Entries by Melissa Chefec

Is There a Connection Between PTSD and Bipolar Disorder?

By Kaitlin Vogel on May 19, 2022 Trauma can certainly induce enough stress to set off a bipolar disorder episode, but only in someone predisposed to bipolar disorder, explains Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California and BrainfoodMD. Click HERE for the full article.

The 10 Best Ways to Prevent and Treat Jet Lag

By Madeleine H. Burry, May 13, 2022 “The ability to travel faster (with jet engines) has resulted in people being able to fly to a place faster than their biology can adjust to the new local time,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park […]

Beta Blockers Are the Buzziest New Anti-Anxiety Medicine—Here’s What to Know

By Lo Styx, May 13, 2022 To determine the best medication fit for his patients, psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD, groups symptoms of anxiety into two categories. “I always ask my patients if they feel anxiety more in the mind—rumination, catastrophic thoughts, worry—or the body—racing heart, tight chest, shortness of breath, tremor,” Dimitriu says. “More globally it should be […]

People Hospitalized for COVID-19 Have Higher Risk for Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder

By Eileen Bailey, May 11, 2022 “It is important to note that the people in this study had severe enough infections to require hospitalization,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist with expertise in sleep medicine, told Healthline. “Hospitalization often means things got clinically bad enough to require a hospital stay – and this often means hypoxia, […]

Over Half of Young People With Depression Don’t Get Help for at Least a Year

By George Citroner on May 11, 2022 Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD, said people ages 18 to 25 face specific stressors that may make them more likely to be depressed. “As teenagers leave their homes and effectively start their lives,” Dimitriu said. […]

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Parental Burnout

By George Citroner,  May 9, 2022 Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD, noted that parents need to focus on themselves first. “Self-care is the first priority,” he said. “It is mandatory for the parent or caregiver to assure that their own basic biological […]

Why Do We Worry So Much?

By Kaitlin Vogel, May 5, 2022 Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainFoodMD, sees anxiety as a problem of “caring too much” and overthinking. From an evolutionary standpoint, having anxious people in your life may help you stay one step ahead of […]

What It’s Called When You Get Sick After Suddenly Stopping Your Antidepressants 

By Lauren Vinopal, May 4, 2022 People who take antidepressants will stop abruptly for many reasons, but psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu says it often has to do with the fact that antidepressants take weeks to work. “Because of this delayed feedback loop, it’s easy to not see the benefits or costs of starting or stopping treatments — it […]

What Therapists Personally Do When They Feel Powerless

By Dominique Astorino, May. 4, 2022 “Exercise is so helpful in blowing off steam,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Talley said intensive exercise is one of his “constant go-to” stress relievers. “When things even begin to feel over the top, I’ll put extra intensity into my […]

6 Signs of Unhealthy Sleep—and What to Do About It

By Jenn Sinrich Apr 29, 2022 If you frequently find that you need to catch up on sleep with a long nap or sleep in on the weekends or on vacation, it could be a sign that you’re lacking in sleep efficiency, warns Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park […]

A New Device May help Children With Down Syndrome Get a Better Night’s Sleep

By George Citroner, Apr 27, 2022 “Obstructive sleep apnea results when the throat/airway collapses due to obstruction during sleep,” explained Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD. He described it as trying to suck on a straw that is blocked on […]

Natural Mood And Brain Boosters

April 23, 2022 Fit for Joy Podcast. Valeria Teles interviewed Dr. Alex Dimitriu about natural mood and brain boosters. Dr. Dimitriu brings a deep respect for science and spirituality into his work. Professionally, Dr. Dimitriu is dual board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. He is currently writing a book about the interplay of therapy and […]

The Real Reason Why You Keep Having the Same Dream Over and Over, According to Experts

By Zee Krstic, Apr 23, 2022 Sadly, science hasn’t allowed sleep specialists to nail down just one cause of a recurring dream or nightmare — as no two frequent dreams feel the same. Alex Dimitriu, M.D., psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist and founder of California-based Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, explains that the root cause of a recurrent dream hinges […]

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