risk_management | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Responding to Sexual Activity on the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

March 23, 2022

Husna Najand, MD. Olive View—UCLA Psychiatry Residency Program. Dr. Najand has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

The unit staff inform you that two patients on the unit are engaging in sexual activity. What do you do next? Dr Najand reviews guidelines for managing sexual incidents, both consensual and nonconsensual.

The “Z-Drugs”: Safety Issues and Misuse Potential

June 10, 2020

Rehan Aziz, MD.

Rehan Aziz, MD. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Aziz has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Once heralded for their relative safety compared to benzodiazepines, the “Z-drugs” are now known to be one of the most common causes of adverse drug events. Here we review the risks of Z-drugs and highlight updated dosing recommendations for zolpidem.

Muscle Relaxants: Sedatives Often Under the Radar

June 10, 2020

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM.

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM. Professor and medical director at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions at the University of Texas Medical School. Author of Addiction Treatment (Carlat Publishing, 2017). Dr. Weaver has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Muscle relaxants encompass medications with different mechanisms of action—many of which have been used for decades. Yet most are sedating, can have significant side effects, and can interact with opioids and other substances to worsen CNS and respiratory depression.

Electronic Communication with Patients: Advantages and Risks

January 1, 2015

Julianna Troy, MD

Julianna Troy, MD Staff Psychiatrist, Counseling and Psychological Services, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN Dr. Troy has disclosed that she has no relevant relationships or commercial interests in any companies related to this educational activity.

Do you use email to communicate with your patients? Chances are good that you don’t.

Assessing Suicide Risk and Documenting Your Care

January 1, 2015

William H. Reid, MD, MPH

William H. Reid, MD, MPH Psychiatrist in Private Practice, Horseshoe Bay, TX, Past-President, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Dr. Reid has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity. He also notes that he is not a lawyer, and nothing in his words should be construed as legal advice.

Get some practical advice on how to assess a patient’s suicide risk and document your care to help protect against a malpractice lawsuit, in an interview with William H. Reid, MD, MPH, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Botox Injections Work as Antidepressant

January 1, 2015

Botulinum toxin A, commonly known as Botox, may be more than an anti-aging treatment. A new study has found that when Botox is injected between the eyebrows, it not only has a cosmetic effect—it also yields a long-lasting antidepressant effect.

Debate Rages On Over ‘Black Box’ Warning on Antidepressants

November 1, 2014

The psychiatric community continues to debate the value of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) so-called ‘black box’ warning on certain antidepressants, and a pair of opposing viewpoints was recently featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Family-School Intervention Can Reduce Adolescent Alcohol Use

December 1, 2013

Australian researchers recently reported data on the impact of a program called Resilient Families—an intervention aimed at preventing early use of alcohol, as well as frequent and heavy alcohol use, among adolescents in secondary schools in Melbourne.