Stay aware of the latest advances from the academic thought leaders and expert clinicians of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai. Led by René Kahn, MD, PhD, our team is at the forefront of unlocking the complex interactions between biological processes and the myriad states of the human mind. Ranked No. 7 among the nation's psychiatry departments for National Institute of Health funding, Mount Sinai is unrelenting in its commitment to advancing life-changing treatment. The Department is a vibrant community of psychiatric clinicians, researchers, educators, and trainees, and is a national model for groundbreaking clinical research in neuropsychiatry. Our programs offer a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services for conditions ranging from addiction, to major depression, autism, and schizophrenia.
Stay aware of the latest advances from the academic thought leaders and expert clinicians of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai. Led by René Kahn, MD, PhD, our team is at the forefront of unlocking the complex interactions between biological processes and the myriad states of the human mind. Ranked No. 7 among the nation's psychiatry departments for National Institute of Health funding, Mount Sinai is unrelenting in its commitment to advancing life-changing treatment. The Department is a vibrant community of psychiatric clinicians, researchers, educators, and trainees, and is a national model for groundbreaking clinical research in neuropsychiatry. Our programs offer a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services for conditions ranging from addiction, to major depression, autism, and schizophrenia.
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In June, Mount Sinai launched a comprehensive, state-of-the-art destination for integrated mental health, substance use, and primary care, with a commitment to fostering breakthrough clinical research: the Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Center.
PTSD in Veterans: Assessing the Potential of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Rachel Yehuda, PhD, is exploring whether psychedelics can be a useful treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her journey began with a study on 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) in veterans and is expanding to investigate psilocybin.
A team of leading clinicians, engineers, and neuroscientists has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of treatment-resistant depression.
Mount Sinai Fellow Salman E. Qasim, PhD, Awarded Prestigious Essay Prize From Lasker Foundation
Dr. Qasim’s essay peers honestly into the thought process of a scientist performing intracranial research, watching human brain activity as it is recorded directly from the amygdala, the frontal cortex, and the hippocampus.
A new study assessed whether ChatGPT could reliably produce accurate references to supplement the literature search process. Out of thirty-five citations, ChatGPT only produced two that were accurate.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of 16 academic medical research centers to participate in the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) study.
Mount Sinai Researchers Provide First Genetic Analysis of Binge Eating Disorder
A genome-wide analysis of a model-derived binge-eating disorder (BED) phenotype 17 identifies risk loci and implicates iron metabolism. In this study, Mount Sinai researchers identify potential therapeutics implications for BED.
Father’s Psychiatric Diagnosis Increases Risk of Preterm Birth, Study Reports
Babies are more likely to be born prematurely when either their father or mother has had a psychiatric diagnosis, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Karolinska Institute
Mount Sinai Health System today hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly constructed Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Center.
Men were significantly more vulnerable than women to overdose deaths involving opioid and stimulant drugs in 2020-2021, according to a new study analyzing data from across the United States.
Mount Sinai Receives Grant to Support Behavioral Health
A grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health will help patients at Mount Sinai’s Cohen Center for Pediatric Comprehensive Care (CCPCC), which serves more than 10,000 families, gain access to HealthySteps, a national evidence-based ...
This study is the first to examine in utero exposure to stimulants and long term child outcomes. Researchers examined almost 900 children who were exposed to ADHD during the mothers’ pregnancy and 1270 children who were not.
Mount Sinai Researchers Have Identified Two Previously Unknown Genes Linked to Schizophrenia
Researchers have identified two previously unknown genes linked to schizophrenia and newly implicated a third gene as carrying risk for both schizophrenia and autism.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
View the Pre- and Post- Operative Presentation of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Procedure to Treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Breaking Down Barriers in Access to Mental Health Treatment
The rate of mental health treatment remains low among Black and Latinx communities due to longstanding barriers and inequities.
Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Psychosis and Schizophrenia
The Jeff and Lisa Blau Adolescent Consultation Center for Resilience and Treatment is studying 10 rare genetic mutations that are implicated in schizophrenia.
Psychiatry Specialty Report 2023
The year 2022 was a productive and prolific one for our department. We launched the Center for Disease Neurogenomics—one of the few in the world with access to brain tissue and population-level datasets.
Assessing a Novel Target for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
An estimated one in three patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder does not respond to existing therapeutics.
