What Does Ideal Psychiatric Care Look Like?

What Does Ideal Psychiatric Care Look Like

Back in the day, doctors were told to tell patients that they had a chemical imbalance even though there was absolutely no data to back that up. Neurotransmitter testing was not even possible back then, and remains controversial even today.

The new biomedical approach we practice at Amen Clinics is radically different! It includes a comprehensive assessment of actual, measurable, physiological processes that can impact the brain and the entire body.

The “Dark Ages” vs. Biomedical Testing (The Amen Clinics Method)

Depression:

Are you depressed because you have a “chemical imbalance” (that nobody can measure)?

-OR-

Are you depressed because you have the below?
• Low testosterone
• Low thyroid function
• Low adrenal function
• A genetic B vitamin metabolism problem

Insomnia:

Do you have insomnia because you have a “chemical imbalance” (that nobody can measure)?

-OR-

Because you have:
• Mold in your house
• Candida overgrowth in your bowel
• A low progesterone level

Mercury Toxicity And Silver Fillings

Those “silver” amalgam fillings you have in your mouth actually contain 50% mercury. Every time you chew or swallow, you inhale more mercury vapor. Fish, especially tuna and swordfish, have so much mercury in them that the FDA recommends that pregnant women only eat tuna once per week and avoid swordfish altogether.

Looking for the physiological causes of mental illness is what the new biomedical approach at Amen Clinics is all about.

A Gut Feeling

We’re sure you have all heard of the saying that you have a “gut feeling” about something, or you get “butterflies in your stomach” when you’re nervous. There’s truth in these sayings. It turns out that many neurotransmitters, the chemicals your brain uses to communicate, are made in the intestines! There really and truly is a gut-brain connection. As soon as you realize this, it’s easy to see why intestinal health can affect mental health, as well as immune function (70% of your entire immune system is housed in your intestines).

Who Knew?
A bacterium called Clostridium has been linked to:
➢ Autism in children
➢ Psychotic behavior in otherwise healthy adults

Hormone imbalances can cause:
➢ Fatigue
➢ Insomnia
➢ Depression
➢ PMS
➢ Memory Loss
➢ Anxiety

Heavy metals and other toxins can cause:
➢ Depression
➢ Anxiety
➢ Fatigue
➢ Bizarre Behavior

A Brighter Future Through Biomedical Testing (The Amen Clinics Method)

We believe that millions of Americans are still being forced to live in the “dark ages” of psychiatric care; treated with often times harmful psychiatric drugs and given the diagnosis of having a mental illness when in fact there is a treatable physiological cause for their problems. This is truly a tragedy for everyone: patients, families and society as a whole.

At Amen Clinics, we can help you feel like yourself once again. We offer biomedical testing as part of our Integrative Medicine program; combining conventional medicine with complementary and alternative therapies. If you would like to explore physiologic issues that may be misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders, connect with us online or call 888-288-9834 today.

22 Comments »

  1. Good Morning,
    My son has NJ Heatlh from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NJ. If he comes for a consult, we can pay up front but can you write a script for the specific lab work and he can bring to his own physician and be directed to a contracted lab? Does Lab Corp do this testing or is it a specific lab? Just want to get a handle on the cost of Consult and Lab work to determine the next steps.
    Thank you,
    Dawn Burke

    Comment by Dawn — December 8, 2017 @ 2:30 AM

  2. De. Amén do you work with GEHA?
    Where is your location?

    Comment by Amelia — December 8, 2017 @ 3:08 AM

  3. The above article ‘What Does Ideal Psychiatric Care Look Like?’ didn’t have an icon to share on social media. I thought it was excellently written and to the point! I would have liked to share it.

