Scott Shannon is an MD, president elect of the American Holistic Medical Association, and considered a national expert on holistic psychiatry. In this book he brings together a comprehensive overview of CAM treatments, with information on their effectiveness and safety for specific patient populations and for use in treating specific disorders. Modalities covered include Acupuncture, Nutritional Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Meditation, Biofeedback, Aromatherapy and others. Coverage also includes chapters on the best CAM modalities for treatment of Anxiety and PTSD, Depression, ADD, and Addictions. Each chapter will be in a similar template, beginning with a description of the treatment, its safety, compatibility with conventional treatments and/or contrindications, scientific documentation of its efficacy, discussion of which disorders it is best used for, and references. Most comprehensive overview of rapidly expanding field Includes chapters by 24 leading psychiatric/psychological experts in these fields Documents and rates the research base in each area Offers practical clinical approaches for four common mental health concerns—depression, anxiety, ADHD, and addictions Areas not yet covered in professional training Practices commonly employed by the public (40-50% of the American public use complementary or alternative approaches) No previous book of this nature or scope

The widespread use of nonconventional treatments, or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and the increasing evidence supporting their therapeutic benefits call for a concerted scientific effort to integrate treatments that work into mainstream medicines. Answering that call is the groundbreaking Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care, a concise, practical reference that reviews the many CAM approaches used in North America and Europe to treat -- or self-treat -- mental health problems, and the history and rationale for a variety of CAM treatments, including the risks and benefits of their integration into mainstream mental health care. Two dozen contributors with both conventional and nonconventional expertise present current information about safe, effective mental health treatments -- including herbals and other natural products, stress management, homeopathy, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine -- that have not yet been fully examined or endorsed by the institutions of conventional biomedicine. This book: Covers background issues, including conceptual and historical foundations, emerging ideas and trends, safety issues, potential drug interactions and adverse effects, and medical-legal issues pertaining to use of nonconventional treatments in mental health care. Reviews the evidence and offers practical clinical guidelines for the most widely used nonconventional treatments. Twelve chapters cover specific nonconventional modalities or alternative professional systems of medicine currently used to treat mental illness, addressing historical uses of the specified modality, significant recent research findings, unresolved safety issues, and evidence supporting use of the specified approach in common psychiatric disorders, from major depressive and bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and generalized anxiety disorder to obsessive-compulsive disorder, dementia, and sleep and substance abuse disorders. Practical clinical applications of complementary and alternative approaches are discussed throughout the book. Closes with three appendixes and a subject and author index. Appendix A ranks evidence for the various treatment modalities by major psychiatric disorder and is cross-referenced with the material in Part II. Appendix B lists important Web sites, textbooks, professional associations, and other resources. Appendix C contains a glossary of key terms used in complementary and alternative medicine. Written for both conventionally and nonconventionally trained mental health care professionals, Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care provides both an ideal reference for clinicians whose patients inquire about the uses of many CAM therapies and a critical, balanced review of the nonconventional modalities most widely used in Western countries to treat mental or emotional problems.

Making sense of complementary and alternative treatments in mental health care.

Discover creative new ways to facilitate the therapeutic process Therapeutic modalities that psychotherapists usually rely on--such as psychodynamic, humanistic, systems, cognitive, narrative, analytic and solution focused--are all verbal interventions. Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies presents a comprehensive overview of complementary and alternative therapeutic interventions that go beyond the standard verbal approaches. The therapies presented in this book--including mindfulness and meditation, spirituality, poetry therapy, art therapy, psychodrama, dance/movement therapy, music therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and touch therapy--provide the reader with creative non-traditional modalities that are effective in conjunction with traditional treatment, or as substitutes. They may enrich talk-therapy, especially when therapists and/or clients get "stuck," or they may provide healing on their own. Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies explains the basics about how these nontraditional therapies work and provides vivid examples for utilizing them in treatment. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field of expertise, and includes a description of the approach, research evidence about its effectiveness, guidelines on how to use the therapy in practice, and case examples. This excellent volume also provides practitioners with a wide range of resources, including Web sites, information on state and national organizations, accrediting board info, and more. Topics in Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies include: the mind-body relationship ways to integrate spirituality in counseling the healing components of poetry research studies on art therapy different techniques available in Psychodrama using body movement as a means of expressing conflicts and desires how music therapy promotes positive changes in the client the healing aspects of animals and much more! Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Therapies is a horizon-expanding guide for therapists, social workers, psychologists, counselors, physicians, educators, and students.

Complementary and Integrative Therapies for Mental Health and Aging provides an up-to-date overview of integrative medicine that clinicians, researchers, and caregivers will require in order to address the major mental and physical disorders of aging. The chapters herein will increase clinicians' familiarity with the most recent research findings, and broaden their understanding of the use of these interventions in clinical practice. The discussion of the data is provided in easy-to-use format covering different fields of integrative medicine, and is written by an international group of leaders and researchers in their respective areas of expertise. This volume can be used for training by students of integrative medicine and gerontology, and individual chapters can be used as on-the-go references on a particular topic. Putting this work into a wider context, volume editors Helen Lavretsky, Martha Sajatovic, and Charles Reynolds III also provide a necessary framework for clinicians and public policy makers to understand the necessity of pursuing complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine for aging adults.

With its unrivaled scope, easy readability, and outstanding clinical relevance, Complementary and Integrative Treatments in Psychiatric Practice is an indispensable resource for psychiatric and other health care professionals. It is also well suited for individuals with mental disorders and their family members who are seeking updated, practical information on complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM). An international group of experts, researchers, and clinicians examines an expansive range of treatments that have been chosen on the basis of their therapeutic potential, strength of evidence, safety, clinical experience, geographic and cultural diversity, and public interest. This guide offers advice on how to best tailor treatments to individual patient needs; combine and integrate treatments for optimal patient outcomes; identify high-quality products; administer appropriate doses; and deal with concerns about liability, safety, and herb-drug interactions. Treatments discussed include: Nutrients and neutraceuticals Plant-based medicines Mind-body practices -- breathing techniques, yoga, qigong, tai chi, and meditation Art therapy and equine therapy for children and adolescents Neurotherapy, neurostimulation, and other technologies Psychiatrists and other physicians, residents, fellows, medical students, psychologists, nurses, and other clinicians will benefit from guidelines for decision making, prioritizing, and combining CAIM treatments, as well as safely integrating CAIM with standard approaches. That the treatments considered in this clinician's guide are applied to five of the major DSM-5 categories -- depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders, bipolar and related disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders -- ensures its applicability, timeliness and timelessness.

Making sense of complementary and alternative treatments in mental health care. In mental health care, as in medical care, more and more clinicians are turning to unconventional assessment and treatment approaches to evaluate and treat their patients in the most effective way possible. But how is a clinician to makes sense of the range of complementary and alternative treatments (CAM), and when is it appropriate and safe to use conventional therapies alongside them? In this practical resource, Dr. Lake, a pioneer in the field of integrative mental healthcare, teaches readers how to integrate conventional mental healthcare—drugs and psychotherapy—with complementary and alternative approaches, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and other natural products, mind-body practices, light therapy, music, biofeedback, energy therapies, acupuncture, and others. This is a concise, evidence-based guide to the day-to-day management of common mental health problems using an integrative approach.