Rethinking Psychiatry With Dr. Steve Levine: Episode 4

Despite recent advancements in medicine, there are still barriers and hurdles that prevent better care in all fields of medicine, including psychiatry.

The effectiveness of treatments, whether or not a payer will in fact pay for the treatments, and the balance of patient needs and knowledge are all things that really hamper proper care for many with diseases like major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

These questions might only get more complicated in the next few years as more and more non-traditional treatments like esketamine become more commonly used to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders.

In this episode of Rethinking Psychiatry with Dr. Steve Levine, Dr. Levine is joined by Lisa Harding, MD, a clinical instructor with the Yale University School of Medicine, for a lively conversation with what is currently lacking in psychiatric care, particularly what do patients need and how do doctors properly gauge patient progress.

The discussion largely centered on how scaling patient needs ultimately can be improved in the future and why it is important for doctors to set realistic expectations for what a certain treatment will do and how fast.

While all doctors can be frustrated from time-to-time with the system, the 2 were hopeful that new treatments and better communication will ultimately have a positive impact on patients.