    Comment by Karen Watts — December 8, 2017 @ 3:45 AM

  4. Excellent article. I will call and find out a location near me I would love to be tested for several things thank you

    Comment by Patricia Tatum — December 8, 2017 @ 3:52 AM

  5. Finally! A whole body approach to psychiatric care! Thank you Dr. Amen!

    Comment by Beverly R. Saller, LPC — December 8, 2017 @ 4:18 AM

  6. Could you please tell me whether Medicare covers the cost of the SPECT imaging and other tests.

    Thank you

    Debbie

    Comment by Debbie — December 8, 2017 @ 5:01 AM

  7. Is there a cure for Lyme and how is it diagnosed ??

    Comment by Amita Tiwari — December 8, 2017 @ 5:14 AM

  8. Ahh, finally! I have had a “gut feeling” that my loved one has had a thyroid problem for a long time now
    (8 psychiatric hospitalizations in 25 years)Yet, . No one has ever explored this with us. I did have her checked at your clinic with the scans, but wish you had this when we were there. Hopefully,God will provide the funds to explore these other possibilities in the near future!

    Comment by Paula — December 8, 2017 @ 5:25 AM

  9. 59 year old male.. have been depressed all my life. Have tried meds but hate side effects. Does insurance cover a complete detailed evaluation or what is the cost to have this done.. thank you

    Comment by Terry Arnold — December 8, 2017 @ 5:31 AM

  10. I have seen your presentations on PBS television and am interested in referring myself to one of your clinics. I have a C-PAP, asthma, clinical depression and low thyroid. All these conditions are being treated. I still feel that if I had a through workup that my health could be improved, i.e. higher energy level and less depression.
    I was born a preemie, the eighth (and last) child in our family configuration, and my family was ultra-dysfunctional. I’ve had 30 years of individual/group therapies. I am so called”cleared” of childhood traumas … yet I don’t feel quite right.
    I looked for the locations of your clinic and the closest one is in Atlanta. What are my chances for making an appointment? What are the various costs? (I have Medicare & a secondary insurance. My age is 80 – am I a lost cause?!!!
    I look forward to your response. Thank you!
    Laura J. AndersEn

    Comment by Laura J. Andersen — December 8, 2017 @ 7:06 AM

  11. I am so grateful for the amen Clinic ! I have gone through their program and my life is a complete 180. I had suffered from a major drepressive disorder in some degree every since I was a young child. I went through hours of talk therapy and multiple medications that did not help me at all. It wasn’t until I went to the amen clinics that I found out I had a chemical imbalance in my temporal lobes and I then received the correct medications for my particular depression. I was 27, fresh out of jail, and addicted to heroin. I was hopeless. I have since made a complete turn around in my life and it was all due to being on the correct medications, exercise, eating right, and supplements that the amen clinics has helped tailored specifically to my neurological needs. I am now 3 years sober, going to school for a masters in nursing, have friends and have been rebuilding the relationships within my family. I now feel like what I have always thought that other people must have felt like; which is happiness. I never understood this feeling completely before and I thank god that this clinic and what they have been doing there fell into my lap by chance and I also thank god I took the opportunity to accept this help from them. I have never felt like they had any other motive other than compassion and the need to help those in need. There is a lot of science to back up the claims they make but besides that I can’t deny the complete change that they have made in my life.

    Comment by Laura — December 8, 2017 @ 8:25 AM

  12. Do the Amen clinics take insurance? I have the MTFHR variant, and am compound heterozygous.
    Thanks

    Comment by Deb Conley — December 8, 2017 @ 8:29 AM

  13. 12.8.2017

    What type of biomedical testing does Amen Clinic perform for
    patients with diagnosis of Schizophrenia Affective Mood Disorder
    who was prescribed Clozaril but now having controllable results
    with Gabapentin 300 mg tid.

    Comment by Susan Gendron — December 8, 2017 @ 8:44 AM

  14. I am on BC/BS primary, Medicare as secondary. Of course, if I wanted to go to one of your clinics; it’s not covered. Any suggestions?

