Podcasts · Health & Fitness

How to Be Patient

Human Content

87 episodes · Explicit

You may have noticed a new trend lately. Everyone is loud and proud about their mental health struggles (and thank goodness)! For practitioners, this movement is as exciting as it is frustrating. As each mental health taboo falls by the wayside as it enters the cultural zeitgeist, a new aspect of our specialty thus emerges. One we just don’t have enough hours in the day to keep track of, let alone engage with. From better understanding our patients’ (and our own) relationships with their conditions in a changing world, it’s more important than ever that we learn: HOW TO BE PATIENT!

More about the show

Each week, join Dr. Preston Roche (Psychiatry Resident & Digital Influencer) and Dr. Margaret Duncan (Psychiatrist & Content Creator) on their quest to better understand the patients we dedicate our lives to and the evolving paths they’re bound to travel beyond the clinic. By engaging with stories and perspectives that challenge our shared understanding of a condition, we hope you’ll similarly gain new perspectives as we look at our patients, and their mental health struggles, with further nuance and empathy. (And with Dr. & Lady Glaucomflecken producing, we've been mandated to include plenty of weird medical jokes too).

Speaking of which, a key part of this is hearing YOUR stories! What’s changed your understanding of patient care? Do you have an experience that shines new light on something we’ve discussed on-air? Get in touch at: howtobepatientpod.com

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. Thinking about Thinking (brief episode with Preston)

    · 16 min

    In this solo episode with Preston we (me) discuss the neuroscience concept of metacognition and how it may apply to some of our conceptualization of current psych illnesses, along with some loose ruminating of course.…

  2. Excerpts from the American Journal of Insanity (July 1851)

    · 50 min

    In today's episode we take a look back towards the history of psychiatry and read from the publication “The American Journal of Insanity.” This is the journal that predates the American Journal of Psychiatry (the name…

  3. Child Psychiatry Training Explained

    · 39 min

    In this episode, Margaret and Preston talk about Margaret’s experience halfway into child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. Margaret discusses the general requirements or parts in child training, discerning child…

  4. How does image guided TMS stack up against the current method?

    · 48 min

    In this episode we're doing another journal club, this time reviewing the first randomized clinical trial comparing image-guided TMS to the traditional method using scalp targeting for depression. We walk through how…

  5. The Theory of the Crunch: Holding Difficult Dynamics in Therapy

    · 1 h 00 min

    In today’s episode, Preston and Margaret discuss the psychotherapy paper The Theory of the Crunch, by Paul Libby, a psychoanalyst. In this episode and in the paper, the idea of creating a containing environment,…

  6. Psychiatric Effects of GLP-1s (What We Know So Far)

    · 59 min

    In this episode, Margaret and I take on the en vogue topic of GLP-1s. They have been utilized for T2DM for several years and just recently took center stage in the zeitgeist for weight loss (medically indicated or…

  7. Nuances in Prescribing Antidepressants

    · 59 min

    In this episode, Margaret and Preston present how two psychiatrists think about prescribing medications for depression. Using different common clinical scenarios, they discuss standard clinical guidelines, navigating…

  8. Psychiatric Roots in Greek Mythology

    · 1 h 06 min

    The Greeks described two kinds of madness, and both are fun to talk about on our pod. Inspired by the recent hullabaloo around The Odyssey, we are going to be breaking down the DSM-V diagnoses we see in the series and…

  9. Climate Change Impacts on Mental Health with Child Psychiatrist & Pediatrician Elizabeth Pinsky, MD

    · 54 min

    In today’s episode, Margaret and Preston are joined by pediatrician and child psychiatrist Elizabeth Pinsky, MD. Dr. Pinsky works as a pediatric consult-liaison psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and her…

  10. Lessons from Improv Comedy

    · 1 h 10 min

    Laugh all you want (please laugh it’s supposed to be funny), Preston has been doing improv from the last year and he has some thoughts. Not just “yes ands” about how it makes him a better doctor, and he is dragging…

  11. Kung Fu Panda & Residency: Growth Mindset

    · 55 min

    Margaret is back and today our episode pulls themes from Carol Dweck’s work and book Growth Mindset, as well as a favorite sophisticated film: Kung Fu Panda. In this episode, Margaret and Preston discuss a frame to…

  12. THROWBACK: Alcohol: Examining Alcohol culture, history, and use disorder (Season 1 Episode 15)

    · 1 h 35 min

    In Episode 15, Preston and Margaret open a bottle—of questions, stories, and science—about alcohol use disorder. What do we get wrong about “moderate” drinking? Why is detox more dangerous than most people realize? And…

  13. Sex Differences in Aging Cognition with Dr. Sullivan

    · 53 min

    In today’s episode we bring on Dr. Campbell Sullivan, PsyD to discuss the interesting field of neuropsychology, a complicated niche that focuses on eliciting deficits in cognition across patters of disease. We discuss…

  14. THROWBACK: The Lithium Episode (Season 2 Episode 14)

    · 1 h 17 min

    In this preston-led episode, we take a deep dive into the history of lithium and its use in psychiatry. But because Preston is very literal, we are starting at the very beginning, inside of stars where lithium was…

