Psychiatry Boot Camp Podcast By Mark Mullen MD cover art

Psychiatry Boot Camp

Psychiatry Boot Camp

By: Mark Mullen MD
Listen for free

Your clear, practical introduction to the field of psychiatry. Each episode features a leading expert unpacking complex topics like suicide risk, schizophrenia, catatonia, and childhood anxiety. Originally created as a crash course for new doctors, Psychiatry Boot Camp has grown into essential listening for professionals preparing for residency, advancing their careers, or sharpening their clinical decision-making. Hosted by psychiatrist and educator Dr. Mark Mullen, the program delivers expert insight and practical teaching opportunities. Thanks to the participation of our incredible audience, the PBC team is proud to provide a trusted resource for students, clinicians, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of psychiatry in practice. To Learn More Visit www.psychiatrybootcamp.com Got a Question? Email mark@psychiatrybootcamp.com© 2026 PBC Industries, LLC. All rights reserved. Career Success Economics Education Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • TMS for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Clinical Guide with Dr. Owen Muir

    TMS for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Clinical Guide with Dr. Owen Muir
    Mar 23 2026
    In this episode of Psychiatry Boot Camp, Dr. Mark Mullen speaks with Dr. Owen Muir, psychiatrist, entrepreneur, and Chief Medical Officer of Radial Health, about the growing role of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in psychiatric treatment.The discussion explores how TMS works as a form of noninvasive neuromodulation, using focused magnetic fields to influence neural circuits implicated in depression and other psychiatric conditions. Dr. Muir reviews the evidence supporting TMS for treatment-resistant depression, explains the FDA clearance pathway for neuromodulation devices, and discusses how stimulation parameters, coil positioning, and treatment protocols affect clinical outcomes.The conversation also addresses the broader implications of neuromodulation in psychiatry, including emerging indications, technological innovation, and how clinicians can integrate TMS into modern psychiatric practice. This episode provides a practical and conceptual overview of one of the fastest-growing treatment modalities in mental health care. Takeaways: TMS is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that uses magnetic fields to induce electrical activity in targeted cortical regions.The primary FDA-cleared indication is treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, though research continues for other conditions including OCD and PTSD.Treatment protocols depend on stimulation parameters, including frequency, location (often the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and session scheduling.The FDA device clearance process differs from pharmaceutical approval, relying heavily on device equivalence and clinical safety data.Neuromodulation represents a growing frontier in psychiatry, complementing pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of complex mood disorders. SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SimplePractice.com/bootcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Now with AI documentation! Exclusive 7 day free trial and 50% off four months) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beat the Boards⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boot camp listeners now get FREE access to over 4400 exam-style questions) Cozy Earth: Start the New Year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves, and make home the best part of life. Head to http://www.cozyearth.com and use my code BOOTCAMP for up to 20% off. And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here! Learn more and get transcripts for EVERY episode at https://www.psychiatrybootcamp.com/ For Sales Inquiries & Ad Rates, Please Contact:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sales@Human-Content.Com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with HumanContent on Socials: @humancontentpods Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Human Content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Physician Assisted Suicide: Clinical, Legal, and Ethical Implications for Psychiatry with Dr. Mark Komrad

