Is There a Med for That?: Recent Episodes
Duncan Gill, MD and Victoria Lee, MLADC, LCMHC
The podcast about teen mental health and behavioral problems, and what to do about them. Our hosts are Duncan Gill, MD, child psychiatrist, and Victoria Lee, MLADC, LCMHC. They draw upon their many years working together with youth struggling with all sorts of problems, from daughters arguing with their parents to sons with bipolar disorder. Warm, informative, and funny, this podcast is for anyone lucky enough to have children.
Today the doc answers questions from real-live teenagers in the program as delivered by our very own fact-checker and group counselor, Angela. Who knows what they'll ask next -- the suspense is real.
We are pleased to introduce Valerie Boles to the show. Val is an occupational therapist dynamo who will bring a whole new perspective to the podcast. In this episode Duncan asks Valerie to explain exactly what occupational therapists are, where they come from, and how they work to help kids with all kinds of neuropsychiatric difficulties.
Dunc and Vicki talk about antidepressants, kids, and the "black box warning" on many psychiatric medications now warning about increased risk of suicide for kids and young adults taking them. They talk pros and cons of the warning and how these meds can still benefits lots of kids.
Victoria introduces the concept of the "Intentional Family". She talks with Duncan about proactively seeking to make spending time together a family habit, and ways to go about doing so that don't have to feel like forced marches. The two talk about the returns on this "investment" and why they might be higher than you'd expect. Part 1 of a 2-part series.
Telehealth was probably already coming, but the pandemic sure moved it along. More and more therapists and docs are doing treatment from the comfort of their own homes, as are their patients. Dunc and Victoria talk pros and cons of treatment and for whom it works.
Dunc and Vicki reflect on year one of Is There a Med For That: what's worked well, what's worked not so well, and how a psychiatrist and therapist with little to no social media / podcast experience can forge on and make good things happen for the show in 2023.
Vicki talks about one of her pet peeves, the old admonition that "parents and kids shouldn't be friends." She explores with Duncan how the phrase, while containing an important element of truth, can easily become an excuse for parental misbehavior.
Why, oh why, aren't there clearer answers in psychiatry? Which medications work? Which diagnosis is right? What's the right treatment for my kid? A huge reason for the lack of clarity is in the limitations of trying to conduct and interpret psychiatric research. And there's a bigger problem: Dunc and Vicki talk about why it's so dangerous for doctors and therapists to pretend those limitations aren't there.
In the words of a famous boxer: "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." Acting reasonably during times of calm is easy, but it's a whole other thing to be able to function under stress. Dunc and Vic talk about why it's important to take the opportunity to learn during those times, when the bullets are actually whistling over your head.
Vicki and Duncan thought it would be good to talk about the psychological concept of "locus of control," and how this pretentious-sounding term can be useful in understanding why some people grow up blaming everyone else.
Two questions today. The first question is from a kid (a first for the show!) about how she should deal with her own mother's guilt about her daughter's mental health struggles. The second question is from a parent who lives with his own parents who have quite different ideas about child rearing.
Great question from a caller that raises the issues of the temptation to resort to threats (some of them outlandish) to make your child do things, or stop doing things. Vicki and Dunc talk about why this response is so seductive, why it doesn't work, and what to do if you've caught yourself in the empty threat trap.
Super-simple question that proves simple isn't easy when it comes to parenting. Dunc and Vicki take turns roleplaying the parent confronted with a daughter returning from a high school dance after drinking.
Money, gifts, support, essentials and non-essentials: how much should we be giving our children, and how much should we expect them to do for themselves? Vicki and Dunc's thoughts as to how to navigate the waters between providing too much ("Sure, we'll buy you that BMW!") and too little ("You'd better start a little farm and grow your own food.").
The controversial world of personality disorders as it pertains to teenagers. Everyone is born with narcissistic personality disorder, and marches through many others on the way to adulthood. Vicki and Duncan talk what happens when kids get stuck along the way.
