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Mental Health Affirmations for May 6, 2026
Today is May 6, 2026 and the Mental Health Awareness affirmation for today (from the Mental Health Awareness calendar) is about Affirmations: “Affirmations can improve people’s overall well-being, help them feel better about themselves, and reduce anxiety. Pick a supportive phrase and repeat it today.” I picked one from the list of suggested affirmations: “I…
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Shout Out to Dr. George Dawson for Medical Reasoning Post!
I just wanted to make a shout-out to Dr. George Dawson for his post from yesterday, “Medical Reasoning vs. A Diagnostic Manual.” It reminded me of the diagnostic challenge of catatonia, which I saw several times during my career as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist. There’s an excellent recent review of the evaluation and management of catatonia.…
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May is Mental Health Month!
May is Mental Health Month and I’ve been going through my blog to find posts on psychotherapy. One of the reasons I did this is because I read the commentary by Dr. Allen Frances on psychotherapy and Artificial Intelligence (AI chatbots) the other day, “Psychotherapies Can No Longer Afford to Compete With Each Other.” Dr.…
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NAMI Walk in Johnson County May 2nd 2026!
Hey, there’s a scheduled NAMI walk upcoming on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area!
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Iowa Bill HF2676 Which Would Allow OTC Ivermectin in Iowa On its Way to Governor Reynolds Desk
Late yesterday, there was a story published in the Iowa Capital Dispatch announcing that the MAHA bill HF2676 is on its way to Governor Reynolds for her signature. A part of that bill “…also would allow ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that some have claimed can be used in preventing or treating…
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Cannabis Rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III Today
As of today, the US Dept. of Justice moved “…the classifications of products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana licence” from Schedule I to Schedule III. This is not exactly the same as reclassifying all marijuana, although it looks like that is being…
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Is Cannabis Reclassification Imminent?
I saw a couple of brief news alerts indicating that progress toward reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to III could be happening as soon as today according to a Reuters report. I think that means we should pay attention to other stories and reports of cannabis use being associated with higher rates of psychosis…
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The Question of Ethical Principles Regarding the Ivermectin Portion of Governor Reynolds MAHA Bill HF 2676
I think the Iowa legislature bill HF 2676 (Governor Reynolds’ MAHA bill) has just been sent back to the Senate, maybe based on fiscal issues, according to the most recent information I could find on the web. The ivermectin piece probably isn’t in a section that bears heavily on fiscal matters, so if the Senate…
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What’s Up with the Ivermectin Bill in Iowa?
I’m trying to find out what’s happening with Governor Reynolds’ MAHA bill (HF 2676) which includes allowing Iowa pharmacists to provide ivermectin without a prescription to those who prefer taking it, most likely for something else other than what’s indicated for, which is treating parasitic infections. The risk is that persons will try to use…
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AI Chatbots and Psychiatry: Embrace or Dislodge?
I’ve just finished reading a couple of online articles about Chatbot use by patients who then present either to psychiatrists or psychotherapists (not that they can’t be one and the same!) and I’m a little puzzled. The title of my blog post came partly from what my wife, Sena, always says about Artificial Intelligence—which is…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 