Chris Aiken, MD

Seven Lifestyle Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression

July 1, 2018

Chris Aiken, MD Editor-in-chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is not untreatable. The challenge is to keep hope alive and the patient engaged in recovery. “You deserve, and can expect, a full recovery,” I’ll often tell patients, “but we’re going to need more than medications to get you there.” I’ll then offer a choice: to either start weekly psychotherapy or make a lifestyle change—or both.

The Bipolar Spectrum: Practical Tips for Diagnosis and Treatment

January 1, 2018

Chris Aiken, MD

Chris Aiken, MD Director of the Mood Treatment Center and instructor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Co-author, with Jim Phelps, of Bipolar, Not So Much (W. W. Norton & Company). Dr. Aiken has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

In this article, Dr. Aiken draws on his vast clinical experience to help us recognize the different types of patients who might present some degree of bipolarity, then provides tips on evidence-based treatments.

Understanding the Bipolar Spectrum: Tips on Diagnosis

January 1, 2018

Chris Aiken, MD

Chris Aiken, MD

Director of the Mood Treatment Center and instructor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Co-author, with Jim Phelps, of Bipolar, Not So Much (W. W. Norton & Company). Dr. Aiken has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr. Aiken discusses the history of bipolar disorder and goes through some key tips on diagnosing bipolar disorder, including the bipolarity index and specific questions to ask patients to help narrow down the diagnosis.