by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 19, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
Clozapine is one of the most effective medications for treating schizophrenia, especially in treatment-resistant cases. However, clozapine’s serious side effects require vigilant monitoring to keep patients safe. Understanding these risks can help APRNs and...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 14, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
When it comes to treating mood disorders, SNRIs for depression offer a valuable option. While they may be overshadowed by SSRIs or newer antidepressants, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) like venlafaxine, duloxetine, and desvenlafaxine have unique...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 12, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
What’s one of the most misdiagnosed conditions in mental health? Despite being relatively rare, schizoaffective disorder diagnosis shows up surprisingly often on psychiatric charts—and it’s often incorrect. According to the DSM-5-TR, the lifetime prevalence of...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 7, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
You’re in clinic with a 29-year-old twice-divorced man experiencing depressive symptoms. He’s never had a psychiatric diagnosis before, denies substance abuse, and reports no family history of depression or other psychiatric illnesses. This is his first major...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 5, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
Raise your hand if you knew that bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder have significant similarities 🙋🏾♀️ Even after eight years of working as a psych NP, I recently realized how tough it can be to distinguish bipolar vs borderline personality...