Integrative Psychiatry

Integrative psychiatry takes a whole person approach to mental health by helping to improve all areas of your health to enhance and promote better psychological well-being and cognitive function.

 

If you are feeling depressed or anxious and seek help from a traditional primary care physician or psychiatrist, you may be given a prescription for antidepressants or anti anxiety medication. However, unfortunately pharmaceutical medication isn’t enough to deliver optimal mental health. In fact there are many studies showing that these medications do not always perform well versus psychological therapy and supplements. There are also significant long term health concerns about SSRI type antidepressants which are often also used for anxiety disorders.

 

Issues such as low mood, anxiety, sleep issues and attention issues can be related to underlying biological or functional issues. With integrative psychiatry, diagnostic lab tests can help root out biological problems that cause mental health symptoms. For example; hormonal imbalances, thyroid disease, vitamin deficiency, brain pathology and gut microbiome problems have been linked to psychiatric symptoms. We can investigate and treat these issues.

 

Peri menopause and menopause cause hormone deficiencies that affect mood, anxiety and sleep. Most women respond well to bioidentical hormone therapy and this often avoids the need for medication. Thyroid deficiency or excess can also adversely affect anxiety and mood.

 

Producing our neurotransmitters needs an adequate supply of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to making them. An integrative approach to treatment will include evaluating your diet and testing for any vitamin and mineral deficiencies and we can make food and supplement recommendations based on your individual needs.

 

Genetic issues can affect our ability to perform methylation, an essential cell process which helps us make neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine. Certain vitamins and supplements can help with methylation issues.

 

Learned negative thinking patterns combined with a stressful lifestyle can make people feel anxious and out of control. We have psychologists who can assist to change your thinking to make changes or cope with existing stress. Cognitive therapy focuses on changing current thinking, behavior, and communication rather than on past experiences and is oriented toward problem solving.

 

We also have a therapist who does tension release therapy which is a way of allowing you to release stress naturally.