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The Zamboni Effect
I was walking around the mall today doing ordinary old guy things: watching the Zamboni machine resurface the ice rink, which I’ve never seen before, by the way. The surface was pretty dull before the Zamboni team started. There were two kids in the seat, one young lady driving and the other young man pointing…
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More on the Focused Practice Designation in Emergency Psychiatry
This post just provides further information (in addition to what was in yesterday’s post) on the evolution of the Focused Practice Designation (FPD) for consultation-liaison psychiatrists who might be interested in certifying to work in emergency departments. I use the word “certifying” because it seems clear that the FPD pathway has been intended to follow…
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New Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Focused Practice Designation in Emergency Behavioral Certification in Emergency Rooms
I just found out about the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) announcement of a new addition to the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry subspecialty: Focused Practice Designation. It looks like it’s going to be administered by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), possibly in collaboration with the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (ABPN). I’m unsure…
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Noteworthy Black Psychiatrists on the Last Day of Black History Month
I wanted to give a shout-out to Dr. H. Steven Moffic, MD for his article highlighting the career of a notable black psychiatrist, Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, who sadly died on February 24, 2025. I’m mortified that I hadn’t heard of him before now. It reminded me of the time I mentioned another black…
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FDA Announces Clozapine REMS Program Eliminated
As of February 24, 2025, the FDA has eliminated the Clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. See the FDA link for details. Below is the announcement. “Latest Update February 24, 2025 – Beginning today, FDA does not expect prescribers, pharmacies, and patients to participate in the risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program for…
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Addiction Not the Same as Neuroadaptation
It’s common to read or hear people say they’re “addicted” to all sorts of things, like chocolate, but there’s a difference between addiction and adaptation. Adaptation can also be called “dependence” or the fancier “neuroadaptation.” This can foster a discussion about whether you can be addicted to antidepressants, which by extension, could mean it’s difficult…
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Rounding@Iowa Podcast: “Challenges in Transitioning Seriously Ill Patients from Pediatric to Adult Systems of Care”
I listened to the Rounding@Iowa podcast of February 11, 2025, “Challenges in Transitioning Seriously Ill Patients from Pediatric to Adult Systems of Care.” This was a very interesting presentation about the challenges of helping persons with life-limiting conditions (for example, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and more) transition from pediatric to adult systems of…
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Rife vs Ripe: Which is Right?
I noticed a couple of things about one of the President’s many new Executive Orders, which was “ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENT’S MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN COMMISSION,” or MAHA for short. It was posted on February 13, 2025. One thing it reminded me of is the tax filing season, which is upon us (everything reminds me of…
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FDA Has Yet to Decide on What to Do About the Clozapine REMS Program
I checked on what the FDA is doing about changing or closing down the Clozapine REMS program. It doesn’t look like they’ve taken any action yet. Recall there was a Clozapine REMS Advisory Committee meeting about this on November 19, 2024 that I posted about recently. The upshot was that the committee voted overwhelmingly (14…
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How About Artificial Intelligence for Helping Reduce Delirium in the ICU?
I got the Winter 2025 Hopkins Brain Wise newsletter today and there was a fascinating article, “Using AI to Reduce Delirium in the ICU: Pilot Study will explore AI headset can help reduce delirium and delay post-delirium cognitive decline.” The article has exciting news about what researchers are doing which will, hopefully, reduce the incidence…
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