Erica Dolores Sood, PhD

Psychology

Primary Office

Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803 Appointment: (800) 416-4441

Other Offices

Get to Know Me

Erica Sood, PhD is a pediatric psychologist in the Nemours Cardiac Center at duPont Hospital for Children. Her clinical care and research focuses on improving the developmental and psychological outcomes of children with congenital heart disease. She directs the Nemours Cardiac Learning and Early Development (LEAD) Program and trains psychology trainees in the specialty area of cardiac neurodevelopment.

Why I Treat Children

I treat infants and children because of the opportunity to identify challenges (and strengths) early, and to promote positive developmental and psychological outcomes through early intervention. I often see infants and children thrive through early detection of emerging challenges and the support of developmental specialists in the home, community and school.

What I'm Passionate About

I am passionate about improving the care and outcomes of patients with congenital heart disease and their families by integrating developmental and psychosocial interventions into cardiac care.  My medical interests include: assessing early childhood development after heart surgery  promotion of healthy social, emotional, and behavioral functioning in pediatric cardiac patients  cardiac neurodevelopment psychosocial interventions for congenital heart disease

How I Try to Make A Difference

I try to make a difference by providing clinical care that is patient- and family-centered, conducting research to identify optimal models of neurodevelopmental and psychosocial care, and training students and junior faculty in the specialty area of cardiac neurodevelopment care.

Education & Training

Fellowship

  • Pediatric Psychology - Nemours Childrens Hospital, Delaware, 2010

Internship

  • Pediatric Psychology - Nemours Childrens Hospital, Delaware, 2009

Medical/Dental School

  • PhD - Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, 2009
  • PhD - Temple University, 2009

Awards & Recognition

  • 2019 Donald K. Routh Early Career Award, Society of Pediatric Psychology – American Psychological Association
  • 2019 Excellence in Scholarship Award, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health PA Kids HMO
  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna PPO/POS/EPO
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware
  • Cigna Behavioral Health
  • Community Care Behavioral Health
  • Compsych DE
  • Delaware First Health
  • Emerging Therapies Transplant
  • Fidelis Care NJ Medicaid HMO
  • Global Medical Managment DE/PA
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
  • Highmark Medicaid Health Options
  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan
  • Insurance Administrators of America
  • INTEGRA Administrative Group (ClaimsBridge)
  • Interlink Transplant
  • Keystone First CHIP
  • Maryland Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • National Transplant (Humana)
  • New Jersey Medicaid
  • Pennsylvania Medicaid
  • Preferred Healthcare PPO
  • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
  • Qualcare HMO/POS/PPO
  • Six Degrees Health-Lucent
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA
  • USFHP-John Hopkins

  • Adjustment to Medical Illness
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Autism
  • Depressive Disorders
  • Disruptive Behavior
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

  • Advancing prenatal counseling and support for parents carrying a fetus with a congenital anomaly: a scoping review of key characteristics and practices; American Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology Mfm; (2026).

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  • Challenges, Preparations, and Recommendations: Family Perspectives on Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Across Childhood and Adolescence; Journal of Family Nursing; (2026).

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  • Clinician Perceptions of Barriers and Strategies to Improve Pediatric Hypertension Detection; JAMA network open; (2026).

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  • Early Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Patients Who Undergo Hybrid Stage I Palliation Compared to Norwood Stage I Palliation for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome; Pediatric Cardiology; (2026).

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  • Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Changes over Time and Associations with Neurodevelopmental and Clinical Factors; Journal of Pediatrics; (2026).

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  • Siblings of young children with congenital heart disease: parent perspectives from a crowdsourcing study; Journal of Pediatric Psychology; (2026).

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  • Stress, coping, protective factors, and quality of life in parents of infants with CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2026).

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  • All in the Family; Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing; (2025).

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  • Barriers and Facilitators to a Safe Discharge for High-Risk Children With Congenital Heart Disease; Hospital Pediatrics; (2025).

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  • Crème de la Conference: 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery–WCPCCS 2023; Journal of the American Heart Association; (2025).

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  • Increasing Capacity to Address Emotional Health for Children with Chronic Conditions and their Families: Roles for Pediatric Psychologists; Translational Behavioral Medicine; (2025).

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  • Increasing the reach of developmental services among children with congenital heart disease; Pediatric Research; (2025).

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  • Interpersonal relationships after prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease: Social stressors and supports; Journal of Perinatology; (2025).

