Podcast appearances and mentions of Charles L Raison

In a study published on August 31, 2023, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, psilocybin showed promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). JAMA Associate Editor Dr. Donald C. Goff, speaks with publication author Dr. Charles L. Raison, from the Usona Institute, about the study, as well as Dr. Rachel Yehuda from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial about the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies. Pacific Neuroscience Institute's director of Treatment & Research In Psychedelics Center, Dr. Keith Heinzerling and PNI director Dr. Daniel Kelly were a co-investigators in this study.

In a new study, psilocybin showed promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). JAMA Associate Editor Donald C. Goff, MD, speaks with author Charles L. Raison, MD, from the Usona Institute, about the study, as well as Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial about the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies. Related Content: Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder Psychedelic Therapy—A New Paradigm of Care for Mental Health

Want to Change Your Life? Take a Breath, Part 1Breathing is the most natural thing in the world; we do it all the time and pay no attention to it. And yet, this simple act holds huge potential for enhancing our physical and mental wellness. In this podcast, host Charles L. Raison discusses the health benefits of breath work with Donald J. Noble, PhD, an instructor in the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University, continuing a conversation started in a prior “Health is Everything” podcast. In this installment Raison and Noble open up a wide-ranging discussion on topics ranging from how breathing changes brain function on a moment-by-moment basis to the potential of both slow-deep and rapid breathing to improve well-being, along the way providing a quick guide to the bodily mechanisms involved in various therapeutic breathing strategies.This episode is Part 1 in a two-part series.Featuring:Dr. Don Noble, Instructor at Emory University's Center for the Study of Human HealthHost:Charles Raison, Psychiatrist, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Emory UniversityAbout Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health. Follow Us:Blog: Exploring HealthFacebook: @EmoryCSHHInstagram: @EmoryCSHHTwitter: @EmoryCSHH

Spirituality, Health and Compassion: a Conversation with the Reverend Maureen Shelton, Part 2More than other healthcare professions, chaplaincy is undergoing profound change, and nowhere is this change more apparent than in the Emory Department of Spiritual Health, where chaplaincy is being transformed from an ancillary hospital offering to an integral component of the healthcare system. In this second part of a two-part series Maureen Shelton, M.Div, joins host Charles L. Raison, MD, to continue their conversation on the role that rigorous training in compassion has played for development of spiritual health as a scientific discipline. In particular, Reverend Shelton brings us into the world of Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health (CCSH™), a novel program designed at Emory with the goal of optimizing the ability of spiritual health clinicians to care for their patients while also building the resilience within themselves needed to thrive in the emotionally taxing environments in which chaplaincy so often occurs. Reverend Shelton shares the core concepts of CCSH, bringing these to life in a series of beautiful vignettes of patient-chaplain meetings, or in the parlance of spiritual health—at the place of vulnerability where care seeker and care provider can meet in ways that impact emotional and physical health. Maureen Shelton is the System Director of Education and Director of the Division of CCSH in the Department of Spiritual Health at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.This episode is Part 2 in a two-part series.Featuring:Maureen Shelton, M.Div, System Director of Education and Director of the Division of Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health (CCSH) at Emory UniversityHost:Charles Raison, Psychiatrist, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Emory UniversityAbout Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health. Follow Us:Blog: Exploring HealthFacebook: @EmoryCSHHInstagram: @EmoryCSHHTwitter: @EmoryCSHH

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panlists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panlists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panelists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panelists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panelists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

It’s All About Relationships, and Not Just With Other People. What COVID Is Trying To Tell Us About Well-Being Why are people more frightened by COVID than by global warming? Despite being frightened, why are many of us now choosing to be with other people, even at a risk to our own health? Can we draw lessons from these contradictions that will allow us to deepen our relationships with each other while staying healthy, as individuals and societies? And how can we best use the COVID pandemic to recognize changes we will need to make if we want to continue living in a modern, interconnected world? In this podcast as Professor Christine Whelan interviews “Health Is Everything” host Charles L. Raison, MD, who explores these and related topics through the lens of evolutionary psychology and behavioral immunology. A psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Raison is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families in the School Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Visiting Professor in the Center for The Study of Human Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.Featuring:Dr. Charles Raison, Psychiatrist, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Emory UniversityGuest Host:Dr. Christine Whelan, Mother of Eleanor Barrett (Host of Health is Everything No Kidding), Clinical Professor in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and director of MORE: Money, Relationships and EqualityAbout Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health. Follow Us:Blog: Exploring HealthFacebook: @EmoryCSHHInstagram: @EmoryCSHHTwitter: @EmoryCSHH

