The infamous elevator video of Ray Rice punching his current wife unconscious exploded in this month. Though many are aware that domestic violence exists, the harsh realities of this unpleasant topic are often avoided until some occurrence gains national attention, which forces us to have a conversation about reality. Realizing that someone you know may be a victim of domestic or dating violence or even be a perpetrator can be difficult, particularly in a young and vibrant campus community such as Tulane. In reality, however, abuse occurs in one in five college dating relationships.

Sound surprising? Click here to see my latest article in The Hullabaloo to learn more!

Additional Resources:

Love is Respect

Red Flag Campaign

I’ve recently had several opportunities to share my interest in social media when it comes to public mental health, patient education, and advocacy. I’ve started writing as the Digital Media in Psychiatry Columnist for Psychiatric Times, working as the Media Editor for American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, and had the amazing opportunity to be interviewed for Get Social Health, a new podcast about healthcare and social media.

If you’re interested in social media and mental health advocacy, check out some of my resources below! Would also love to hear what you think about mental health and social media, comments welcome!

Social Media: An Opportunity for Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Times, July 9, 2014

Psychiatry and Professionalism in the Digital Age, Psychiatric Times, June 19, 2014

Get Social Health Podcast, June 15, 2014

Our research was also featured in:

Medscape: Prosuicidal Posts on Instagram ‘Alarming’

Psych Congress Network: Instagram Displays ‘Alarming’ Images of Suicide, Current Policy Ineffective

Pop culture icons such as Miley Cyrus, Madonna and Kanye West have glorified through their music the use of a popular drug called Molly, also known as MDMA or ecstasy.  The drug has become very popular in the college party scene with a reported 5.8% of college students having used the drug in 2013. Although drug users often report a euphoric high from the drug, there is a dark side including serious physical and mental health risks. Check out my latest column to learn more!

Do you ever make a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram post and then keep checking the likes, favorites, and retweets? Are you annoyed by selfies, yet take many of your own? How great do all those birthday wishes on Facebook feel? And don’t you wish people would just stop posting about their fabulous vacations and engagement rings!?

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends, share good news and network for business. However, there is a dark side to social media. Check out my latest article in the Tulane Hullabaloo!

Vampires, werewolves, witches and….the mentally ill? Halloween is a time we face our fears and make light of them by enjoying decorations, costume parties and horror movies.  How has mental illness been lumped with the scary and supernatural themes of Halloween? Check out this blog post from Psychology Today that I helped co-write with Broadcast Thought!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/broadcast-thought/201310/why-is-mental-illness-scary

The doctors of Broadcast Thought provide expert consultation to the media and entertainment industries. Not only are they psychiatrists specializing in forensic, child adolescent, and adult psychiatry, they are also big fans of television, film, comic books, and pop culture.  Self proclaimed “big kids,” they use their interests in pop culture to help educate the public about mental illness and decrease stigma by acting as creative consultants, subject matter experts, and co-producers of mental health content in pop culture.

Dr. Holly Peek will be discussing the portrayal of mental health in the media and entertainment industry. She will be interviewing two expert psychiatrists in this field, Dr. Vasilis Pozios and Dr. Praveen Kambam, who specialize in ensuring the portrayal of mental health is both accurate and interesting. These doctors are also just back from presenting at Comic Con in San Diego and are ready to talk about it!