21st Century Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the branch of medicine in which medical doctors diagnose, manage and treat disorders of higher brain functions. These higher functions include: mood, memory, thinking, perception, alertness, behavior, cognition, language and learning, and collectively they are known as "mentition", "mental functions", or what we globally call as the "mind".
Through the advances obtained by employing rigorous scientific principles and research, modern psychiatrists possess the medical training and the skills to accurately diagnose and treat difficulties in such higher brain functions or "mental disorders", using evidence-based treatments gained from such research.
Given the recent advances, today we safely and efficaciously employ more then 100 different medications along with various forms of psychotherapy and behavioral strategies.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is actively being studied as potential psychiatric treatment in medication resistant conditions, while Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) have been recently approved by the FDA in medication resistant depression. Molecular genetics, brain MRI/fMRI, PET and SPECT scans have begun to point out specific neuro-structures, brain circuits or neuro-molecules as potential pathological entities in many psychiatric illnesses, and may serve as potential targets for future medications and treatment.
As we continue to study the various psychiatric disorders, new treatments are being evaluated and introduced every year. Currently we can call upon multiple treatment options for managing Depression and Bipolar Disorders, Anxiety States, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Thought Disorders, Dementia, Behavioral Disorders, Personality Disorders and Substance Abuse.
With one foot firmly planted in the neurosciences and the other foot planted in the psychological and the social sciences, modern psychiatric medicine can provide inclusive treatment options comprised of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, social interventions, and more.
For more information and details on specific situations or disorders, call our office to schedule a consultation visit.
