Weekly Newsletters


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    Managing the Patient with a Somatoform Disorder Profile 7/8/2020

    Among the more challenging clinical situations seen in the primary care setting are patients who are recurrently distressed and present with multiple physical complaints and symptoms that do not fit a clearly definable syndrome or diagnosis — a clinical presentation that presents the provider with no target for definitive medical intervention. Categorized as Somatoform Disorders […]

    Hearing Voices 6/25/2020

    When a child or adolescent reports “I hear voices”, it naturally causes concern for parents and healthcare clinicians alike. The immediate question is “what is the cause”? This, followed by “what to do about it?” In these cases, the primary care clinician’s role is to provide further assessment (including consideration of potential organic causation—e.g., a […]

    Venturing out in the Summer & Fall of 2020: Guidance for Parents 6/18/2020

    As schools, businesses and public places re-open this summer as the global Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve, parents will continue to look for guidance from their medical providers on how to responsibly protect their kids and their families. Today’s eWeekly provides guidelines and resources to help primary care providers begin to assist parents in addressing […]

    Managing Mood Disorders for Pregnant Patients and Their Progeny 6/11/2020

    Optimizing treatment intervention for individuals with clinically significant mood disorders during pregnancy can be fraught with conflicting influences and requires careful consideration and sensitivity, as whatever actions you take (or don’t take) for the mother, will also affect the fetus. Following are a number of clinical considerations identified in a recent article published in Psychiatric […]

    Suicidal Patients & COVID 19: Tips for Managing SI in a Telehealth World 6/4/2020

    Baseline data for the US indicates that nearly 45,000 people die by suicide each year and there is both uncertainty and concern about how these numbers will be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Today’s weekly explores potential interventions to address this problem in primary care settings. People who have been suicidal before could have a […]

    Coping with Loss in the Time of COVID-19 5/28/2020

    This week’s SmartCare e-Weekly is pleased to share the sensitive and thoughtful insights of a special guest contributor, Miriah de Matos, MPH, MA, a parent to two young boys who works as Senior Project Specialist for AAP-CA3’s First 5 First Steps & Healthy Development Services program. As a program focused on integrating behavioral healthcare into […]

    Helping Patients Quit Tobacco Use: Motivating Ourselves to Persist in Harm Reduction Efforts 5/21/2020

    Many of us have committed ourselves to do our part with smoking cessation during our careers, but staying on course with this difficult task can be difficult. The barriers to sustaining our efforts are multiple: tobacco advertisers’ huge marketing budgets, inadequate time and reimbursement for providing treatment, patients’ psychological and physiological barriers and resistance, our […]

    QTc Prolongation and Psychotropic (and Other) Medications 5/14/2020

    The prolongation of the QT interval on electrocardiogram is a rare but known risk of some psychotropic (and other) medications. A prolonged QT interval can increase the risk of Torsades de Pointes, a ventricular arrhythmia that can be fatal. Although not a concern in the pharmacologic treatment of most patients, caution is recommended when prescribing […]

    Comorbidity of ADHD and PTSD: Diagnostic and Treatment Implications 5/8/2020

    A variety of studies have shown that the risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is higher in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to those without ADHD and the risk for ADHD is higher in individuals with PTSD than those without PTSD. The association has been noted to be bidirectional but the strongest […]

    Cannabidiol (CBD) and Mental Health: The Latest 4/30/2020

    Parents and adolescents often ask primary care and mental health providers about Cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety, sleep or other symptoms or behaviors. Here, we discuss the latest in community standards, the state of the evidence, and encourage primary care providers to be prepared to educate families on the limited role CBD should play for children […]