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.
Learning From Behavioral Health Screening Tools: SPANISH VERSIONS 11/9/2017
Patients, pediatric and adult commonly present to primary care offices with symptoms and concerns related to their mental health or substance use problems. Sometimes they come in with that as part of their chief complaint, but often a PCP will have a concern that a behavioral health issue is present, either based on the physical […]
Learning From Behavioral Health Screening Tools 11/9/2017
Patients, pediatric and adult commonly present to primary care offices with symptoms and concerns related to their mental health or substance use problems. Sometimes they come in with that as part of their chief complaint, but often a PCP will have a concern that a behavioral health issue is present, either based on the physical […]
Treatment of Insomnia in Anxiety Disorders 11/16/2017
Insomnia is a common symptom in anxiety disorders, in fact it is a criteria for several DSM-IV Anxiety Disorders. It is important to inquire about sleep disturbance as part of the assessment for anxiety disorders, especially because there is clear evidence that the presence of insomnia in anxiety disorders is associated with increased morbidity. It […]
Treating Co-Morbid ADHD and Tic Disorders 11/30/2017
A recent SmartCare case consultation highlights an important clinical situation regarding co-morbid ADHD and tics. Case Presentation: 10 yo boy with history of motor tic disorder (eye blinking, shoulder shrugging) who was then diagnosed with ADHD combined type. He was started on Concerta and titrated to 36 mg qAM, which has been helpful for his […]
Depression in Older Adults 12/7/2017
Depression is not an inevitable part of growing older, but there are factors that come with aging that can increase the risk of developing depression, even for a person who does not have a history of depression. These include retiring and losing one’s professional identity, increased medical problems, losing loved ones, and increased isolation. It […]
Improving Detection of Postpartum Depression 12/14/2017
Postpartum depression is fairly common, with a prevalence of 10-15%. PPD can occur anytime in the first year after delivery. The postpartum year is one of the highest risk periods for first-onset depression for women with approximately 50% of women who will have a depressive disorder in their lifetime experiencing their first episode of depression […]
Primer on the Opioid Epidemic 12/21/2017
The opioid epidemic is all over the news, and has become both a national political football and a health care crisis. It might be worthwhile to look at some of the factors that got us here. The opioid epidemic has become a national emergency because of multiple factors: deaths related to overdose, lost employment, harm […]
Assessing and Treating Tardive Dyskinesia 1/4/2018
Given the increase in prescribing of antipsychotic medication, it is more important than ever for providers to be screening for Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) and other extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) related to antipsychotic use. Partially, the increase in prescribing of antipsychotic medications is related to their use in non-psychotic disorders, like monotherapy for bipolar disorder and adjunctive […]
Anxiety in Children and Adolescents 1/18/2018
Up to one in three children and adolescents experience clinically significant anxiety, and it is often under-recognized and under-treated. It is particularly important for primary care providers to be aware of the symptoms of anxiety in pediatric patients, because patients typically present first in this setting. Often the presenting complaint is a physical symptom, rather […]
Treatment for Anxiety in Children and Adolescents 1/25/2018
The presentation of anxiety in children and adolescents was discussed in last week’s e-Weekly. This e-Weekly will focus on treatment for anxiety disorders in pediatric populations, as many patients first present to their primary care providers for assessment and treatment. Treatment options primarily involve therapy and/or medication. For patients presenting with mild-moderate anxiety symptoms, a […]