Psychiatrist are MD’s, Medical Doctors, who have chosen Psychiatry as their Medical Specialty. Although nowadays in the US, Psychiatrists usually focus on prescribing medication only, this came about because of cost-cutting demands large employers and insurance companies. At Holistic Health & Counseling Center, that is not our approach, and is not in keeping with the history of Psychiatry, nor the practice in Europe. In the past, the psychiatrists also did psychotherapy and indeed, many of the fathers of psychotherapy, psychology, and personality theory were Psychiatrists. Some examples are Aaron Beck (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), Wilford Bion (Group Therapy), John Bowlby (Attachemnt Theory), Milton Erickson (Indirect Hypnosis), William Glasser (Reality Therapy), Pierrie Janet (Trauma & Dissociation), Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (Stages of Grief), Victor Frankl (Existential Psychotherapy, “Man’s Search for Meaning,”), as well as the more well known figures like the developers of Depth Psychology and an understanding of the unconscious, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung (Archetypes, Collective Unconscious), and Alfred Adler (Individual Psychology, Holism, Power Dynamics, Feminism).
Knowing he wanted to do Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Dr. Tatum was fortunate enough to be accepted for training at the prestigious Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. At Sheppard Pratt, patients were receiving Psychotherapy in the late 1800’s when other patients were still being locked up and treated inhumanely. Sheppard Pratt is consistently listed as one of the top psychiatric hospitals in the United States, currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report at number 6 of the top 13 hospitals, above Mayo Clinic and Yale-New Haven Hospital. At Sheppard Pratt, Psychotherapy and a Holistic approach have always been paramount.
At Holistic Health & Counseling Center, we believe in using medications when they are indicated, and there are times when they are definitely indicated.
- Antipsychotic medication is critical in treating psychosis.
- Mood Stabilizers are necessary to control the extremely damaging effects of Bipolar Cycling.
- Antidepressants can be a lifesaver when someone is suffering from a biological depression, with the associated loss of appetite, loss of interest, sleep disturbance, and disordered and overly negative thinking. However, unlike what you might think from the TV commercials, Antidepressants do not resolve all types of depression. A person may also feel depressed because of a loss, or because they feel stuck and frustrated about a relationship, their career, or some other life event. Some depression also has its roots in a difficult childhood. In these situations, Antidepressants can sometimes make things worse by numbing feelings and reducing motivation.
- Antianxiety medications are often overused and abused. It may seem natural to seek an Antianxiety medication when anxious, but they are addictive, impair memory, slow one’s reaction time and thus increase auto accidents, and they lose effectiveness over time. It is more important to learn to turn off the Fight/flight mechanism and learn to deeply relaxed, easily accomplished with Biofeedback.
At Holistic Health & Counseling Center, even when we recommend medications, we will also recommend Counseling or Psychotherapy and other complimentary treatments because we want to help you Heal, and Blossom into your potential.