Psych Central Professional

The Lost Birds of Wounded Knee

I remember as a child gathering wild greens with my Cherokee grandmothers, 2 generations of them, and hearing the lilt of spoken Cherokee.

Twitter and YouTube: Unexpected Consequences of the Self-Esteem Movement?

To Americans over 30, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are buzzwords that lack much meaning. But to those born between 1982 and 2001—often referred to as “millennials” or “Generation Y”—they are a part of everyday life.

A Literature Review of Videophone Use in Mental Health

The delivery of mental health care via electronic devices—also called telemental health—has gradually become an established alternative to improve access to mental health services. Telemental health services routinely include...

From Our News Bureau - Updated daily!

Comorbid Depression and Alcohol Dependence

Patients who are seen in clinical practice commonly have multiple problems, yet efficacy data often reflect treatment of a single illness. Thus, it is useful to know how standard treatment approaches need to be modified for comorbid disorders.

Is There a Gene for Postpartum Depression?

The transition to parenthood is filled to the brim with behavioral extremes. Parents who are otherwise emotionally stable are in one moment thrilled and happier than they have ever been and confused and fearful the next.

How Psychotherapy Changes the Brain

Psychotherapy outcomes and the mechanisms of change that are related to its effects have traditionally been investigated on the psychological and social levels, by measuring changes in symptoms, psychological abilities, personality, or social functioning.

Computer-Assisted Psychotherapy

The prospect of using computers to deliver psychotherapy has been intriguing a number of investigators who have been studying innovative methods of bringing technology into clinical practice.

From our publication, New England Psychologist:

Outreach program assists children exposed to trauma
Long-time columnist shares insight, experiences in new book
Where is the leadership in Mass. compensation debate?
Forensic psychologists bring psychological science to court

Looking for office space in New England?

Blood Tests for Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Depression?

Blood tests for schizophrenia and for depression designed to augment current diagnostic approaches have attracted increased attention at recent major scientific meetings.

Managing Risks When Practicing in Three-Party Care Settings

Following trends in medicine, psychiatry is faced with limited resources and third-party administration of resource allocation. This has affected psychiatric practice in many ways and altered the doc-tor-patient relationship.

Risk Analysis: Tips for Health Care Practitioners

Any health care practitioner who collects, manages, and stores patient information faces the risk that his or her data may be lost, misused, or accessed by or disclosed to unauthorized individuals.

Ethics, Psychiatry, and End-of-Life Issues

At the end of life, psychiatrists are often asked to assess a patient’s capacity to refuse treatment, but the role of the psychiatrist in this situation is much broader. Even...

The Patient-Physician Bond

During my medical training in the early 1980s, I attended a Grand Rounds on health care reform. Sleep-deprived physicians-in-training are easily conditioned to snooze upright in their auditorium seats, and...

Offspring of Parents With Bipolar Disorder

It is generally held that the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) are at risk for BD. The degree of risk is an important question for both clinicians and parents. A study of bipolar offspring by Birmaher and colleagues1 sheds light on this issue.

Marketing Your Private Practice Successfully

Many physicians fail to invest time and money in marketing and promoting their practice. However, marketing their practice is a wise investment that helps ensure financial stability and allows them to reach short- and long-term goals.

Q&A on Board Recertification: New MOC Requirements

Q: I'm a psychiatrist in who got board-certified in 1998 and re-certified in 2008. I'm still very unclear about how to fulfill all the new MOC requirements (for re-certification...

The Link Between Substance Abuse, Violence, and Suicide

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States; it accounts for more than 34,000 deaths per year.1 And an even greater number of people attempt suicide. Based on data from community surveys, approximately 5% of adults have made a serious suicide attempt.2

Ethical Aspects of Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy

The issue of self-disclosure in psychotherapy is one of complexity and some evolution.1-16 Most discussions about the practice refer to boundary questions because self-disclosure by the therapist to the patient is a boundary issue.

From our partner, The National Psychologist:

Notice to Our Subscribers
Most military efforts miss target on suicide prevention

Culture and Substance Abuse: Impact of Culture Affects Approach to Treatment

There have been numerous definitions of culture. Dwight Heath1 offers a simple definition: "It is a system of patterns of belief and behavior that shape the worldview of the member...

When Discipline Was the Therapy: Hans Fallada’s The Drinker

Alcohol has had a long and checkered history in human affairs. Dating back millennia to ancient Egypt, its consumption has been associated with sacredness as well as frivolity. And since...

Nonconventional and Integrative Treatments of Alcohol and Substance Abuse

The high cost to society of alcohol and drug abuse reflects a crisis of epidemic proportions that has not been adequately addressed by conventional treatment approaches, including mainstream pharmacologic treatments, psychotherapy, and social programs. The annual costs associated with alcohol and drug abuse in the United States were estimated to be $246 billion in 1992, the most...