Page 89 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry
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The CAM Psychiatrist at Work | 89
I also gather information on:
− Height, weight, age
− Major symptoms
− Previous treatments for these and other medical problems
including: medications, surgery, hospitalizations,
psychotherapy, etc.
− Typical daily diet, including snacks
− All current prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and
supplements
− Mental health history
− Family’s mental health history
− Family’s medical history
− Marital status, including years married and number of
marriages
− Spiritual practices
− Profession and education
The Action Plan
From the patient information, physical assessment, and labs, a
picture begins to emerge. While the client could be primarily
suffering from stress, where lifestyle changes or counseling
would be in order, more often I find physical issues—commonly a
number of them—impacting behavior, emotions, and cognitive
function.
Frequent issues that appear include:
− Nutrient deficiency such as B vitamins, minerals, amino
acids
− Neurotransmitter depletion: can be due to genetics, poor
diet or malabsorption due to gut disturbance (e.g., leaky gut
inflammation, food allergy), among other factors
