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OUR blog / additional resources and helpful articles

Welcome to this space dedicated to providing helpful information to support you in your health and wellness journey.

10 Minutes of Nature Can Improve Your Mental Health as Much as Antidepressants

It’s easy to feel like we need significant changes or interventions to improve our mental well-being, but recent research suggests that a simple, natural solution may be within reach for everyone: spending just ten minutes a day outside.

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A Holistic Approach to Prenatal Mental Health: A Review of Motherhood Survival Manual

The founder of osteopathic medicine, Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, said, "It is the object of a physician to find health; anyone can find disease." This philosophy resonates throughout Motherhood Survival Manual, which addresses mental health prevention even before pregnancy, emphasizing living a healthy life to prevent and mitigate the impact of postpartum mental health disorders.

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Improving Your Sleep: A Psychiatrist's Guide to a Restful Night

Sleep plays a vital role in our physical and mental health, and no one is more aware of that role than those who struggle with sleep. The thought of insomnia can even become anxiety-provoking. Everyone experiences insomnia from time to time, but if this persists for more than one month, we call this “chronic insomnia.”

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Postpartum Tips from Moms Who Have Been There

Becoming a mother is a life-changing experience filled with joy, challenges, and exhaustion. Navigating the postpartum period can feel overwhelming, especially when you're recovering from childbirth, learning to care for a newborn, and adjusting to a new normal. Below are practical, expert-backed tips from seasoned moms and healthcare professionals to help you through this precious yet challenging stage.

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What's A Mom To Do? Mental Health Medications During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Most people would probably prefer not to take any medication during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The concern every parent has when deciding to use medication or not during pregnancy is whether their actions could harm their unborn child. Many also assume giving medication to the birthing parent will harm the fetus. This idea is false and harmful because during pregnancy, mother and fetus are inseparable, otherwise known as a dyad.

The biggest harm with an all-or-nothing approach is this: when medications are stopped, changed, or not started during pregnancy, this can cause mental health issues that result in pregnancy complications.

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Mental health crisis? Here is a free resource

The National Depression Hotline (nationaldepressionhotline.org) stands as a beacon of hope for those navigating the fog of depression. This free, confidential service offers a supportive ear, professional advice, and the first step towards recovery, 24/7.

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The Risks of Home-Administered Ketamine for Depression: A Psychiatrist’s Perspective

Ketamine, originally known as a powerful anesthetic, has gained attention for its rapid antidepressant effects by acting on the NMDA receptor and modulating glutamate in the brain. In controlled clinical settings, ketamine has proven efficacy in treating severe and treatment-resistant depression. However, the growing trend of using ketamine at home, often without medical supervision, raises significant concerns.

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Charleston Psychiatry, ketamine, psychiatry Brittany Albright Charleston Psychiatry, ketamine, psychiatry Brittany Albright

What does a Spravato treatment course entail for depression? Will I need maintenance treatments?

In most cases, patients respond to esketamine and continue with regular dosing usually every 2-3 weeks. Infrequently, they will require redosing weekly or monthly. Stopping the medication after a response is uncommon and usual among those who have consistently mild depression.

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Stubborn Depression? TMS or Spravato treatment may be the solution

Depression that does not respond to 2 or more antidepressant medications of therapeutic dose for at least 6 weeks is what I call “sticky depression” or more formally, treatment resistant depression. Luckily it does not have to be treatment resistant anymore because I have 2 major weapons against “sticky depression” - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Spravato (esketamine nasal spray). Luckily, both are very safe, FDA approved/cleared, and are covered by most major insurance plans. Often, the biggest challenge is deciding which treatment is best for my individual patient because most patients are great candidates for both treatments.

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Feelings Are Not Facts: A Psychiatrist's Perspective

We encourage you to have a different and more mindful perspective, a different approach to how you respond to stress. You are free to choose how you react to the stimulus instead of being a victim and simply just reacting to your environment. You are free to question assumptions, analyze resources, problem solve, and strategize. Your life can and should be dictated by you. You can choose to react differently to stress. You don’t have to be a victim anymore. We want to teach you about proactive coping, stress reduction, and living a principle-centered life.

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Adults Need a Bedtime Too: Diagnosing, Managing, and Treating Insomnia

Sleep can be challenging and elusive yet necessary for your best mental health. It is often the first symptom / warning sign of mental health problems and can trigger and/or exacerbate underlying mental health problems. First, you need to characterize your sleep problems and sleep patterns. For example – is it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or are you waking up too early? If you wake up at night, is it difficult to fall back asleep. We recommend keeping a sleep log next to your bed or on an app on your phone.

To best address your issues with sleep, is essential that you and your healthcare provider identify the cause of your sleep problems, which may involve a physical examination, laboratory studies, and additional testing. It is essential to develop and implement behavioral, psychological, and social solutions to improve your sleep. Lastly, you may require interventions such as a Cpap machine and/or medications to improve your sleep quality.

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How Do I Know If I Found the Right Therapist?

One of the most effective ways to treat depression and anxiety is through psychotherapy. Research continues to show that it is not the type of therapy that matters most in treatment outcomes - it is the relationship you build with your therapist. I compare finding your therapist to like dating - it has to be a “fit.”

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How to Handle Uncomfortable Thoughts

Sometimes we may find that our thoughts feel overwhelming, we get wrapped up in them, or that they may tend to dictate how our day goes. We may find that our thoughts change the ways we behave, which may lead to a cycle of negative behavior or feelings. Uncomfortable thoughts may be seen in people experiencing anxiety, depression, and a variety of other mental health concerns. It is possible to find detachment from our thoughts with the practice of cognitive defusion.

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Just do it! What is Behavioral Activation to treat depression?

Behavioral Activation (BA) is a therapy skill that can be done with or without Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of therapy highlighting how thinking, behavior, and feelings are all inter-related and directly involved with one’s mental health. BA specifically focuses on the behavior portion involved in our mental health.

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Charleston Area LGBTQIA Resources

At Sweetgrass Psychiatry, we believe everyone deserves the best mental health care treatment and a seat at our table regardless of gender identity, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, religion, age (we are working on providing more services for children), abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic level (which is why we proudly take insurance), and educational status.

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psychiatry Brittany Albright psychiatry Brittany Albright

What is ADHD? Evaluation and treatment process

ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects both children and adults. ADHD is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with daily functioning or development. It is important to note that individuals with ADHD are often very intelligent.

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