When you see a psychiatric provider for the first time, you may be surprised by how many questions we ask about people who aren’t in the room. Has anyone in your family been diagnosed with depression? Bipolar disorder? ADHD? Anxiety? Schizophrenia? Has anyone struggled with alcohol or substance use? Has anyone been hospitalized for a […]
Author: Laura Baker, PMHNP-BC
I’m Doing Better. Do I Still Need My Medication?
Feeling better is the goal of mental health treatment. So it makes sense that once you have been doing well for a while, you might start wondering whether you still need the medication that helped you get there. It is a reasonable question, and one worth discussing with your psychiatric provider. The answer, however, is […]
The HALT Check-In: A Two-Minute Habit That Can Catch a Craving
A craving rarely announces itself honestly. It shows up disguised as “I just really want a drink tonight” or “I need to order takeout again” or “I can’t deal with one more thing today.” It can feel like it came out of nowhere. It didn’t. Most of the time, it came from somewhere very specific: […]
How Providers Can Easily Spot ADHD in Perimenopause
A patient in her late 40s comes in for her annual visit. She mentions, almost in passing, that she’s been more forgetful lately, losing her train of thought mid-sentence, struggling to keep up at work in a way she never used to. The default read is perimenopause and it may well be part of the […]
The Doctor’s “Appointment Prep” Prompt for ChatGPT
Have you ever left a medical or psychiatric appointment and suddenly remembered the one thing you meant to mention? Maybe it was a symptom you forgot to bring up, a medication concern you wanted to discuss, or a pattern you had noticed but couldn’t quite explain in the moment. If this has happened to you, […]
Why Recovery Looks Different for Different People
Substance use exists on a spectrum. Some people occasionally use alcohol without significant consequences. Others develop problematic use patterns that affect relationships, finances, work performance, physical health, or mental health. Still others develop substance use disorders that involve cravings, loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, and repeated attempts to quit without success. Because the severity of […]
Cyclothymia: The Lesser-Known Mood Disorder and How to Manage It
Cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder, is one of those mental health conditions that many people have never heard of until they or someone they love is diagnosed with it. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I often meet patients who say, “I knew my moods changed more than other people’s, but I didn’t think it was […]
“Why Can’t I Just Stop?” The Brain Science of Cravings
One of the most painful things I hear from patients in recovery is, “Why can’t I just stop?” That question usually comes with shame. It comes after a craving hits hard, after a near relapse, after a relapse, or after someone finds themselves thinking about a substance or behavior they truly do not want controlling […]
Using AI to Challenge Cognitive Distortions and Improve Emotional Balance
In recent years, conversations about mental health have become more practical and more focused on skills people can use in everyday life. Many individuals are no longer asking only what they are feeling. They are asking why they feel that way and what they can do about it. At the same time, artificial intelligence has […]
When Worry About the Planet Feels Too Big
In recent years, concern about the future of our planet has shifted from a distant idea to something people feel in their daily lives. News about extreme weather, environmental changes, and long-term uncertainty is constant and, for many, deeply unsettling. It is no longer uncommon for patients to express persistent worry about what lies ahead, […]