Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW

The conditions of body dysmorphic disorder and muscle dysmorphia has been increasing in both public and professional awareness.

A growing body of research suggests that patients are not always transparent with their physicians about critical information.

Two experts speak about how apps address different needs and use different technologies, but taken together, they shed light on the manifold ways that apps can be used for depression management in clinical practice.

It is critical for psychiatrists to understand the most common causes of malpractice, how to proceed if they are sued, and how to prevent lawsuits.

Thomas Gutheil, MD, an expert in clinical and forensic psychiatry, provides commentary on the need for physicians to create a professional will.

Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are increasingly being asked to write letters certifying patients’ and clients’ animals as emotional support animals.

The researchers conducted 1103 surveys, encompassing 464 US physicians.

The pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to the grieving process, setting the stage for more complex and prolonged reactions in those who have unfortunately lost loved ones. M. Katherine Shear, MD, Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University School of Social Work, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, and Director of the Center for Complicated Grief shares her insight into this subject.

Natalia Skritskaya, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Research Scientist at the Center for Complicated Grief, Columbia School of Social Work in New York gives her take on the subject of complicated grief.

This review examines the nerurobiological mechanisms, risk factors, conceptual models, clinical challenges and management for individuals with antidepressant associated hypomania. Greater clarity is required regarding underlying biological mechanisms and the best treatment approaches to assist with clinical decision-making.

Personalized medicine “promises to move beyond data regarding the average effectiveness of treatments to identify the best treatment for any individual.” However, personalized medicine for depression necessitates “identifying characteristics of individuals that reliably predict differences in benefits and/or adverse effects of alternative depression treatments, including both biological and psychosocial treatments.”

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented stress to society at large and perhaps most of all to frontline healthcare teams in a variety of settings. We spoke to an expert about teamwork during such trying times.