Category: consultation-liaison psychiatry

  • The Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk

    The Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk

    I had so much fun with the giant chicken post on January 25, 2020 that I thought it would be nice to revisit the subject, only this time take a butt-freezing tour of the entire Iowa River Landing (IRL) Sculpture Walk. We took the walk Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The weather was typical for Iowa…

  • Bridges: An Essay on MLK Day of Service 2020

    Bridges: An Essay on MLK Day of Service 2020

    The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is today and the University of Iowa has taken a quote from King to set the tone each year for this event. This year it is: “Let us build bridges rather than barriers, openness rather than walls. Rather than borders, let us look at distant horizons together…

  • An Auspicious Chair

    An Auspicious Chair

    I took the picture of the little chair one of the residents brought to the psychiatry consult office yesterday. I got a big charge out of it, especially because I’ve been using a version made of wood and leather for a few years now. I think it’s possible that it could be an auspicious chair.…

  • Back in the Saddle Again

    Back in the Saddle Again

    This is just a short update on how phased retirement is going. I’m back in the saddle. Last Friday I went back on duty on the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry service. I’m at 50% time. My step counter today shows about 2 miles and 17 floors—a slow day. That’s fine with me. Colleagues pass me in the…

  • Ten Month Countdown to Retirement

    Ten Month Countdown to Retirement

    Starting this month, I’ve got a 10-month countdown to retirement. I was reminded of that when I got a brochure in the mail for the University of Wisconsin 7th Annual Update and Advances in Psychiatry. It’s scheduled for October 11-12, 2019 at the Monona Terrace, which is the usual location. I’ve received these announcements in…

  • Suicide Risk Assessment Update 2019

    Suicide Risk Assessment Update 2019

    I updated my suicide risk assessment presentation today in light of new data on suicide risk assessment stratification. It turns out that using such tools might not be supported by the research evidence. That’s not going to stop the use of such tools, which include the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale, which is in wide use.…

  • If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

    If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

    We saw this rabbit in our front yard today, stretched out on the grass under our crabapple tree. It’s 117 degrees this afternoon with the heat index and we won’t get out from under the Excessive Heat Warning until later this evening. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Rabbits don’t have air conditioning and can’t escape…

  • Whatever Happened to the Janus Head Logo for ACLP?

    Whatever Happened to the Janus Head Logo for ACLP?

    I got an email from Don R. Lipsitt, MD yesterday which reminded me of the Janus Head logo for the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP). It was changed to another sort of nondescript logo several years ago for reasons I didn’t understand. Dr. Lipsitt is a luminary in C-L Psychiatry and recently published a definitive…

  • Hoofing it Around the Hospital

    Hoofing it Around the Hospital

    Again today, I hoofed it around the hospital. I put 43 floors and a little over 4 miles on my step counter. I don’t like waiting for elevators so I take the stairs. And a Consult-Liaison Psychiatrist is like a fireman, running all over putting out fires. I did other things today. I gave the…

  • Back in the Saddle

    Back in the Saddle

    Well, I’m pretty tapped out, so it’ll be a short post today. I’m back in the saddle, running around the hospital on the psychiatry consult service. This is my last year of phased retirement and in 11 months—I’ll be fully retired. I put 36 floors and 3 miles on the step counter. I’m feeling every…