My last psychedelic update was nearly 2 years ago and at that time there was a sense that FDA approval for psychedelics like psilocybin was inevitable. Here we are in 2021 and there’s still a lot of excitement and astounding interest in using psychedelics to treat mental health conditions.

The first thing I learned when I started my psychiatry training in the early 1990s was how to test for tardive dyskinesia (TD), one of the most important side effects of psychiatric medications. Tardive dyskinesia is an abnormal movement disorder that can develop from long term antipsychotic medication use and can ultimately become disabling. In this article, I will review what to look for in recognizing abnormal movements and the challenges of using telehealth to find and treat TD.

This is a question I’ve asked myself since genetic testing first came available around 2011. I will highlight a few cases in my private practice where genetic testing gave surprisingly helpful results that I otherwise would have never known and using that information has led to improved quality of life for patients as well as new lessons for me.

In the aftermath of recent police brutality incidents, there has been much discussion and protesting over the past year about achieving racial justice in the external world. But there has not been as much discussion about racial healing with each other and within oneself. In my own work with patients, this issue has come up in new ways this past year. In this article, I will highlight the case of a 17-year-old white male who sought my help with feeling emotionally overwhelmed about his “white privilege,” which was triggered by what he had been learning about Critical Race Theory at school.

At a recent mental health conference, I had the opportunity to hear Ben Nemtin, a 37 year-old Canadian writer, give the keynote address Making the Impossible, Possible. As we start to reengage the world from the pandemic, Ben’s message about figuring out what’s important to you so it doesn’t become buried is timely and inspirational. In this next article, I will outline 5 Steps on how you can make the impossible, possible in your own life.

In my private practice, I continue to work with patients who are recovering from addiction as well as a mental health challenge. While many will remain abstinent the rest of their lives, every now and then someone will relapse and our work then becomes about getting them back on track. In this next article, I will highlight the addictive and recovery process and the common roadblocks to recovery.

And now for something completely different. I would like to share a painting that I just completed that has nothing to do with mental health but has a lot to do with creativity and ways to improve your memory which I have previously written about.

There is now compelling scientific evidence that daily lifestyle habits have a much greater impact on your healthy aging than your genes. In this article, I will review the latest research on these lifestyle habits and what researchers call a formula for successful aging that can forestall symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.