Integrative 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.

James Lake, MD, is on the clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University. He practices in Central California.

"Integrative Mental Health Care offers a rich synthesis of up-to-date evidence-based information with the wise, extensive experience of a world-renowned integrative psychiatrist. Dr. Lake offers keen clinical insights and clear guidance through tables, charts, and algorithms which simplify the complex and confusing world of diagnoses and multiple treatment options. His expertise in mainstream as well as alternative, complementary, and unconventional therapies provides essential information for therapists helping clients with diverse interests, values, and cultures in the modern world." -- Kathi J. Kemper, MD, MPH, Caryl J. Guth Chair for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC "Dr. James Lake is a pioneer in the emerging field of integrative mental health. In this text he artfully shares his philosophy, assessment strategies, and treatment approaches for a myriad of common conditions. Through detailed patient examples accompanied by his thoughtful analysis he conveys ways to better manage your patients in their healing journey." -- Victoria Maizes, Executive Director, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine "[A] remarkably thorough, highly informative, and instructive guide for practitioners with varying degrees of familiarity with integrative practice...clearly written, practical, well-referenced...Dr. Lake systematically builds a convincing case for incorporating alternative and complementary assessment and treatment methods into conventional practices in the hope of transforming Western medicine into 'something more beautiful, meaningful and more effective.' This excellent, user-friendly resource guide contributes greatly to that transformative vision." "[A] valuable handbook for any practitioner, and would serve as a helpful text for students of psychiatry and psychology. But it also provides a worthwhile read for any educated adult wishing to better understand the alternatives available to people with mental health challenges." "[A]n accessible and