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Entries by Melissa Chefec

How the Parasympathetic Nervous System Influences Your Mental Health

By Kendra Cherry, May 6, 2025 “While the sympathetic system helps you deal with things and get stuff done, the parasympathetic system helps you rest, heal, digest, and recover,” explains psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD. It’s the sympathetic system that kicks into gear when you are faced with some type of stressor or threat and prepares you to […]

When will a Trintellix generic be available?

By Randy Magnuson, Apr 22, 2025 Per the Food and Drug Administration, around nine out of every ten prescriptions filled in the US are for generic drugs. What makes them so popular? The big draw for generics is that they’re often less expensive. A large chunk of any drug’s cost comes from the research and testing […]

Is Eating Before Bed Bad for You? Experts Share the Truth

By Beth Ann Mayer, Apr 18, 2025 “Late meals or even late snacks can result in elevated metabolism during the night, which can interfere with slow-wave sleep,” explains Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified doctor in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Slow-wave sleep is sort of the […]

How to Be a Better Friend, According to Therapists

By Sian Ferguson, Apr 17, 2025 Founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, Dr. Alex Dimitriu—a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist—agrees. “A good friend is someone who shows up, listens well, shares in your joys, and supports you through challenges without judgment,” he says. In other words: You don’t have to be perfect. You just have […]

The 6 best alarm clocks of 2025, tested and reviewed

By Jenny McGrath and Suzy Hernandez, Apr, 15, 2025 “Light sleepers may want as few distractions and artificial light as possible,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “Deep sleepers may want an alarm that is loud or gradually loud, possibly with light or a sunrise simulator to facilitate waking […]

3 foods to avoid while taking Strattera

By Sarah Bradley, Apr 10, 2025 Strattera is part of a class of medications called selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These drugs increase the amount of norepinephrine in your brain. Norepinephrine “plays a crucial role in attention, focus, and cognition,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.  Dr. Dimitriu says increasing […]

Why Sleep Disturbance and Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Go Hand in Hand

By Khendra Cherry, Apr 7, 2025 According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, sleep and eczema have a bidirectional relationship. “Sleep and eczema are closely linked, and one can feed off of the other,” he explains. Click HERE for the full article.

I Tried NSDR for a Week—Here’s How It Improved My Mental Health

By Sian Ferguson, Mar 27, 2025 To learn more, I spoke with Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.  Dimitriu says that both napping and NSDR can be helpful, but they fulfill different needs. “For someone sleep deprived, a nap may be best,” he […]

Why We’re Obsessed with Other People’s Morning Routines

By Erica Sweeney, Mar 26, 2025 But routines should be personal and tailored to your needs and lifestyle, says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. There’s no “secret sauce” for morning habits that will automatically help you become like someone you admire. Videos […]

Selecting a Treatment Option for Tardive Dyskinesia

By Brianna Graham, Mar 26, 2025 “VMAT-2 inhibitors are effective in reducing TD symptoms, but caution is needed in older adults due to potential side effects like gait disturbances,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, in an interview with Physician’s Weekly. Click HERE for the full article.

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

By Lo Styx, Mar 25, 2025 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 […]

EMDR Therapy: How It Works for PTSD and Other Trauma

By Claire Wolters, Mar 24, 2025 “The role of the therapist during the bilateral movement processing is similar to a music conductor working with an improvisation,” says Shiva Wilson, a psychotherapist with Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “The clinician’s ability to observe the physical cues of the client is an important […]

Monitoring for Tardive Dyskinesia: Who Is at Greatest Risk?

By Brianna Graham, Mar 12, 2025 The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) is the gold standard for monitoring TD symptoms. It is recommended to screen patients at the start of antipsychotic treatment, annually for most patients, and every six months for high-risk groups, including older adults and those on FGAs. In addition, Alex Dimitriu, MD, advises […]

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