SMARTer CARE Newsletters
Sign up for our weekly SMARTer Care newsletter! Receive articles of interest with a wide variety of subjects associated with psychiatry and the practice of primary care medicine. Just add your email address below or email BHCS.provider@vistahill.org.
Adolescent Self-Harm & Suicide Risk: Management Strategies 9/10/2020
Self-induced harm is common among adolescents and is a significant, albeit infrequent, risk factor for suicide (Gromatsky et al., 2020). While most youth suicides do not occur in the context of a youth with self-harm behavior, a modest percentage may progress to being at higher risk. This said, both for relieve of their underlying distress […]
Behavior Modification as a Tool 9/3/2020
Among all the acronyms and differently named psychosocial support methodologies in use for helping families and kids, Behavior Management (B-Mod) is a time-tested tool to improve interactional conflicts in human groups. In pediatrics, B-Mod, can provide families opportunities to resolve conflicts and advance healthier psychosocial functioning. When applied to parenting, the technique uses positive reinforcements […]
Racism and Child Mental Health 8/27/2020
As the frontline of healthcare, the primary care clinic can play an important role in assuring equal access to care for all our kids and families. The following materials highlight the In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement on the “The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health” highlighting the […]
Kleptomania 8/20/2020
Although infrequently diagnosed and, at times, a subject of contention, kleptomania is one of the impulse control disorder diagnoses included in the DSM-5 that is part of the common lexicon. While the impulse to steal or appropriate objects that are not ours is a common enough human tendency, the distinguishing feature of the disorder as […]
Brief Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Pediatric Anxiety 8/13/2020
Pediatric Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges a child and their family can face. One study estimated a 7% prevalence of diagnosed anxiety disorder in children from 3-17 and a lifetime prevalence of 31.9% (Ghandour et al, 2019). Presumably, the earlier significant anxiety challenges can be addressed, the fewer immediate consequences […]
Psychiatric Emergencies & Resources in the Time of Covid 8/6/2020
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 […]
WHAT TO DO WITH BRUXISM 7/30/2020
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 […]
Hydroxyzine for Patients with Anxiety and/or Anxiety with Comorbid Insomnia 7/23/2020
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! […]
CICAMH 2020 Free Sessions Registration Form
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: […]
Managing the Patient with a Somatoform Disorder Profile 7/8/2020
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 […]