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Psychiatry Boot Camp

Psychiatry Boot Camp

By: Mark Mullen MD
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 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
  • 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
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Severe Mental Illness Behind Bars: A Breakdown in Care with Jesse Bogan

    Severe Mental Illness Behind Bars: A Breakdown in Care with Jesse Bogan
    Feb 9 2026
    In this episode of Psychiatry Bootcamp, Dr. Mark Mullen speaks with Jesse Bogan, journalist with The Marshall Project, about a profound and often invisible failure at the intersection of psychiatry and the criminal legal system: the prolonged incarceration of individuals found incompetent to stand trial without access to timely psychiatric treatment.Using Missouri as a case study, the conversation traces how defendants with severe mental illness can spend months to years in jail awaiting competency evaluations and restoration, despite legal mandates requiring prompt assessment and care. Jesse shares detailed reporting on systemic delays, limited forensic bed capacity, underfunded community mental health services, and pilot programs that have failed to meet the clinical needs of profoundly ill patients.The episode examines ethical and constitutional implications, including potential violations of the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial, and highlights the human cost of untreated psychosis, mania, and depression in carceral settings. This discussion challenges clinicians to confront how structural failures transform jails into default psychiatric holding facilities and asks what role psychiatry must play in reform. Takeaways: Incompetency to stand trial creates legal limbo. Defendants may be jailed for years while their criminal cases are paused, awaiting psychiatric treatment that is legally required but operationally unavailable.Jails are not treatment settings. Severe mental illness often worsens during prolonged incarceration, reducing the likelihood of competency restoration and increasing morbidity and mortality.Systemic underfunding drives criminalization. Gaps in outpatient care, involuntary treatment mechanisms, and forensic infrastructure funnel untreated patients into the justice system.Competency restoration programs have limits. Jail-based and mobile models often fail for patients who are too psychotic or disorganized to engage meaningfully in treatment.This is a national problem. While Missouri is highlighted, similar backlogs and constitutional concerns exist across the United States and internationally. 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
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment in Modern Psychiatry with Dr. Dinah Miller

    Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment in Modern Psychiatry with Dr. Dinah Miller
    Jan 26 2026
    In this episode of Psychiatry Bootcamp, Dr. Mark Mullen is joined by Dr. Dinah Miller, psychiatrist, writer, and author of Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care, for a rigorous examination of civil commitment and involuntary treatment in modern psychiatry. The conversation explores the legal structures underlying involuntary hospitalization, medication over objection, and outpatient civil commitment, while highlighting the profound ethical tensions between patient autonomy, public safety, and clinical responsibility. Dr. Miller traces the historical evolution of involuntary care, examines why state systems vary so widely, and explains why outcomes data remain limited and difficult to interpret. Listeners will gain a framework for understanding the competing advocacy groups shaping policy, the real-world consequences of emergency department boarding and bed shortages, and the psychological impact involuntary care can have on patients long after discharge. The episode also addresses language, stigma, and how psychiatrists can practice humane, ethically grounded care even when coercion is unavoidable. This is a sober, thoughtful discussion of one of psychiatry’s most challenging responsibilities. Takeaways: Civil commitment is distinct from forensic commitment, yet often conflated in public discourse and policy discussions. Evidence linking involuntary treatment to improved public safety is limited, in part due to ethical and methodological constraints on research. System failures (bed shortages, ED boarding, lack of housing) amplify the harms of coercive care, even when clinically justified. Outpatient commitment models vary widely, with New York’s AOT program offering one of the most studied but resource-intensive approaches. How psychiatrists communicate, document, and set boundaries during involuntary care profoundly affects patient trust and future engagement. 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
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    1 hr
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