These antidepressants are the most popular meds on SingleCare in September

By Jamie Rose, September 9, 2020

In addition to shorter days, September marks the start of the back-to-school season, and many people return to work after summer vacations. According to Alex Dimitriu, MD, the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, many factors can contribute to a declining mood in September: “The official ‘return to work’ always adds stress as people return to ordinary business and school.”

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Forcing a Smile May Improve Your Mood, Study Suggests

By Elizabeth Millard, August 28, 2020

This study highlights a potentially curious feedback loop between external appearance and internal feelings, according to Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “There could well be a link between how we appear and how we feel, whether we are forcibly smiling or simply frowning less,” he says, adding that this is highlighted by a previous study2 that linked Botox injections in improved depression scores. Does that mean faking a few moments of happiness could lead to the real thing? The recent research, as well as previous studies, suggest that could be true, Dimitriu says.

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Is It an Anxiety Disorder, or Just Life in 2020?

Elizabeth Yuko, 8/25/2020

In some cases, anxiety can cross the line between just being an emotion everyone experiences, to a disorder that could require some form of treatment. But where is that line? According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist, everyone has a “baseline” level of anxiety—a certain amount that they feel all the time—as well as “spikes” of anxiety, triggered by events or other stressors.

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9 Common Things That Can Make You Feel Hungover (That Aren’t Alcohol)

By Eva Taylor Grant and Jay Polish, Aug. 24, 2020

“Certain medications, taken for sleep, can also cause next-day sedation or headaches,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, M.D., the founder of therapy and psychiatry service Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. If your doctor prescribes sleep medicine to you, make sure you talk about the side effects. And if you’re picking them up over the counter, consulting a pharmacist can also help prep you for what to expect.

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Here’s what to do if you live with a sleepwalker

By Phoebe Mcrae, August 20, 2020

To help avoid sleepwalking episodes, ensure the sleepwalker adheres to a strict sleep schedule and make note of any potential triggers. As sleep medicine specialist Alex Dimitriu revealed to Well+Good, you should also, “Put gates at the top of stairs, locks on doors, set alarms, and keep floors uncluttered” to reduce the risk of injury.

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Tips for Handling the Most Toxic People in Your Life (Who You Can’t Just Cut Out)

by Elizabeth Yuko, AUGUST 18, 2020

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist, tells SheKnows that what makes a person toxic is when they intrude on the lives of those around them, noting that “while it may be OK to be a reclusive curmudgeon or an isolated, anxious person, toxicity emerges when these people’s moods try to spread to those around them.”

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Stressed! Is it them or is it me?

August 11, 2020. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: Stressed! Is it them or is it me?

Ongoing problems with co-workers? Constant arguments with family members at home? Few friends because most people you meet are simply inferior, unintelligent idiots, who are usually to blame for the stressors in your life.  All the world seems full of jerks, and they are in your face. To quote Dark Helmet from the movie Spaceballs, “I am surrounded by a-holes.”Ever consider the real problem may be you?

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Burnout In The Time Of Coronavirus 

By Lauren Brauns, July 22, 2020

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a California sleep doctor, told Psychology Today that avoiding burnout may be better accomplished by simply paying attention to basic biological needs instead of writing the next American novel. Sleep at least seven hours and aim for eight or nine, Dimitriu said, and eat healthy—even when comfort food seems like the right solution to pandemic stress. Exercise vigorously for 30 to 40 minutes three to four times a week, call friends and loved ones and finally get outside and play instead of opting for the couch, he said.

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Healthcare’s Digital Revolution: How Pop Culture’s Tech Tools Are Impacting Patients and Providers

By Malia Jacobson, Summer 2020

Instead of presenting patients with their health data, providers are now fielding questions about health data that patients bring in with them. “Patients are increasingly bringing in their health data from apps and wearable devices,” says sleep specialist and psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “I discuss electronic health data with patients every day.”

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7 Myths About Bipolar Disorder, Debunked By Experts

By Carina Wolff, July 20, 2020

Not everyone with bipolar disorder will have had a manic episode. “Some people may simply experience cycles of low mood and even mood,” psychiatrist Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, tells Bustle. “Others may experience periods of increased irritability and productivity — but never the happy high we all associate with bipolar.”

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What Happens to Your Body When You Can’t Sleep Every Night

By Emilia Paluszek, July 19, 2020

“Attention and focus are also impacted with poor sleep, and people will experience trouble learning and retaining new material, or being increasingly forgetful of previously learned material,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD.

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Existential Crisis: Grappling With the ‘Monster’ in All of Us

July 17, 2020. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: Existential Crisis: Grappling With the ‘Monster’ in All of Us

Human rejection, a sense of worthlessness, and an introspective struggle with the central questions – Who am I? Why was I created? What is the meaning of life? – drove Frankenstein’s monster on a murderous rampage.  Though the monster may simply be a work of fiction, its same issues are helping foment increasing mental health crises in this country, crises that have no physiological basis but can lead to hopelessness, depression and, particularly among the young, even suicide.

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The One Thing I Started Doing Every Night To Help Me Sleep Like A Baby

JULY 13, 2020, by Christine Flammia

This is the same idea behind having a cool bedroom for optimal sleep: “A good amount of research demonstrates that a drop in body temperature results in deeper sleep at night,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “For this reason, we advise cool, dark bedrooms, light breathable sheets, and setting the thermostat to 70 degrees. For some people, a hot bath or shower before bed helps accentuate the drop in body temperature.”

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We Asked Health Experts To Break Down How Stress Can Impact Nearly Every Part of the Body

Sonia Weiser・July 13, 2020

Waking up every hour? Unable to fall asleep? Like J Lo, are you tossing and turning, emotions are strong? That’s a classic manifestation of stress. “Stress and anxiety work to make us more vigilant and reactive,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “People may feel both ‘tired and wired,’ during the day, but have trouble relaxing, or are unable to nap.” Stress also makes it harder to get REM sleep—aka the super restful kind that our bodies need to recharge—which further exhausts and stresses the body. “Lack of refreshing sleep, can in turn make us more impulsive and reactive, which can make stress worse—as essentially it becomes harder to stop thinking about the stressor,” Dr. Dimitriu says.

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