    Comment by J.M.Zawlocki — December 8, 2017 @ 11:59 AM

  15. Although my 3 year Grandson has not been yet been medically diagnosed with Autism, he showed many signs. I would like to make an appointment with you clinic to do a spect scan. Are you able to do this on a 3 year old, & assuming this is not covered by insurance, what would my out of pocket expense be? He would definitely have a meltdown during the procedure so how would that work? please advise? Thank you Kindly

    Comment by Terry Kay — December 8, 2017 @ 8:34 PM

  16. I wish Amen would answer the insurance and price questions. From what I’ve heard “off the record” from my health care provider are office visits to an Amen Clinic similar to most doctors’ office prices. The SPEC scan costs around $6,000. I wish I could afford this for my family and me.

    Comment by 4G LTE — December 9, 2017 @ 6:35 AM

  17. I have Kaiser. I can pay for consult but can Dr prescribe labs and brain scan needed. Then I can meet with Dr Amen for the consult?
    Thanks!

    Comment by Susanne Harris — December 10, 2017 @ 10:35 PM

  18. I too would like to know if this is covered by Medicare? My son has had mental illness for over 20 years. He is currently on SSDI and a small pension. He is 41 years old. We need to try a new approach. Why havn’t any answers been posted to these questions?!

    Comment by Joy Smith — December 12, 2017 @ 7:07 PM

  19. Great article. Yes, it’s definitely time to come out of the dark ages in psychiatry.
    My mother was bipolar. She smoked a lot of pot in the 1950’s. People in our family that smoke a lot of pot either become bipolar or sex addicts. In 1956 the doctors gave my mother 62 shock treatments that blocked out all recent memories and made her remember many things from her childhood. SHE WAS HAVING POST PARTUM DEPRESSION. THE STUPID DOCTORS DIDN’T EVEN KNOW SHE JUST HAD A BABY AT AGE 37. She completely forgot my childhood, she wasn’t there very much anyway. We had nothing in common. My father divorced her in 1960 when I graduated high school. The dysfunction in our family was not obvious to others. Talk about hormones. My mother said the only time she felt good was when she was pregnant (when flooded with hormones).
    I will check out your spect scans after I move South. Thank you for all the wonderful work you are doing. This is REALLY helping people.

    Comment by Adrienne — December 17, 2017 @ 6:31 PM

  20. I have 2 daughters with probably some Spectrum issues and dyslexia . They both started got awful anxiety and depression in college. They both have had a lot of friends die and we’re both abusive relationships. How much is an evaluation and where are you in relation to Austin ,Tx. My older daughter is 30 and has been raped numerous times, has ileitis Inticystial cystitis, hypoglycemia, PTSD, major depressive disorder. My younger child , 22, has always had a bit of anxiety and OCD STUFF. Thanks a bunch!
    With much gratitude,
    Kevlin Wiedemeyer

    Comment by Kevlin Wiedemeyer — March 5, 2018 @ 7:37 AM

  21. Hello Kevlin, thank you for reaching out and sharing this with us. We will have a Care Coordinator reach out to you to discuss more detail and determine possible treatment options for your daughters.

    Comment by Amen Clinics — March 5, 2018 @ 8:48 AM

  22. Pls help!!!!! I have a soon to be 23y/o daughter who is on several psychotropic meds. Her story is extensive and very complicated, I’ve contacted you various times but wasn’t quite sure how to proceed next. She’s had a number of dx, starting with add, dislexia, AS, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, ufff!!!
    I believe she has been misdiagnosed and worse yet the meds she Is on and been on have made her situation worse.
    I want to know how I can get her a tailored tx for her condition, Which clinic to go to, length of stay there ,tx regimen, follow up, insurance acceptance etc.
    My daughter will live a better life where she’s thriving with God’s help and yours.

    Comment by Carol Bailey — March 18, 2018 @ 2:33 AM

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

Contact Us

Pre-order Daniel Amen, MD’s new book “Raising Mentally Strong Kids” and get 5 bonus gifts! Click here for details.

X