Farewell by Liz Ren

Hershe GesmundoGPS Update

My suspicions about this wonderful clinic rang true in my experience: this is a team that is devoted to an individual’s recovery, in ways that are meticulous, creative and collaborative. The providers here at Gateway are spirited about their work and their field, which yields high quality treatment that is both compassionate and thoughtful. I’m so grateful to have been …

Collaboration with Your Clinician

Peter ForsterAbout GPS, Best Practices, Self Care, Treatments of Depression

There are a number of things about the clinical practice at Gateway that are a little bit different.  If you have seen another psychiatrist or psychotherapist it might be helpful to read this blog post to orient yourself to those differences and also to see if this is the right place for you to be receiving treatment. We strive to …

MIND Diet Prevents Cognitive Decline

Peter ForsterPhysical Conditions and Health, Self Care

Researchers at Rush University have developed a diet (the MIND diet) that appears to be associated with significantly reduced cognitive decline in aging. The diet was developed from three sources of information: the Mediterranean diet (as elsewhere on this blog), the DASH diet for the prevention of hypertension, and a review of the literature on the effects of specific dietary …

Collaboration with Health Professionals

Peter ForsterAbout GPS

After a number of traded phone messages and emails, a psychologist we have been trying to talk to about a mutual patient, sent an email: “Unfortunately, our schedules are a complete mis-match.” Earlier this week we finally managed to talk to a naturopathic physician about another mutual patient, after three weeks of traded phone messages with her secretary. Good communication with …

Medical Records

Peter ForsterAbout GPS, Best Practices

As many of you may know, either as a patient in our clinic or by reviewing the information on our website, we pride ourselves in our comprehensive and thorough assessment process. We use the information gathered during this phase to understand the problems that are bringing someone to see us and to develop an individualized treatment plan based on her/his …

Treatment History Records Retrieval

Kelsey SchraufnagelAbout GPS, Best Practices, Costs of Treatment, General, GPS Update

As many of you may know, either as a patient in our clinic or by reviewing the information on our website, we pride ourselves in our comprehensive and thorough assessment process. We use the information gathered during this phase to understand the problems that are bringing someone to see us and to develop an individualized treatment plan based on her/his …

SSRI Antidepressants and Pregnancy – 2015

Peter ForsterMajor Depression, Physical Conditions and Health, Treatments of Depression

A recent study concludes that there may be some good news about the impact of SSRI antidepressants on the fetus in women who are pregnant. The authors used national registry data to examine the relationship between pre-birth SSRI treatment and pregnancy complications while controlling for the effects of the psychiatric diagnoses related to SSRI use. Some previous studies had just compared people who took …

TMS for Tinnitus

Peter ForsterGPS

About 10 to 15% of adults experience tinnitus, which is the perception of ringing or other phantom sounds in the brain. Of those who experience chronic tinnitus, 20% report that the symptom causes clinically significant distress. Because there is evidence that alterations in the function of the brain, specifically the auditory cortex, may be responsible, in part, for this experience, …

Brexpiprazole Updated

Peter ForsterMajor Depression, Treatments of Depression

The FDA recently announced approval of the medication (brexpiprazole or Rexulti) both for the treatment of schizophrenia and as an adjunct to antidepressants in the treatment of major depression. The simultaneous approval of the medication for both indications is quite unusual. Brexpiprazole has a complicated pharmacology. Similar to aripiprazole (Otsuka’s atypical antipsychotic which recently came off patent and which this …