Bipolar depression and mixed episodes remain among the most difficult—and highest-risk—conditions in psychiatry. Even when mood symptoms improve, many patients continue to experience significant cognitive and functional impairment.

On NYU Insights on Psychiatry, Dan Iosifescu, MD, explains why standard treatment approaches so often fall short. Dr. Iosifescu argues that symptom suppression is frequently mistaken for recovery, that short-term improvement does not equal durable treatment, and that bipolar mixed episodes expose the limits of one-size-fits-all care.

The discussion focuses on the clinical dangers of mixed episodes, the challenge of recognizing them, and the importance of acute stabilization followed by a deliberate transition to sustainable long-term treatment. Dr. Iosifescu also explores how emerging biological research—including metabolic interventions and personalized experimental models—may eventually help clinicians better match patients to treatments.

Rather than offering quick fixes, this conversation reframes how clinicians think about success, recovery, and personalization in the treatment of bipolar depression.

Guest: Dan Iosifescu, MD, Director of Clinical Research at the Nathan Kline Institute and Director of the Mood Disorders Clinical and Research Program at NYU Langone Health.

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

Joshua Berman, MD, PhD, discusses how careful evaluation, patient priorities, and risk-benefit tradeoffs guide the use of interventional treatments when conventional approaches fall short. Dr. Berman also explains how tools such as ketamine, TMS, ECT, and neurofeedback can be used strategically—sometimes in sequence or combination—to address different vulnerabilities within mood-related brain circuits.

Dr. Berman is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Interventional Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health.

Topics

• Evaluating patients who have not improved with medications or psychotherapy
• The limitations of existing treatment guidelines for complex cases
• When and why sequencing or combining interventions may be appropriate
• Emerging approaches such as EEG-guided neurofeedback and focused ultrasound
• Building a comprehensive, patient-centered interventional psychiatry program

This episode offers a clinician-level perspective on how interventional psychiatry is practiced today, and how new technologies may expand options for patients with the most challenging presentations.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Caring for Patients Who Don’t Respond to Standard Treatment
00:47 What Is Interventional Psychiatry?
02:33 Evaluating Treatment-Resistant Presentations
06:31 Precision, Patient Priorities, and Clinical Judgment
09:35 Sequencing and Combining Interventions
10:40 Limits of Treatment Guidelines
12:18 The Future of Interventional Psychiatry
13:23 Emerging Technologies: Neurofeedback and Focused Ultrasound
17:15 Building a Comprehensive Interventional Program
18:13 Tools vs. Understanding Brain Circuits

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

To kick off Season 4, Charles Marmar, MD, explains how precision psychiatry is reshaping the way clinicians and researchers think about diagnosis, treatment selection, and the underlying biology of psychiatric disorders. This conversation is a overview of where the field stands today—including emerging molecular markers, biologically informed subtypes, and new translational approaches inspired by oncology and other precision-based specialties.

Dr. Marmar is Chair of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for the Study of Alcohol Use Disorder and Traumatic Stress.

In this episode, he outlines current work on:

• Molecular and genomic signatures that may distinguish patient subtypes
• Clinical trials examining targeted treatments for alcohol use disorder
• The development of proxy “brain biopsy” methods such as exosomal analyses and iPSC-derived organoids
• How converging biological data could eventually support more individualized treatment planning

This discussion reflects ongoing efforts at NYU Langone Health to move psychiatry toward a more mechanism-based, biologically grounded model of care, while acknowledging the complexity and early stage of the work. For clinicians, scientists, and trainees, the episode provides a clear snapshot of the major directions shaping precision psychiatry today.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Introduction: The Challenge in Psychiatry
• 00:34 Meet the Experts
• 01:07 Understanding PTSD: Types and Subtypes
• 04:47 Current Research and Innovations
• 06:19 The Future of Psychiatry: Precision Medicine
• 09:34 Case Study: Personalized Treatment Success
• 11:33 Conclusion: The Path Forward

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

What if mental health care worked more like cancer treatment—tailored to the individual, informed by biology, and driven by data? Charles Marmar, MD, Chair of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, takes us through the latest advances in precision psychiatry. From brain imaging to digital phenotyping, Dr. Marmar outlines the tools shaping a future where treatment is fully customized. He also shares stories from the front lines: a patient whose depression was treated with the help of a brain biopsy, why PTSD and depression aren’t one-size-fits-all, and how quantum computing could radically accelerate psychiatric research.

