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.
ADHD in the Primary Care Setting 3/16/2022
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition that can impact children’s lives in many ways. Unidentified and untreated ADHD can cause difficulties at school, at home and can contribute to anxiety and mood symptoms. In 2019, The American Academy of Pediatrics published updated clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, and management of ADHD, recommended ADHD evaluation […]
PMDD-Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder 3/2/2022
Approximately 75% of women experience premenstrual changes – with increased irritability, tension, depressed mood, breast tenderness and bloating – commonly referred to as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). A small proportion (5-10%) of women experience significantly more disruptive psychological symptoms that can range from moderate to severe intensity that is recognized as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Individuals […]
Magical Thinking 2/16/2022
Humans are uniquely gifted with the extraordinary capability to think rationally and objectively, and we typically perceive ourselves as functioning as logical, reasoned and objective beings. In this perception, we are probably not thinking with full clarity, as we all have moments where emotions and other factors get in the way. More fundamentally, our cognition […]
Adolescence: Danger or Opportunity? In truth, a bit of both. 2/2/2022
The past several years of pandemic and of social and political unrest have, of course, been uniquely challenging for teens (and their families), adding a layer of complexity that has compounded an already challenging phase of life. During recent times, greater levels of anxiety and depression have been evident in lots of teens and there […]
Recognizing and Responding to Psychotic Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care: Part 2
Our last newsletter introduced the issue of recognizing and responding to psychotic symptomatology in primary care pediatrics and noted the potential pivotal role that early recognition plays in offering opportunity to refer for treatment, in both the short term and with an eye to the potential lifelong consequences for afflicted individuals. Today’s focus will provide […]
Recognizing and Responding to Psychotic Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care 12/10/2021
Introduction While typically way beyond the scope of general pediatric practice, the primary care pediatrician can play a critical role in early identification and appropriate referral of patients with psychotic disorders. This is the first of a series of newsletters exploring this important clinical concern. What is Psychosis? Psychosis is characterized by impairments in thought, […]
Recommended Transition Interventions for ASD/DD Youth 11/8/2021
Reality……Autistic Children Become Autistic Adults! Services drop off and jobs are hard to come by. Most research on autism focuses on kids. Most adults with autism (85%) live with their parents after high school 85% of ASD adults who graduate from college are unemployed Unemployment among people with autism is approximately 90 percent 40% will […]
Kids’ Drawings—a different type of lab data 10/18/2021
Scientific psychological investigations of children’s drawing have been reported for well over 100 years and the extensive literature describes the utility of children’s graphic productions as tools in assessing general developmental parameters and in evaluating for various neurologic, cognitive and emotional issues. While interpretation of the significance of such drawings, particularly in the arena of […]
The Good News: Delivering Bad News Well Makes a Difference 10/8/21
Effective communication with patients and their families is central to our work as healers. We share information, answer questions, and provide guidance. At times, we deliver news we wish we did not have to give. The good news is that the skills necessary to share difficult diagnoses can be learned and refined over time, just […]
Opioid Use Disorders: Assessment and Treatment 9/17/21
A person can be diagnosed as having an opioid use disorder if he or she develops symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal to opioids in association with various behavioral profiles, described below. Tolerance is defined as either needing a larger amount to achieve the same effect or having less effect from the same amount. Withdrawal is […]