People often ask me how my last name is pronounced: is it MAA-go or MAY-go? So I tell them “It’s like asking your mother to leave–MA-go!” 🙂
My first name, Rajnish, is hard for many people to pronounce, so I tell everybody, including my patients, to just call me “Raj.”
I help persons with clinical depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and ADHD with expert use of both medication and psychotherapy. I have over 30 years of experience in treating patients, including persons who have “treatment-resistant” illnesses and those who have not improved with treatment elsewhere. For over 20 years, I have been teaching psychiatry residents and practicing psychiatrists about how to better help their patients.
I provide a detailed, careful evaluation so that I can clearly answer what the diagnosis is and what exactly needs to be done. I provide a systematic plan for treatment.
I am board-certified in both Psychiatry and in Psychosomatic Medicine (treatment of psychiatric problems in persons who also have other medical illnesses).
As an educator
(At the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO, where I did a lecture for over 800 mental health clinicians; August 2019).
I am currently the Director of the Psychopharmacology Curriculum for the Penn Psychiatry Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. I also teach psychiatry residents at the SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. Previously, for 13 years, I was Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Director of the Mood Disorders Program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. One of my roles there was to conduct research on developing better treatments for mood disorders and on identifying and managing the side effects of medications. Lastly, through my website, simpleandpractical.com, I continue to educate thousands of psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians in the US and around the world.
My two books, written for clinicians, The Latest Antidepressants and Side Effects of Psychiatric Medications have received rave reviews on amazon.com. Through my website simpleandpractical.com, I have helped to educate thousands of doctors and therapists in over 75 countries. As Chair of the Education Committee of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and Chair of the Education Committee of the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society, I continue to strive to bring the best quality education to psychiatrists in our region.
My training
I am originally from India and have been in the US since January 1995. I went to the King George’s Medical School in Lucknow, India for medical school (1983 to 1988), internship (1988 to 1989), and residency in psychiatry (1989 to 1992). After my training in psychiatry was over, I worked as a post-residency Chief Resident at the same medical school for one year. After that, I moved to New Delhi where my family lived and worked as a Senior Resident in psychiatry at the Lady Harding Medical College.
When I immigrated to the US, I had to repeat my internship and residency in psychiatry. I did my internship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University) and then three years of residency in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Following residency training, I worked at a community hospital in New Jersey for 4 years before joining the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. I worked there for 13 years, rising to the rank of full Professor.
Awards and Honors
2023 Outstanding Academician Award from the Indo-American Psychiatric Society (IAPA)
2019 Albert Stunkard Faculty Recognition Award from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
2019 Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology
2014 Psychiatric Educator of the Year award from the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society.
2013 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education at Jefferson Medical College which recognizes faculty who have provided outstanding and sustained contributions to the education of Jefferson’s students, residents, and/or faculty.
2013 Sylvan Green Award from the Society for Clinical Trials. The award recognizes the best abstract submitted for the Society’s annual meeting and was awarded for the paper titled Identifying Potential Adverse Effects by Patients’ Ratings: A Proof-of-Concept Study of a Novel Approach, which was presented at the 2013 annual meeting.
2013 Elected as Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
2012 Robert Waelder Award for “distinguished and outstanding service as a teacher in psychiatry” presented by the graduating residents – Class of 2012. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
2012 Elected as Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
2011 Elected as Member of the American College of Psychiatrists.
2011 Daniel Blain Award for dedication and service to the profession of psychiatry from the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society.
2011 Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Teaching Residents from the American Psychiatric Association. The award is given annually to APA members who have made “outstanding and sustaining contributions to resident education in psychiatry.”
2010 18th Annual Nancy C.A. Roeske MD, Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education from the American Psychiatric Association. This Certificate of Recognition is awarded annually to APA members and fellows who have made “outstanding and sustaining contributions to medical student education.”
2010 Recognized as being among the top 10% of Reviewers in 2009 for the Annals of Internal Medicine.
2009 First Annual Minakshi Chatterjee Memorial Lecture from the NorthEast Community Center for Mental Health/ Mental Retardation. December 1, 2009.
