Category: Psychiatry

Social media: a social disease killing our kids?

Much has been written and said about the role of Facebook and social media in our society. Only recently has the increasingly dark side of what was once thought to be a monumental transformation of humanity come into public discourse.  Initially, the p…

Is overachieving a sign of past trauma?

Ever feel like you are always on the go, not feeling comfortable slowing down? All through school, college, medical school, residency, and then practicing medicine, the one thing that I got really good at was staying busy. Planning projects, test-takin…

Sharing mental health issues on social media

Susanna Harris was sitting in her lab class for her graduate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she received an email that told her she had failed what she describes as “the most important exam in grad school,” the doctoral…

Want to crush USMLE Step 1? Here are some evidence-based study tips.

Interleveling strategy Interleveling is the process of studying/learning multiple unrelated concepts across different subjects during the same study session. This can make studying appear difficult and more disjointed. However, research shows it yields…

Have you forgotten the most important health care leadership skill?

Physician burnout is a hot topic right now. Some don’t agree with the term and choose to use “moral injury.” Regardless of the term you want to use, the problem is real. Christina Maslach describes burnout as “an erosion of the …

An interview with a medical student who failed the Boards

The first two years of medical school are geared towards learning enough so you can pass your first round of Boards. All the sleepless nights and the tears can be overwhelming, but to finally get to the finish line is an incredible achievement. It rein…

Today’s medicine is not the medicine I signed up for

Today’s medicine is not the medicine I signed up for. I am a Xennial. Sandwiched between generation X and millennials, I don’t really belong to either. I didn’t grow up with the technological advancements that the millennial generatio…

What does evidence-based psychotherapy really mean?

When a mental health clinic, online referral service, or private practice offers “evidence-based” psychotherapy, that certainly sounds like a selling point.  It suggests solid science supports the therapy offered — and that competing services lac…

So, how’s medical school?

Since starting medical school, I have struggled to answer this question. Because medical school is everything. It’s amazing, challenging, soul-sucking, life-giving, exhausting, dream-fulfilling, anxiety-provoking, interesting, and, dare I say, fun? How…

Considering CBD oil? This psychiatrist suggests these questions to ask first.

One question I get asked a lot lately is this: “Is it OK  for me to use CBD oil?” First of all, CBD oil and associated preparations are types of alternative medications, medicines that might not be mainstream or readily prescribed by doctors, but are n…