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Ram Sharma, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Expertise & Research Interests
- Psychiatric Clinical Research
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Treatment Resistant Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- Sleep
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Psychiatry
Education
- Residency, ChristianaCare, Delaware
- M.D., LLRM Medical College
Ram Sharma, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Ram Sharma is a psychiatrist with the Behavioral Health Unit at ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital. He has spoken to the news media about bipolar disorder, and his areas of interest include sleep and its impact on psychiatric illnesses.
Experience
Downloadable Images and Links
Media Appearances
He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Nearly a year later, he died by suicide in prison
2023-03-28 , Delaware News Journal
Bipolar disorder and its signs
While bipolar disorder — or any other mental illness — does not make someone more likely to be violent or commit a crime, manic episodes increase the likelihood of someone engaging in impulsive or risky behavior, according to Dr. Ram Sharma, a psychiatrist with the Behavioral Health Unit at ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital.
While bipolar disorder — or any other mental illness — does not make someone more likely to be violent or commit a crime, manic episodes increase the likelihood of someone engaging in impulsive or risky behavior, according to Dr. Ram Sharma, a psychiatrist with the Behavioral Health Unit at ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital.
Selected Papers and Publications
Access to Virtual Care: A New Social Determinant of Health
2022
The novel COVID-19 illness has changed the world as we know it. The public health measures to contain the highly contagious virus mostly included social distancing, wearing a mask and hand hygiene. Our conventional daily routines adapted to accommodate for the need of the hour including the health care sector, hospital systems transformed their approach to provide timely and easy access to care for patients. However, challenges to provide standard of care were anticipated as neither the hospitals nor the patients were prepared initially for this sudden transition. Virtual care has seen tremendous growth in the United States since the pandemic started in 2020, and unprecedented progress has been made in the last year to provide patients virtual care that is well incorporated with their goals, accessibility and at the same time provide quality of care.
The novel COVID-19 illness has changed the world as we know it. The public health measures to contain the highly contagious virus mostly included social distancing, wearing a mask and hand hygiene. Our conventional daily routines adapted to accommodate for the need of the hour including the health care sector, hospital systems transformed their approach to provide timely and easy access to care for patients. However, challenges to provide standard of care were anticipated as neither the hospitals nor the patients were prepared initially for this sudden transition. Virtual care has seen tremendous growth in the United States since the pandemic started in 2020, and unprecedented progress has been made in the last year to provide patients virtual care that is well incorporated with their goals, accessibility and at the same time provide quality of care.
Alcohol Withdrawal Rates in Hospitalized Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is disrupting communities across the globe, causing physical, mental, and financial distress.1 Economic crises have been associated with increased alcohol consumption.2 Necessary public health measures may exacerbate isolation and stress, negatively impacting those who are at risk for harmful alcohol use. Increased alcohol use has been documented in the US and other countries during the pandemic, and a recent study3 has identified associated consequences. Alcohol withdrawal (AW) is a potentially dangerous complication of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in up to 8% of all hospitalized patients with AUD.4 AW has been suspected to worsen after the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders,5 but, to our knowledge, no objective data have been reported in the literature. We hypothesized that AW rates in hospitalized patients with AUD increased during the pandemic and conducted a cohort study at Christiana Care, a large, tertiary care hospital system in Newark, Delaware.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is disrupting communities across the globe, causing physical, mental, and financial distress.1 Economic crises have been associated with increased alcohol consumption.2 Necessary public health measures may exacerbate isolation and stress, negatively impacting those who are at risk for harmful alcohol use. Increased alcohol use has been documented in the US and other countries during the pandemic, and a recent study3 has identified associated consequences. Alcohol withdrawal (AW) is a potentially dangerous complication of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in up to 8% of all hospitalized patients with AUD.4 AW has been suspected to worsen after the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders,5 but, to our knowledge, no objective data have been reported in the literature. We hypothesized that AW rates in hospitalized patients with AUD increased during the pandemic and conducted a cohort study at Christiana Care, a large, tertiary care hospital system in Newark, Delaware.
Sleep oscillation-specific associations with Alzheimer’s disease CSF biomarkers: novel roles for sleep spindles and tau
2019
Background
Based on associations between sleep spindles, cognition, and sleep-dependent memory processing, here we evaluated potential relationships between levels of CSF Aβ42, P-tau, and T-tau with sleep spindle density and other biophysical properties of sleep spindles in a sample of cognitively normal elderly individuals.
Methods
One-night in-lab nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and morning to early afternoon CSF collection were performed to measure CSF Aβ42, P-tau and T-tau. Seven days of actigraphy were collected to assess habitual total sleep time.
Background
Based on associations between sleep spindles, cognition, and sleep-dependent memory processing, here we evaluated potential relationships between levels of CSF Aβ42, P-tau, and T-tau with sleep spindle density and other biophysical properties of sleep spindles in a sample of cognitively normal elderly individuals.
Methods
One-night in-lab nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and morning to early afternoon CSF collection were performed to measure CSF Aβ42, P-tau and T-tau. Seven days of actigraphy were collected to assess habitual total sleep time.
Obstructive sleep apnea and longitudinal Alzheimer’s disease biomarker changes
2019
Study Objectives
To determine the effect of self-reported clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on longitudinal changes in brain amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, T-tau, and P-tau) in cognitively normal (NL), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) elderly,
Study Objectives
To determine the effect of self-reported clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on longitudinal changes in brain amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, T-tau, and P-tau) in cognitively normal (NL), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) elderly,
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity Affects Amyloid Burden in Cognitively Normal Elderly. A Longitudinal Study
2017
Rationale: Recent evidence suggests that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for developing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. However, how sleep apnea affects longitudinal risk for Alzheimer’s disease is less well understood.
Objectives: To test the hypothesis that there is an association between severity of OSA and longitudinal increase in amyloid burden in cognitively normal elderly.
Rationale: Recent evidence suggests that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for developing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. However, how sleep apnea affects longitudinal risk for Alzheimer’s disease is less well understood.
Objectives: To test the hypothesis that there is an association between severity of OSA and longitudinal increase in amyloid burden in cognitively normal elderly.
Research Focus
Research Focus
2024-09-18 ,
Sleep Disorders in Psychiatry
Circadian Rhythm Disorders in Mental Health
Real World Data Implications on Mental Health
Virtual Care
Circadian Rhythm Disorders in Mental Health
Real World Data Implications on Mental Health
Virtual Care
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Ram Sharma, M.D.
Psychiatrist
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