🔍 Topics Covered

00:00 Introduction
02:24 Personalized Treatment Approaches
05:13 Challenges in Precision Psychiatry
11:12 The Role of Genomics and Brain Imaging
23:35 Digital Psychiatry and AI
25:57 Quantum Computing in Psychiatry
33:04 Future of Precision Psychiatry
37:22 Conclusion

📚 Related Resources

Charles Marmar, MD – NYU Faculty Profile
NYU Langone Psychiatry
Adriana Heguy, PhD – NYU Faculty Profile
Javad Shabani, PhD – NYU Faculty Profile

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

There’s a care model for schizophrenia that actually works—why isn’t it everywhere? On this episode, W. Gordon Frankle, MD, MBA, Vice Chair of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health, shares how his team in Brooklyn is building a new model for treating serious mental illness—one rooted in long-term, relationship-driven, team-based care. From wraparound services to precision psychiatry, this conversation explores what happens when you bring humanity, structure, and innovation to a population too often left behind.

Also discussed:

• The first novel schizophrenia drug in over 50 years (Cobenfy)
• Why clozapine is underused—and how that may finally change
• The potential of brain imaging and biomarkers in psychiatric treatment
• What a real community mental health system looks like
• Why trust, not just treatment, is essential for recovery

🔍 Topics Covered

00:00 Introduction
00:30 Dr. Frankle's Current Work
01:08 Advancements in Schizophrenia Research
02:29 Challenges and New Treatments in Schizophrenia
05:02 Precision Medicine in Psychiatry
05:59 PET Scans and Brain Energetics
09:46 Barriers to Effective Treatment
11:51 Clozapine and Treatment Access
13:38 Wraparound Services and Community Care
14:46 Early Screening and Public Health Interventions
18:32 Mandated Treatment and Patient Engagement
30:08 Homelessness and Mental Health
34:54 Future Directions in Schizophrenia Treatment
38:09 Conclusion

📚 Related Resources

W. Gordon Frankle, MD, MBA
Schizophrenia care at NYU Langone
NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn
3 Things to Know About Cobenfy (Yale Medicine)

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If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share, and subscribe to support real conversations about transforming mental health care.

Watch Insights on Psychiatry on YouTube
Senior Producer: Jon Earle

How could a single psychedelic treatment cause lasting change? Joshua Siegel, MD, PhD, is on a mission to find out. A leading expert on neuroimaging and neuropsychopharmacology at NYU Langone’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine, Dr. Siegel unpacks how psilocybin may spark neuroplasticity and reshape the depressed brain. He also gives us an inside look at the race to develop non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogs. 

Dr. Siegel is an assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

🔍 Topics Covered:

00:00 Introduction
00:15 Dr. Siegel's Current Work
01:01 Past Research and Human Psilocybin Imaging Study
02:39 Understanding Brain Changes and Biomarkers
06:13 Mechanisms of Action and Plasticity
12:51 Surprising Findings and Context Dependence
16:34 Challenges and Future Directions in Psychedelic Research
20:46 Advanced Imaging and Personalized Treatment Plans
24:15 Setbacks and Lessons in Psychedelic Medicine
28:40 Emerging Areas in Neuropsychopharmacology
31:46 Conclusion

📚 Related Resources:

Joshua Siegel, MD, PhD 
NYU Langone Health’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
“Psychedelic and Dissociative Drugs as Medicines” (NIH) 

🙌 Support & Engage: Enjoyed this episode? Like, comment, and share to support science-based conversations about mental health.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more interviews with top psychiatric researchers.

Watch Insights on Psychiatry on YouTube
Senior Producer: Jon Earle

What if a simple conversation in the emergency room could reveal who’s most at risk for PTSD before symptoms even begin? Katharina Schultebraucks, PhD, shares her innovative work on using machine learning to forecast mental health outcomes and explains how AI could revolutionize how we detect, prevent, and treat psychiatric disorders. Dr. Schultebraucks is Co-Director of the Computational Psychiatry Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

🔍 Topics Covered
00:00 Introduction
00:23 Current Work and Research Focus
01:29 Objective Measures in Psychiatry
02:50 Predicting PTSD Risk
04:28 Early Preventive Interventions
05:47 Machine Learning in Mental Health
09:49 Challenges and Surprises in Research
22:46 Burnout in Emergency Department Providers
27:17 Precision Psychiatry and Future Directions
29:35 Conclusion

📚 Related Resources
-Katharina Schultebraucks, PhD
-Computational Psychiatry Program in NYU Langone’s Department of Psychiatry
-“Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations” by Ziad Obermeyer, et al
-PTSD Treatment at NYU Langone Health 

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and innovation.
📢 Like, comment, and share if this episode sparked your thinking.

