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Trailer - Ask a Psychiatrist

Ask A Psychiatrist

Release Date: 07/21/2021

Ep. 012 - How to reverse weight gain from antipsychotic medication? show art Ep. 012 - How to reverse weight gain from antipsychotic medication?

Ask A Psychiatrist

This episode deals with the question of weight gain from antipsychotic medication: I'm on 20 milligrams of olanzapine. It's helping me and I don't want to change it. The only thing is that I've gained a lot of weight that makes me feel very unattractive. I’ve spoken to my psychiatrist about it, but I haven't gotten any guidance on the matter. Are there any solutions to weight gain from this kind of medicine? Modern antipsychotic medications can be very helpful for some people. And they are less likely to cause neurological side effects, compared to their first-generation predecessors....

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Ep. 011 - What is akathisia, and how to stop it? show art Ep. 011 - What is akathisia, and how to stop it?

Ask A Psychiatrist

What is akathisia? Akathisia is a relatively common medication side effect. Akathisia is a feeling of restlessness that many people find difficult to describe. Many people with akathisia say that it makes them feel like they would like to crawl out of their skin.   What does akathisia feel like? Akathisia can be just an uncomfortable feeling. But for many people that feeling of restlessness translates into not being able to sit still. (Akathisia comes from Greek words that mean “not able to sit down”). It can involve fidgeting, or not being able to sit down or lie down for very long...

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Ep. 010 - Lack of insight into mental illness: Are there any new leads? show art Ep. 010 - Lack of insight into mental illness: Are there any new leads?

Ask A Psychiatrist

This week’s listener question was “is there any new research about curing anosognosia?” Anosognosia is a medical term derived from Greek root words that mean “lack of disease knowledge.” Although anosognosia started off as a neurological concept, it's also very common for people with psychiatric conditions to have no awareness that their symptoms are unusual, or that they could indicate the presence of a mental illness. Emerging data suggest that impaired insight in mental illness might -- like neurological anosognosia -- involve those outer layers of the right side of the brain. It...

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Ep. 009 - Can Antidepressants Reduce Self-Harm? show art Ep. 009 - Can Antidepressants Reduce Self-Harm?

Ask A Psychiatrist

Can Antidepressants Reduce Self-Harm? Self-harm is a common behavior. About 1 in 8 children and up to 1 in 5 adolescents will deliberately injure themselves without suicidal intent. But even without suicidal intention, self-harm is an alarming and potentially dangerous behavior. Self-harm is a sign that something is wrong… but what’s the best way to help? It’s not uncommon for someone with self-harming behavior to be prescribed an antidepressant. Most of us would think that someone who is repeatedly harming themselves is very sad or depressed. So, it’s not surprising that doctors might...

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 Ep. 008 - What is Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome? show art Ep. 008 - What is Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome?

Ask A Psychiatrist

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (also called CHS) is the topic of this week’s episode.  Melissa and Dr. Erik answer the question “How can something that’s an anti-vomiting medicine be the cause of a vomiting illness”? Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome involves symptoms like loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. Vomiting attacks come in waves or cycles. A vomiting attack can last many hours or several days and can be severe enough to cause dehydration or a host of other serious complications.  Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome affects some people who use...

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Ep. 007 - Is it possible to prevent Alzheimer’s disease? show art Ep. 007 - Is it possible to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?

Ask A Psychiatrist

In this episode, Melissa and Dr. Erik discuss Alzheimer’s disease and address the question of whether it’s possible to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.   What is Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s disease is one of several causes of dementia. The American Psychiatric Association has renamed “dementia” and now refers to this type of condition as “Neurocognitive Disorder.” Either name refers to a decline in cognitive performance. “Cognition” is a broad term which can include things like: attention, decision-making, recognition of language, faces, or situations, learning, or...

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Ep. 006 - Are There Any Medications to Treat Alcoholism? show art Ep. 006 - Are There Any Medications to Treat Alcoholism?

Ask A Psychiatrist

At least 1 of every 20 adults has an alcohol use disorder. The average life expectancy of a person with alcohol use disorder is shortened by about 29 years.

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Ep. 005 - What is borderline personality disorder? show art Ep. 005 - What is borderline personality disorder?

Ask A Psychiatrist

This week’s podcast episode focuses on borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder is a common condition Borderline personality disorder is relatively common. It’s a condition that currently affects about 1 out of every 60 people (). Up to 1 of every 20 people may be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at some point in their lives (). “Borderline personality disorder” is a terrible name Dr. Messamore starts off by pointing out that the name of this condition – “borderline personality disorder” – is long overdue for change. It is based on...

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Ep. 004 - What is psychosis? show art Ep. 004 - What is psychosis?

Ask A Psychiatrist

Psychosis is a word that gets spoken a lot, but that gets discussed very little. About 1 of every 11 people will experience psychosis at some point in their lives. But even though it’s a common experience, we hardly ever talk about it. In this episode of Ask A Psychiatrist, Dr. Erik Messamore and Melissa Xenophontos discuss psychosis. Dr. Messamore explains what psychosis is, how it happens, and what to do about it. We learn that it’s easier to understand – and probably more accurate – to think of psychosis as a misperception syndrome. Psychosis by itself is not a standalone diagnosis....

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Ep. 003 - Does therapy help? show art Ep. 003 - Does therapy help?

Ask A Psychiatrist

There are so many forms of therapy today that it can be hard to decide which is best for you. One of these types is “psychotherapy,” which sounds a lot scarier than it is. In this episode of “Ask a Psychiatrist” we learn about what psychotherapy is, how it can benefit your thought life, and why fears about undergoing psychotherapy still persist. Dr. Erik Messamore explains the history of psychotherapy and how Freud’s findings dominated professional psychiatric thinking for decades. After about the 1960s or so, Dr. Messamore explains, psychology underwent enormous strides to get us to...

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Ask a Psychiatrist is a podcast where a real psychiatrist answers real questions about health, illness, recovery, and well-being.

The host of Ask a Psychiatrist is Dr. Erik Messamore, a board-certified psychiatric physician and PhD-level pharmacologist. He is a consultant psychiatrist, researcher, lecturer, teacher, and solution-focused scholar.

Dr. Messamore is joined on the podcast by Melissa Xenophontos, a journalist, radio producer and longtime mental health advocate.

Ask a Psychiatrist is driven by the philosophy that giving people accurate and complete information about the causes of illness and suffering – and the full range of tools for wellness and recovery – will help people ask the right questions of their therapists and doctors.

This kind of knowledge will make them better negotiators at getting the right kinds of care. They’ll get better results.

And they’ll drive the profession toward better practice.

  • Sign up for news about the podcast launch.
  • Send us a question.
  • And tell your friends about Ask A Psychiatrist.

Let’s spread useful knowledge far and wide.