Natural Isn’t Necessarily Safe

Peter ForsterPhysical Conditions and Health

23,000 emergency room visits per year are the result of taking “natural supplements.” Natural does not mean safe. In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), with heavy backing from industry. By defining herbal supplements and botanicals as dietary supplements, DSHEA exempted them from the more rigorous standards used by the FDA in regulating food, drugs, and …

Do We Need 8 Hours of Sleep?

Peter ForsterInsomnia, Insomnia Treatment

A recently published study that looked at patterns of sleep in three different hunter gatherer societies challenges the long-held notion that we all need to sleep 8 to 9 hours a night and that many of us in Western society are chronically sleep deprived. The results are summarized in an article we just published in our companion website MoodSurfing.com. Tantalizing …

Psychotherapy for Depression – New Data

Peter ForsterTreatments of Depression

Many reviews have pointed out that there is a significant “publication bias” that affects studies of antidepressants: because studies that don’t find an effect tend not to be published a review of the published literature would suggest that these medications are more effective than they really are. Indeed this is been the basis of a great debate in the popular and …

Aripiprazole for Late Life Depression

Peter ForsterMajor Depression, Treatments of Depression

A study suggests that aripiprazole augmentation may be an effective strategy for treating major depression in older adults. The article has generated a lot of interest because of evidence suggesting that late life major depression may be different from major depression in early adulthood. Cognitive impairment, including memory troubles and trouble with planning and decision making (executive function), seems to …

Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy

Peter ForsterBest Practices, GPS Update, Major Depression, Treatments of Depression

I have just posted another page on the site devoted to orienting patients to types of psychotherapy that we may recommend for them. This most recent page talks about Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy, an approach to the treatment of patients with chronic depression that many people have benefitted from during the course of their treatment at Gateway Psychiatric. …

Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Job

Peter ForsterGPS Update

We are excited to be hiring a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) to join our team!  A successful candidate for this position is licensed as a CA Registered Nurse and is certified by the CA Board of Registered Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner; ideal candidates carry an ANCC certification. The position is best suited for someone who is self- …

Mental Health and Violence Conference

Peter ForsterGeneral, Policy

I am very pleased to share an announcement for a conference for mental health professionals and psychiatrists sponsored by the Northern California Psychiatric Society . The topic is both an important one and one about which there is much confusion and strong conflicting opinions. I’m proud that our local district branch is not walking away from it but has arranged …

Ketamine for Depression Update

Peter ForsterGPS Update, Major Depression, Treatments of Depression

Probably the most exciting development in psychopharmacology in years is the discovery of the dramatic effects of ketamine on depression. However, a recent report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Task Force on Novel Biomarkers and Treatments highlights not only the reason for the excitement about ketamine but also the significant areas of uncertainty that make it not yet ready to …

Medicare at GPS – Update 2022

Peter ForsterAbout GPS, Costs of Treatment, GPS Update

This is a fourth post to update our Medicare status. It is an update of the post from 2017. Provider Status and Volunteer Teaching at UCSF As of October 2015, Dr. Forster is no longer “opted out” from Medicare. This change was necessary for him to continue to serve as a volunteer clinical faculty member supervising residents in the Bipolar …