Blog
The Neurobiology of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing By Kyla Kerr
Imagine being able to help traumatized individuals heal from their trauma without talking about the trauma or even developing a therapeutic rapport, yet still achieving better results than standard antidepressants such as Prozac and standard psychotherapeutic interventions, and even achieving this more quickly (Van der Kolk, 2014). It might sound impossible, but eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) seems to be able to accomplish this feat. EMDR was created by Francine Shapiro in 1987 after, “she noticed that rapid eye movements produced a dramatic relief from her distress” from painful memories (Van der Kolk, 2014, p. 249). She later thoroughly researched [...]
Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar – How Do These Substances Impact Mental Health?
Many of us are inundated with news and opinions about gluten, dairy, and sugar. You can’t go to the grocery store without seeing a sundry of labels offering gluten, dairy, and sugar free products. Most of the time, these products are more expensive and the ingredients are cause for skepticism. Many of us wonder if this is just a marketing fad designed to line the pockets of the weight loss and anti-aging industry. However, there are reputable studies by researchers and scientists looking into the connection between gluten, dairy, and sugar intolerance and mental health. We know there is a connection [...]
Perimenopause: Who, What, When, WHY??
Many women will tell you that they reach their mid 40s and “things don’t feel right”. Most of my patients will come to me and report feeling irritable, having low energy, noticing foggy thoughts, and having disrupted sleep. These symptoms can be described as “coming and going”. My patient will say “I feel fine some days and terrible on others”. Many worry that they have bipolar disorder since it’s so sporadic. They are still getting a menstrual cycle or they are on some form of hormonal birth control that prevents a cycle so they are not thinking about any reproductive causes [...]
Student’s Corner: Acceptance & Football
Trigger Warning: suicide “Dum Spiro Spero” As a born and raised Southerner, college football was ingrained in me from a young age. War Eagle! This past week, I was studying for psychiatric nurse practitioner finals, a source of stress for anyone. On my study breaks, I was constantly watching google for the announcement of Auburn’s new football coach. During my search, a picture of an Ohio state Football player, walking on Senior day caught my eye in my searches. Why was this news? I noticed the number 76 player in the still image, on the field prior to his last home [...]
Ketamine Now Accepted as Depression Treatment
Student Submission by: Nicholas Ward Ketamine is an anesthetic that can cause dissociation. It has been sold many years as a street drug to allow users to dissociate for several hours at a time, causing feelings of euphoria or spiritual awakening due to its dissociative properties. Spravato (eskatamine), which is a nasal-spray form of ketamine, was marketed starting 2019 for treatment of depression although it is not FDA approved. Ketamine has a wide range of effects because it binds to many receptors in the brain and body including, opioid, nicotinic, muscarinic, GABA and glutamate receptors. The actions of the Glutamate receptors, [...]
New Year Updates at IAP
For many of you, the holidays and new year have been rough due to the spread of Omicron. Despite these low circumstances, this is a time to plan and reflect on the upcoming year and what it has to offer. I have been doing just that. I have wanted to expand my psychiatric services to other states and have recently added Florida to the expansion. So, if you have any friends or family members in the sunshine state that are needing my services, please let them know. I will keep you updated on other states as they are added. In addition, [...]
Probiotics and Mental Health
Probiotics has become a buzz word. It seems like we are inundated with the importance of adding probiotics to our daily lives. Many of us have done this or tried to do this (maybe not consistently) and felt the same as we did before, so what is the big deal with probiotics? Well, I highly recommend a consistent regimen of adding a daily probiotic and here is why: microorganisms in our gut help communicate with lots of our hormones and essentially keep our gut and mind organized. When our microflora gets depleted from stress, medical conditions, medications, etc., the signals get [...]
Integrative Psychiatry: An Approach to Treatment
I apologize for my absence from blogging for the past several months. This was not my intention. However, I have a great excuse. I just completed my year long integrative psychiatry fellowship with Dr. James Greenblatt. The fellowship was insightful beyond words. It opened my eyes as a psychiatric provider that has been practicing since 2002. I want to share with you what integrative psychiatry is all about and hope that you will be excited about the future of this field. Integrative psychiatry takes traditional Western medicine (ie., medications) and adds on a layer of complementary treatments, such as supplements, nutrients, [...]
Sobriety in the New Year
January has unique properties in comparison to the other months of the year. It promises a fresh start, an opportunity to make change and grow. Many of us will be called to write resolutions. A popular resolution among many is sobriety, from alcohol especially. Drinking has become an extremely social activity, which leads to potentially harmful habits being formed. Annie Grace, author of “This Naked Mind,” shares this very sentiment on her website, as she describes her own drinking transforming from a nightly social activity, to an isolated dependency. This is a cycle that many Americans fall victim to. Drinking in [...]
High Functioning vs. Low Functioning Anxiety
Anxiety is a mood disorder that affects 18.1% of Americans each year according to ADAA. Though the holidays are an extremely hectic time that can cause elevated stress, what about the almost ¼ of Americans that suffer year long? As prevalent as anxiety is, there are many individuals that go undiagnosed and untreated due to the phenomenon of “high-functioning” versus “low functioning” anxiety. The symptoms of both types are the same: extreme worry and fear that can lead to a myriad of physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, gastrointestinal issues, and sleep issues. The difference lies in the ability to [...]