Frequently Asked Questions

 

What services do you offer?

Psychopharmacology, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, medication management.

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What are your qualifications?

Our practitioners are Board Certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry

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Why should I chose Regional Psychiatry?

Regional Psychiatry Practitioners have extensive training, long-term experience, and an empathetic approach to treating patients. Our practitioners have a working partnership with patients through the application of both medication and `talk therapy" here in New York State.  We have helped thousands of patients gain freedom from clinical depression, bipolar illness and their chronic treatment resistant forms, enabling them to live normal lives to the fullest.

 

Where are you located?

We have two office locations currently:  

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170 Halpin Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10312 

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One Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10020

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What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa ,Mastercard, Amex, Debit Cards, and Checks

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What are some of the conditions you treat?

Regional Psychiatry diagnoses and treats many mental and emotional illnesses and is skilled in dealing with the chemical imbalances that can occur in the brain that have significant impact on emotional well-being and functioning. Among the many conditions we treat are:

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• Clinical and treatment resistant depression

• Bipolar disorder I and II

• Major Depression

• Mood disorders

• Thoughts of suicide

• Mood swings

• ADD/ ADHD

• Anxiety Disorders

• Postpartum Depression

• Obsessive Compulsive Behavior

• Social anxiety

• Panic attacks

• PTSD

• Episodes of Mania

• Paranoia

• Gay/Lesbian Issues

• Genesight Testing

• ADHD Psychological Testing

 

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by mild, moderate to severe disturbances in mood. People suffering from bipolar disorder go through episodes of mania (severe highs), hypomania (mild highs) and depression (mild to debilitating lows) that they cannot control. There are four types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia and Bipolar disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified).

Bipolar I requires one or more manic or mixed episodes.

Bipolar II, which is the most common form of the disease, is characterized by alternating episodes of hypomania (at least one instance) and depression. The manic phase must be present in order to distinguish bipolar disorder from standard depression.

Cyclothymic disorder involves numerous hypomanic episodes with a spattering of depression.

Bipolar disorder NOS means that the person is clearly suffering from a type of bipolar disorder but does not meet the full criteria for any of the above.

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What is mania?

Mania is characterized by an extremely elevated mood and seemingly endless energy, a decreased need for sleep, excessive irritability and anxiety, strange or unusual thought patterns, rapid speech, ideas of grandiosity and periodic episodes of paranoia, rage and euphoria.

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What is depression?

Depression is a feeling of sadness and melancholy that disrupts one’s daily functioning. A person with depression loses interests in activities that were previously enjoyable, is unable to concentrate, feels fatigued, helpless, hopeless, worthless and even suicidal, gains or loses weight, has insomnia or oversleeps.

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What is anxiety?

Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response to a real threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat. It is often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing. It is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue, inability to catch one's breath, tightness in the abdominal region, nausea, and problems in concentration. Anxiety is closely related to fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat; anxiety involves the expectation of future threat including dread. People facing anxiety may withdraw from situations which have provoked anxiety in the past.

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What are Panic Attacks?

Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing control. Typically, symptoms reach a peak within ten minutes of onset, and last for roughly 30 minutes, but the duration can vary from seconds to hours. Although they can be extremely frightening and distressing, panic attacks themselves are not physically dangerous.

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What are mood disorders?

A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental and behavioral disorder where a disturbance in the person's mood is the main underlying feature. The classification is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Mood disorders fall into seven groups, including; abnormally elevated mood, such as mania or hypomania; depressed mood, of which the best-known and most researched is major depressive disorder (MDD) (alternatively known as clinical depression, unipolar depression, or major depression); and moods which cycle between mania and depression, known as bipolar disorder (BD) (formerly known as manic depression). There are several sub-types of depressive disorders or psychiatric syndromes featuring less severe symptoms such as dysthymic disorder (similar to MDD, but longer lasting and more persistent, though often milder) and cyclothymic disorder (similar to but milder than BD).

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What are mood swings?

A mood swing is an extreme or sudden change of mood. Such changes can play a positive part in promoting problem solving and in producing flexible forward planning, or be disruptive. When mood swings are severe, they may be categorized as part of a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, where erratic and disruptive mood swings are a defining feature. To determine mental health problem, people usually use charting with papers, interviews, or smartphone to track their mood/affect/emotion. Furthermore, mood swings not just fluctuate between mania and depression, but in some conditions, involve anxiety.

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What is ADD/ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by executive dysfunction occasioning symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inappropriate.  ADHD symptoms arise from executive dysfunction, and emotional dysregulation is often considered a core symptom. In children, problems paying attention may result in poor school performance. ADHD is associated with other neurodevelopmental and mental disorders as well as some non-psychiatric disorders, which can cause additional impairment, especially in modern society. Although people with ADHD struggle to sustain attention on tasks that entail delayed rewards or consequences, they are often able to maintain an unusually prolonged and intense level of attention for tasks they do find interesting or rewarding; this is known as hyperfocus.

 

What is ADHD Psychological Testing?