Charles L. Raison, MD, returns to the Psychcast to conduct a Masterclass on psychedelics for patients with major depressive disorder. Dr. Raison, professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, previously conducted a Masterclass on the risks and benefits of antidepressants. He disclosed that he is director of translational research at the Usona Institute, also in Madison. Later, Renee Kohanski, MD, raises questions about the felony child abuse case of pediatric emergency department doctor John Cox. Takeaway points Psychedelics are a range of compounds that share a common mechanism as agonists at the postsynaptic 5-HT2A serotonin receptor. Psychedelic agents have a novel therapeutic quality. Studies suggest that a few or even one exposure to a psychedelic compound, which has a short-term biological effect, leads to long-lasting therapeutic effect, such as remission of mood disorder or change in personality characteristics. The clinical outcomes are mediated by the intensity of the psychedelic experience. A psychedelic experience is characterized by profound, rapid alterations in what is seen, sensed, felt, and thought. It often leads to personal growth with experiences of transcendence. Subjects in trials often report a “mystical experience” they describe as a sense of unity with the universe and understanding of one’s deeper purpose. Psychedelic experiences also are characterized by a difficulty in describing them with words. Because psychedelics are illegal substances, the traditional route of pharmaceutical companies’ funding the research for clinical trials is not available. Organizations such as Usona Institute and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) are leading the way. The Food and Drug Administration has granted psilocybin a “breakthrough therapy designation” for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Summary Psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, ayahuasca (active ingredient: N,N-dimethyltryptamine [DMT]), and 3,4-methylendioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) are all classified as psychedelics. Psychedelics have been used for thousands of years for spiritual ceremonies. Psychedelics came to the attention of medicine and science after 1943 when Albert Hofmann, PhD, a chemist at a Sandoz Lab in Basel, Switzerland, synthesized LSD and accidentally ingested it, serendipitously identifying its mind-altering properties.  Until 1970, psychedelics were widely used in clinical research, and more than 1,000 academic papers about their use were published. For example, psychedelics were used as a model for schizophrenia and helped identify the role of serotonin in psychosis. They also were studied to treat addiction and as a treatment for existential anxiety in cancer. In 1971, psychedelics were declared illegal under the U.N. Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Researchers returned to psychedelics in the 2000s, examining a variety of uses, including the capability to reliably induce psychedelic experience in healthy normal volunteers (no previous psychiatric diagnosis) and promote emotional well-being in healthy normal volunteers. The role of psychedelics as medicine are once again being studied in a variety of contexts, such as mood disorders, PTSD, addiction, and phase-of-life problems. Most notable from the research is the capability of psychedelic compounds to induce long-lasting effects on personality, mood disorders, and PTSD after one or a few ingestions. What is remarkable is how the therapeutic effect remains long after the biological presence of the compound is gone from the body. The clinical outcomes are mediated by the intensity of the psychedelic experience. The Usona Institute, a medical research organization, started as a nonprofit to advance the research into psychedelics needed for the FDA to approve psychedelics as a treatment. Because psychedelics are still illegal, the traditional route of pharmaceutical companies funding this type of research is not available. The FDA has granted psilocybin a “breakthrough therapy designation” for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The breakthrough therapy designation “indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint(s) over available therapies.” The breakthrough therapy designation is for major depressive disorder, not for treatment-resistant depression, suggesting that the FDA recognizes the shortcomings of current treatments for depression. References Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. Potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin. Neurotherapeutics. 2017 Jul;14(3):734-40. Griffiths RR et al. Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors. J Psychopharmacol. 2018 Jan;32(1):49-69. Johnson MW et al.  Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2017 Jan;43(1):55-60. Griffiths RR et al. Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. J Psychopharmacol. 2016 Dec;30(12):1181-97. Rozzo M. Book review: “‘How to Change Your Mind.” Columbia Magazine. 2018 Fall. *  *  *   For more MDedge Podcasts, go to mdedge.com/podcasts Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com

Computers make our lives easier in some ways, but they also add frustration and increase the demand to produce more, faster. Sitting at a computer for hours on end puts pressure on your neck and shoulders as well. Charles L. Raison, MD, clinical director of the Mind-Body Program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, found in a six-week study that meditation has a positive effect on participants’ responses to both physical and emotional stress. This “waking” meditation, or directed, outward form of meditation, loosens tight muscles, relaxes your mind, and relieves general tension. (From the book ‘The Best Meditations on the Planet, by Dr. Martin Hart & Skye Alexander)

