‘The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.’
William Osler
This quotation from William Osler, one of the founders of the world-renowned John Hopkins Hospital, captures the essential principle of integrative psychiatry.
Treating your health is about treating you, not your symptoms.
It’s common sense. The same underlying disorder can cause different symptoms in different people. The same symptoms in different people can have different causes. We need to identify what’s going on for each individual.
In mental health, it’s even more about you as an individual. A doctor can measure your blood pressure or tell whether a bone has healed. Only you can tell us whether you are still feeling anxious, or unable to concentrate, or even suicidal. And because we are all different, response to treatments can be very different too!
Integrative psychiatry goes beyond the conventional ‘give this drug for this condition’ model. As integrative psychiatrists, we collect information about you and we use treatments tailored to you.
Like other psychiatrists, we collect information via clinical interviews and medical history. We also use a range of tests to give us objective evidence about your body and brain’s functioning. Some of the tests integrative psychiatrists use can include the following:
Testing iron and vitamin D levels might not be enough when it comes to your mental health. We also check other nutrient levels, organic acids, amino acids and fatty acids as well as presence of oxidative stress.
Genetic variation means different people require different amounts of particular nutrients. Even if you eat a healthy balanced diet, you may benefit from specific supplements. Testing also provides information about how drugs affect your body and vice versa.
The gut-brain connection is believed to be a key factor in psychiatric illness. Changing the microbiome can go a long way in improving symptoms. Testing identifies factors like dysbiosis and inflammation.
Brain inflammation is believed to be a contributing factor in many psychiatric conditions. Diet is closely linked to inflammation. Food sensitivities could be subtly affecting your mood and thoughts. Changes in diet can often reduce symptoms.
Integrative psychiatrists use all this data to create a treatment plan tailored to you and your needs. We consider multiple different treatments, including diet and lifestyle changes, supplements and neurofeedback to retrain your brain. Below are some interventions that we may recommend:
Integrative psychiatrists are not against all medication. We prescribe conventional psychiatric medication, but less frequently and in lower doses than a traditional psychiatrist. Your qEEG results guide our prescribing, so there is less ‘trial and error’ in finding the best regime for you.
The best medications in the world will not work without the right lifestyle. We may recommend exercise, sleep hygiene, or an anti-inflammatory diet. Making and sustaining tiny changes over time can produce massive benefits.
Nutritional supplements and plant-based medicines (excluding cannabis) can help optimise your mental state. At the same time, it is vital to avoid dangerous interactions between supplements and prescribed medications.
The natural beat-to-beat variation in your heart rate is adversely affected by mental illnesses. We frequently combine Heart Rate Variability training with other techniques to improve clarity, calm and resilience.
Neurofeedback harnesses the principle of neuroplasticity to improve brain function. Feedback is administered through a brain-computer interface. Neurofeedback is completely non-invasive and no stimulation is applied to the brain, so there are no side effects.
If you:
integrative psychiatry may be effective for you.
