Psychofarm Podcast

Lindsay Clancy Case: Biggest Misconceptions After the Mistrial Explained by a Forensic Psychiatrist

Lindsay Clancy’s insanity defense is the focus of this forensic psychiatry follow-up after the mistrial. We revisit the case through the lens of legal insanity, postpartu

Lindsay Clancy Trial: A Forensic Psychiatrist Explains Psychosis, Malingering, & the Insanity Defense

Lindsay Clancy postpartum psychosis and the insanity defense are examined through a forensic psychiatry lens in this episode. We discuss how psychiatrists distinguish psy

Affective Neuroscience: Understanding Patients Beyond DSM Diagnoses

Affective neuroscience in psychiatry may offer a better way to understand patients who do not fit neatly into DSM categories. Dr. White joins us to explain Jaak Panksepp’

The Psychology of Seinfeld: What’s Really Wrong With George, Kramer, Jerry & Elaine?

We put the Seinfeld cast on the proverbial couch, not to slap diagnoses on fictional characters, but to show why personality formulation can tell us far more than a psych

Sleep Medications Treatment Tier List: Best Insomnia Medications Ranked

In this episode, the hosts rank the behavioral and medication strategies they use for sleep problems in psychiatric practice, starting with strict wake times, CBT-I, slee

Mood Stabilizers for Bipolar Disorder: Lithium, Lamotrigine, Depakote & More

Mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder can be confusing because lithium, lamotrigine, Depakote, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine have very different strengths, risks, and

Dr. Jim Phelps’ Bipolar Treatment Tier List: Lessons from 30+ Years in Psychiatry

Bipolar disorder treatment is put to the test in this clinically grounded tier list with psychiatrist Jim Phelps. He and Dr. Malzberg rank low-dose lithium, lamotrigine,

Anxiety Medications Tier List: The Best and Worst Treatments for GAD

Anxiety medications tier list: two psychiatrists rank the treatments they actually use for generalized anxiety disorder… and the ones they avoid. The discussion covers fi

Psychodynamic Technique and Therapeutic Intervention: Mirroring, Clarification, Confrontation, Interpretation

Psychodynamic therapy interventions are the focus of this episode, organized through a practical levels framework for clinicians. Dr. Fu and Dr. Greg break down empathic

ECT Treatment: When to Refer, Who It Helps, and What Actually Happens with Dr. MaryEllen Eller

Unfortunately no Dr. Fu today, but Dr. Malzberg speaks with the wonderful psychiatrist Dr. Mary Ellen Eller, who walks through what modern electroconvulsive therapy actua

Suicide Risk Assessment: Acute vs Chronic Risk, Formulation, and Suicidal Ideation Types

Suicide risk assessment is often taught like a checklist, but this episode argues that the real work is formulation. We talk about why history is only the starting point,

Antidepressant Tier List: Psychiatrists Rank Depression Medications for MDD

Psychiatrists rank antidepressants for major depressive disorder, including SSRIs like sertraline, escitalopram, fluoxetine, and paroxetine; SNRIs like venlafaxine and du

Mindfulness in Psychiatry: How to Teach It as a Clinical Treatment Skill

Mindfulness in psychiatry is the focus of this episode, with Doctors Malzberg and Fu treating it as a practical clinical skill rather than vague wellness advice. They def

Psychiatric Technique for Diagnostic Interviewing and Therapy: 6 Mantras Every Clinician Should Know

Psychotherapeutic techniques are the subject of this episode, as the conversation lays out six memorable therapy mantras for better diagnosis, formulation, and treatment.

Psychodynamic Technique and Therapeutic Intervention: Containment

Psychodynamic technique is the throughline of this episode, which argues that the core skills of therapy belong at the center of psychiatry, not at the margins. The conve

Tips to Avoid Burnout in Psychiatry (Outpatient, mostly)

In this episode, Dr. Fu and Dr. Malzberg share practical systems for time protection: start on time, end on time, finish documentation inside the visit, and use tools lik

CPTSD vs BPD: How to Think About the Difference and What to Do About It

In this episode, Dr. Malzberg and Dr. Fu tackle one of psychiatry’s hottest diagnostic debates: complex PTSD versus borderline personality disorder. They walk through the

Detecting Subtle Signs of Psychosis: Assessment of Voices, Delusions, and Psychosis

Subtle psychosis can be missed when you rely on checklists or slip into an interrogator stance. We break down a clinician-friendly approach to detecting psychosis early:

How to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder: The Interview Framework That Beats Screening Questions

Bipolar diagnosis is tricky without labs, so this episode lays out a practical, semi-structured interview you can use in real clinics. We start with what many clinicians

What Makes a Belief a Delusion? Delusions, Thought Disorder, the TALD Scale

How do you actually evaluate a “delusion” in the room, especially when the belief could be plausible, culturally reinforced, or tied to mood or substances? In this episod