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

How do you help a child with ADHD stay organized, on task, and confident in school? Richard Gallagher, PhD, a child and adolescent psychologist at NYU Langone Health, shares groundbreaking research on organizational skills training for children with ADHD—a behavioral treatment that’s changing lives and improving classroom performance. This episode dives into how executive functioning challenges manifest in real life, the strengths (and limits) of technology, and the power of parent training and therapeutic coaching to help children thrive.

Dr. Richard Gallagher is Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Director of the Organization Skills Program.

🔍 Topics Covered

00:00 Introduction
00:19 Current Research on Organizational Skills
01:06 Executive Functioning and Practical Interventions
02:37 Impact of Interventions on ADHD
04:41 Expanding Research and Brain Connectivity
05:08 Medication and Organizational Skills
08:11 Technology in ADHD Assessment
15:39 Effective Parenting Styles for ADHD
23:10 Non-Pharmacological Treatments and Future Research
25:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

📚 Related Resources

👨‍⚕️More about Dr. Richard Gallagher
🔬 NYU Child Study Center
📘 “Organizational Skills Training for Children with ADHD” by Richard Gallagher, Howard B. Abikoff, and Elana G. Spira 
📝 CHADD Parent Training Resources
📈 CDC ADHD Parent Guide

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If this episode was helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to support the series and spread awareness about evidence-based ADHD care.

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Senior Producer: Jon Earle

ADHD isn’t just a childhood condition—many adults go undiagnosed for years. Lenard Adler, MD, Director of the Adult ADHD Program at NYU Langone Health, breaks down the nuances of ADHD in adults, the challenges of proper diagnosis, and the latest treatments available. Learn about his research, the screening tools his team has developed, and what’s on the horizon for adult ADHD care.

🔍 Topics Covered:

00:00 Introduction
00:44 Dr. Adler’s Current Research Focus
01:47 Importance of Proper Assessment
03:44 Challenges in Diagnosing Adult ADHD
06:15 Gender Differences in ADHD Diagnosis
07:51 Impact of ADHD on Lifespan
10:10 Comorbidities and Treatment Approaches
14:54 Medication and Treatment Strategies
21:15 Medication Shortages and Solutions
28:42 Recent Developments in ADHD Research
35:01 Screening and Diagnostic Tools
37:33 Conclusion

📚 Related Resources:

• Lenard A. Adler, MD (official bio)
• Adult ADHD Program at NYU Langone Health
• Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener
• Life expectancy and years of life lost for adults with diagnosed ADHD in the UK: matched cohort study | The British Journal of Psychiatry
• American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD)
• CHADD: ADHD Resources and Support

🙌 Support & Engage: If you found this episode helpful, please like, comment, and share to spread awareness.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Watch Insights on Psychiatry on YouTube
Senior Producer: Jon Earle

Despite affecting more Americans than diabetes, substance use is often left out of routine medical care. In this episode, NYU Langone Health’s Jennifer McNeely, MD—a clinician investigator, primary care and addiction medicine physician—explains why that must change. From the surprising history behind addiction’s exclusion from mainstream medicine to the innovative screening tools shaping the future of care, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in addiction care and healthcare policy.

Jennifer McNeely, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and co-director of the Section on Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use.

🔍 Topics Covered:

00:00 – Introduction
01:15 – Why addiction hasn’t been part of traditional medical care
05:00 – What medications can primary care providers actually prescribe?
07:00 – Why lifting legal barriers isn’t enough
08:00 – Making substance use screening part of routine care
11:50 – The power of self-report screening tools
13:30 – What primary care physicians can actually do after screening
16:10 – Real-world clinical impact of identifying substance use
18:00 – Overcoming stigma and “we don’t do that here” culture
22:17 – Can AI help with screening and care prioritization?

📚 Related Resources:

Jennifer McNeely, MD
Addiction Treatment at NYU Langone
NIDA’s Resources for Clinicians
Substance Use Screening Tools (NIDA)

🙌 Support & Engage: If you found this episode helpful, please like, comment, and share to spread awareness.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.

Watch Insights on Psychiatry on YouTube
Senior Producer: Jon Earle