Two Leading Brain Scientists Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Yasmin Hurd, PhD, and Helen Mayberg, MD, have paved new paths in addiction and depression research by opening new lines of inquiry into treatment approaches: the therapeutic potential of CBD, and a specific target for deep brain stimulation.
Addressing Knowledge Gaps About Mental Illness in Pregnancy and Postpartum
While people who are pregnant can easily learn how to safeguard their physical health and that of their babies, information about mental health concerns is scarcer.
Precision Psychiatry Through Genetics and Genomic Sciences: The New Center for Disease Neurogenomics
Identifying the genetic variants and underlying mechanisms that cause neuropsychiatric disease is the key to personalized therapy.
Growing Our Understanding of Genes Strongly Linked to Autism
A study of more than 150,000 people identified genes strongly linked to autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Exploring Social Interactions’ Links to Mental Health Through Computational Psychiatry
Adaptation to new social situations depends on brain computations. But what happens when those computations break down?
Past social trauma is encoded by a population of stress/threat-responsive brain cells that become hyperactivated during subsequent interaction with non-threatening social targets.
Stem Cell Study Reveals How Neurons From PTSD Patients React to Stress
Stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) react differently to a stress hormone than those from veterans without PTSD.
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have learned that the way the brain processes the complex emotion of regret may be linked to an individual’s ability to cope with stress, and altered in psychiatric disorders like depression.
Mount Sinai Researchers Find Impaired Brain Circuitry Implicated by Cocaine and Heroin Addiction
White matter in the brain that was previously implicated in animal studies has now been suggested to be specifically impaired in the brains of people with addiction to cocaine or heroin.
New data from the longitudinal Stress in Pregnancy Study have identified earlier onset and higher rates of developmental psychopathology among children whose mothers were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy.
Epigenetic Disease in the HIV+ Brain: An Innovative Longitudinal Study Method
Dr. Akbarian is developing a novel method — longitudinal epigenetic profiling — that allows him to study epigenetic changes in the brain over time.
Hope for Young People at Risk of Developing Psychosis
Mount Sinai’s Psychosis Risk Program provides patients and families with education and CBT early on, as well as the opportunity to participate in research trials
Suicide Prevention Website: A New Resource for Families
Each day, approximately 17 veterans die by suicide, according to the 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Of those lives lost, 68% die from a self-inflicted firearm injury.
Mount Sinai Panel: Visionary Approaches – Psychedelics as Therapy
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, a distinguished panel of researchers and entrepreneurs, including Mount Sinai’s Rachel Yehuda, PhD, discuss pioneering approaches to psychedelics for mental health care
Student-Run Free Mental Health Clinic Provides Care for the Uninsured
In the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, residents without access to health insurance are receiving free outpatient mental health care, thanks to an innovative project at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Khachadourian is helping to paint a more complete picture of the environmental exposures that affect pregnant people and their developing children.
Two Faculty Members Receive Endowed Professorships in 2021
In 2021, two professors from the Department of Psychiatry received Mount Sinai's highest honors in academic medicine: Rita Goldstein, PhD, and Rachel Yehuda, PhD.
Atypical Psychosis and the Value of an Individualized Approach
Clinicians were challenged to successfully treat a young man who appeared to have acute psychosis, but it turned out to be a rare form of stroke.
Cerebral Organoids Provide a Vivid Window into the Brain
For the first time, stem cell-derived organoid models are allowing scientists to study the cellular development and intercellular interactions among microglia and other cell types within a 3D human brain microenvironment.
A Popular Program Helps Employees Build Resilience and Serves as a National Model
Mount Sinai's Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth was created to help frontline health workers cope with the psychosocial trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Discoveries in the Use of Ketamine for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Mount Sinai continues to gain global recognition for its groundbreaking work with ketamine and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A Robust Pipeline of Physician-Scientist Training Programs
Mount Sinai's Department of Psychiatry provides residents and fellows with the resources and support they need to turn patient experience into valuable research so they can become fluent in both science and medicine.
Ensuring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Within the Department of Psychiatry
The Department of Psychiatry is training students, residents, and fellows on the issues of social justice and diversity and working toward the elimination of race-based discrepancies in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
The unique pairing of the Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics and the Center for Computational Psychiatry is generating some of the nation's most advanced research into the brain.
