Updates about psychiatry and our practice.
No Melatonin? American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends against its use for insomnia Hot on the heels of MoodSurfing’s recent exploration of the use of melatonin for insomnia comes a new recommendation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that melatonin should not be used for insomnia, either in adults or in children. The Academy has found a number of …
My insurer refuses to cover my prescribed treatment. What can I do? If your insurer denies your coverage, you can challenge your insurer’s decision by completing the following steps in order: Appeal the Decision How do I appeal the decision? If your insurer denies your claim, you have the right to an internal appeal.[1] This means you can ask your insurer …
A study in JAMA Psychiatry reveals another potential benefit of lithium treatment. Bipolar patients in general have a significantly higher rate of osteoporosis than the general population, for reasons that are not clear, but could have to do with treatment with antipsychotic medications, a higher rate of alcohol use and a higher rate of tobacco consumption. Thus it is noteworthy …
A series of studies providing the best data on the long term effects of lithium has been coming out of a large database of healthcare use and diagnoses called the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register. Because healthcare is nationalized in Denmark, this register covers a huge population (everyone who ever received psychiatric treatment) and it extends back to 1970. Studies …
Some of our patients here at Gateway started using this mood tracker from eMoods. We would like to share some information about the app for the benefit of those interested in using it. eMood is a free mood tracking app that runs on your phone and on your desktop via a web browser. It allows you to easily chart your …
Gateway psychotherapist Andrea Starn, LMFT will be offering an introductory class on mindfulness starting March 7th that is available to Gateway patients. This class will be accessed via Zoom. Andrea Starn is currently completing certification as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher after a 2-year intensive training program sponsored by Gateway Psychiatric. The program is the most widely recognized certification program in …
In the current edition of Biological Psychiatry there are several articles that point out how an understanding of brain function derived from new techniques that allow us to see how the brain functions much more clearly and to identify changes in the structure and function of the brain that could not be detected before may change our response to human …
It is time to update our fee list. June 2020 was the last time we revised our fees. Fee revisions occur every year. Usually we revise our fees based on an analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics relevant to changes in overall health care costs in the Bay Area. We also look at data in the FairHealth.org …
How does a panic attack relate to how we are breathing and the level of carbon dioxide and oxygen in our blood, and what is the fundamental flaw in brain programming that makes some of us so vulnerable to panic attacks? I was debriefing with a young woman who took too much of a new medication and ended up in …
When a loved one is diagnosed with a mental illness, it can throw the whole family into a tailspin, rife with self-doubt, suspicion, guilt, and helplessness. How we respond to the illness of a family member can make all the difference to their recovery and the rebuilding of the family’s foundations. Through many years of practice, we have evolved some …