  15. Missed Diagnoses in History Part II: Joan of Arc and King George the III

    · 36 min

    In this episode of historical psychiatric diagnoses we continue the “arc” (get it) with the story of a young girl with vivid hallucinations who galvanized the French army and a wise king who lost his sanity late in…

  16. THROWBACK: Heart of Psychiatry (Season 2 Episode 1)

    · 1 h 24 min

    We're pulling a throwback from season two for this one, and it's the episode I will go to the mat for as one of the most clinically useful hours of psychiatry content we've ever put out. Margaret literally calculates…

  17. ADHD may be more of a reward problem than an attention problem

    · 24 min

    Today we'll talk through this one study from 2010 out of the Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, "Task-related default mode network modulation and inhibitory control in ADHD: effects of motivation and…

  18. THROWBACK: Motivational Interviewing (Season 1 Episode 8)

    · 1 h 36 min

    We're going back to one of our oldies but besties. This is our motivational interviewing episode from season one, which Margaret and I both agree is probably the best episode we made that whole first run. And it holds…

  19. Missed Diagnoses in History: Story Time: Charles VI and Mary Todd Lincoln

    · 46 min

    I figured we'd do something I've been wanting to do for a while: story time. Specifically, the kind where I take some of history's most famous figures, walk you through what actually happened to them, and then put on…

  20. THROWBACK: Attachment Theory, just hanging in there (Season 1 Episode 2)

    · 1 h 14 min

    We're doing a throwback! This was our second episode ever, way back when I was at the beginning of fourth year of med school and Margaret and I were still figuring out the rhythm of this whole podcast thing. I'm now at…

  21. Anabolic Steroid Use in Psychiatric Disorders

    · 1 h 10 min

    In this episode we are joined by my coresident, @undercoverdoc who has a special interested in fitness culture and bodybuilding. With the protein intake, food weighing and gym discipline also comes “extracurriculars,”…

  22. BONUS! Code Orange: We Got Dr. Orange on the Pod

    · 44 min

    Code ORANGE. We had to break the between-seasons hiatus for this one. If you've been on healthcare TikTok in the last month and you haven't seen the burnt-out fruit basket emerging, you have some catching up to do.…

  23. Season 3 Wrapped: Time To Reflect and Look Forward

    · 46 min

    As we wrap up Season 3, Margaret and I are looking back at the long journey from our first late-night recording sessions in 2025 to where we are now: mid-fellowship for Margaret and fourth year for me. This season…

  24. Existential Psychotherapy Part 4: Meaning

    · 1 h 09 min · S3 E20

    In the final episode of a four part series on existential psychotherapy, Margaret and I take on the problem of meaning. This one is a little different that the other problems of man but they all intertwine like a…

  25. Ask a Psychiatrist: The Grab Bag Special

    · 1 h 01 min · S3 E19

    Margaret and I decided to tackle the questions that have been circling our DMs, including the controversial continuum of harm reduction, where does "good enough" care end and "enabling" begin? We also touch on the…

  26. Giving and Receiving Feedback with Paul Tran

    · 1 h 15 min · S3 E18

    I’m flying solo for most of this one while Margaret is off saving dolphins (or just finishing a hospital admission ), but I’ve brought in a heavy hitter to help me tackle one of the most awkward parts of medical…

  27. Coffee, Tea and Dementia

    · 1 h 02 min · S3 E17

    In this journal club episode, we break down the recent findings from a landmark (in my opinion) study on the associated risks between caffeine consumption and dementia risk. Spoiler alert! More coffee might actually be…

  28. Speech and Psychiatry with Speech Talk’s Emily and Eva

    · 1 h 06 min · S3 E16

    A topic that we were silent on during our Aphasia episode was the importance of Speech-Language Pathologists in the care of patients with Aphasia and, more broadly, throughout different types of care for patients in…

  29. Existential Psychotherapy Part 3: Isolation

    · 1 h 02 min · S3 E15

    Spoiler Alert! The key to not feeling isolated is to (wait for it) be around other people! Humans are naturally driven social creatures, but the ways in which we attempt to run from isolation become the problem. In…

  30. DBT Case Studies with Expert Dr. Kiki Fehling

    · 1 h 03 min · S3 E14

    In the second part of our intro to DBT episodes, we welcome expert education and DBT clinician, Dr. Kiki Fehling. We talk about how Dr. Fehling found DBT, how her teaching made it to TikTok, and then get into cases…

  31. Going Viral as a First Year Med Student with Amine

    · 39 min · S3 E13

    In this episode, I sit down with Amine (whyamino) a med student and content creator who recently went viral for his skits about engaging with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Due to pressure and complaints…

  32. Existential Psychotherapy Part 2: Freedom

    · 1 h 09 min · S3 E12

    Today Margaret and I take on our own freedom in today’s episode, which is part 2 of a 4-part series on Existential Psychotherapy. The existential postulate that we are all ultimately free to make our own decisions (and…

