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 of specific medications within the typical class of antipsychotics.

Photo Credit: Olivier Chateau, “Hasselblad Xpan,” Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 over another. Finally, we’ll help you to solidify your knowledge with some clinical cases. 

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk, “Sometimes Memories Fade,” Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 information in a practical, nuanced, and efficient way!

Photo credit: Lanie, “Listen,” Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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. We’ll also talk about how to briefly screen for depression, mania, suicide ideation, homicidal ideation, psychosis, anxiety, and more!

Photo credit: Mon Oeil, “The Cyclone,” Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 at Psych Essentials are going to break it down for you in our three part series on the psychiatric interview. In this episode, we’ll review why we love the psychiatric interview and why you should too. We’ll also discuss helpful tips on how to better emotionally connect with patients and how to keep yourself organized as you conduct an interview. This is where the “art” of psychiatry comes into play!

Photo credit: Renee, “Through My Eyes,” Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 a little murky for learners. What is insight and judgment exactly? And how do we assess them? We’ll examine the concepts of insight and judgment from all angles, and review several clinical examples to reinforce your learning.

United Nations Photo/MMB. Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 general executive functioning.  Whether you’re asking about proverbs or guiding a patient through the clock drawing test, we’ll make sure that you feel comfortable assessing a patient’s cognition during the mental status exam.

Photo credit: Jon Bowen, Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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. In this episode, we will first look at thought process by defining and providing examples of different types of pathologic thought processes. We will then move on to thought content, paying close attention to common terminology used in this section.

Photo credit: Geir Tonnessen, Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 some time reviewing the key differences. Following this, we will dig more deeply into affect and define terms that can help you to accurately describe a patient’s affect in your mental status exam.

Photo credit: Paul Ebbage, Flickr

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music

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 practice. We will then introduce the first three components of the mental status exam- appearance, behavior, and speech. How do we decide what information to include, and what are some terms to help us describe what we’re seeing in these domains? We will discuss all of this and more!

Photo Credit: Henk Sijgers, “f8 and here,” https://www.flickr.com/photos/henk-sijgers/14204446132/

Episode Music Credit: Javier Suárez, Tumbling Dishes, Better With Music