Genomics-Driven Clinical Research Focused on Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders
An estimated three-quarters of all psychiatric disorders debut prior to or during adolescence. To address this, in October 2021, Mount Sinai established the Jeff and Lisa Blau Adolescent Consultation Center for Resilience and Treatment.
Psychiatry Specialty Report 2022
In addition to launching three centers, we were ranked No. 7 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for psychiatry, published more than 850 papers, completed more than 800,000 outpatient visits, and received $49 million in active grants.
Frontiers in Psychiatric Treatment: Addiction
The latest advances in addiction treatment from Tim Brennan, MD, MPH, Chief of Clinical Services for the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai
Circuit Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Martijn Figee, MD, PhD, Director of the Interventional Psychiatry Program, discusses circuit therapy for neuropsychiatric disorders
Investigating the Environmental Etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Magdalena Janecka, PhD, discusses the environmental etiology of autism spectrum disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder: Neurocorrelates of the Social Emotional and Behavioral Disturbances
Harold Koenigsberg, MD, discusses neurocorrelates of the social, emotional, and behavioral disturbances in borderline personality disorder
The Future of Addiction Treatment: CBD, Big Data, Adolescents, and Telehealth
Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, moderates 20-minute talks from Yasmin Hurd, PhD; Xiaosi Gu, PhD; Kara Bagot, MD; and Timothy Brennan, MD, MPH. You'll hear about what we know, what we're learning, and how we're implementing what we learn about substance abuse
Brian Sweis, MD, PhD: A Physician-Scientist’s Approach to Psychiatry
Scientists trained as physicians, like Dr. Sweis, are in a unique position to understand and enhance the links between preclinical research and clinical applications in humans to advance patient treatments. Read about his path, and where he plans to go next.
Stress, Resilience, and Digital Health Research in the Era of COVID-19
Mount Sinai has been on the forefront of trauma, stress, depression, and resilience research for decades. This virtual symposium covers the latest: what we know, and what we are learning that can equip us in addressing the pandemic’s psychological ...
New Center for Computational Psychiatry
Since its inception in the early 2010s, computational psychiatry has become one of the fastest growing and most exciting areas in neuropsychiatry
New Approach to Treating Depression: KCNQ2/3 Channel
Initial evidence in humans for the KCNQ2/3 channel as a new target for novel drug discovery for depression and anhedonia
Road to Resilience Podcast: The Therapeutic Promise of Psychedelics
Listen or read the transcript of this informative podcast with Rachel Yehuda, PhD, on the potential of MDMA to treat patients with post-traumatic stress disorder
Mount Sinai Health System Launches Center for Psychedelic Research
New research center will focus on studying MDMA, psilocybin, and other psychedelic compounds to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other psychological conditions
Repeated Ketamine Infusions Reduce Symptom Severity in Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Repeated intravenous ketamine infusions significantly reduce symptom severity in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and the improvement is rapid and maintained for several weeks afterwards, according to a study conducted by ...
Psychiatry Specialty Report 2021
As a response to COVID-19, we created a Center for Stress, Resilience, and Personal Growth to provide mental health services to our staff, faculty, students, and trainees. Services include individualized assessments, planning, and coaching; ...
From Party to Prescription: How Psychedelics Are Changing Traditional Psychiatry
Listen as Mount Sinai neuroscientists discuss ketamine, cannabis, and ecstasy as potential treatments for treatment-resistant depression, opioid addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
As part of The Friedman Brain Institute’s “FBI Cyber Series,” Rachel Yehuda, PhD, presents an exploration of the history and therapeutic use of MDMA
Five Things to Know About Providing Psychiatric Care to COVID-19 Heath Care Workers
Health care workers will likely be facing significant mental health consequences due to their involvement with COVID-19. Check out the top five things to know about providing psychiatric care to these health care workers during and after the pandemic.
The Mount Sinai Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth
Mental health experts from Mount Sinai discuss the stress on front-line workers due to COVID-19 and the creation of the Center.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Mothers and Babies
Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD, discusses mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period during COVID-19, including potential long-term effects on the child’s brain.
Speech and Language Analysis for COVID-19
Cheryl Corcoran, MD, discusses how speech and language markers can be used to track physiology and psychiatric sequelae related to COVID-19 course together with other variables and biomarkers.