  33. DBT 101: Learning How to Regulate Your Emotions

    · 1 h 01 min · S3 E11

    In preparation for a more thorough DBT episode with experts in the field, Margaret leads us through a “DBT 101” covering the essentially axioms of dialectical behavioral therapy along with the pillars of mindfulness,…

  34. How would bringing back long term psych care look? (and is it a good idea?)

    · 1 h 02 min · S3 E10

    In this episode, we explore the current political climate and the possibility of the return of institutionalized mental health care. Though this is not a political podcast (I think Preston says that 5 times) , all of…

  35. Recognizing OCD and Comprehensive Treatment

    · 58 min · S3 E9

    In this episode, Margaret and Preston cover one of their most-requested clinical topics: diagnosing and treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. Along the way, we review popular TikToks about OCD, including one…

  36. Existential Psychotherapy Part 1: Death

    · 55 min · S3 E8

    Today, we try to tackle the easy and simple topic of death. Inspired by the writings of Irvin Yalom in Existential Psychotherapy, Preston attempts to describe the four maxims of existentialist theory in therapy and how…

  37. Learning as a Resident with Dr. Mark Mullen

    · 1 h 14 min · S3 E7

    In this episode, Margaret and I are joined by the legendary host of the podcast Psychiatry Bootcamp, Dr. Mark Mullen. As a clerkship director of the psychiatry rotation himself, Dr. Mullen adds his insights as we…

  38. Neuropsychological Assessments for Clinicians

    · 1 h 09 min · S3 E6

    In this episode, which could be titled “Neurocognitive Assessments for Silly, Cool, Fun People” (that’s us—we are the silly, cool, fun people), Margaret and I describe five neurocognitive domains often used in…

  39. Eating For Your Brain (Even When You’re Down) with Nutritional Psychiatrist Brooke Resche, MD

    · 1 h 00 min · S3 E5

    On this episode of HBP, we interview Brooke Resche (CookwithDrBrooke on TikTok and Instagram) and answer some of your questions of how to feed yourself to help your brain, even when struggling with ADHD, Depression,…

  40. The Dementia Episode

    · 1 h 13 min · S3 E4

    In this episode, Margaret and I do our best to define the elusive diagnosis of dementia. We describe what the actual clinical definition of the cognitive disability is, explore the most common types of diseases that…

  41. Concrete Self-Care in Hard Times with Amanda Stuckey Dodson

    · 1 h 01 min · S3 E3

    It’s one thing to think about optimal routines, and the internet is often very fixated on the “best”, but what about when you’re stressed, burnt out, or struggling with your mental health? On this episode, we have a…

  42. Your Brain on AI: Interview with MIT Media Lab’s Nataliya Kosmyna

    · 1 h 12 min · S3 E2

    Today, we present to you our first Journal Club episode, in which we feature a primary author of an important piece of research. Online, content supercedes context, and when it comes to emerging hypothesis around big…

  43. Food Fears, Myths, and Mental Health

    · 54 min · S3 E1

    Welcome back for season 3! For our first episode, we have on a food scientist to discuss from the industry side food myths, which we combine with our own readings from the psychiatry literature. We touch on red dye 40,…

  44. What To Look For In A Psych Program (Season 2 Wrap)

    · 1 h 04 min

    Margaret and I pivot into mentor mode a little in this episode, it’s targeted towards medical students and the vicissitudes of the match. We know these are tough times and we wanted to share some advice about what to…

  45. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 101

    · 1 h 15 min · S2 E20

    By popular demand, Margaret and Preston are back with another therapy episode. The topic this week? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a third wave behavioral therapy that Margaret happens to be trained in and…

  46. Trauma and Dissociation with Kristin Flanary (Lady Glaucomflecken)

    · 1 h 16 min · S2 E19

    In this episode, we bring on Kristin Flanary, who is currently doing her own investigation into dissociations associated with trauma from both her own experience as a survivor and as an academic. We discuss the current…

  47. A Patient’s Perspective on Chronic Pain with Alexandra Wildeson

    · 1 h 37 min · S2 E18

    Today we are joined by the host of the “calling in sick” a pod run by our good friend Alex (familiarly) to discuss the rigamoroll that is navigating the healthcare system through the eyes of a patient with debilitatig…

  48. Prescribing Laughter with Will Flannery (Dr. Glaucomflecken)

    · 1 h 06 min · S2 E17

    This episode is a slight excursion from our regularly scheduled program. Today we are chatting with Will Flannery, who is in many ways our content “dad” if you will. We will talk about the art of including humor into…

  49. Nutritional Psychiatry with Dr. Drew Ramsey (Part 2)

    · 1 h 02 min · S2 E16

    Margaret and I are back with part two of our conversation with Dr. Drew Ramsey and this time, things get personal. I volunteered my real-life food log for a full nutritional psychiatry breakdown… and let’s just say my…

  50. Nutritional Psychiatry with Dr. Drew Ramsey (Part 1)

    · 1 h 09 min · S2 E15

    We sat down with Dr. Drew Ramsey to talk about something we all think we understand and don’t: how food shapes mood. In Part 1, we get practical and personal: what to reach for when you’re anxious, what to cook when…

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