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Welcome to Brain Bites with Dr. B!

Brain Bites is all about broadening your reach with easy-to-digest psych knowledge! Join me for quick, interesting medication and brain science tidbits! Elevate your therapy practice with insight and data from your friendly online psychiatrist!

Psychiatrist Jessica Beachkofsky on hot flashes and night sweats and other perimenopause symptoms in mental health
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when therapy’s not working…

She’s showing up. She’s doing the work. You’ve built trust, you’ve tackled the hard stuff, and yet… she’s still not getting better. She’s exhausted. Foggy. Short-fused. You’re wondering if it’s resistance. Or maybe trauma. But what if it’s her thermostat? but are you waking up at 2am sweaty and anxious? Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), lovingly referred to as hot flashes and night sweats, can sneak in and quietly wreck therapy progress. They interrupt sleep. Disrupt mood. Heighten anxiety. Muddle...

Dr. Jessica Beachkofsky discussing labs in mental health and helping avoid confusion

Last Sunday I celebrated with… a fasting blood draw. Super fun. Sunday morning. No caffeine. No food. Just me, a nurse who accidentally signed up for Easter duty, and a vein that apparently hadn’t had its morning coffee either. Thankfully, she was a very efficient professional, I survived the stabbing,and my labs came back great (shoutout to my LDL going down and HDL going up 🎉). All of this was for a life insurance policy, (I know, I’m acting like such a grown up!) but it reminded me how we...

Jessica Beachkofsky psychiatrist talks about the brain fog side effect from psych medications

Distressed patient: “I don’t know, I can’t really explain it. I just don’t feel like my brain is working as well.” Grumpy, new-doctor me: Internal, too-tired-sure-I-get-it eye roll and a "Hmmm... that sounds really difficult for you." In residency, I had patients describe their brains like they were thinking through molasses. Or like they knew what they wanted to say, but couldn’t quite reach the words. I nodded. I empathized. And after weeks on call with little sleep and too much coffee, I...

Jessica Beachkofsky answering medication questions about Cobenfy

I’ll never forget her. She was so paranoid she didn't even give me her name, just the letter T. T was in her 30s, living alone in a top-floor apartment. She was convinced there were machines living in the attic. Machines that came down at night to inject her with unknown drugs and mess with her stuff; changing her tv channels and filling out her crosswords with the wrong answers. She was terrified. And depressed. And stuck. And very, very psychotic. She wasn’t always like this. Before the...

Dr. Jessica Beachkofsky looking thoughtful while teaching about PDTs for mental health treatment

I'm panicked. Where's the sunscreen? Are there enough pairs of underwear? What about Benadryl? Do I need to bring bandaids? This must mean I'm stressed about packing for spring break! Which I am, because we have to leave in less than 1 hour but I'm typing this email instead of checking to see that I remembered all of the things I already know I remembered. 🙄 Ahhh.... Traveling with kids..... love the shirt! I can't bring you with me on this spring break adventure but what's the opposite? If...

Jessica Beachkofsky wondering about bioidentical hormones and if they're really safer than HRT

I was an art ed major in college before I switched to premed. Yes, a room full of kids with paint sounded like fun to me at that point of my life (before I experienced the terror of my own children with art supplies). The summer before I changed majors, I went to study in Paris! I imagined strolling down a cobblestone street, stopping at a charming little boulangerie, and walking out with the most perfect baguette ever created by human hands. Golden. Fluffy. Maybe handed to me by a...

jessica beachkofsky MD talks about how heart energy affects mental health

Construction paper hearts... Gooey Elmer’s glue... Glitter! (Remember glitter? And how it got EVERYWHERE? Apparently the environment will be dealing with it a lot longer than I will) Candy!! This is what I remember from my Valentines Days past. In my house we didn’t buy a pack of valentines from Publix. I had to MAKE mine with scissors and markers and sequins (if I was lucky). And they usually involved some of my attempts at cute rhymes. But did you realize we’re sending valentines even...

Jessica Beachkofsky Dr. B discusses emotional blunting as a medication side effect from antidepressants

INT. REGINA'S ROOM - FRIDAY NIGHT REGINA angrily walks on a elliptical. MRS. GEORGE enters. MRS. GEORGE: You still on the elliptical, baby? REGINA: (duh) No, I'm over there. MRS. GEORGE: Honey, I know you're not happy with your body right now but remember, real beauty comes from the face. REGINA: Don't ever talk about my body! Gahhhd! MRS. GEORGE: Okay -okay! (tries a new tactic) Let me make you a low-cal snack! I have some shrimp I can spray with that butter-flavored Pam- REGINA: Mommy, I...

Jessica Beachkofsky Dr. B talks pointing to esketamine and her talk about it's treatment for depression

Brrrrrr is the sound that comes out of my mouth when I look at the low for tonight. (and I do that weird arm motion thing too, where they're crossed and my fingers are magically making me feel warm with a reverse version of jazz hands) Still chilly here! In certain parts of the US right now, even my usually warm, sweaty Florida, we’re feeling a whole lot of winter. We’ve been seeing weather warnings for days about freezing temps which is not really a typical thing around here. But it is now....

Dr. B, Jessica Beachkofsky, discussing important side effects, like akathisia, from mental health or psychiatric medications

My heart is with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires in California. It’s impossible to overlook the pain and uncertainty many are experiencing right now. If you or someone you care about has been impacted, please know my thoughts are with you. In times like these, supporting each other matters more than ever. While I can’t change the larger circumstances, I can continue sending useful insights that make navigating mental health just a little easier for you and your clients. And if...