Imagine you cut your finger and your body wasn’t able to naturally heal itself. Would applying a bandage over the cut truly help? It might put a short-term protective cover on top of the problem, but the cut would remain—and might even worsen over time.
This analogy can be used to illustrate the differences between traditional and functional psychiatry, also called integrative psychiatry. Traditional psychiatry follows the principles of traditional Western medicine, where the focus is typically placed on treating symptoms alone.
But in functional psychiatry, as in modern integrative psychiatry, symptoms are just part of the equation. What’s more important is determining—and then treating—the root causes of the problem, which creates a better chance of successful mental health outcomes.
THE FUNCTIONAL PSYCHIATRY APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE
When a patient describes having depression or anxiety, for example, a traditional psychiatrist may ask about the symptoms they’re experiencing in order to arrive at a diagnosis. Many mental health professionals then prescribe antidepressants as the first line of defense.
In research collected from 2015-2018, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 13.2% of adults had taken antidepressants in the last 30 days. And, according to a study published in Pediatrics in 2024, prescriptions for antidepressants skyrocketed among young people through the pandemic. These grew by more than 66% between 2016-2022.
What these stats don’t show are the large numbers of people reporting treatment-resistant depression, which means that antidepressants aren’t helping. At the same time, numerous modern-day realities, from the Standard American Diet to increasing use of electronic devices, continue to wreak havoc on Americans’ mental health.
Clearly, medical experts must offer better solutions to promote their patients’ optimal mental well-being. Simply prescribing medications can be the equivalent of putting a bandage on a wound without actually healing it. The human body is a complex organism, living in complex environments and coping with various stressors (and stress responses) that are unique to each person.
Functional medicine psychiatry addresses patients’ complexities by taking into account the many elements of their life, health, and environment. This approach reaches far beyond just the symptoms and into the underlying root causes to outline a targeted mental health treatment plan.
At Amen Clinics, it’s an approach called the Four Circles of Mental Health: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual.
When the entire individual is examined—not just their symptoms—there’s a better chance of addressing the problem at the root, leading to more effective treatment. In fact, functional psychiatry practitioners know that many mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, can be improved with natural remedies and may not require medication at all.
ADDRESSING UNDERLYING FACTORS
Antidepressants are not a cure-all for patients because mental health issues like anxiety and depression are not single disorders with a single cause. For example, brain SPECT studies at Amen Clinics have led to the discovery of seven types of anxiety and depression, seven types of attention deficit disorder (ADD), six types of addiction, and five types of overeaters.
As neuroimaging studies show, mental health is really brain health. SPECT scans are crucial aids in the functional psychiatry approach, because they show blood flow and activity in the brain. They are instrumental in finding underlying mental health destroyers that can go overlooked in traditional psychiatry, such as:
- Head trauma/brain injury/concussion
- Environmental toxin exposure
- Brain inflammation
- Infections such as Lyme disease
Other factors can also contribute to mental health issues, including genetics, biological causes, long-term stress, sleep issues, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and social isolation/loneliness. Evaluating all of these helps paint a full picture of each patient.
Therefore, in functional medicine psychiatry, a person diagnosed with a mental health condition wouldn’t simply be prescribed psychiatric medication and sent on their way. Instead, they would be assessed in these four areas of their health and well-being, enabling a holistic approach to healing and recovery:
- Biological health examines factors like hormonal imbalances, previous brain injury, chronic health conditions, thyroid activity, gut health, inflammation, environmental toxin exposure, and infections. Evaluation can include diagnostic lab tests and brain scans.
Incorporating basic practices like eating a healthy diet (including supplements as needed), getting enough physical activity, proper sleep hygiene, and maintaining low stress levels is also crucial. These help support the physical body, boost mood, and promote overall mental health.
- Psychological well-being allows for better resilience to the stressors that inevitably occur in life. When habits like automatic negative thoughts become second nature, mental health suffers. Steps like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help change these damaging habits.
In addition, factors like trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can sabotage mental health. Processing these with a trusted professional, using techniques such as EMDR therapy, helps foster psychological well-being.
- Social connections refer to a person’s family, friends, and community. These can include mental health professionals, support groups, or mental health organizations. This is a crucial aspect of mental health, as a long-term Harvard study found that relationships are the biggest predictors of humans’ health and longevity.
Unfortunately, many people today suffer from isolation—America’s latest epidemic, the U.S. Surgeon General warned in 2023—which erodes mental health. Taking time to create and maintain stronger interpersonal bonds can be a necessary step in recovery.
- Spiritual wellness relates to having a sense of purpose in life and believing in something bigger than oneself. This type of well-being can be improved by assessing values, practicing mindfulness, spending time in nature, and helping others.
Meditation, prayer, listing daily gratitudes, yoga, chanting, and organized religion are additional ways people strengthen their spiritual sides. Spirituality has also been associated with increased longevity in numerous studies.
Assessing all four of these aspects of wellness helps create a comprehensive, customized mental health treatment plan that considers all areas of a person’s life. Ultimately, this functional medicine approach acknowledges that many factors influence mental health. Addressing symptoms at the root level means we must take all of them into account.
THE BENEFITS OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
According to The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), functional medicine endeavors to reduce healthcare burdens on our nation by promoting better health outcomes and saving on costs. After all, unlike prescription medication, tactics like meditation, peer support groups, and daily exercise can be completely free for both patients and the healthcare system.
In addition, treatments tend to be more successful when they take the full human being into account, not only their symptoms. Just as mental health issues do not occur for a single reason, they don’t manifest in the same ways for every patient. And what helps one person may be ineffective or even harmful for another.
People who struggle with mental health conditions, from bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder to schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), must be seen as more than their symptoms. They also deserve to escape the stigma that still surrounds mental health diagnosis and treatment.
Fortunately, functional medicine helps mental health professionals address each patient compassionately and individually. Practitioners and patients alike obtain a holistic view of their unique concerns and symptoms—and the many factors behind them. When it comes to mental health, diagnosis and treatment should never be one-size-fits-all.
