In the world of psychiatry, mental health screening is a crucial part of taking care of patients.  The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) tool is a self-report questionnaire that helps detect the presence and severity of depression and other psychiatric conditions. What is the history of this valuable tool for mental health? How is it used in psychiatric care? How do we use it at Atlanta Psychiatry Specialists? A Brief History Dr. Robert L. Spitzer, Dr. Janet W.B. Williams, and Dr. Kurt Kroenke developed the PHQ-9 form in 1999. This team aimed to establish a reliable and vali ..read more

The idea of seeking psychiatric help can be a daunting one. Revealing our innermost thoughts and feelings to strangers can be frightening and overwhelming. Here are some questions that may be floating around in your consciousness. Should I see a psychiatrist? Do I have a mental health problem? Are there foreseeable risks to my future happiness and health? How do I decide? What about the financial cost, time schedules, stigma, reputation, what other people think, “I can do it myself,” procrastination, and all the other issues involved in making decisions? The underlying and more fundamenta ..read more

We’ve all noticed the terminology creep from illness to health. It seems sort of antiquated now to refer to mental illness programs or mental illness practitioners. We prefer mental health. But we don’t usually talk about heart health or kidney health. The American Psychiatric Association uses mental “disorders”- the DSM-5 is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Why is this terminology changed? One reason is that the conditions we label as depression and anxiety are changing as we learn more about causes, genetics, and environmental factors. Therefore ..read more

Millions of Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s each year. But lifestyle changes may reduce your risk of being an Alzheimer’s statistic. Go HERE to learn about ways you can prevent Alzheimer’s dementia.   Contact Us if you have any questions.   The post Reducing The Risk of Alzheimer’s first appeared on Atlanta Psychiatric Specialists ..read more

The chief complaint is burnout. But what is burnout? Is it a mental condition or a reaction to workplace issues? Are we burned out on burnout? What can be done about it? Go HERE to learn more. The post Are We Burned Out on Burnout? first appeared on Atlanta Psychiatric Specialists ..read more

“The consumption of caffeine represents one of the longest and largest unsupervised drug studies ever conducted on the human race, perhaps rivaled only by alcohol, and it continues to this day.” – Matthew Walker Caffeine is everywhere.  It’s in our morning cup of coffee, an afternoon soda, nightly tea, and even hidden in some foods like chocolate.  This powerful stimulant can energize.  You know it impacts how well we rest at night and whether sleep is refreshing. It is the most widely used stimulant in the world. But what do we really know about the caffeine consumed by the ..read more

Hypnosis remains a fascinating topic, related to mental magic or special powers or altered states of consciousness. There are still many ways of understanding what goes on in traditional clinical hypnosis, but people who have allowed themselves to experience hypnosis know that it seems different from ordinary daily living. Part of what happens is related to the very human ability to cooperate and communicate and to be absorbed intensely in a single topic. Also to have beliefs and expectations. Recently I have been talking with smokers, vapers, hookah users, and others who are concerned ..read more

Press Release Ross F. Grumet, MD Receives 2020 Best of Atlanta Award Atlanta Award Program Honors the Achievement ATLANTA April 16, 2020 — Ross F. Grumet, MD has been selected for the 2020 Best of Atlanta Award in the Psychiatrist category by the Atlanta Award Program. Each year, the Atlanta Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies ..read more

Here are the 2021 Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Holiday hours for Atlanta Psychiatry Specialists. Thanksgiving Monday (11/22), Tuesday (11/23): Regular Office Hours Wednesday (11/24): 10 AM – 3 PM Thursday (11/25), Friday (11/26):  CLOSED – Enjoy your Holiday! Christmas and New Year Monday (12/20) – Thursday (12/23): Regular Office Hours Friday (12/24):  Hours: 10 AM – 1 PM Saturday (12/25/2021) – Sunday (1/2/2022): CLOSED – Enjoy your Holidays! Monday (1/3/2022): Regular Office Hours The post Holiday Hours 2021 first appeared on Psychiatry Atlanta ..read more

Is It Your Fault? (A mini-blog series.) There have been a number of meaningful responses to my recent post on Covid-19 “long haulers” and the gaslighting issue. It’s clear that we regard “mental” things as different from “physical ” things, despite thousands of philosophical pronouncements. We distinguish between mental and physical and have a bias (stigma) against the mental as being less real and less authentic. Conditions like cancer or a broken leg or pneumonia become real in a different way from anxiety or fatigue or suicidality. Perhaps they are all real, but we have different l ..read more