You may have heard of the term holistic psychiatry making its way across trending social media. While we are delighted this is the case, we wanted to make sure you really understand what it’s all about.
In this post, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about holistic psychiatry and why it has become such an in-demand type of mental health help.
As you have undoubtedly seen and read about online, an increasing amount of people are opting to actively pursue a holistic lifestyle.
Holistic means that you look at your life as a series of interconnected, relational elements. Each aspect of your life connects, affects, and influences the other elements. But at the heart of everything – right at the center – is your own "self."
If we're talking about medicine and medical care, this means reevaluating how we normally consider care and treatment.
Holistic wellness does not look at a physical or mental struggle as a separate, broken part of the self. Instead, it works to identify how the struggling part relates to your whole self and what can be done within that system to improve it.
From a mental health perspective, holistic psychiatrists look at a person's total, overall health and well-being.
Western mental health usually focuses on treating symptoms to overcome issues. Integrative, holistic care looks at the issue as it relates to your whole self.
Rather than just prescribing medication to treat symptoms, a holistic psychiatrist will work to identify the root causes of those symptoms in the first place. Finding the underlying issues can better address why you may be experiencing the mental health symptoms you have.
A common misconception about holistic psychiatry is that this focus on overall wellness means that they do not prescribe medication.
We want to set the record straight in telling you that this is not the case. We often recommend and prescribe medications to help you with the symptoms you're experiencing. However, we look at that treatment as one element to your overall health and wellness.
Holistic wellness is about recognizing and understanding that the self is comprised of multiple interacting parts. And each self is a uniquely individual person.
Why would holistic psychiatric care approach things any differently?
We provide individualized treatment plans that reflect your precise needs, challenges, struggles, and areas of growth. We evaluate you as the uniquely individual person you are, and we use that to determine what treatment options are best for you.
This also includes learning and understanding your preferences for treatment options like medication. We’ll help to find a solution that connects with who you are in a way that brings you to where you want to be.
No matter the recommended treatment or prescriptions, the goal is simple within holistic psychiatry: optimal physical and mental wellness.
This type of overall wellness comprises far more than just the elimination of symptoms. It helps you identify challenges and issues in your life. From there, you develop solutions to overcome the challenges and move toward happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction.
At the heart of holistic wellness is preventative care.
You will learn the knowledge, skills, and understanding to help you recognize when you need to seek out help. This will ensure that you keep focused on bringing yourself toward fulfillment – and maintain that focus whenever you face challenges or obstacles.
At Synchronous Mental Health, our goal is simple: provide you with the holistic care and treatment you need to live your best life. To learn more about what we do, or to schedule an appointment, get in touch with our care team today.
