Chris Aiken, MD

Dr. Aiken is the Editor in Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report; director of the Mood Treatment Center in North Carolina, where he maintains a private practice combining medication and therapy along with evidence-based complementary and alternative treatments; and Assistant Professor NYU Langone Department of Psychiatry. He has worked as a research assistant at the NIMH and a sub-investigator on clinical trials, and conducts research on a shoestring budget out of his private practice. Follow him on Twitter and find him on LinkedIn.

What Gets in the Way of Antidepressants?

August 1, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Garrett Rossi, MD.

Garrett Rossi, MD.
Inpatient/consult attending psychiatrist, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Pomona, NJ.

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

Dr. Rossi and Dr. Aiken, authors for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Recent research has added to our understanding of factors that inhibit response to treatment, including major stress, nonadherence, and anxiety.

Five New Findings in Psychopharmacology

July 4, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Bupropion-dextromethorphan combo in depression. Lithium for COVID-19. The top med for nicotine cessation. Mirtazapine in OCD. Mediterranean diet in depression.

What Works in Bipolar Depression

April 11, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

From psychotherapy to ECT, pramipexole to lamotrigine, a walk through 20 therapies for bipolar depression.

Structural Brain Changes After ECT for Depression

April 5, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW

Chris Aiken, MD Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW The authors have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

How does ECT change the brain? A systemic review offers up some answers.

EXPERT Q&A

Benzodiazepines in Older Adults

April 1, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD

Chris Aiken, MD

Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Dr. Aiken specializes in mood disorders and works with older adults in private practice. Dr. Aiken has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

The best evidence for benzodiazepines in the elderly is in panic disorder, followed by phobias, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Benzodiazepines are also the mainstay of treating catatonia, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and alcohol withdrawal

7 Tips for Better Sleep

March 14, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

A new app for insomnia might also lift depression. We show you how it works and end with 7 practical tips to share with your patients who have insomnia.

Prescribing Psychotropics: From Drug Interactions to Pharmacogenetics (2022)

PDF/eBook Access and CME Post-Test

January 1, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD, Joshua Feder, MD, and Daniel Carlat, MD

Dr. Aiken, Dr. Feder, and Dr. Carlat have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity. have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

This page has links and instructions for taking the 10 CME post-test for Prescribing Psychotropics (2022) and downloading your PDF and eBook copies.

In Brief: Who Needs the Therapeutic Alliance?

March 11, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD

Oxytocin levels tend to fluctuate in synchrony when people are in strong, connected relationships, from the mother-child bond to romantic partnerships. A new study extended that to the therapist-patient dyad by comparing the change in oxytocin levels for patient and therapist during each session of psychotherapy for depression. The greater the synchrony in the oxytocin flux, the better the therapy outcomes.

How Buspirone Mixed with Melatonin to Make an Antidepressant

February 22, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

In 2012, psychiatrists at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital discovered a novel antidepressant. It seemed to improve depression and cognition without causing any significant side effects. There was only one problem. The ingredients were practically free, and there was no way that was going to sell.

IN BRIEF

The Queen’s Gambit

December 31, 2020

Chris Aiken, MD

A seven-hour series about chess tournaments doesn’t sound like a blockbuster, but The Queen’s Gambit is currently the #1 show on Netflix. The show makes a bold opening move by casting a woman in the role of the young champion—an unlikely choice, but one that stands on strong empiric ground.