    Physician Assisted Suicide: Clinical, Legal, and Ethical Implications for Psychiatry with Dr. Mark Komrad
    Mar 9 2026
    In this episode of Psychiatry Boot Camp, Dr. Mark Mullen speaks with psychiatrist and medical ethicist Dr. Mark Komrad about physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, focusing particularly on their implications for psychiatric practice. The discussion reviews the terminology, legal frameworks, and international trends surrounding assisted death, including developments in Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and multiple U.S. states. Dr. Komrad outlines concerns regarding capacity assessments, the expansion from terminal illness to psychiatric suffering, and the ethical tensions between autonomy and the physician’s role as healer.The episode also examines countertransference, projective identification, and the clinical dynamics that arise when treating chronically suicidal patients in jurisdictions where assisted death is permitted. Position statements from the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association are reviewed, along with questions of conscientious objection Takeaways: Terminology matters. Major professional organizations continue to prefer the term “physician-assisted suicide,” reflecting ongoing ethical debate about whether these practices are distinct from suicide prevention work.Capacity assessment standards remain variable. In many jurisdictions, evaluations are left largely to physician (or provider) discretion without standardized psychiatric frameworks.Expansion beyond terminal illness is occurring internationally. Countries that initially limited eligibility to end-of-life conditions have broadened criteria to include chronic disability and, in some regions, primary psychiatric diagnoses. Borderline personality disorder and mood disorders are disproportionately represented in psychiatric assisted death cases in some European jurisdictions.Countertransference and projective identification are clinically relevant. Physicians must remain vigilant about how therapeutic fatigue and induced hopelessness can influence decision-making in chronically suicidal patients.Key professional organizations in the United States maintain opposition to physician assisted suicide. The AMA and APA have articulated clear ethical boundaries regarding the role of physicians and psychiatrists in assisted death. SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SimplePractice.com/bootcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Now with AI documentation! Exclusive 7 day free trial and 50% off four months) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beat the Boards⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boot camp listeners now get FREE access to over 4400 exam-style questions) Cozy Earth: Start the New Year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves, and make home the best part of life. Head to http://www.cozyearth.com and use my code BOOTCAMP for up to 20% off. And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here! Learn more and get transcripts for EVERY episode at https://www.psychiatrybootcamp.com/ For Sales Inquiries & Ad Rates, Please Contact:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sales@Human-Content.Com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with HumanContent on Socials: @humancontentpods Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Human Content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Complex PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Diagnostic Validity with Dr. Mark L. Ruffalo

    Complex PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Diagnostic Validity with Dr. Mark L. Ruffalo
    Feb 23 2026
    In this episode of Psychiatry Bootcamp, Dr. Mark Mullen is joined by Dr. Mark Ruffalo for an in-depth examination of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), a construct widely discussed in academic and public discourse, but not currently recognized as a distinct DSM diagnosis.The conversation situates C-PTSD within the historical and theoretical landscape of psychiatry, tracing its origins to Judith Herman’s work and examining its proposed relationship to borderline personality disorder and classical PTSD. Dr. Ruffalo explores core questions of diagnostic validity versus reliability, drawing on foundational psychiatric theory, communication models such as the double bind, and contemporary critiques of the DSM’s proliferation of categories.Listeners will gain a framework for understanding why diagnostic labels matter, how trauma-informed care can coexist with diagnostic rigor, and the potential clinical consequences of adopting constructs without clear discriminant validity. The episode emphasizes careful formulation, treatment matching, and ethical responsibility in an era of expanding diagnostic language. Takeaways: Complex PTSD lacks consensus diagnostic criteria, raising concerns about discriminant validity when compared with borderline personality disorder and PTSD.Diagnostic reliability is not the same as validity, a central limitation of DSM-based classification systems.Borderline personality disorder encompasses heterogeneous pathways, including, but not limited to, trauma exposure.Mislabeling can lead to mismatched treatment, particularly when trauma-focused approaches obscure underlying personality pathology.Thoughtful diagnosis strengthens, rather than harms, therapeutic alliance when delivered with empathy, dimensional framing, and attention to prognosis. SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beat the Boards⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boot camp listeners now get FREE access to over 4400 exam-style questions) Cozy Earth: Start the New Year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves, and make home the best part of life. Head to http://www.cozyearth.com and use my code BOOTCAMP for up to 20% off. And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here! Learn more and get transcripts for EVERY episode at https://www.psychiatrybootcamp.com/ For Sales Inquiries & Ad Rates, Please Contact:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sales@Human-Content.Com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with HumanContent on Socials: @humancontentpods Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Human Content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 2 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I'm a new PMHNP and when you come out of school, you have all of this what I call "walking around" or "back pocket" knowledge. Dr. Mullen and his guest speakers are a wealth of knowledge for how to take that walking around knowledge and put it into practical application. It's well put together information from a realistic perspective. I'm working my way through all the episodes and I haven't been disappointed yet.

A 5/5 from a PMHNP

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am a nurse working in DNP, PMHNP. This podcast is a great way to learn, solidify learned information and hear a new perspective. I will definitely continue to follow and come back to certain episodes! The host is great and the expert guests are incredible! I almost feel guilty about the “free education” I’m getting!

Amazing, entertaining and educational!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am able to listen to in the car. It is entertaining and informative. Great balance of antidotal information from the experts and test preparation

Deep Dive interviews

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.