Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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Managing Your Emotional Health With Vitiligo

By Frances Gatta, Mar 6, 2023

Learning to appreciate your appearance can help you live unapologetically with vitiligo. Start with being comfortable with yourself, advises Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California. “This can be built on the core belief that appearances are only skin deep, and your personality, kindness, intelligence, or other attributes you cherish matter far more than anything on the outside,” Dr. Dimitriu says. It might also help to realize that people who judge your color or appearance may not be the people you want in your life.

Click HERE for the full article.

A Good Night’s Sleep Can Help You Maintain Diet, Exercise Goals

By David Rossiaky, Mar 3, 2023

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, noted that an individual’s discipline and impulse control are a factor, too. “It could well be that the people that have the discipline to get good sleep also have the discipline to stick to a weight loss program. It is a virtuous cycle where the discipline helps sleep and, in turn, sleep helps discipline (and weight loss),” Dimitriu told Healthline.

Click HERE for the full article.

The Best Sleep Apps, According to Sleep Experts

By Danielle Sinay, Feb 24, 2023

“A variety of sleep apps exist, which can range from listening to a bedtime story, to guided meditation or breathing, white or brown noise, binaural beats, or soothing or calming music,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double-board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Many of these apps work by helping the user get settled and relaxed, either physically or mentally, and also to reduce mind wandering that can lead to distraction and anxiety before sleep.”  

Click HERE for the full article.

Idiopathic insomnia: What to know

By Mary West, Feb 20, 2023

Medical News Today reached out to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who founded Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and is board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, for his definition. “Essentially, this is insomnia that is not due to any particular cause, such as anxiety, alcohol, caffeine, or jet lag,” explains Dr. Dimitriu. “It is also not associated with another sleep disorder and is not linked to a mental [health condition], substance use, or a general medical condition.” “The sleep disturbance causes significant impairment in occupational, academic, social, behavioral, or other areas of functioning,” adds Dr. Dimitriu.

Click HERE for the full article.

Recurring Dreams: Signs Of Trouble Or Symptoms Of Poor Sleep?

By Brie Schmidt, Feb 19, 2023

If you’re one of the lucky few that has feel-good recurring dreams, there’s likely no need to put an end to your happy nighttime fantasies. But if your dreams are disrupting your sleep and leaving you feeling uneasy, it’s time to take action. “Some recurring dreams are worthy of more attention [and therapy],” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, explained to Good Housekeeping. “People with unresolved trauma that should be treated will experience an event in their nightmares, and people with sleep apnea may commonly dream of suffocating or drowning, when in reality, they cannot breathe.” An appointment with your doctor or therapist is the first step to putting an end to recurring dreams.

Click HERE for the full article.

Don’t Identify as an Introvert or an Extrovert? You Might Be an Ambivert—Here’s What That Means

By Kaitlin Vogel, Feb 15, 2023

“There are no true ambiverts, but more likely people who in certain circumstances or settings will appear more extroverted or introverted,” Dr. Dimitriu explains. “In my experience, even an extrovert may be tired and appear introverted after a long day of work, or a poor night of sleep. An introvert can celebrate and socialize with coworkers at a party and appear totally into it, but still need time alone to recharge.”

Click HERE for the full article.

The 11 Best Side Sleeper Pillows of 2023

By Sarah Bradley, Feb 15, 2023

“Proper alignment between the body, neck, and spine can minimize the risk of neck pain,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “The best way to tell if your pillow and mattress are well coordinated is to have your bed partner observe the alignment of your back and neck when you are on your side. Ideally, these should be straight,” he says.

Click HERE for the full article.

How Bad Is It Really to Sleep With Your Phone Next to Your Bed?

By Beth Ann Mayer, Feb 7, 2023

“Sleeping next to your phone is like sleeping next to a slot machine,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. The odds are not in your favor. “At best, [the phone is] captivating and interesting—unlike a book, when you get bored, you change apps or articles and keep searching,” Dr. Dimitriu says. “At worst, it’s rewarding and stimulating as you read a post or reaction or find a really interesting article you have been meaning to read.”

Click HERE for the full article.

The Signs, Symptoms and Treatments of Borderline Personality Disorder

By Madison Storm, Feb 6, 2023

BPD is a mental disorder that impacts one’s moods and behavior. BPD can be difficult to diagnose because of its overlap with other disorders. There are several disorders that often occur with BPD, such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse, says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified psychiatry and sleep medicine expert and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California.

Click HERE for the full article.

Crying in Your Sleep? Here’s What It Could Mean

By Layla Khoury-Hanold, Feb 2, 2023

One of the main causes of crying in your sleep is past trauma. The reason that unresolved trauma or grief manifests in our sleep is due to our brains performing daily processing functions. “Part of this is cleaning up toxins and storing memories, but another major part is processing what occurred that day or things from the most distant past,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, dual board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and owner at SiliconPsych.com. “Freud called this ‘day residue,’ or the tendency to keep processing events of the day or more distant past. Crying or other sadness in dreams may be reflective of this background processing and could certainly be unresolved trauma or grief.”

Click HERE for the full article.

Can being active an extra 7–9 minutes per day boost your brain?

By Annie Lennon, Jan 29, 2023

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, agreed that adopting greater levels of physical activity is a main takeaway. “Movement is key! And also active mental engagement—reading over passive television—or videos online. The human body and brain really do adhere to a ‘use it or lose it’ policy. Physical activity has numerous health benefits, many of which are cardiovascular, which in turn have direct benefits to the brain, and cognition and memory.” 

Click HERE for the full article.

The Merger of Artificial Intelligence and Psychiatry

January 25, 2023 Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled:

The Merger of Artificial Intelligence and Psychiatry

Psychiatry is an art and a science, and artificial intelligence may provide tools to allow it to better understand what makes us tick.

True to this duality, I have always loved working with people as much as technology, especially the interplay between the two. I approach my work with engineering precision and record keeping, but I also pay close attention to both the “fuzzy” psychology of nurture, as well as the more medical biology of our “nature.” Along these lines, I often tell patients that we aim to work on the “hardware and software” to understand ourselves better and optimize how we feel and perform.

Click HERE for the full article.

Common Antidepressants Can Cause Emotional Blunting: What to Know

By Eileen Bailey, Jan 22, 2023

“I often tell patients that ‘antidepressants dull the passions, bad and good,’ says Dr. Alex Dimitriu a physician in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California and BrainfoodMD. “The highs and lows can be attenuated, though fortunately, when someone is low, feeling less so is a generally positive direction,” he told Healthline. “As patients often worry about affective blunting, I explain that antidepressants do not block all feelings. Antidepressants can reduce pain and lead to more functional behaviors. In my work, I’ve had many patients report that with antidepressants, they ‘can see the potholes, just not have to drive through them.’”

Click HERE for the full article.

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MENLO PARK PSYCHIATRY & SLEEP MEDICINE

CONDITIONS TREATED: Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder, Insomnia, Bipolar Disorder, and Treatment Resistant Depression

REGIONS COVERED: We serve clients of the Bay Area, including the communities of Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Mountain View, Portola Valley, Atherton, Sunnyvale, and San Jose

Phone 650-326-5888
Address 1225 Crane Street, Suite 205
Menlo Park, CA 94025
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