SMARTer CARE Newsletters
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Practice Guidelines for Treating AUD 2/8/2018
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is very common and can lead to medical, social and legal impairments for affected individuals and their families. Despite the high prevalence of AUD and its significant public health consequences, patients with this disorder continue to be under-identified and undertreated. The American Psychiatric Association has recently come out with practice guidelines […]
Is it Menopause or Depression? 2/15/2018
Is it Menopause or Depression? Females in their 40s and 50s often present to their primary care providers with new-onset depressive symptoms. In developing a treatment plan, it is important to assess if the symptoms are part of menopause or perimenopause or if they represent a new-onset depressive disorder. A complicating factor is that menopause […]
Practice Guidelines for Treating AUD
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is very common and can lead to medical, social and legal impairments for affected individuals and their families. Despite the high prevalence of AUD and its significant public health consequences, patients with this disorder continue to be under-identified and undertreated. The American Psychiatric Association has recently come out with practice guidelines […]
Maximizing Efficacy of Antidepressants
Antidepressant medications, most commonly the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are frequently prescribed by primary care providers for depression, anxiety, and impulse control disorders. There are some important guiding principles to keep in mind when prescribing these medications, which can dramatically improve a patient’s response to treatment and ensure ongoing safety. Here is a review […]
Treating Co-Morbid Depression and Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is one of the main contributors for the global burden of disease. One in four patients with coronary artery disease also suffer from depression, which adds to the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction and death. Guidelines exist to urge primary care […]
Crisis Intervention for Aggressive Patients
As health care professionals, we are sometimes faced with patients in crisis. An estimated 4 percent of visits to primary care physicians involve psychiatric or social crises. Proper assessment and intervention are essential to ensure the safety of the patient and others. For purposes of this article, crisis moments refer to those points in time […]
Psychiatry and Chronic Pain
Pain affects nearly 100 million people and is one of the most common complaints made to primary care providers by their patients. More than 20% of all medical visits are pain-related. Consistent with a biopsychosocial model of illness, individuals with chronic pain often report that the pain interferes with their ability to engage in occupational […]
Medical Differential for Patient Presenting with Depressive Symptoms
When a patient, especially one without a history of depression, presents with depressive symptoms, it is important to consider if those symptoms are a result of another medical condition. Depressive symptoms that are more likely to be in this category include: Fatigue/low energy Trouble initiating or maintaining sleep Hypersomnia Significant change in […]
“Hallucinations” in Children
Hallucinations in children can be a confounding symptom and it is important to evaluate further if a child is presenting with concerns about hallucinations. It is important to distinguish among true hallucinations (false auditory, visual or other sensory perceptions that are not associated with real external stimuli), illusions (misperceptions of actual stimuli), imaginary friends, fantasies […]