Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex condition that requires a thoughtful, personalized approach to medication management, especially in the inpatient setting. This fact sheet provides an overview of medication strategies for PTSD.

In order to efficiently conduct a psychiatric interview, there are some basic interviewing skills you will develop to ensure you are getting valid information in a time-efficient manner. This fact sheet reviews some of the major techniques seasoned clinicians use.

● Late-life depression (LLD) impacts about 2-5% of older adults (OAs) in the community (Steffens DC et al, Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57(6):601-7). ● However, in medical and skilled nursing settings, it occurs in up to 25%. So, always screen patients for it in these locations. ● The diagnosis is often missed because it’s seen as an “understandable reaction to getting-old” or it’s misdiagnosed as anxiety.

Introduction: Once a patient who experienced suicidal thoughts is feeling better and is ready for discharge, help them create a safety plan so they can be prepared in case their emotional state deteriorates at some later point. For kids, share this plan with the child’s parents and make sure it’s easy to find, e.g., by having it stored on the child’s phone. Here's a sample blank safety plan:

Introduction: Older adults undergo substantial changes in drug metabolism and elimination.

You’ll sometimes encounter STDs among patients in psychiatric units. Here we review diagnoses and treatments for the most common STDs. Inform patients that their partners should be treated simultaneously to prevent reinfection.

We often switch antipsychotics due to side effects or lack of efficacy. There are two types of switches: immediate and cross-tapering. You can use either one, though cross-tapering is more standard.

Introduction ● Apathy is the most common behavioral disturbance in dementia, impacting up to 36% of patients with dementia (Lyketsos CG et al, JAMA 2002 288;12:1475-1483) and 12% to 40% of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (Burgon C et al, Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2021;50(2):111–123). ● Apathy is almost universally present in patients with severe dementia but may also be the first sign of dementia in some individuals. It’s associated with increased conversion from MCI to dementia and worsened disease progression. ● Apathy’s been linked with impaired everyday functioning, increased carer burden, worse adherence to interventions, and worse quality of life (Burgon C et al., Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2021;50(2):111–123).

Introduction: The 1968 case of Tatiana Tarasoff and Prosenjit Poddar in Oakland brought significant changes to mental health law. After their relationship ended, a distressed Poddar told his therapist he planned to kill Tarasoff. Despite the therapist's warning to police, Tarasoff wasn't informed and was later murdered by Poddar. This led to the creation of "Tarasoff Warnings," requiring mental health professionals in California and other states to warn or protect individuals from their patients' threats.

Supportive therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach focused on providing emotional and practical support and strengthening a patient's coping mechanisms. Here we share tips for how to implement supportive therapy in the inpatient unit.