2008 New Investigators’ award for the NCDEU annual meeting from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
2008 Young Investigator Award from NARSAD.
2006 Young Investigator Award from NARSAD.
2005 American Psychiatric Association: Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, May 2005.
2004 Travel Award from the NIMH to attend the Career Development Institute: Booster Session and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting, San Juan, December 2004.
2004 American Psychiatric Association Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, May 2004.
2004 Future Leaders in Psychiatry, Emory University, April 2004.
2004 Career Development Institute, University of Pittsburgh, April 2004.
1984 Abdullah Haji Omar Memorial Trophy and Gold Medal for the Best All-Round Student.
1984 Gold medal for the Best Article in the Journal of the Anatomical Society of the King George’s Medical College, Lucknow, India.
1984 Second prize for my original research paper (“ Morphology of the Anterior Cerebral Artery”).
Publications
1. Richards C, Iosifescu D, Mago R, Sarkis E, Geibel B, BA, Dauphin M, Zajecka J, McIntyre RS, Weisler R, Sambunaris A, Brawman-Mintzer O, Gu J, Madhoo M. A 12-Month, Open-Label, Extension Study of the Safety and Tolerability of Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate for Major Depressive Disorder in Adults With Inadequate Response to Antidepressant Therapy. In preparation.
2. Mago R, Kamat S, Guiraud-Diawara A, Legacy S, Duffy R, Ke X, Baker R, Hammer-Helmich L, Fornal A, Wang L, Stephenson J. Prevalence of anxiety, activation, and fatigue among treated major depressive disorder patients and estimation of medical costs in a US commercially insured population. In preparation.
3. Legacy SN, McMorrow D, Duffy R, Kamat SA, Johnston S, Guiraud-Diawara A, Eramo A, Fornal A, Mago R. Delay in use of adjunct atypical antipsychotic treatment for major depressive disorder is associated with higher physician office visits and costs. In preparation.
4. Richards C, Iosifescu D, Mago R, Sarkis E, Reynolds J, Dauphin M, Geibel B, Zajecka J. Dose-Ranging and Efficacy and Safety of Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Augmentation for Major Depressive Disorder in Adults With Inadequate Response to Antidepressant Therapy. In preparation.
5. Mago R, Gupta S, Huhn K, Shah R. Genetic Polymorphisms and Antidepressant Adverse Effects. Submitted for publication.
6. Mago R. Adverse effects of psychotropic medications: A call to action. Psych Clinics North America. In press.
7. Sayadipour A, Kepler C, Mago R, Certa K, Rasouli M, Vacarro A, Albert T, Anderson D. Economic effects of anti-depressant usage on elective lumbar fusion surgery. Arch Bone Jt Surg. 2016;4(3):231-235.
8. Mago R, Mahajan R, Borra D. Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction: An updated review. Current Sexual Health Reports 2014;6(3):177-183.
9. Mago R, Borra D, Mahajan R. Role of adverse effects in medication nonadherence in bipolar disorder. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014 Nov-Dec;22(6):363-6.
10. Mago R, Tripathi N, Andrade C. Cardiovascular adverse effects of newer antidepressants. Expert Rev Neurother. 2014 May;14(5):539-51.
11. Mago R, Mahajan R, Thase M. Levomilnacipran for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2014;7(2):137-45.
12. Mago, R, Forero, G, Greenberg, WM, Gommoll, C, Chen, C. Safety and Tolerability of Levomilnacipran ER in Major Depressive Disorder: Results from an Open-Label, 48-Week Extension Study. Clin Drug Investig. 2013;33:761-771.
13. Mago R, Thase ME, Rovner BW. Antidepressant-Induced Excessive Sweating: Clinical Features and Treatment with Terazosin. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2013;25(2):E1-E7.
14. Mago, R. Ending a physician/patient relationship: 8 tips for writing a termination letter. Current Psychiatry 2013;12(6):47.
