The health and mental health impact of the coronavirus pandemic is widespread (Brooks, 2020; Fegert et al., 2020). How have these changes been manifest in our communities? It is clear that the pandemic has disrupted the lives and the routines of everyone. The pandemic has quite naturally caused increased feelings of vulnerability and the ongoing […]

Involuntary grinding of teeth, otherwise known as bruxism, is frequently a concern raised by patients with stress, sleep problems (especially sleep apnea), myofacial tenderness, and, on occasion, those who take various psychotropic agents. Stimulants, SSRI medications, SNRI medications and antipsychotic agents are among the psychotropics that can cause or aggravate bruxism, Conservative approaches to managing […]

Although hydroxyzine is by no means considered to be a first line medication in treating anxiety symptoms, it has great potential to be of benefit for many patients who suffer with persistent anxiety. While not a cure all, there can be many benefits in using hydroxyzine, a medicine that has been around for sixty years! […]

 Registration Form:  CICAMH Free Sessions  July 17, 2020   Name_________________________________________________________________   Email Address: (the zoom link will be sent to this email address, please make sure it’s legible)   _____________________________________________________________________   Workplace:   ____________________________________________________________________ Please mark the sessions you’d like to register for:       ¨     8:30-9:30 AM   IMPACT of COVID-19: […]

Among the more challenging clinical situations seen in the primary care setting are patients who are recurrently distressed and present with multiple physical complaints and symptoms that do not fit a clearly definable syndrome or diagnosis — a clinical presentation that presents the provider with no target for definitive medical intervention. Categorized as Somatoform Disorders […]

When a child or adolescent reports “I hear voices”, it naturally causes concern for parents and healthcare clinicians alike. The immediate question is “what is the cause”? This, followed by “what to do about it?” In these cases, the primary care clinician’s role is to provide further assessment (including consideration of potential organic causation—e.g., a […]

As schools, businesses and public places re-open this summer as the global Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve, parents will continue to look for guidance from their medical providers on how to responsibly protect their kids and their families. Today’s eWeekly provides guidelines and resources to help primary care providers begin to assist parents in addressing […]

Baseline data for the US indicates that nearly 45,000 people die by suicide each year and there is both uncertainty and concern about how these numbers will be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Today’s weekly explores potential interventions to address this problem in primary care settings. People who have been suicidal before could have a […]

This week’s SmartCare e-Weekly is pleased to share the sensitive and thoughtful insights of a special guest contributor, Miriah de Matos, MPH, MA, a parent to two young boys who works as Senior Project Specialist for AAP-CA3’s First 5 First Steps & Healthy Development Services program. As a program focused on integrating behavioral healthcare into […]

Many of us have committed ourselves to do our part with smoking cessation during our careers, but staying on course with this difficult task can be difficult. The barriers to sustaining our efforts are multiple: tobacco advertisers’ huge marketing budgets, inadequate time and reimbursement for providing treatment, patients’ psychological and physiological barriers and resistance, our […]