New York State Psychiatric Institute - Residency Program

Prior to becoming an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University in New York, New York, Dr. Susan Turner attended the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, New York, where she earned her medical degree. Dr. Susan Turner began her internship and residency in psychiatry at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as well as at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI).

Established in 1895, the New York State Psychiatric Institute is one of the first hospitals in the country to incorporate teaching and research into the care of patients dealing with mental diseases. The residency training program at NYSPI is designed for a four-year program with residents serving the first year as an internship. During the first year, interns work with patients dealing with illnesses ranging from eating disorders and addictions to children and adolescents who are experiencing everything from mood disorders to prescription and drug abuse.

American Psychiatric Association Names New President-Elect

Susan Turner

With over 13 years of experience, board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Susan Turner treats patients from her private practice in New York City. An involved professional, Dr. Susan Turner works to stay abreast of the latest developments in psychiatry through her membership in the American Psychiatric Association.

In a recent press release, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced that Anita Everett, MD, has been named the organization’s next president-elect. Everett, a professor of psychiatry at John Hopkins School of Medicine, is the former president of the Maryland Psychiatric Society, and she previously served the APA as chair of the Task Force on Healthcare Reform 2015 and chair of the Council on Healthcare Systems and Finance.

Dr. Everett will assume her role as APA president in May 2017 after current President-Elect Maria Oquendo, MD, serves her one-year presidential term. When she assumes the role, Dr. Everett will lead the APA in its efforts to extend behavioral health access to all Americans and promote effective treatments for individuals affected by serious mental illness.

Bipolar Disorder Linked to Faster Biological Aging

A privately practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Turner treats patients who live with a broad range of singular disorders and co-morbid conditions. Dr. Susan Turner possesses particular expertise in the treatment of patients who have bipolar disorder in addition to diabetes.

The psychiatric profession has an established understanding that bipolar disorder can increase a person's risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions often associated with aging. According to a recent study conducted through King's College London, this association may stem from a biological susceptibility to faster aging.

The study focused on the comparative structure of telomeres. These protective coverings are located on the edge of each DNA strand and shorten with every replication, until the telomere is short enough that replication is no longer possible. Short telomeres thus correlate with advanced biological age, which may or may not align with chronological age.

Researchers found that individuals with bipolar disorder have shorter telomeres than their non-affected counterparts, and that these patients' immediate relatives had telomeres of similar length. This finding indicates not only that there is likely to be a link between bipolar disorder and faster aging, but also that the genetic predispositions toward the two processes may be connected. 

Data also showed that patients who had taken lithium for bipolar disorder did not have notably shorter telomeres than their healthy peers, which reinforces earlier findings that the drug may help to correct rapid aging while simultaneously treating the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

American Psychiatric Association Hosted Annual Meeting in San Diego

A graduate of Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, psychiatrist Dr. Susan Turner operates a private practice in the Flatiron District in New York. To help her remain current in the field, Dr. Susan Turner maintains membership with the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

As an organization dedicated to helping others in the industry to work together and assist those dealing with mental illness, the APA also promotes education and research, represents the profession, and promotes the highest quality of care for those it serves. The APA regularly hosts meetings, conferences, and other special events so members can network, share ideas, and gain training.

One such event is its annual meeting, which has taken place each year for more than 150 years. Themed Prevention through Partnerships, the 2017 event occurred on May 20-24 at the San Diego Convention Center. Attendees had a chance to garner continuing medical education (CME) credit, visit with exhibitors, and participate in debates. The 2018 event is scheduled for May 5-9 in New York City.

Mindfulness Practice for Panic Attacks

As a privately practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Turner has treated many patients with panic disorder. Dr. Susan Turner often incorporates meditation and other mindfulness techniques into the individualized treatment plans that she creates for these indivdiuals.

For the many people who struggle with panic attacks, mindfulness can help to ease feelings of franticness and bring increased calm to both body and mind. Mindfulness refers to any technique that brings the person's awareness into the present moment. For a person with panic disorder, this can mean the chance to escape racing thoughts and experience a feeling of being grounded in reality.

Mindfulness meditation works by counteracting the instinct to push away one's feelings of fear and anxiety. Many people harbor the false belief that they can rid themselves of such emotions by ingoring them. By practicing mindfulness, an indivdiual learns that it can be significantly more effective to accept a feeling, let it pass, and ground oneself in the reality of the present moment.

Many people practice mindfulness in the form of breath awareness. There are a number of ways to do this, though most focus on noticing the feeling of breathing without trying to change it. The simple act of awareness helps to deepen and regulate the breath, which can become erratic during a panic attack.

Other options for mindfulness practice include body awareness, in which the person takes notice of the sensations they feel in individual body parts. Like breath awareness, this technique requires simple, nonjudgmental acceptance of the sensations. 

Those who prefer to focus their attention elsewhere, however, may prefer mindfulness exercises that focus on awareness of their surroundings. By looking around and noticing the objective reality of trees, buildings, furniture, and other nondescript items, without assigning value or emotion to any of them, a person can escape cycling negative thoughts and excessive fear in favor of outside reality.

Bipolar Disorder and Diabetes

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Turner provides holistic care to patients at her private practice in New York’s Flatiron District. In her practice, Dr. Susan Turner subspecializes in helping patients challenged by both diabetes and bipolar disorder.

When a psychiatrist diagnoses a person with bipolar disorder, it means the patient exhibits sudden shifts in mood from very ecstatic to very depressed. These shifts may coincide with activity level. During the ecstatic periods, patients can feel energized to the extent that they have difficulty calming down. During the depressed periods, patients can feel so low that they disengage from their lives.

According to research, people with diabetes demonstrate much higher risk of developing bipolar disorder. The link between the two conditions is so marked that more than half of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder also exhibit diabetes or precursors to diabetes. 

Diabetes increases the risk of life-threatening events like heart attack and stroke. On account of its prevalence among patients with bipolar disorder, heart disease ranks as a top killer in the bipolar population.

The 2017 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Diego

Dr. Susan Turner

A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Turner operates a full-time private practice in New York City, where she maintains a holistic approach to treating patients. Active in her field, Dr. Susan Turner supports the American Psychiatric Association.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and its members strive to increase the level of care and treatment available to individuals experiencing mental health issues. Through dedicated research and collaboration, the APA has produced such publications as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), now in its fifth edition. The association also furthers its mission of educating by hosting an annual meeting.

In May, the 2017 APA Annual Meeting will convene in San Diego. The theme for this year will be “Prevention through Partnerships,” and instructors and thought leaders will guide more than 450 sessions for attendees. Psychiatrists, residents, and students from around the world will have the opportunity to network, update licensures, and discover the latest advancements in their field. For more information, visit www.psychiatry.org.