15. Mago R, Mahajan R, Borra D. Adverse effects and nonadherence with mood stabilizers. J Mood Disorders. 2013;3(suppl 1): S4-S6.
16. Mago, R. Lamotrigine for major depressive disorder is inappropriate. Psychiatric Times 2013;30(4):31-32.
17. Mago, R. Glycopyrrolate for Antidepressant-Associated Excessive Sweating. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2013;33(2):279-80.
18. Mago, R. Antidepressants and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Psychiatric Times 2012;29(8):30-31.
19. Mago, R. Bupropion after non-response or partial response to an SSRI or SNRI? Psychiatric Times 2012;29(3): 10, 16.
20. Mago R. Reducing CYP450 drug interactions caused by antidepressants. Current Psychiatry 2012;11(9):55.
21. Mago R, Kloos A, Daskalakis C, Shwarz M, Rovner BW. Identifying Potential Adverse Effects by Patient Ratings: A Proof-of-Concept Study of a Novel Approach. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2012;32(6):828-31.
22. Sayadipour A, Mago, R, Kepler, CK, Chambliss, RB, Certa, KM, Vaccaro, AR, Albert, TJ, Anderson, DG. Antidepressants and the risk of abnormal bleeding during spinal surgery: a case-control study. Eur Spine J. 2012;21(10):2070-8.
23. Mago, R. Efficacy of drugs in bipolar depression: what the data show. Psychiatric Times 2010; 27(5).
24. Mago, R. Practical implications of a study on treating chronic insomnia. Psychiatric Times 2009;26.
25. Mago, R, Mahajan, R, Thase, M: Medically serious adverse effects of newer antidepressants. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2008;10(3):249-57.
26. Mago R, Mahajan R, Sciamanna, C: 12 best Web sites for clinical needs. Current Psychiatry 7(11):47-8, 2008.
27. Mago R: Proposed Strategies for Successful Clinical Management with Aripiprazole. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 9(8):1279-90, 2008.
28. Mago R, Chism, L, Pinninti, N, Certa, K: Urinary Retention Associated With Ziprasidone. J Clin Psychiatry. 69(3):499-500, 2008.
29. Mago R, Mahajan, R, McFadden, R: Missed appointments: How to help patients to avoid them. Current Psychiatry 6(12):77-78, 2007.
30. Kay A, Mago, R: Tips for telling your patient good-bye. Current Psychiatry 6(11):45-46, 2007.
31. Mago R, Monti, D: Antiadrenergic treatment of antidepressant-induced excessive sweating in 3 patients. J Clin Psychiatry. 68(4):639-40, 2007.
32. Mago R, Anolik R, Johnson RA, Kunkel EJ: Recurrent priapism associated with use of aripiprazole. J Clin Psychiatry. 67(9):1471-2, 2006.
33. Pinninti NR, Mago R, Adityanjee: Tardive dystonia associated prescription of aripiprazole. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006 Summer;18(3):426-7.
34. Patkar AA, Peindl K, Mago, R, Mannelli, P, Masand, PS: An open-label, rater-blinded, augmentation study of aripiprazole in treatment-resistant depression. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry 2006;8:82-87.
35. Mago R, Pinninti NR: 7 steps to successfully switching antipsychotics. Current Psychiatry 5(7):114-115, 2006.
36. Mago, R, Kipnis, D: Atypicals are really typicals now. Psychiatry 2006;3(2):20-21.
37. Kash, K, Mago, R, Duffany, S, Kunkel, EJS: Psycho-oncology: review and update. Current Psychiatry Reports 2006 Jun;8:246-252.
38. Mago, R, Gomez, JP, Gupta, N, Kunkel, EJS: Anxiety in medically ill patients. Current Psychiatry Reports 2006 Jun;8:228-233.
39. Mago, R, Kunkel, EJS, Stinnett, J: Pearls in competency evaluations. Psychiatry 2006;3(2):20-21.
40. Mago R, Huege S, Ahuja, N, Kunkel, EJS: Zonisamide-induced suicidal ideation. Psychosomatics. 2006 Jan-Feb;47(1):68-9.
