Integrative Psychiatry Part 2: The How of Integrative Psychiatry

Introduction

In our last post, we explored the “what and why” of integrative psychiatry. In this post, we are going to examine the “how” of integrative psychiatry. Integrative psychiatry is all about using whatever effective treatment is available that helps you achieve the healthy life you are seeking. But that word effective is important. 

Integrative psychiatry is more than a grab-bag of techniques that providers can throw at your problems (another word). Rather, integrative psychiatry uses Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments in an intentional way to increase effectiveness. The pitfall with CAM treatments is using or prescribing them without education and peer-reviewed research. 

In integrative psychiatry, we want to make sure that treatments are working. To do that, integrative psychiatry providers do three things:

• First, they look at the research to make sure there is evidence that the treatment is proven to work. 

• Second, they make sure that the treatment (and treatment combination) is safe. 

• Lastly, they make sure that the treatment(s) are specifically working for you. 

Evidence-based Treatments

Psychiatry is all about using treatments that have proven benefits, i.e. evidence-based. Historically, the lack of financial incentives has limited the amount of effort that researchers have put into proving whether CAM treatments work. Thankfully, that is changing, and there is now a suite of proven alternative treatments at the psychiatric provider’s disposal. 

That doesn’t mean every alternative treatment is created equal. Research is just as much about finding what doesn’t work as it is about finding what does work, and some CAM treatments are proven to be ineffective or even harmful. Working with an integrative psychiatric provider is important because they help identify which CAM treatments are proven and which are not.

Safety

As important as it is to make sure that a treatment works, it is even more important to make sure that it is safe. Safety includes more than just whether or not a specific treatment is harmful, it's also about how multiple safe treatments may interact with one another to become harmful. For instance, a client may be prescribed a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) for their anxiety but also take St. John’s Wort for depression without realizing that, although each is relatively safe on its own, together they may become harmful. An integrative psychiatric provider makes sure that they understand the ways in which different treatments work together in either positive or negative ways. That is why it is important to tell your psychiatric provider if you are using any CAM treatments so they can check the treatments will not negatively interact with medications or each other.

Effective

Lastly, an integrative psychiatric provider ensures that a treatment not only works in general and is safe, but that it works for you in particular. Each person is a unique individual, with unique biology, medical history, and lifestyle. Some treatments that work for one person may not work for another, and so psychiatric providers shouldn’t engage in a simplistic “treatment-as-usual” approach. At Mace Behavioral Health, we make sure that treatments work by using a combination of client report and clinical assessment tools.

Client report is an integral part of identifying effective treatments. One of the reasons Ellis Mace MSN CRNP PMHNP-BC began her psychiatry practice was because she desired to increase the amount of allotted appointment time. She’s passionate about hearing about clients’ lives and concerns and ensuring that treatments are working for them. Providing that time to hear directly from you helps Ellis guarantee that treatments are as effective and life-enriching as possible. 

We also use objective assessments to complement your report. It can sometimes be challenging to identify incremental changes that come from treatments. We use assessments that measure specific changes in symptoms over time. The self-report and assessments combined provides a holistic overview of what changes are taking place and whether they are positive, negative, or ineffective.

Conclusion

Integrative psychiatry is a growing field. It’s overall goal is providing clients access to effective treatments, even those outside of traditional psychiatry. At Mace Behavioral Health, we adopt this model because we believe it gives you the best chance of living a healthy and fulfilled life. By using treatments that are proven, safe, and effective, we aim to provide the best results the medical field can provide. We look forward to hearing from you and learning how to partner to achieve your mental health goals and symptom relief. 

To get started on your mental health journey with us, schedule your 75-minute intake appointment using this link: https://bit.ly/MBHappts