It is not uncommon to see patients who are taking a long list of medications, some for which there isn’t a clear indication for ongoing use. This occurs for medications for physical health as well as mental health. It is important for a prescriber of any medication to assess in a thoughtful manner if it […]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about one-third of adults who had ADHD in childhood. It can be difficult to diagnose because of the overlap in symptoms of adult ADHD with depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and reliance of the patient’s self report of symptoms. Studies of self-referral suggest that only 1/3 – ½ of adults who […]

There has been a lot of discussion recently in the scientific world and lay press about the prevalence and consequences of vitamin D deficiency. As part of that discussion, there has been a suggestion that vitamin D deficiency could contribute to depression and that vitamin D supplementation could be a viable treatment option for depression. […]

Many children and adolescents present to their primary care provider’s office with concerns about inattention, poor focus or poor concentration. Since the primary care provider’s office is typically the first stop, it is important to be comfortable further evaluating the presenting problem, identifying associated symptoms, determining the diagnosis and implementing the best treatment plan. Many […]

The prevalence of Major Depression Disorder (MDD) in adolescents is 6%, with an additional 5-10% of teens presenting with sub-syndromal symptoms of depression. There is a 2:1 female:male ratio for MDD in adolescents. Teens frequently don’t necessarily present with the typical DSM criteria for MDD. Common depressive symptoms in adolescents include: irritability (as opposed to […]

The last e-weekly discussed the opioid epidemic. This article will discuss more about assessing for opioid use disorders and appropriate treatments. A person is diagnosed as having an opioid use disorder if he develops symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal to opioids as well as at least two other symptoms in the same year. Tolerance is […]

This is an important public health concern that warrants a discussion apart from political stance. Violence from firearms accounts for almost 4,000 deaths and over 15,000 injuries in children and adolescents yearly. The rate of firearm-related deaths in children in the United States is nearly 16 times greater than the rate in 25 other industrialized […]

It used to be thought that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was fairly rare, but it is more common than originally thought. The prevalence is between 2-3% worldwide and it affects males and females equally. Symptoms usually present between late childhood and early adulthood, with 75% of patients having symptoms before the age of 18. OCD can […]

Postpartum depression (PPD) 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 […]