In this masterclass, Charles L. Raison, MD, returns to the MDedge Psychcast to discuss the risks and benefits of antidepressants. He previously appeared on the Psychcast in episodes 15 and 16. Dr. Raison is Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and professor, School of Human Ecology, and professor, department of psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Later, Renee Kohanski, MD, discusses the need for psychiatrists to take care of and nourish their communities. Show Notes by Jacqueline Posada, MD, consultation-liaison psychiatry fellow with the Inova Fairfax Hospital/George Washington University program in Falls Church, Va. Treatment with antidepressants The STAR-D trial, a large effectiveness trial (n = 4,000), looked at the effect of SSRIs and other medications for the treatment of depression. As an effectiveness trial, STAR-D looked at “real” patients with comorbidities (as opposed to efficacy trials, which use “perfect patients” with no comorbidities to minimize confounding effects). Only 30% of patients went into complete remission with first step of treatment with an SSRI (citalopram) at the highest tolerated dose. Almost 50% experienced a response (a 50% reduction in symptoms of depression on standardized scale). Cynicism and hope for antidepressants To obtain Food and Drug Administration approval, a medication requires two positive studies (showing that the drug beats placebo), and on average, an SSRI requires five to seven studies to get the two positive studies. A meta-analysis of negative SSRI studies that were “filed away” found only a 1.8-point difference on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score between SSRI vs placebo. The difference between SSRI and placebo in treatment disappeared among patients who were less depressed. Geddes et al., presented a more balanced view in a published meta-analysis of 522 trials that included more than 100,000 patients. Antidepressants had a modest benefit, compared with placebo. In head-to-head studies, some antidepressants were better than others, such as amitriptyline, escitalopram, mirtazapine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine.  Predictors of response Poor response to antidepressants: Presence of comorbid anxiety disorder, failure of first or subsequent antidepressant trials. Within STAR-D, among those who failed three treatment steps, only 13% responded to the next treatment. Good response to antidepressants: An acute response to an antidepressant predicts long-term response. A 20% or greater improvement within 2 weeks of treatment resulted in a higher chance of remission, compared with those who don’t initially respond, who then had a less than 5% chance of remission. Are antidepressants good for everyone? The difference between active antidepressants and placebo is small. A latent growth curve analysis of placebo vs. antidepressants for depression showed that there are two separate trajectories with antidepressants: 70% will respond and are vastly improved, while 30% actually do worse. A National Institute of Mental Health study from 1980s randomized patients to two types of psychotherapy vs. tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) vs. waitlist control group. Treatment took place for 16 weeks, and patients were followed for 18 months. People who went into remission on TCAs were more likely to relapse than those who went into remission on psychotherapy. Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) trial: Prospective data of 92 people from the total 3,500 in the study. Of the 92 with a first major depressive episode, 50% had a second major depressive episode. Of those who were treated into complete remission, even after 5 years, more than 50% had a relapse of their depression. Conclusion: Relapse of depression is common when patients come off antidepressants To stay well, a patient with depression should continue to receive an antidepressant. Clinicians must ask: Do the antidepressants increase the risk of relapse of depression? Depression is a disabling disease, so treatment is necessary. But clinicians should question for whom and when antidepressants should be used. References Turner EH et al. Selective publication of antidepressant trials and its influence on apparent efficacy. N Engl J Med. 2008;358:352-60. Cipriani A et al. Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet. 2018 Apr 7:391(10128):1357-66. Penninx BW et al. Two-year course of depressive and anxiety disorders: Results from the Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (NESDA). J Affect Disord. 2011 Sep;133(1-2):76-85. Perlman K et al. A systematic meta-review of predictors of antidepressant treatment outcome in major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord. 2019 Jan 15;243:503-15. For more MDedge Podcasts go to mdedge.com/podcasts Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com Interact with us on Twitter: @MDedgePsych        

In this edition, Charles L. Raison, MD, explores how ketamine impacts depression. He also explains how weather and climate can be a metaphor for the brain. Dr. Raison is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families at the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology. After the conclusion to our discussion on ketamine, Dr. Renee Kohanski finds the psychiatric nuggets from the remarkable film, Three Identical Strangers.

Is ketamine the anti-PTSD? In this edition of the MDedge Psychcast, Charles L. Raison, MD, discusses the possible impacts that ketamine and other psychedelic drugs have on specific mental illnesses. Dr. Raison is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families at the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology.