This is how complementary and alternative medicine modalities can help patients with a variety of mental health problems.
“Psychiatry, as conventionally practiced, is being influenced by a greater openness to non-Western healing traditions in the context of the accumulation of research evidence for selected modalities of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the increasing demand for a more personalized attention.
James Lake, MD, recently shared his experience at CAM as president of the psychiatric times™ Special Report on Integrative Medicine. In this Mental Health Minute, he shares some background on CAM and its role in the field of psychiatry, then features Special Report articles from other experts looking at 3 key areas of CAM that are influencing how health care is practiced. in North America and around the world:
- Mind-body practices
- Herbal Medications for Depressed Mood and Anxiety
- Dietary Changes and Supplements for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lake also discusses his CME article within the same issue, which reviews CAM interventions for mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We hope the Special Report will deepen your understanding of complementary and alternative approaches to improving well-being and addressing depressed mood, anxiety, and other mental health issues,” said Lake.
dr lake is a board certified adult psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience. He is an adjunct member of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine at the Institute of Health Research at Western Sydney University, Australia. He founded and chaired the American Psychiatric Association’s Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine Caucus from 2004 to 2010, and has chaired symposiums and workshops at American Psychiatric Association conferences and other national and international conferences on complementary mental health care, alternative and integrative. Dr. Lake is the author or editor of 5 textbooks on integrative and alternative mental health care and a 10-volume series of self-help books on integrative and alternative treatments for depressive mood, anxiety, attention/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, and other mental health problems.
