Shaili Jain, MD

Shaili Jain is a psychiatrist and can be reached at her self-titled site, Shaili Jain, MD, and on Twitter @shailijainmd. She blogs at The Aftermath of Trauma on Psychology Today.

Treating depression with ketamine: We need incremental treatment for depression

Shaili Jain, MD

Meds

March 25, 2019

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved a nasal spray version of the drug Ketamine, named Spravato (esketamine), for use as a supplement to oral antidepressants taken by adults living with treatment-resistant depression.

The announcement was accompanied by a flurry of media excitement as Spravato is the first medication for depression with a new mechanism of action since Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride) was approved in the late 1980s.

The risks …

When the doctor becomes the victim

Shaili Jain, MD

Physician

April 13, 2018

Years ago, the police brought a middle-aged man to the hospital for evaluation on a day when I was the on-call psychiatrist. Earlier that morning, the man had walked into his psychiatrist’s office without an appointment asking to see his doctor immediately. When his demand was not met, he caused a raucous in the waiting room, tossing over tables and chairs and alarming the other patients. He refused to leave, …

Read more…

When the doctor becomes the victim

What #MeToo must learn from the science of sexual harassment

Shaili Jain, MD

Physician

February 23, 2018

As a psychiatrist, I’ve spent almost two decades caring for patients who have survived sexual trauma, be it childhood sexual abuse, rape or repeated and threatening forms of sexual harassment.

I’ve witnessed how when the assailant was known to the victim, especially someone from whom they expected comradery or even just professionalism, it can be devastating. The fact that the assailant came from within a trusted circle often delivers the toughest …

Integrating psychiatric care into primary care: The VA example

Shaili Jain, MD

Physician

July 19, 2014

For the better part of the last two decades I have practiced psychiatry in a variety of different American health care systems, and over these years I have, on numerous occasions, heard psychiatric services referred to in manner that imply (often subtly) that such services are not medical care. These references come not only from patients, but nurses and doctors (including myself) too.

“Yes Mr. Jones you need to follow up …

The Ten Commandments of good psychiatry

Shaili Jain, MD

Conditions

April 5, 2014

Recently, I gave a lecture entitled, “Treating Depression in Primary Care,” at an annual conference for physician assistants. I spent a good portion of the talk on the fundamentals that have been essential to me during my 15 years of practice. When things go awry in mental health care, the majority of the time it is because one or more of these fundamental principles was neglected.

My fear is …

Read more…

The Ten Commandments of good psychiatry

Treating the nightmares associated with PTSD

Shaili Jain, MD

Conditions

December 29, 2013

A standard part of any psychiatric evaluation involves inquiring about a patient’s sleep. Hidden in the answers that follow the basic question of, “How are you sleeping?” are the clues that are needed to diagnose what is ailing the patient seeking help from me.

For those with depression, they typically report early morning awakening (i.e. they wake 3-4 hours earlier than needed) and are not able to return to sleep. Those …

How to enhance access to mental healthcare in rural America

Shaili Jain, MD

Conditions

July 5, 2013

Rural America has a higher proportion of people who are at risk for mental health disorders and state offices of rural health have identified suicide, depression, anxiety disorders and lack of access to mental healthcare, as major rural health issues. A particularly sobering statistic is that suicide is the second leading cause of death in states with primarily rural populations. There is a shortage of mental health professionals practicing in rural areas …

Why social media is an imperative for disaster psychiatry

Shaili Jain, MD

Social media

June 25, 2013

Hidden amongst all the intense media coverage surrounding Facebook’s IPO, there was a news item that was covered so briefly that if you blinked you may have missed it: Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, took a trip to Japan and during this visit told Japan’s Prime Minister that the terrible Tsunami that had struck the country in 2011 had inspired him to find ways that the social network could help people after …

Violence against women is a serious public health problem

Shaili Jain, MD

Physician

June 2, 2013

It is near impossible to escape the commanding news headlines: The horrific details that are emerging about the years of violent captivity of three women in a home in Ohio; The fifteen year old Californian teenager who was allegedly sexually assaulted by three boys and then committed suicide last September.

And, internationally, the tragic case of a 23 year old woman who was gang raped and beaten to …

Shaili Jain, MD

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts