First Time With A Psychiatrist? How To Make The Most Of Your Initial Consultation

First Time With A Psychiatrist? How To Make The Most Of Your Initial Consultation

Embarking on your first psychiatrist appointment can be a journey into the unknown. Understanding what to expect can significantly ease your anxiety and help you prepare more effectively. A typical initial consultation with a psychiatrist involves a comprehensive assessment of your mental health, where the psychiatrist aims to understand your needs and concerns deeply. Remember, the goal of this first appointment is to establish a connection with your psychiatrist and lay the foundation for your treatment plan. It’s okay to…

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Unlocking True Happiness: Beyond Materialism And Social Media Likes

Unlocking True Happiness: Beyond Materialism And Social Media Likes

I am sure we would all agree that happiness is a valuable commodity sought after by most people. But I believe that when most people are asked what brings happiness most citizens of western developed countries would provide a litany of expected answers. Examples would include money, good looks, successful career, athletic prowess or social popularity. With the advent of social media the happiness formula now includes the number of “likes” or followers on the ever expanding internet platforms. Most…

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A Webinar On The Multidisciplinary And Multimodality Approach To The Diagnosis And Treatment of Anxiety

A Webinar On The Multidisciplinary And Multimodality Approach To The Diagnosis And Treatment of Anxiety

Information in this webinar is about the value of working with a team for the benefit of patients who are suffering from anxiety. A webinar hosted by Candace McKenzie, director of Director of Outreach & Referral Coordination. Included in the webinar are: David A. Gross, MD, DLFAPAAndrew Rosen, Ph.D., APBB, FAACP@Ryan Seidman, Psy.D.Amy Boyers, PhD

It’s All About Trauma

It’s All About Trauma

“Now is the winter of our discontent,” a speech by Shakespeare in Richard III says it all as we muddle through the beginnings of a third year of this pandemic. This horrendous experience has taken a toll on all of us. David Brooks in his op-ed in the NY Times (America Is Falling Apart at the Seams, NYT, Jan 14, 2022) comments on the current misbehavior of Americans. He describes the angry outbursts noted on commercial airline flights, in retail…

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What We Have Learned From 2021

What We Have Learned From 2021

No one can deny that 2021 has been a momentous year. It has had a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly for sure. It has at times been frightening, confusing, comforting and educational. We have witnessed a very unusual presidential election, a subsequent denial by some of the validity of the election and an unheard of polarization of our peers and lawmakers. Most critically, we have endured a gift that keeps on giving; the novel coronavirus that has killed…

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Our Search for Meaningfulness

Our Search for Meaningfulness

The human brain is a curious organ. It is programmed from birth to actively search the world around us. As we get older and mature this search gets fine tuned and focused. We pursue education, friendships, hobbies, sports. Our quest for life experience allows us to learn about the world around us and just as importantly develop a better sense of our own identity. We progress from a period of knowledge acquisition (“knowing”) that can last decades into a prolonged…

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The Power Of Hope

The Power Of Hope

Psychiatrists Prescribe Medication – This Psychiatrist Prescribes Hope A first time patient comes into my office. I attentively listen to their story, ask pertinent questions, order tests when necessary, make an assessment and recommend a course of treatment. The prescription of medication is often involved. Thankfully, most people get better. But why do they get better? – Was it the medication, the talking therapy or just the “tincture of time?” I would like to think that it was my careful choice…

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The Covid Paradox

The Covid Paradox

Never before in modern memory has the human race been faced with such a stressful and anxiety provoking foe. The novel coronavirus or covid 19 has resulted in untold emotional unrest and fear among all nations and peoples of our world. There has been a lot of talk about the “invisible enemy,” an RNA based complex protein that looks like a World War 2 anti-ship mine with spikes sticking out of its surface. We are informed daily by the media…

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Coping With Covid-19

Coping With Covid-19

The virus pandemic has certainly had an impact on all of us. Not being able to meet with my patients in person has required a major clinical adjustment. Thankfully, telemedicine has provided me with the ability to provide necessary ongoing treatment. But I also know firsthand how difficult and taxing social isolation and sheltering in place can be. What has made this viral illness so stressful? After all, we have been dealing with annual episodes of influenza for decades. We…

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What Is Resilience?

What Is Resilience?

What is resilience? Resilience is something we all want, few of us practice and most of us have little idea as to what it is. We go through our lives in lock-step dealing with life’s numerous pitfalls and challenges without an understanding of the impact that stress has on our bodies and psyche. Resilience represents an individual’s ability to effectively tolerate life’s stressors, to more effectively “go with the flow” so to speak. To be resilient means that even though…

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