Integrative Psychiatry and Medication Treatment (Psychopharmacology)

Many conditions respond well to psychotherapy or psychoanalysis alone, but some show a greatly improved outcome when psychiatric medications are part of the treatment. For certain psychiatric conditions, medications may be a crucial part of the treatment. Integrative psychiatry and medication treatment combines biological and psychological approaches that create the most effective treatments and the best outcomes.

How will we determine if medication may be beneficial?

The decision to include psychiatric medication as part of the treatment is an important and delicate one. My role as a psychiatrist is to help you parse out the contributing effects of psychological and biological factors in the causation of your difficulties, and to advise you about whether such medications might be beneficial to you. While I will offer you my impression about what is likely to be helpful, the decision will be up to you. I will draw on my past involvement in psychopharmacology research, my clinical experience as a psychiatrist, and my psychological training as a psychoanalyst combine to help you make an informed decision about whether you want to include psychiatric medication as part of your treatment.

Evaluation

Evaluation for medications includes thorough review of:

• Your symptoms
• Medical history
• family/genetic history of mental health problems
• The psychological context that may have contributed to the difficulties you are having.

Whenever psychological factors are involved in causing your symptoms, addressing these factors in psychotherapy or analysis will be a central part of your overall treatment. The best and most durable outcomes in integrative psychiatry and medication treatment medication occur in conjunction with effective psychotherapy.

If medication is recommended, we will carefully consider the potential benefits, risks, and side effects of the medication to optimize the effectiveness of your treatment.