What Is Functional Psychiatry? |
As a psychiatrist with over 30 years of experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the evolution of mental health care. When I first started practicing, the approach to treating depression and other mental health issues was pretty straightforward: diagnose based on symptoms and prescribe medication.
This one-size-fits-all model was helpful for some. But it left many patients struggling, without significant relief—and without any real answers about what to do next. That’s because this conventional model of symptom-based treatment is incomplete.
Think about it. If you went to your primary care doctor with a persistent cough, you’d expect them to not simply treat your symptom with cough medicine, but to investigate, determine, and address the cause of your cough. To first test and then treat. Maybe the cough is caused by an upper respiratory tract infection. Maybe by heartburn. Maybe by allergies. Each cause requires a different approach to bring your cough under control—to solve your individual problem. In physical ailments, one size almost never fits all. Why should mental disorders be any different?
This insight led me and many of my colleagues to explore a new frontier in treatment: functional medicine. I realize that “functional medicine” might sound like a bit of a buzzword, but please stick with me. Truth is, functional medicine—or, more specifically, functional psychiatry—is a gamechanger in how we approach mental health. In fact, for untold thousands of patients with mental disorders, functional psychiatry has been a life-changer, providing real and lasting relief.
Simply put, functional psychiatry seeks to understand and address the root causes of mental health issues, rather than just managing symptoms. The functional psychiatrist is like a detective, investigating clues to solve the mystery of the real culprits behind your condition.
Here are several ways that functional psychiatry is different from a more traditional approach:
Functional psychiatry looks at the whole person, not just a list of symptoms. Your sleep patterns, diet,