ADHD Psychological Testing provides healthcare professionals with objective measurements of attention and inhibitory control. We offer a visual ADHD computerized test that aids in the assessment of, and evaluation of treatment for, attention deficits, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

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The Test of Variables of Attention is an accurate and objective continuous performance test (CPT) that measures the key components of attention and inhibitory control. The ADHD test is used by qualified healthcare professionals in the assessment of attention deficits, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children and adults. In addition, the visual T.O.V.A. is used to evaluate treatment for attention deficits, including ADHD. The ADHD test. is a culture- and language-free, sufficiently long computerized test that requires no left/right discrimination or sequencing. Responses to visual or auditory stimuli are recorded with a specially designed, highly accurate (±1 ms) microswitch. The ADHD test calculates response time variability (consistency), response time (speed), commissions (impulsivity), and omissions (focus and vigilance). These calculations are then compared to a large age- and gender-matched normative sample (over 1,700 individuals for the visual test, and over 2,600 individuals for the auditory test), as well as to a sample population of individuals independently diagnosed with ADHD. These comparison results are used to create an immediately available, easy-to-read report.

 

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder experienced after childbirth, which can affect both sexes.  Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and changes in sleeping or eating patterns.  PPD can also negatively affect the newborn child.  While the exact cause of PPD is unclear, the cause is believed to be a combination of physical, emotional, genetic, and social factors. These may include factors such as hormonal changes and sleep deprivation. Risk factors include prior episodes of postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, a family history of depression, psychological stress, complications of childbirth, lack of support, or a drug use disorder.  Diagnosis is based on a person's symptoms.  While most women experience a brief period of worry or unhappiness after delivery, postpartum depression should be suspected when symptoms are severe and last over two weeks.

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What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts (an obsession) and feels the need to perform certain routines (compulsions) repeatedly to relieve the distress caused by the obsession, to the extent where it impairs general function.

Obsessions are persistent unwanted thoughts, mental images, or urges that generate feelings of anxiety, disgust, or discomfort. Some common obsessions include fear of contamination, obsession with symmetry, the fear of acting blasphemously, the sufferer's sexual orientation, and the fear of possibly harming others or themselves.  Compulsions are repeated actions or routines that occur in response to obsessions to achieve a relief from anxiety. Common compulsions include excessive hand washing, cleaning, counting, ordering, avoiding triggers, hoarding, neutralizing, seeking assurance, praying, and checking things.  People with OCD may only perform mental compulsions, this is called primarily obsessional obsessive–compulsive disorder (Pure O). Many adults with OCD are aware that their compulsions do not make sense, but they perform them anyway to relieve the distress caused by obsessions.  Compulsions occur often, typically taking up at least one hour per day and impairing one's quality of life.  Compulsions cause relief in the moment, but cause obsessions to grow over time. More than three million Americans suffer from OCD.  According to Mercy, approximately 1 in 40 U.S. adults and 1 in 100 U.S. children have OCD.

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What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a person's life or well-being.  Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in the way a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight response.  These symptoms last for more than a month after the event.  Young children are less likely to show distress, but instead may express their memories through play.  A person with PTSD is at a higher risk of suicide and intentional self-harm.  Most people who experience traumatic events do not develop PTSD.  People who experience interpersonal violence such as rape, other sexual assaults, being kidnapped, stalking, physical abuse by an intimate partner, and incest or other forms of childhood sexual abuse are more likely to develop PTSD than those who experience non-assault based trauma, such as accidents and natural disasters. Those who experience prolonged trauma, such as slavery, concentration camps, or chronic domestic abuse, may develop complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). C-PTSD is similar to PTSD, but has a distinct effect on a person's emotional regulation and core identity.

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What is Paranoia?

Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality.   Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (i.e. "Everyone is out to get me"). Paranoia is distinct from phobias, which also involve irrational fear, but usually no blame.

Making false accusations and the general distrust of other people also frequently accompany paranoia.  For example, a paranoid person might believe an incident was intentional when most people would view it as an accident or coincidence. Paranoia is a central symptom of psychosis.

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What is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings (i.e., interacting with others). Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Individuals with higher levels of social anxiety often avert their gazes, show fewer facial expressions, and show difficulty with initiating and maintaining a conversation. Social anxiety commonly manifests itself in the teenage years and can be persistent throughout life; however, people who experience problems in their daily functioning for an extended period of time can develop social anxiety disorder. Trait social anxiety, the stable tendency to experience this anxiety, can be distinguished from state anxiety, the momentary response to a particular social stimulus. Half of the individuals with any social fears meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder. Age, culture, and gender impact the severity of this disorder. The function of social anxiety is to increase arousal and attention to social interactions, inhibit unwanted social behavior, and motivate preparation for future social situations.

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​How do we proceed?

1.Our initial evaluation includes:

• A full description and history of the current problem

• The patient’s personal life history

• Detailed Family history as well as history of psychiatric disorders in family members

• Current medical status

• The patient’s medical history

2. Lab tests:

• In addition to the initial psychiatric evaluation, a physical examination with EKG and blood tests are sometimes required. This may be performed by a personal family physician.

3. Follow-up visits:

• A review of material from the initial psychiatric evaluation as well as tests and medical reports to discover any medical problems that might mimic or exacerbate the psychiatric condition and its psychological components.

• An adjustment of medication is necessary in order to achieve the desired therapeutic results and minimize any possible side effects.

 

What will the course of treatment be?

Depending on the results of the evaluation of the problem, Our practitioners will discuss mode and probable length of treatment with the patient as well as the family, if the patient so desires.

 

Are my records confidential?

Absolutely. Strict confidentiality is always maintained. As a patient, information about your treatment is released only to those whom you give written permission to release. In most cases, these are medical doctors. Feel free to discuss any concerns about your privacy and confidentiality with our staff.

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How do you handle emergencies?

Our Practitioners are always reachable by cellular phone during off-hours.