Psychiatry and Mental Health

Host: Eric Tangalos, MD

Guest: David Smith, MD, CMD

Nearly three-quarters of patients in long term care have some form of memory impairment or dementia. And while some forgetfulness is a normal part of the aging process, memory loss can also be overlooked as an early symptom of cognitive impairment. How can physicians distinguish between common memory loss and cognitive impairment? Dr. David Smith, professor of family medicine at the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University, College Station; and president of Geriatric Consultants of Central Texas in Brownwood, Texas, discusses the nuances of different forms of cognitive impairment, and emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis. What activities, medications, environments and other strategies can help physicians slow cognitive decline in these patients? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Matt Freitas, FNP-C, PA-C

Delivering quality mental health care to patients seems to come with an overwhelming number of obstacles. How can primary care practices make it easier to provide psychiatric and psychological services? Matt Frietas, an NP/PA and vice president of Aspen Medical Group in Modesto, California, speaks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about how his clinic overcame billing issues, HIPPA laws and charting problems to provide quality mental healthcare to his patients at his clinic.

Host: Steven Edelman, MD

Guest: Amy Ozier, PhD, RD

The EADS (Eating and Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress) questionnaire developed by Dr. Amy Ozier, registered dietitian and certified health education specialist, and assistant professor and facilitator of the Certificate of Graduate Study for Eating Disorders and Obesity at Northern Illinois University, helps healthcare professionals determine how psychological and physical factors modulate how much patients with diabetes eat. Does this tool help to bridge the gap when a psychologist is missing from a multi-disciplinary team? Dr. Ozier joins host Dr. Steven Edelman to discuss overeating as a contributing factor in a patient's overall health, the impact of hyperglycemia and treatment that helps modulate behavior.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP

Every day, we hear about the rise of chronic disease and rates of obesity. How do we persuade patients to change their behavior in order to become healthier? A new answer may lie in the field of wellness coaching. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner, wellness coach and visiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York City, talks with host Mimi Secor about the evidence-based methodology behind wellness coaching. They also cover certification requirements and how NPs and PAs interested in career opportunities in this field can set up a wellness practice.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Donald Sefcik, MD

After many years of discussion, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) will offer PAs Certificates of Added Qualification in 5 specialties, beginning in 2011. Dr. Don Sefcik, chairman of the NCCPA, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain what it takes to obtain certification, what the benefits are to PAs, and why the NCCPA decided to institute the certification now, with the nation's healthcare system in flux.

Host: Eric Tangalos, MD

Guest: Christine Dunford, PhD

Guest: Mary O'Hara, MA, LCSW

Although we remain limited in our options for treating patients with memory loss and Alzheimer's, there are a variety of non-pharmacologic treatments that are showing some promise. Mary O'Hara, social worker at Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Christine Dunford, cultural anthropologist, ensemble member of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre, and founding teaching artist with the Chicago Arts Partners in Education (CAPE) program, facilitate an improvisational acting workshop called the Memory Ensemble for patients with Alzheimer's and memory loss. One of improv's principles emphasizes being "in the moment," which can be particularly therapeutic for patients with memory loss. How has the Memory Ensemble program been designed to be both challenging and supportive, and what are some of the program's benefits? What other types of creative programs might have a similar effect on improving the quality of life, as well as building confidence and coping mechanisms for these patients? Hosted by Dr. Eric Tangalos.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Ken Harbert, PhD

Do some of your patients have trouble sleeping, experience nightmares or are filled with anger or rage? If so they may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Ken Harbert, dean of the school of physician studies at South College in Knoxville, Tennessee, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss how to identify post traumatic stress disorder and how to distinguish between PTSD and every day stress, as well as how to get a mental health professional involved in treatment. The two also talk about how PTSD is being incorporated into the curriculum of physician assistant studies.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Daniel Carlat, MD

Is there a psychiatrist in the house? There is often attention to a shortage of doctors, particularly in primary care, but the specialty of psychiatry is also in crisis. Dr. Daniel Carlat, professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and editor-in-chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report, tells host Bruce Japsen about how medical professionals and the healthcare system can cope with and address the crisis facing psychiatry.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Guest: Guy Diamond, PhD

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the US, affecting 4-6% of adolescents. Suicide is also a significant issue in this age group, and is the the third leading cause of death among adolescents. How effective are the various types of psychotherapy and medications typically used to treat adolescent depression, and how is a newer form of therapy, attachment-based family therapy, aimed at engaging this patient population more effectively? Dr. Guy Diamond, director of the Center for Family Intervention Science at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and associate professor of psychology at Penn Medicine, joins host Dr. Maurice Pickard to discuss the theory behind attachment-based family therapy, which is intended to address the patient's environment and stressors that may be contributing to their depression. When might attachment-based family therapy be more beneficial than enhanced usual care (including cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications)?

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Kimberly Comparetto, NP

Alcohol, ecstacy and marijuana use has always been an issue for teens in the United States, but there are other alarming trends as well. More than five percent of 12 year-olds in this country say they have abused prescription drugs. As a medical professional on the front lines, how do you talk to teens and their parents if you suspect an addiction problem with your patients? Kimberly Comparetto, a psychiatric mental health NP who works in the adolescent in-patient unit of Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook, Maine, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about risk factors, warning signs, treatment options and ways to open the lines of communication between patients and parents who may have a child with an addiction problem.