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  • Loss and Grief in Parents of Children Hospitalized for Congenital Heart Disease; Hospital Pediatrics; (2025).

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  • Parent Needs, Recommendations, and Systemic Challenges Affecting Pediatric Hypertension Detection; Journal of Clinical Hypertension; (2025).

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  • Predictors of Early Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Report from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Medrxiv; (2025).

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  • Qualitative Analysis of Point of Care Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: Patient, Parent, and Primary Care Provider Perspectives; American Journal of Hypertension; (2025).

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  • Correction to; Maternal and Child Health Journal; (2024).

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  • Development of the data registry for the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2024).

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  • Disease-modifying therapies for sickle cell disease: Decisional needs and supports among adolescents and young adults; Pediatric Blood and Cancer; (2024).

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  • Experiences of fetal care, social support, and emotional functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic in women carrying a fetus with CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2024).

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  • Meeting Parents' Needs for Education and Preparation following Congenital Heart Disease Diagnosis; American Journal of Perinatology; (2024).

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  • Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Individuals With Congenital Heart Disease: Updates in Neuroprotection, Risk-Stratification, Evaluation, and Management: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association; Circulation; (2024).

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  • Parent and Primary Care Clinician Perceptions About Pediatric Hypertension; JAMA Network Open; (2024).

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  • Priorities for Well Child Care of Families Affected by Parental Opioid Use Disorder; Journal of Addiction Medicine; (2024).

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  • User-Centered Development of HEARTPrep, a Digital Health Psychosocial Intervention for Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease; Journal of Patient Experience; (2024).

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  • A Psychosocial Care Model for Families Affected by Congenital Heart Disease*; Pediatric Critical Care Medicine; (2023).

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  • Barriers and facilitators to discussing parent mental health within child health care; Journal of Child Health Care; (2023).

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  • Factors Associated With Attendance for Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Evaluation; Pediatrics; (2023).

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  • Group Well Child Care for Mothers with Opioid Use Disorder; Maternal and Child Health Journal; (2023).

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  • Normalize-Ask-Pause-Connect; Journal of Pediatrics; (2023).

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  • Opportunities to Increase Well-Child Care Engagement for Families Affected by Maternal Opioid Use Disorder; Academic Pediatrics; (2023).

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  • Prevalence and associated factors of post-traumatic stress disorder in parents whose infants have single ventricle heart disease; Cardiology in the Young; (2023).

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  • The Child Healthcare at MATER Pediatric Study (CHAMPS); Trials; (2023).

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  • The Relationship of Family Factors to Psychosocial Outcomes in Children with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome at 6 Years of Age; Journal of Pediatrics; (2023).

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  • Virtually Delivered Psychosocial Intervention for Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease; Pediatric Cardiology; (2023).

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  • Coping strategies used by mothers and fathers following diagnosis of congenital heart disease; Child: Care, Health and Development; (2022).

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  • COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales for Adolescents and Young Adults; Journal of Pediatric Psychology; (2022).

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  • Establishing a Valid, Reliable, and Efficient Chart Review Process for Research in Pediatric Integrated Primary Care Psychology; Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings; (2022).

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  • Opportunities to enhance parental well-being during prenatal counseling for congenital heart disease; Seminars in Perinatology; (2022).

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  • Parental post-traumatic stress, overprotective parenting, and emotional and behavioural problems for children with critical congenital heart disease; Cardiology in the Young; (2022).

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  • Partnering With Stakeholders to Inform the Co-Design of a Psychosocial Intervention for Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease; Journal of Patient Experience; (2022).

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  • Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease Research Challenges and Opportunities; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; (2022).

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  • Validation of the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales; Journal of Pediatric Psychology; (2022).

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  • Characterisation of neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales; Journal of Pediatric Psychology; (2021).

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  • Impact of Social Determinants and Digital Literacy on Telehealth Acceptance for Pediatric Cardiology Care Delivery during the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic; Journal of Pediatrics; (2021).

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  • Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial interventions for individuals with CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • Optimising neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes for survivors with CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • Parent mental health and family functioning following diagnosis of CHD: a research agenda and recommendations from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • Supporting transition to the bereaved community after the death of a child; Pediatrics; (2021).

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  • The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • The origins and development of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2021).

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  • Topical Review; Journal of Pediatric Psychology; (2021).

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  • Fathers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease; Pediatric Critical Care Medicine; (2020).

