Victoria Hendrick, MD

Clinical Update

Advance Directives: Guiding Patients Toward Dignity and Autonomy

October 1, 2025

Anasheh Nazarian, RN and Victoria Hendrick, MD

Anasheh Nazarian, RN. Behavioral Health Nurse Educator, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Report.

Ms. Nazarian and Dr. Hendrick have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

ADs play an important role in patient care, but talking about them isn’t always easy, as many individuals have fears and misconceptions about them that can make these conversations uncomfortable.

In Brief

Palliative Psychiatry

October 1, 2025

Victoria Hendrick, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Hendrick has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Palliative psychiatry is an emerging and thought-provoking approach that challenges us to rethink how we care for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.

Note From the Editor-in-Chief

The Mental Health Toll of Los Angeles’ Wildfires

April 1, 2025

Victoria Hendrick, MD

The recent devastating fires in Los Angeles underscore how disasters—whether fires, hurricanes, floods, or other climate events—can take a serious toll on mental health.

Hospital Psychiatry Fact Book, First Edition (2025)

Regular Bound with PDF/eBook Access

November 19, 2024

Daniel Carlat, MD and Victoria Hendrick, MD

Once the book is complete, this page has links and instructions for taking the 12 CME post-test for the Hospital Psychiatry Fact Book (2025) and download links PDF/eBook access.

Clinical Update

Exit Strategy: Discharging Patients Who Resist Leaving

October 1, 2024

Victoria Hendrick, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Report.

Dr. Hendrick has no financial relationship with companies related to this material.

Malingering, deceptive, or disruptive patients: what do you do when you encounter a patient who is resistant to discharge yet does not exhibit a clinical need for continued inpatient care? In this article, we review the key steps of the administrative discharge process.

Clinical Update

Pondering a Career Move? Insights Into Psychiatric Hospital Settings

October 1, 2024

Victoria Hendrick, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Report.

Dr. Hendrick has no financial relationship with companies related to this material.

Each psychiatric hospital setting offers its own unique challenges and rewards. You might appreciate the clinical autonomy and resources available in private hospitals, tackle complex cases in state hospitals, or balance research and teaching in academic environments. Non-profits focus on underserved populations, VA hospitals specialize in veteran care, and forensic hospitals blend psychiatry with legal work. The right choice for you depends on your interests and the challenges you're prepared to take on.

Clinical Update

“Quality” Measures in Inpatient Units: A Primer for the Frustrated

October 1, 2024

Victoria Hendrick, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Report.

Dr. Hendrick has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

We delve into the quality measures that psychiatric hospitals must follow, including IPFQR and HBIPS standards, to ensure compliance with CMS and Joint Commission requirements. You’ll learn why these measures matter and how they impact your daily work

Clinical Update

Establishing a Token Economy in a Psychiatric Unit: Guidelines and Benefits

July 1, 2024

J. Brandon Birath, PhD and Victoria Hendrick, MD

J. Brandon Birath, PhD. Director of Psychology Training, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Birath and Dr. Hendrick have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Token economies utilize a system where positive behaviors are rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for desired items or privileges, fostering increased patient engagement and autonomy. We outline the essential steps for initiating and overseeing a token economy within a psychiatric unit.

Clinical Update

Postpartum Psychosis: A Primer

October 3, 2023

Victoria Hendrick, MD and Reid Mergler, MD

Reid Mergler, MD. Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Center for Women’s Behavioral Wellness, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry and Clinical Professor, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Mergler and Dr. Hendrick have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Postpartum psychosis can develop very quickly in new mothers who looked well just hours earlier. While rare, it is a true psychiatric emergency.

CARLAT WEBINAR

A Primer on Delusional Misidentification Syndromes

July 6, 2023

Victoria Hendrick, MD

0.50 CME Credits. Explore the clinical presentations, prevalence, underlying factors, and management approaches associated with delusional misidentification syndromes.