Psychiatry Boot Camp

Dr. Roger McIntyre,  Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto and Head of the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, introduces us to bipolar disorders. We discuss the key clinical features of bipolar disorders, the relationship between bipolar disorders and circadian rhythm, known pathogenesis, and some first line treatment options. We also contextualize the difference between "type I" and "type II" bipolar disorder, and explore the relationship between bipolar disorder and traumatic life experiences. For more: Bipolar Disorders (Lancet Seminar)

Dr. Steve Delisi, Chief Medical Officer at YourPath Inc., Co-Associate Director at UC-Irvine School of Medicine's "Train New Trainers" Primary Care - Training and Education in Addiction Medicine Fellowship, Adjunct Professor at Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies, walks through the fundamentals of substance use disorder. We discuss the neurobiology of substance use disorder and explore the clinical use of "translational neuroscience." You'll also learn about the relationship between trauma and substance use, hear best practices for building a therapeutic alliance with this patient population, and catch a glimpse into future research on substance use disorders.

Dr. Mark Oldham, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at University of Rochester Medical Center, President-Elect of the American Delirium Society, and Deputy Editor of the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, takes us through a deep dive on delirium. This episode covers an enormous amount of material. We contrast encephalopathy and delirium before diving into the dangerousness of delirium and prevention strategies. We explore the neurobiology of delirium and tie it to validated assessment tools and treatment approaches. We also discuss areas for future research and learn to appreciate the evolutionary function that delirium serves. References can be found on the episode website.

Dr. Erick Messias, Chair of Psychiatry at Saint Louis University, introduces us to the world of psychiatric epidemiology. Learn how epidemiological figures (that show up on training exams) are derived, and explore how epidemiology can help us to understand the naturalistic course of psychiatric illness. We also delve into the history of our diagnostic system  and how it developed into the current model, and run through some of the most important findings to date in psychiatric epidemiology. Dr. Messias also explains how to approach every situation in life "as a 2 by 2 table," and we conclude with some wisdom about inserting meaning into daily psychiatric practice. 

Dr. Kimberly Nordstrom, Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado, discusses the process of considering medical contributions to psychiatric illness.  We discuss red flags that should guide clinicians to start thinking medically, explain the importance of systematically approaching a differential diagnosis, and provide a brief introduction to a few common medical-psychiatric conditions including autoimmune encephalitis, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), and serotonin toxicity ("serotonin syndrome").Book: Quick Guide to Psychiatric Emergencies: Tools for Behavioral and Toxicological Situations (Check your academic library!!!)

Dr. Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force and Chair Emeritus at Duke, returns to orient listeners to psychiatric diagnosis. Explore diagnostic principles including "stepped diagnosis" and understand the importance of nuance when making and communicating a psychiatric diagnosis. You'll also learn about how these diagnoses are  derived, and hear tips for making an accurate and meaningful diagnosis to improve a patient's quality of life.Book: Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis by Dr. Allen Frances

Welcome to Psychiatry Boot Camp Season 2: Hoofbeats on Broadway! We are basing this season around the axiom, "When you hear hoofbeats on Broadway, think horses, not zebras." Our global experts will introduce the fundamentals of psychiatric diagnosis before walking  us diagnosis-by-diagnosis through the psychiatric stables. Stay tuned!

Dr. Amy Barhnorst, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair for Community Mental Health at U C Davis,  explains various ways to characterize violence, violence prevention strategies, best practices for documentation, firearms, and more.For more: https://www.bulletpointsproject.org/

Dr. Donna Sudak,  Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair for Education at Drexel University College of Medicine, and Past President of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Programs, introduces us to psychotherapy.  We explore the role of psychotherapy in psychiatric practice, discuss "common factors" in psychotherapy, and learn to incorporate psychotherapy into each patient encounter.

Dr. Rajesh Tampi, Editor-in-Chief of the World Journal of Psychiatry, Past President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and Chairman of Psychiatry at Creighton University, walks us through capacity assessments and shares his hard won wisdom for navigating difficult cases.

Dr. Jyotsna Ranga, Program Director for the Adult Psychiatry Residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Creighton University, teaches how to construct case formulations using the biopsychosocial model and the "five Ps."

Dr. Tony Thrasher, President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry and medical director of crisis services in Milwaukee county, discusses best practices for management of the agitated patient. Learn key safety points, verbal de-escalation techniques, medical-legal principles, and pharmacotherapy options.

Dr. Tyler Black, a suicidologist and child psychiatrist at British Columbia Children's Hospital, walks through common suicide myths, structuring the suicide risk assessment interview, common motivations for suicide, clinical decision making, best practices for documentation, and what works in preventing suicide.

Dr. Rajesh Tampi, Editor-in-Chief of the World Journal of Psychiatry, Past President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and Chairman of Psychiatry at Creighton University, walks us through the mental status examination.

Dr. Dana Raml, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, walks through interviewing do's and don'ts, techniques for building a therapeutic alliance, and teaches us how to ask for and organize the information gleaned during an initial psychiatric encounter.