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  • Parent Perspectives on Family-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Congenital Heart Disease; Journal of Pediatrics; (2020).

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  • Promoting Parent Partnership in Developmentally Supportive Care for Infants in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit; Advances in Neonatal Care; (2020).

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  • Reply; Journal of Pediatrics; (2020).

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  • Supporting parenting during infant hospitalisation for CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2020).

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  • The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2020).

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  • The origins and development of the cardiac neurodevelopment outcome collaborative; Cardiology in the Young; (2020).

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  • Utilization of Integrated and Colocated Behavioral Health Models in Pediatric Primary Care; Clinical Pediatrics; (2020).

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  • Variations in practice in cardiac neurodevelopmental follow-up programs; Cardiology in the Young; (2020).

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  • Mental health care for parents of babies with congenital heart disease during intensive care unit admission; Early Human Development; (2019).

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  • Social Risk Factors Impact Hospital Readmission and Outpatient Appointment Adherence for Children with Congenital Heart Disease; Journal of Pediatrics; (2019).

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  • Mothers and fathers experience stress of congenital heart disease differently; Pediatric Critical Care Medicine; (2018).

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  • Utilisation of early intervention services in young children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome; Cardiology in the Young; (2018).

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  • Developmental screening in children with CHD; Cardiology in the Young; (2017).

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  • Invited Commentary; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2017).

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  • Childhood Psychosocial Determinants of Cardiovascular Health; Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports; (2016).

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  • Developmental care in North American pediatric cardiac intensive care units; Advances in Neonatal Care; (2016).

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  • Provider Communication Regarding Psychosocial Factors Predicts Pain Beliefs in Parent and Child; Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics; (2016).

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  • Systematic psychosocial screening in a paediatric cardiology clinic; Cardiology in the Young; (2016).

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  • Using qualitative research methods to improve clinical care in pediatric psychology; Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology; (2016).

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  • Preventing Cardiovascular Disease Going beyond Conventional Risk Assessment; Circulation; (2015).

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  • Factors associated with neurodevelopment for children with single ventricle lesions; Journal of Pediatrics; (2014).

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  • Monitoring developmental risk and promoting success for children with congenital heart disease; Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology; (2014).

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  • Neurodevelopmental outcomes after infant cardiac surgery with circulatory arrest and intermittent perfusion; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2014).

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  • Supporting development in children with congenital heart disease; Circulation; (2014).

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  • A predictive model for neurodevelopmental outcome after the norwood procedure; Pediatric Cardiology; (2013).

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  • Predictive value of perioperative near-infrared spectroscopy for neurodevelopmental outcomes after cardiac surgery in infancy; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2013).

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  • Acculturation, Religiosity, and Ethnicity Predict Mothers' Causal Beliefs About Separation Anxiety Disorder and Preferences for Help-Seeking; Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology; (2012).

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  • Early developmental outcome in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and related anomalies; Circulation; (2012).

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  • Mother-father informant discrepancies regarding diabetes management; Health Psychology; (2012).

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  • Predictive value of near-infrared spectroscopy on neurodevelopmental outcome after surgery for congenital heart disease in infancy; Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; (2012).

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  • Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in parents of children with anxiety disorders; Child Psychiatry and Human Development; (2009).

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  • Changes in emotion regulation following cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious youth; Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology; (2009).

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  • "I'd Rather Not Talk About It"; Journal of Family Psychology; (2008).

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  • Flexibility within fidelity; Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; (2008).

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  • Assessing anxious self-talk in youth; Cognitive Therapy and Research; (2007).

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  • Positron emission tomography imaging of risperidone augmentation in serotonin reuptake inhibitor-refractory patients; Neuropsychobiology; (2006).

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  • Does sustained-release lithium reduce impulsive gambling and affective instability versus placebo in pathological gamblers with bipolar spectrum disorders?; American Journal of Psychiatry; (2005).

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  • Imaging monetary reward in pathological gamblers; World Journal of Biological Psychiatry; (2005).

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  • Pharmacological treatments of pathological gambling; Journal of Gambling Studies; (2005).

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  • Diagnosis and treatment of pathologic gambling; Current Psychiatry Reports; (2003).

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  • Risperidone augmentation in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder; International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology; (2003).

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  • Lithium and valproate treatment of pathological gambling; Journal of Clinical Psychiatry; (2002).

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  • Nefazodone treatment of pathological gambling; Journal of Clinical Psychiatry; (2002).

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  • English