41. Pinninti NR, Mago R, Townsend, J, Doghramji, K: Periodic Restless Legs Syndrome Associated with Quetiapine Use: A Case Report. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 25(6):617-618, 2005.
42. Monti, DA, Mago R, Kunkel, EJ: Practical Geriatrics: Depression, cognition, and anxiety among postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Psychiatr Serv 56(11):1353-1355, 2005.
43. Kay, A, Mago, R: Medications for indigent patients. Current Psychiatry 2005;4(7):3.
44. Masand, PS, Mago, R: Second-generation Antipsychotics and the Metabolic Syndrome. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2005 Jun;7(3):153-4.
45. Pinninti, NR, Mago, R, de Leon, J: Coffee, Cigarettes and Meds: What Are the Metabolic Effects? Psychiatric Times 2005; 22:6:20-23.
46. Masand, PS, Mago, R: Duloxetine for pain symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2005 Jun;7(3):203-5.
47. Masand P, Mago, R: Review: in people with bipolar disorder, short term antidepressants improve clinical response, although tricyclics risk inducing mania. Evid Based Ment Health. 2005 May;8(2):35.
48. Pinninti, NR, Mago R: In-session anxiety: 5 steps to help patients relax. Current Psychiatry 4(8):49, 2005.
49. Pinninti, NR, Mago R: Injection site pain with long-acting risperidone. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 May;66(5):656-657.
50. Kash, KM, Mago R, Kunkel, EJ: Psychosocial oncology: Supportive care for the cancer patient. Seminars in Oncology. 32(2):211-8, 2005.
51. Pinninti, NR, Mago R: Use of long-acting risperidone. Psychiatr Serv. 56(1):105, 2005.
52. Kenning T, Mago R, Huege, S, Certa, K, Pelchat, R: Electroconvulsive therapy: review and update. Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry. 19(1):2-12, 2005.
53. Mago R, Certa K, Markov, D, Kunkel, EJS: Suicide risk assessments. Current Psychiatry 3(7):2-6, 2004.
54. Patkar, AA, Mago, R, Masand, PS: Psychotic symptoms in patients with medical disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports 2004 Jun;6(3):216-24.
55. Mago R: Searching the medical literature for case reports. J Clin Psychiatry 65(3):444-445, 2004.
56. Mago R, Joshi G: Mutiaxial problem list. Current Psychiatry 3(3):77-78, 2004.
57. Mago R: Bipolar disorder questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry 158(10)1743-4, 2001.
58. Mago R, Bilker, W, Ten Have, T, Harralson, T, Streim, J, Parmalee, P, Katz, IR: Clinical laboratory measures in relation to depression, disability, and cognitive impairment in elderly patients. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 8(4):327-32, 2000.
59. Mago R, Berlin, M: Older patients and health care utilization. Am J Psychiatry 157(4):661-2, 2000.
60. Mago R, Crits-Christoph, P: Prevention of recurrent depression with cognitive behavioral therapy. Arch Gen Psychiatry 56(5):479-80, 1999.
61. Mago R, Petty, R, Wolpe PR: Placebos in research. Psychiatr Serv 50(4):568, 1999.
62. Mago R, Crits-Christoph P: Evaluating reporting and abstracts of clinical trials. JAMA. 281(1):34-5, 1999.
63. Mago, R: Book review. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 1992; 34(4):i-ii.
64. Sharma, M, Katiyar, M, Mago, R: Diagnosis and comorbidity of anxiety disorders. Proceedings of the Mid-term Continuing Medical Education Program of the Indian Psychiatric Society, Lucknow, August-September, 1991.
65. Agarwal S, Lata, A, Mago, R, Trivedi, JK: A case of pseudoepileptic seizures presenting as Jacksonian march. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 33(4):318-320, 1991.
66. Mago R: A study of the use of thyroxine along with imipramine in depression. Thesis for M.D. Psychiatry degree accepted by the University of Lucknow, 1991.