Publications
Publications
Here is a selection of my publications:
A critical examination challenging the conventional wisdom on the efficacy and relevance of suicide risk assessment in psychiatry.
Examining the multifaceted nature of the fear of death, this article explores how the medical profession, particularly psychiatry, must confront its own discomfort with the topic. Considering alternative philosophical perspectives, societal resistance, and the role of religion can provide insight.
Exploring the nature of death anxiety, this article delves into patients' quest for validation, the use of maladaptive defense mechanisms, the palpable anxiety in today's connected world, the significance of legacy, and the therapeutic role of therapy in alleviating death anxiety and finding fulfillment in life.(MDedge, Medscape)
In the field of psychiatry, clinicians often develop their own beliefs and biases that shape their approach to patient care, leading to the emergence of different clinical archetypes and potential biases within the profession, which can hinder collaboration and understanding among colleagues.
Highlighting the limitations of the DSM-5-TR's checklist approach in psychiatry, this article explores the importance of narrative and the potential lessons that can be learned from movies in understanding patients' experiences, including the significance of values, guilt, shame, and the need for acceptance in "Ratatouille," as well as the feelings of control, powerlessness, and the value of emotions in "Inside-out."
The perception of psychiatry as a progressive institution can lead to a proportion of patients feeling judged and alienated, particularly those with conservative beliefs, highlighting the need for psychiatrists to address this issue and create a safe space for all patients to express themselves without fear of judgment. (MDedge, Medscape)
Schizophrenia is characterized by episodes of psychosis and a detachment from reality, with patients holding beliefs that are not recognized by others, which raises the question of how psychiatry can address the unique perspectives of these individuals and create a therapeutic framework that acknowledges their worth and intelligence. (MDedge, Medscape)
An examination of the role of "de-diagnosing" in our movement to deprescribe certain patients
A review of the continued role of Section 7.3 in psychiatry.
An examination of conservatorship and the role of psychiatry in its implementation.
An examination of the use of sociopathy and trauma by court evaluators.
A challenge for psychiatry to consider the dehumanizing aspects of fragmented care and increasing sub-specialization.
A reflection on the role and use of excited delirium as well as the need for psychiatry to comment on this common label.
An examination of the role of validation, shame, and responsibility in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
The 'Defund the police' movement raises some important questions for the role of psychiatry in how society addresses certain behaviors and emergencies.
Is burnout repackaged depression to protect professionals from stigma or is it bringing a humanity lost in the medicalized DSM?
An examination of the sequential intercept model because it deserves to work
A challenge for psychiatrists not to fall for political traps
Criminality poses nosological and logistical problems for psychiatrists in emergency departments
An examination of our understanding and justification for suicide risk assessments
A challenge for the American Psychiatric Association to make more scientifically sound statements
Is ketamine's rapid action challenging psychiatry's conceptualization of depression?
Deprescribing can be performed safely and effectively (Podcast about the article)
A clinical guide to ethical dilemmas in the involuntary treatment of patients with mental illness
A critique of current diagnostic paradigms in defining trauma and its consequences
An examination of the limitations of the medical model in addressing homelessness
A reflection on gun violence and the consequences of mental health reporting laws. The article points out the danger in alienating a vast number of our patients
A critique of society's over-reliance on medication compliance as marker of mental health recovery. The article looks at examples through the media, and the legal system
An examination of the difficulties posed by personality disorders in the forensic system through an example in mental health competency
A case presentation of a forensic (competency restoration) patient with psychosis and court ordered involuntary treatment who successfully completed treatment without antipsychotics
A California mother kills her son with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The article examines in psychiatry responsibility in creating the false narrative that our patients are violent
A psychiatrist sentenced to an 18-month suspended prison for failing to prevent a murder. The incident leads to reflections on the challenges facing psychiatry when simultaneously treating and assessing violence risk
Antipsychotics are clearly indicated for patients in the acute phase of psychotic illness, however the evidence for long-term use is less convincing and may not justify compulsory long-term use
The integration of psychiatric care in primary care is presenting challenges for psychiatric training. In response, the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry sheds light on the training, clinical, and communication challenges of integrated care and providing insight into the future of psychiatry training.
An ode to psychiatry residency
The case of a patient for whom different providers had different interpretations, despite similar presentations. A combination of cognitive errors led to repeated diagnostic oversimplification in the case.
A review of substance use disorders in older adults
