Psych Essentials

Psych Essentials episodes:

• 05.15.2019

  Episode 40- Reader Requests 2

  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...

  
• 04.07.2019

  Episode 39- Listener Requests 1

  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...

  
• 02.13.2019

  Episode 38- Cluster C Personality Disorders

  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...

  
• 01.15.2019

  Episode 37- Cluster B 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...

  
• 12.21.2018

  Episode 36- Cluster A 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...

  
• 09.18.2018

  Episode 35- Intro to 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...

  
• 08.19.2018

  Episode 34- 13 Reasons Why: Discussing Suicide

  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 ...

  
• 08.03.2018

  Episode 33- 13 Reasons Why: Reacting to 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...

  
• 07.15.2018

  Episode 32- Understanding Suicide through 13 Reasons Why

  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...

  
• 06.27.2018

  Trailer- Picture This!

  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....

  
• 06.20.2018

  Episode 31- Managing Antipsychotic Side Effects

  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...

  
• 06.02.2018

  Episode 30- Sleep Medications

  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...

  
• 05.01.2018

  Episode 29- Benzodiazepines

  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...

  
• 04.14.2018

  Episode 28- TCAs and MAOIs

  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...

  
• 03.29.2018

  Episode 27- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

  In the second episode of our series on somatic treatments in psychiatry, we will discuss transcranial magnetic stimulation, otherwise known as TMS. TMS is a newer procedure used to treat depression and represents an alternative to medications and ECT. We...

  
• 03.12.2018

  Episode 26- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

  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...

  
• 02.23.2018

  Episode 25- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  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...

  
• 02.07.2018

  Episode 24- Supportive and Dynamic Psychotherapy

  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...

  
• 01.17.2018

  Episode 23- Introduction to Therapy

  In the first episode of our miniseries on psychotherapy, we will provide an introduction to psychotherapy, one of psychiatry’s most powerful and misunderstood tools. We will discuss common misconceptions about therapy and provide you with a clear picture of what...

  
• 12.27.2017

  Episode 22- Substance Use Treatment

  Now that we can identify common intoxication/withdrawal syndromes, we will shift our focus to substance use treatment in the second part of our two-part series on substance use. While therapies are a huge part of substance use treatment, we will...

  
• 12.15.2017

  Episode 21- Intoxication and Withdrawal Syndromes

  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...

  
• 11.29.2017

  Episode 20- Anxiety

  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...

  
• 11.08.2017

  Episode 19- Schizophrenia

  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....

  
• 10.20.2017

  Episode 18- Bipolar Disorder

  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...

  
• 10.06.2017

  Episode 17- Depression

  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...

  
• 09.19.2017

  Episode 16- Catatonia

  In the final episode of our introductory consult-liaison series, we are going to discuss catatonia, a surprisingly common condition seen on medical units as well as inpatient psychiatry. What is catatonia? What does it look like, and what conditions is...

  
• 09.05.2017

  Episode 15- Decisional Capacity

  In this episode, we will discuss how to assess decisional capacity using the widely referenced New England Journal of Medicine article by Dr. Paul Applebaum as our framework. We’ll review the four relevant criteria to assessing decision making capacity. We’ll...

  
• 08.19.2017

  Episode 14- Delirium

  In this episode, we are going to kick off our consult series by discussing delirium, a common bread-and-butter consult in psychiatry. We’ll discuss typical symptoms of delirium, risk factors for delirium, underlying causes, how to diagnose it, how to differentiate...

  
• 08.02.2017

  Episode 13- Mood Stabilizers

  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...

  
• 07.13.2017

  Episode 12- Antipsychotics (Part 2)

  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...

  
• 06.23.2017

  Episode 11- Antipsychotics (Part 1)

  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...

  
• 06.01.2017

  Episode 10- Antidepressants

  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...

  
• 05.15.2017

  Episode 9- Psychiatric Interview (Part 3)

  In the final part of our Psychiatric Interview series, we’ll review the remainder of the psychiatric interview including psychiatric history, substance use history, medical history, family history, and social history. We’ll also give some tips on how to collect this...

  
• 04.26.2017

  Episode 8- Psychiatric Interview (Part 2)

  In Part 2 of our Psychiatric Interview Series, we’ll focus on the the HPI and psychiatric review of symptoms. We’ll discuss how to organize your HPI and give you some examples of how to ask questions while taking a history....

  
• 04.04.2017

  Episode 7- Psychiatric Interview (Part 1)

  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...

  
• 03.18.2017

  Episode 6- Insight and Judgment

  In the last episode of our Mental Status Exam series, we’ll explore the final two parts of the mental status exam- insight and judgment! In comparison to other parts of the mental status exam, these two domains can sometimes be...

  
• 03.04.2017

  Episode 5- Cognition

  Get ready to take a closer look at the finer aspects of cognition! We’ll review how to formally (and informally) test the three main pillars of cognition- orientation, memory, and attention. We’ll also discuss how to test abstract thinking and...

  
• 02.14.2017

  Episode 4- Thought Process and Thought Content

  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....

  
• 01.29.2017

  Episode 3- Mood and Affect

  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...

  
• 01.20.2017

  Episode 2- Appearance, Behavior, and Speech

  What is the mental status exam, and why do we use it so much in psychiatry? In the first part of our Mental Status Exam series, we will start by reviewing the purpose of the mental status exam in psychiatric...

  
• 01.11.2017

  Episode 1- Introduction

  Hello and welcome to Psych Essentials! This podcast is a new entry to the Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) movement dedicated to psychiatry. In our inaugural episode, we will introduce you to the concept of FOAM, the objectives of...