I’ve been a psychiatrist in Palm Beach, Florida for the past 30 plus years. Being that Palm Beach is all about beautiful people and seeing and being seen, I have a constant stream of patients worrying about their their image. Botox, fillers, face lifts, tummy tucks…the list goes on and on, but there’s only so much a plastic surgeon can do, especially when it comes to the appearance of the body....

You’re in your favorite recliner watching the game, and then comes a “word from our sponsors.” You may not bet on the game, but you can bet there’ll be a commercial for a pharmaceutical drug during that break. For today’s purposes, I’ll refer to a fantasy medication named ‘Druguall.’ The Druguall commercial shows a couple at the beach, walking hand in hand along the shore as the announcer...

Since it’s pretty clear you people really like reading about all things tangential to sex, I don’t mind indulging your secret freaky sides every once in a while. Hey, far be it from me to deny you! So in that spirit, this week’s topic is….  wait for it…. Sadomasochism.  The Oxford Dictionary has this to say: [sey-doh-mas-uh-kiz-uhm] noun interaction, especially in sexual activity, in which a...

As a psychiatrist practicing in Palm Beach Florida, I come across a lot of bipolar patients.  What are the warning signs of bipolar disorder? How can you recognize if someone you love or even yourself has bipolar disorder? You can’t get through an hour television program without at least 2 commercials for bipolar medications, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk about it.  First, what is...

The first step is identifying the illness.  Depression is more that just feeling sad for a few days.  Depression means weeks of being so sad, you start having trouble working or going to school.  You start having problems in relationships.  Problems develop in just taking care of you. People with depression have two types of symptoms.  The first type is psychological.  The second type is...

Why is Sleep Important? Part Deux When we left part one, I had just explained how lack of sleep can make people fat, and was about to explain how it can also make people ugly. First, just a quick review of the cascade that makes you fat. When you don’t sleep, there is an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which causes hunger, and makes you eat everything in sight at 3am. At the same time, levels...

Sex Toys: Much Ado About Something I hope everybody enjoyed last week’s marathon blog on sex toys and learned something new. I know I definitely learned a few things in researching it. So now that we know all about the categories of sex toys and their illustrious histories, today we’ll move on to who’s using sex toys and why, and go over some important things you should take into consideration...

Postpartum Depression: o Signs, Symptoms, New Treatment? Last week, we talked about sex and orgasms, so it seems only fitting that this week, I talk about the potential ‘homework’ that may come after the sex and orgasms: pregnancy… and the postpartum depression that may accompany it.  It is one of life’s greatest joys, and for me personally, the proudest moment of my entire life: the birth of a...

Dr. Agresti talks about medications for treating Bipolar Disorder that do not cause weight gain.  Pregnant women with bipolar disorder should not use these medications.  Learn more about Dr. Agresti, a Board Certified Psychiatrist practicing in Palm Beach County for fifteen years.  He is a specialist in the psycho-social aspects of addiction. Call (561) 444-7044 or email: info@206.189.200.158...

Migraines, Part I This is a very personal topic for me, as I have had cluster headaches and migraines my entire life. While I was double checking a statistic for this blog, I came across a term that I’d never heard before: migraineur. Such a romantic sounding word to define a person with migraines. But when in Rome… As a migraineur, at times my headaches dictated my entire life, what I did and...