COVID-19 and Employee Mental Health: A Five-Tier Model of Support
New York City is an epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and the Mount Sinai Health System has spearheaded an array of clinical and organizational innovations to mitigate the crisis.
STOP COVID NYC: A Study Capturing City-Wide Coronavirus Symptoms and Mental Health Impacts
Laura Huckins, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences, discusses a new app-based survey gathering data on New York City residents and their COVID-19-related symptoms in order to better understand transmission ...
How Epidemics Affect Our Mental Health
Craig Katz, MD, Director of Mount Sinai’s Global Mental Health Program, delivers a Grand Rounds presentation on the behavioral sequelae of epidemics.
How to Use Psychological First Aid to Prevent Post-Disaster Psychopathology
Craig Katz, MD, Director of Mount Sinai’s Program in Global Mental Health, breaks down how to deliver psychological first aid in a disaster setting in order to prevent post-disaster psychopathology.
Five Things to Know About Esketamine
In March 2019, intranasal esketamine—a form of ketamine marketed as SPRAVATO™ CIII Nasal Spray*—was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). James Murrough, MD, ...
Five Things to Know About MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD
MDMA, the psychoactive drug sometimes known as ecstasy, is poised to become a powerful tool in the treatment of PTSD. In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a breakthrough therapy.
Intergenerational Effects of Trauma: A Biological Perspective
Rachel Yehuda, PhD, discusses how trauma from previous generations can affect descendants from an epigenetic standpoint.
From Genes to Treatment: Using Rare Genetic Disorders to Develop Novel Therapeutics
Dr. Kolevzon’s talk at the Seaver Autism Center’s 21st Annual Advances in Autism Conference.
New Frontiers for Depression: Deep Brain Stimulation, Esketamine, and the Immune System
“In five years, we expect to have a range of new treatments available targeting people with different forms of depression that work effectively, specifically for them.” –Eric Nestler, MD, PhD
CBD for Treating Opioid Addiction
Dr. Hurd’s latest study showed that CBD reduces cravings and anxiety in patients with heroin use disorder.
An App-Based Game to Treat Depression
It looks and works like a game, but it acts like medicine—with no side effects.
René Kahn, MD, PhD: Tackling the Neurobiology of Schizophrenia
Dr. Kahn discusses how brain changes in schizophrenic patients are related to disease progression and outcomes.
MSHP Mind Matters ECHO Webinars
Tyree Grant, LCSW, presents a case of a 70 year old patient with anxiety and depression. Michael Katz, PhD, then gives a didactic presentation on screening for depression, including common screening tools, questions to ask, and more.
Mount Sinai Health Partners Mind Matters ECHO: Effective Treatments for Depression: Psychotherapy
Dr. Emily Gutowski presents a case of a patient with a history of severe depression refractory to many lines of treatment. Dr. Michael Katz presents on psychotherapeutic interventions for depression management.
Mount Sinai Health Partners Mind Matters ECHO: Effective Treatments for Depression: Pharmacology
Dr. Stephen Sisselman presents a case of a young adult with depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as cultural and family barriers to patient support. Dr. Katie Angelova speaks about pharmacological management of depression in the primary care setting.
Dr. Bruce Chung presents a case regarding an adult woman with a history of depression and anxiety. Dr. Vanessa Litoff then gives a didactic presentation on barriers to screening for anxiety, focusing especially on OCD and panic disorder.
Mount Sinai Health Partners Mind Matters ECHO: Effective Treatments for Anxiety: Psychotherapy
Dr. Carol Wurzel shares the case of a 13-year-old patient with symptoms of anxiety and depression for whom she is seeking a differential diagnosis and diagnostic clarification. Dr. Vanessa Litoff then presents on psychotherapy for anxiety management.
Mount Sinai Health Partners Mind Matters ECHO: Effective Treatments for Anxiety: Pharmacology
Dr. Jill Sisselman shares a case of a geriatric patient with high anxiety and posed the question of benodiazepines versus an SSRI in this patient. Dr. Mary Kate Christopher presents on pharmacological management of anxiety in primary care.
Dr. Nikita Barai presents a case of a geriatric patient presenting with anxiety and depression and multiple ED visits. Drs. Seema Quraishi and Jordan Schwartzberg present on managing side effects of commonly prescribed anxiolytics.