience Marketing blog, New York University's Center for Brain Imaging, Google "neuroeconomics", and the Omnibrain blog (one of our favorites). * Book "Paving Wall Street: Experimental Economics and the Quest for the Perfect Market", by Dinah's brother, Ross Miller. * Dinah refers back to a Shrink Rap post on COMPULSIVE BLOGGING and to another one on a combination Wellbutrin (bupropion)/Revia (naltrexone) pill called Contrave for WEIGHT LOSS. * The Interview Room, a novel by forensic psychiatrist Roderick Anscombe, provides insight into how the brain betrays people's LIES. His website provides 14 tips on how to spot the liar (very interesting reading). * Washington Post (Oct 30, 2006): Using fMRI machines to DETECT LIES. See also website for No Lie MRI. * Be nice to Dinah, who had a BAD DAY. * Clink's Favorite Podcasts: BusinessWeek, NPR, State Department Press Briefings, Slash Dot Review, Byzantine Emperors. * Roy's Favorite Podcasts: Comic Strip Live, FLOSS Weekly, Futures in Biotech, Inside the Net (now net@nite), NEJM, This Week in Tech (TWiT). * Dinah's Favorite Podcasts: "Umm, why would I want to listen to podcasts, anyway?"

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

December 31, 2006: Gifts

Topics include:-INFORMED CONSENT and emergencies: New Jersey Supreme Court may require consent before providing emergency procedures (American Medical News)-DOCTOR ANONYMOUS' 6-month anniversary: Dr A celebrated 6 months of blogging on Dec 18. (That's twice as long as the average blog lasts.) Congrats!-FAT DOCTOR on GIFT-GIVING GRIEF (or, Why she kinda hates Christmas)-What to get your psychiatrist-BAD GIFTS-GIFTCARDS: Starbucks vs Dunkin' Donuts, iTunes vs eMusic (thx, ABF)-NPR: on the Dec 11 Talk of the Nation, economist Kevin Hassett talks about the PSYCHOLOGY OF GIFTS-Shout out to FOOFOO5, who's been under the weather-HEALTH CARE RENEWAL's Poses about JOHNS HOPKINS' handling of student's uncivil Facebook party invitation-Finding pictures of SEX OFFENDERS in your neighborhood-Tiihonen study on ANTIDEPRESSANTS and suicide (again)HAPPY NEW YEAR! from Dinah, Clinkshrink, and Roy

Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

December 24, 2006-Roy's new USB microphone: the SNOWBALL, made by Blue. Recommended.-Listener comments.-New York's TIMOTHY'S LAW: since we recorded this, Governor Pataki signed the bill into law, which provides for parity insurance coverage for mental illnesses. We also discuss a newspaper editorial which links this issue to post-incarceration treatment of sexual predators. I believe the original requirement to include addictions was removed due to cost concerns raised by insurance companies. That makes no sense.-Clinkshrink provided a spontaneous discourse on the history of using hospitals to house and treat SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDERS.-Reports of NINTENDO WII-related injuries, property damage, and aggression were discussed.-This led to some discussion about Bandura's classic 1960's studies on the EFFECT OF WITNESSED VIOLENCE on actual violence, including his piece on children and BOBO DOLLS.-Which led to Dinah's Theory on VIDEO GAMES AND VIOLENCE in youngsters.-And we wrapped it up with the website for posting Wii-related misbehavior at WIIHAVEAPROBLEM.COM.Go to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com for show notes with links.

December 10, 2006-Thank Dr A for the "bumpers" idea-Thorazine Immunity: Clink reviews a 1992 case in which a prisoner sued the on-call psychiatrist for involuntarily medicating him with chlorpromazine due to violent, self-injurious behavior... but without going through any hearing panels for forced meds-Dinah brings a duck-FDA holds a hearing on Dec 13 about putting "black box" warnings on SSRI antidepressants (Paxil, Prozac, etc) for suicide-also, Corpus Callosum link and Finnish study-Social phobia and alcohol-Psychlogists discuss adoptions in gay marriages-NYT on gender dysphoric children-brief bits on SSRI-related withdrawal symptoms, sexual dysfunction and SSRIs, and psilocybin mushrooms for OCDGo to http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com/2006/12/my-three-shrinks-podcast-2-roots.html for links

December 3, 2006-Tip of the hat to Leo Laporte's This Week in Tech (TWiT) podcast (twit.tv)-Also a nod goes to Dr Dave Van Nuys at shrinkrapradio.com, who kindly pointed out he was doing a Psychology podcast of the same name way before us. Check it out, it's very well done-Dr Anonymous is not mentioned even once in this podcast-60 Minutes: Beta-blockers to prevent PTSD and reduce traumatic memories?-Cardiac risk after post-heart attack depression-Shrink Rap Post: Go Red for Women-NHSBlogDoc's John Crippen's post about England's idea of requiring psychiatric evaluations for hospice and "assisted dying" patients check out our blog at http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com