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Making Sense of Neuromodulation in Psychiatry
In psychiatry, the field is recognizing the limitations of psychiatric medications and targeting of neurotransmitters. There is an expansion from the neurotransmitter focus into a circuit based understanding of both psychiatric and neurologic disorders. This is (in my humble opinion) a truly an exciting time in psychiatry. Neuromodulation is one approach that targets network level dysfunction, at both the circuit and neurotransmitter level, but primarily impacts circuits in
What Goes Missing in Insurance-based Healthcare (And What To Do About It)
In the United States, we have traditionally look at insurance-based healthcare as the gold standard for receiving healthcare, relying on using our insurance to pay for outpatient visits with specialists and primary care providers. This has been evolving as insurance premiums continue to rise along with deductibles, where individuals and families are finding themselves having to spend more out of pocket for routine, essential care. But even with these changes, many people c


A Sign of True Innovation in Psychiatry: Success Beyond Academic Centers
While attending this year’s annual Neuropsychiatric Association meeting, I decided to attend the neuromodulation special interest group. At clinical conferences, there are usually opportunities to get involved with colleagues who share more niche interests—things like TBI, early career neuropsychiatry, or neuromodulation. When I walked into the room there were about 20 men and 3 women. As we went around introducing ourselves, I realized that everyone except me was affiliated


Addressing PTSD and Trauma from a Functional Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry Perspective
Something people often don't realize is that psychological trauma and PTSD have both emotional and physiological effects and therefore, symptoms. In the psychiatric diagnostic book, the DSM, criteria includes both aspects but unfortunately doesn't give much more than a surface level checklist of symptoms. An Integrative Psychiatry Approach to PTSD Integrative psychiatry offers a different lens than the conventional psychiatric approach to PTSD, which focuses on thoughts, em


Private Equity in Mental Health: What Does it Mean?
I've been following healthcare policy and trends for years now and have been watching private equity quietly reshape healthcare - including mental healthcare. What’s striking isn’t just the scale of this shift, but how little most clinicians and patients realize it’s happening. The private sector has lots of upsides including bringing much needed innovation into healthcare and having more flexibility to practice outside of the box. And a full disclosure: I work part-time in


Exploring Blind Spots in Conventional and Functional Medicine Psychiatry
A lot of people find their way to my practice because they’ve tried lots of different approaches - meds, supplements, therapy, special...


Infections, Immunity, and the Mind: A Field Guide for the Well-Informed Patient
1 | Why this matters more than you might think Recent studies have moved the “infection‐psychiatry” link from interesting footnote to...


Practicing in the In-Between: Notes on a More Honest Psychiatry
In mental health care today, there’s often pressure to pick a side. On one end, conventional psychiatry offers structure: diagnosis,...


The Immune System’s Surprising Role in Catatonia
Traditional teaching: think benzodiazepines, think ECT. Emerging science: also think immune system.


Navigating the Noise: Why It Matters—and How to Find Trustworthy Health Advice Online
We live in an era where advice on diet, supplements, and lifestyle trends floods our social feeds. It can feel empowering to discover a...


Ethical Psychiatry for a Complex World
Whole System Psychiatry offers a deeper, systems-based approach to mental health — addressing both immediate symptoms and the complex roots beneath them. Explore how layered, ethical, and science-driven care can create a more complete path to healing.


Why Medicaid Matters for Mental Health: Reflections from a Rural Psychiatrist
The hospital is quiet on weekend mornings. On my drive there, the fields stretch wide and are dotted with cows and even some miniature...


Psychiatric Symptoms with Physical Roots: What Are We Missing?
“They said it was all in my head.” It’s a phrase many psychiatrists hear—often with equal parts frustration, grief, and resignation. The...


When Less Is More: Why Coming Off Antidepressants Is More Complex—And More Empowering—Than We Think
A woman in her late 30s meets with me over Zoom, unsure. “I’ve been on these meds for over fifteen years,” she says. “They helped—maybe...


When Medications Make You Worse: A Closer Look at MCAS and Mental Health
Some people are told they’re too sensitive. Too anxious. Too much. Especially when every medication seems to make things worse....


A Psychiatry of Permission
There is so much shame wrapped up in the decision to see a psychiatrist. By the time someone finds their way to me—whether in an...


Hypermobility and Anxiety: Why Some Bodies Feel Everything More Deeply
Joint hypermobility—often seen in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD)—is frequently misunderstood as...


Personalized Depression Approaches
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions and in psychiatry, we are aware that depression can present differently...


Thinking Holistically About Ketamine and Psychedelics
When I first started providing ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) as a psychiatrist in my practice, I focused on learning the craft...


Navigating OCD in Functional Medicine: When “More” Isn’t Better
One of my goals with writing blogs is providing education for physicians and other healthcare professionals who specialize in functional...
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