For 12 years, I worked in the emergency department and watched people arrive during some of the most frightening, disorienting moments of their lives. Their symptoms were treated. Their medications were adjusted. Their crises were stabilized. But too often, the person underneath the crisis disappeared. I saw patients reduced to a diagnosis, a behavior, a chart, or a problem to manage. I saw families leave with instructions but little understanding. I saw people cycling throug

🎃 Spooky Season Thoughts: The Costumes We Wear Every Day 👻 Halloween is the one night of the year where everyone puts on a mask to pretend to be someone else... but for many neurodivergent folks (ADHD, Autistic, AuDHD), "masking" is something that happens 365 days a year. 🧠✨ Whether it's hiding stims, force-multiplying eye contact, rehearsing conversations, or trying to fit into a neurotypical mold—unmasking can feel like the scariest thing of all! This Halloween, here’s y

Depression treatment has often meant waiting weeks to learn whether a medication is helping. Auvelity has drawn attention because it works through a different brain pathway than many standard antidepressants and, in studies, some people improved earlier than expected. Auvelity is a prescription medication approved by the FDA for major depressive disorder in adults. It is not a cure, and it is not right for everyone. But for many clinicians and patients, it represents a meanin

For decades, psilocybin sat outside mainstream medicine, filed away as a counterculture drug with too much legal risk and too little clinical legitimacy. Now it is back in university labs, therapy rooms, public policy debates, and psychiatric research journals. That return does not mean psilocybin is a miracle cure. It does mean mental health care may be entering a more flexible era, one that studies altered states, emotional breakthroughs, brain plasticity, and the role of c

Some kids feel like their brain has a race car engine, a butterfly net, and a fireworks show all running at once. That can be exciting. It can also feel confusing. ADHD can make it harder to sit still, wait, remember steps, or focus on boring tasks. It can also come with amazing strengths, like big ideas, quick reactions, strong feelings, curiosity, humor, energy, and creativity. This post is informational only and is not a substitute for medical advice. A pediatrician, psych

The field of psychiatry is undergoing a significant transformation. As mental health awareness grows, so does the understanding that effective treatment goes beyond traditional methods. Holistic approaches in next-generation psychiatry are gaining traction, emphasizing the importance of treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms. This blog post explores these innovative methods, their benefits, and how they can reshape mental health care. Understanding Holistic P