Dunc and Vicki talk natural consequences vs. punishment and why the first is a much more effective teacher, despite requiring a good degree of faith on the parent's part.
Two guest callers today with questions! The first question is about how to deal with the worry of your child's developing mental illness if you struggle with one yourself. The second is about what other mental health services we would offer to parents if we could (say if we won the lottery).
Duncan and Vicki's experience with and take on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Is it a "disorder"? Where does it come from? What's it look like? Should we really be giving these meds to kids, and, if so, why?
Being a parent is exhausting work, and it's hard not to become demoralized from time to time. Vicki and Dunc talk about ways of approaching this problem and ideas as to how to keep parental negativity from ruining your day.
Vicki and Dunc talk about conflict between parents and kids, and between parents themselves. They discuss how conflict is not only not a bad thing, it's a good thing, even if it is in disguise.
"Individuation" is psych-speak for the process of a child's growing up -- moving from dependence on a parent to independence. It is the root cause of a huge number of issues in parenting. These include teenage anxiety (your child lives in your basement until the age of 30), and teenage defiance (your child runs away at the age of 15). Learn more here!
Duncan talks the basics of psychiatric medication for kids. Victoria, our resident parent, asks good questions of the doc. Here's what you should know before you walk into a psychiatrist's office.
Vic and Dunc are both parents, and do their best to take their own advice. To no one's surprise, this is much easier said than done. In this episode, they share some of their own personal challenges in raising kids.
In Part 1, Dunc and Vicki talk about bipolar disorder in adults, because it is essential to understanding what "bipolar" means in kids. Here's Part 2 of the series which is meant to be an introduction to the diagnosis. More episodes on the topic to follow!
Want a to come to terms with one of the most controversial diagnoses in child psychiatry? Here you go. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on child bipolar disorder. In order to understand what bipolar disorder is in kids, you have to understand what bipolar disorder is in adults. Just trust us, this makes Part 2 make sense.
Teenagers are wired to fight. Well, more accurately they are wired to "individuate," to separate themselves from their parents so they can become their own individuals. Nobody likes to be told what to do, and the individuation process makes it doubly true for kids. This episode is an intro as to how to approach this problem and diffuse civil war at home while still doing your job as a parent.
Duncan and Victoria talk about kids who intentionally cut themselves, a behavior that seems to be happening more and more these days. They review the many different reasons kids cut themselves and explain why there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem.
Vicki and Duncan talk more about the Guidelines, natural consequences, and how to approach it when your child tells you where (and why) you can shove your family's social code.
Vicki and Duncan talk about apology: what it is, what it is not, and how and why apologizing is an essential skill in a healthy family.
Vicki and Duncan introduce the Behavioral Guidelines, cornerstone of their work with kids at Direction and their families. They discuss how every group / society / family has a "social code," whether or not it is made explicit. Choosing the right social code for your family is critical in turning a parent-versus-child relationship at home into a cooperative one.
A review of so-called "Levels of Care," or different tiers of services available to struggling kids and their parents. Dunc and Vicki cover the categories of outpatient treatment, peer-support services, group therapy, intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs, inpatient units, and residential programs.
The importance of role-modeling the adult you want your child to become. Dunc and Vicki talk about three fundamental ways kids learn, and how learning through instruction is the least effective.
Medication and non-medications strategies for dealing with kids who suffer from anxiety. Dunc and Vicki talk about "anxiety" versus "fear," anxiety as a symptom versus a "disorder," how meds can help, and how doing what makes you anxious is usually the best cure.
The importance of taking space when at your wit's end with your child. Dunc and Vicki talk about how it can help keep you sane, avoid engaging in battle with an adversary with more energy than you, and also model for your child mature ways to deal with stressful situations.
Duncan Gill, MD, and Victoria Lee, MLADC, LCMHC, explain who they are, why they made this podcast, and why you might want to listen.