Get ready to learn about the essentials of antipsychotics! In the first part of our introduction to antipsychotics, we are going to talk broadly about uses for antipsychotics, how they work, and common side effects. We’ll then discuss unique characteristics of specific medications within the typical class of antipsychotics. Photo Credit: Olivier Chateau, “Hasselblad Xpan,” […]
Get for ready for some fun psychopharm basics! In this episode, we will discuss commonly used antidepressants including SSRIs, SNRIs, and atypical antidepressants. We’ll review general indications, side effects, and clinical circumstances which might cause you to favor one antidepressant over another. Finally, we’ll help you to solidify your knowledge with some clinical cases. Photo […]
In the final part of our Psychiatric Interview series, we’ll review the remainder of the psychiatric interview including psychiatric history, substance use history, medical history, family history, and social history. We’ll also give some tips on how to collect this information in a practical, nuanced, and efficient way! Photo credit: Lanie, “Listen,” Flickr Episode Music […]
In Part 2 of our Psychiatric Interview Series, we’ll focus on the the HPI and psychiatric review of symptoms. We’ll discuss how to organize your HPI and give you some examples of how to ask questions while taking a history. We’ll also talk about how to briefly screen for depression, mania, suicide ideation, homicidal ideation, […]
Do you find the psychiatric interview a little overwhelming or intimidating? Where do you start? What do you need to ask about? What do you do if it doesn’t go as planned? Well, breathe a sigh of relief because we at Psych Essentials are going to break it down for you in our three part […]
In the last episode of our Mental Status Exam series, we’ll explore the final two parts of the mental status exam- insight and judgment! In comparison to other parts of the mental status exam, these two domains can sometimes be a little murky for learners. What is insight and judgment exactly? And how do we […]
Get ready to take a closer look at the finer aspects of cognition! We’ll review how to formally (and informally) test the three main pillars of cognition- orientation, memory, and attention. We’ll also discuss how to test abstract thinking and general executive functioning. Whether you’re asking about proverbs or guiding a patient through the clock […]
Get ready for a big, information-packed episode featuring two of the most interesting parts of the mental status-exam: thought process and thought content! This is where we get to explore the weird, wonderful, and wild things the mind can manifest. In this episode, we will first look at thought process by defining and providing examples […]
In this episode, we will continue our series on the mental status exam by reviewing mood and affect. What is the difference between mood and affect? This can be a common area of confusion for learners, and we will spend some time reviewing the key differences. Following this, we will dig more deeply into affect […]
What is the mental status exam, and why do we use it so much in psychiatry? In the first part of our Mental Status Exam series, we will start by reviewing the purpose of the mental status exam in psychiatric practice. We will then introduce the first three components of the mental status exam- appearance, […]
Hello and welcome to Psych Essentials! This podcast is a new entry to the Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) movement dedicated to psychiatry. In our inaugural episode, we will introduce you to the concept of FOAM, the objectives of the podcast, and how the podcast can best be used in your studies. Photo credit: […]
