When physicians are diagnosed with opioid or other drug dependence, they are required to receive treatment from special physician health programs (PHP) if they want to keep their medical licenses. Unlike treatment programs for the general population, PHPs do not use opiate agonists, such as methadone or buprenorphine.

Since 2011, 3 new antidepressants have been approved by the FDA, and another (ketamine) has been generating buzz as a potential off-label medication for depression. In this article, we’ll take a step back and review the data on vilazodone (Viibryd), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), vortioxetine (Brintellix), and ketamine.

The diagnosis of conduct disorder started with patients who were generally labeled as “bad kids”—juvenile delinquents, so to speak—and then professionals came to the realization that these kids are not necessarily “bad” but that there may be some kind of psychiatric pathology underlying their actions. In this interview, Akeem Marsh, MD, presents his perspective as a psychiatrist providing diagnostic evaluations, medication management, individual therapy, and treatment planning in a juvenile detention setting in New York City.

Dr. Bodkin discusses methods for approaching treatment resistant depression and his perspective on depressive illness as a final common pathway for a number of different brain problems.

Are you burnt out? This seemingly casual question may not be as easy to answer as you might think. Being burnt out can easily be mistaken for feeling tired, stressed, or depressed. But according to a growing body of research on physicians, recognizing and addressing this work-related syndrome may help protect your well-being, along with that of your patients and colleagues.

As psychiatrists, we don’t want to become overly attached to all our clients, because that can be draining and lead to burnout. On the other hand, we don’t want to distance ourselves, because the essence of healing occurs within the caring relationship. Dr. Skovholt discusses striking this delicate balance in this interview.

Opiate use disorder is increasingly common, and it is important to develop a systematic approach for treating it. In this article, I will discuss some of the more important elements of treatment, starting with the need to address patients’ denial and moving on to some of the nitty gritty aspects of medication-assisted treatment.

Eliza Wheeler gives her insight into harm reduction as a model for practicing public health that seeks to provide services in a nonjudgmental way. Harm reduction seeks behavior change while acknowledging the need to meet a person where they are—especially in their particular journey through substance use. Abstinence is not a prerequisite for treatment or a condition that someone must meet to receive services.

Since 2013, all psychiatrists have had to use new CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes. This article gives you a quick overview of evaluation and management (E/M) coding, and I’ll share the experiences of 4 psychiatrists who have been using these codes over the last 3 years.

Dr. Byrne consults with psychiatrists on startinig a private practice, and helps them troubleshoot their practice model. In this interview, she shares her insight on starting a private practice with the base understanding that embarking on private practice is essentially starting a small business.