Home Podcasts Psychofarm Podcast
Psychofarm Podcast

Psychofarm Podcast

Psychiatry, Skepticism, and Integration. 51 Episodes Sep 15, 2026

PsychoFarm Podcast is a deep dive into the intersection of psychiatry, psychopharmacology, and the evolving understanding of mental health. Hosted by 2 psychiatrists, the podcast explores complex topics such as diagnosing mood and personality disorders, the role of medications in treatment, and the challenges of psychiatric training. Each episode breaks down the clinical insights and philosophical debates surrounding mental health care, providing both practitioners and curious listeners with thoughtful analysis, expert opinions, and practical advice.

Episodes

How to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder with Dr. Phelps: Hypomania, Mixed States & the Clues DSM Misses
How to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder with Dr. Phelps: Hypomania, Mixed States & the Clues DSM Misses Sep 15, 2026 3905 Diagnosing bipolar disorder is rarely as simple as finding a clear episode of hypomania. Dr. Phelps explains why bipolarity is better understood across a mood spectrum and walks through the clues that can help distinguish bipolar depression from unipolar depression: age of onset, family history, course of illness, treatment response, cyclicity, and collateral history. We also dig into mixed states
Lindsay Clancy Case: Biggest Misconceptions After the Mistrial Explained by a Forensic Psychiatrist
Lindsay Clancy Case: Biggest Misconceptions After the Mistrial Explained by a Forensic Psychiatrist Sep 9, 2026 4022 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, postpartum psychosis, malingering, criminal responsibility, and the difference between a legal conclusion and a moral judgment. We also discuss why psychosis cannot be reduced to a single reported voice, how forensic psychiatrists think ab
Lindsay Clancy Trial: A Forensic Psychiatrist Explains Psychosis, Malingering, & the Insanity Defense
Lindsay Clancy Trial: A Forensic Psychiatrist Explains Psychosis, Malingering, & the Insanity Defense Sep 1, 2026 3538 Lindsay Clancy postpartum psychosis and the insanity defense are examined through a forensic psychiatry lens in this episode. We discuss how psychiatrists distinguish psychosis from malingering, whether someone can be psychotic while still appearing organized, command hallucinations, delusions, altruistic filicide, and what criminal responsibility actually asks. We also look at Dr. Philip Resnick’
Affective Neuroscience: Understanding Patients Beyond DSM Diagnoses
Affective Neuroscience: Understanding Patients Beyond DSM Diagnoses Aug 25, 2026 3590 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’s seven primary emotional systems, the difference between affect and emotion, and how subcortical emotional arousal interacts with cortical regulation. We discuss anger, borderline personality disorder, cognitive decline, mindfuln
The Psychology of Seinfeld: What’s Really Wrong With George, Kramer, Jerry & Elaine?
The Psychology of Seinfeld: What’s Really Wrong With George, Kramer, Jerry & Elaine? Aug 19, 2026 3458 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 psychiatric label.Is George a vulnerable narcissist, borderline, or something more complicated? Does Jerry’s obsession with cleanliness and order actually resemble OCD or an obsessive-compulsive personality style? Could Kramer meet cri
Sleep Medications Treatment Tier List: Best Insomnia Medications Ranked
Sleep Medications Treatment Tier List: Best Insomnia Medications Ranked Aug 11, 2026 4188 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, sleep hygiene, exercise, and treating the underlying disorder. They compare doxepin, trazodone, mirtazapine, hydroxyzine, melatonin, gabapentin, benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, antipsychotics, and other options, with attention to sleep onse
Mood Stabilizers for Bipolar Disorder: Lithium, Lamotrigine, Depakote & More
Mood Stabilizers for Bipolar Disorder: Lithium, Lamotrigine, Depakote & More Jul 28, 2026 3717 Mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder can be confusing because lithium, lamotrigine, Depakote, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine have very different strengths, risks, and clinical roles. In this episode, two psychiatrists break down how they think about maintenance treatment, lithium dosing and monitoring, common side effects, lab levels, toxicity counseling, and medication interactions. They also
Dr. Jim Phelps’ Bipolar Treatment Tier List: Lessons from 30+ Years in Psychiatry
Dr. Jim Phelps’ Bipolar Treatment Tier List: Lessons from 30+ Years in Psychiatry Jul 23, 2026 4342 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, social rhythm therapy, dark therapy, dawn simulators, antidepressants, carbamazepine, supplements, ketogenic diet, mood tracking, and group psychoeducation. Along the way, they discuss why sleep and circadian rhythm belong in the
Anxiety Medications Tier List: The Best and Worst Treatments for GAD
Anxiety Medications Tier List: The Best and Worst Treatments for GAD Jul 14, 2026 3785 Anxiety medications tier list: two psychiatrists rank the treatments they actually use for generalized anxiety disorder… and the ones they avoid. The discussion covers first-line SSRIs, why buspirone may be underrated, when benzodiazepines can help or harm, and how to think about mirtazapine, hydroxyzine, propranolol, gabapentin, pregabalin, quetiapine, and bupropion. Just as important, the episod
Psychodynamic Technique and Therapeutic Intervention: Mirroring, Clarification, Confrontation, Interpretation
Psychodynamic Technique and Therapeutic Intervention: Mirroring, Clarification, Confrontation, Interpretation Jun 30, 2026 2402 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 mirroring as a way to keep the patient’s narrative moving, clarification as a tool for deepening detail, confrontation as a gentle way to point out patterns or discrepancies, and interpretation as the rare intervention that should
ECT Treatment: When to Refer, Who It Helps, and What Actually Happens with Dr. MaryEllen Eller
ECT Treatment: When to Refer, Who It Helps, and What Actually Happens with Dr. MaryEllen Eller Jun 17, 2026 3287 Unfortunately no Dr. Fu today, but Dr. Malzberg speaks with the wonderful psychiatrist Dr. Mary Ellen Eller, who walks through what modern electroconvulsive therapy actually looks like and when clinicians should consider it. The episode covers ECT history, stigma, seizure monitoring, memory concerns, side effects, and the real-world logistics patients face during a treatment course. It also explor
Suicide Risk Assessment: Acute vs Chronic Risk, Formulation, and Suicidal Ideation Types
Suicide Risk Assessment: Acute vs Chronic Risk, Formulation, and Suicidal Ideation Types Jun 2, 2026 3820 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, how acute and chronic risk differ, and why suicidal ideation can mean very different things depending on context. We cover stress-related suicidality, intoxication, baseline recurrent thoughts, mood and psychotic disorders, OCD i

Recommended