The natural universe is composed of layers of systems that over time organize themselves from lower level systems. As we look to the microscopic from the biological to the chemical to the physical world, we are looking back in time at systems that evolved millions to billions of years ago. As we look to the macroscopic, we are looking forward in time from the dawn of man, the development of social systems and perhaps in the future to the development of interplanetary social systems.
To understand why people develop emotional and mental problems, one needs to address phenomena at all system levels. Is there a biochemical imbalance? If so, is it naturally occurring or is it the result of substance abuse? Is there a structural brain abnormality? Was the person emotionally traumatized during childhood development? Is he or she currently involved in a dysfunctional relationship? Are external work and family pressures overwhelming him or her? The questions mental health professionals ask ultimately are designed to tease out at what system level or levels the patient is having difficulty.
Of course, different types of training affect the professional's ability to detect problems. A psychiatrist is usually better equipped to detect biological and biochemical problems. A psychoanalyst is usually better equipped to notice how traumatic experience from childhood that is stored in unconscious memory still affects decisions being made in adulthood. A psychologist may be better equipped to reshape current maladaptive behavior patterns. A counselor may be better equipped to deal with relational problems between people such as couples and families. Often professionals in each of these categories are well enough trained to work effectively on multiple system levels.
Yet we all have limitations. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go to one place where no matter what problem you have there is at least one mental health professional who is well equipped to help? Now there is such a place.
and its
first Member Clinic,
Paradise Valley Psychiatric Associates, provide services from all
the major mental health disciplines. No matter what the problem, our member
clinics are equipped to help people who are
suffering from any mental, emotional and/or behavioral problem.
- Psychiatry
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Psychiatrists are medical doctors with special expertise in psychiatric diagnostics and psychopharmacology, or the prescribing of psychiatric medications. Psychiatric disorders are believed to result from the interaction of genetic predispositions with environmental experiences. In some disorders, biology is the dominant cause. In others, life experience is the major factor. Either way, psychiatric medications are often the most cost-efficient, fastest, and among the most effective methods of managing mental and emotional syndromes such as Major Depression, Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Alzheimer's, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Often pharmacotherapy alone is sufficient to manage these syndromes. The use of medications also often makes it easier for many patients to work on the experiential component of their problems in psychotherapy because untreated, their mental and/or emotional symptoms may be too overwhelming to allow them to face their difficult issues. Many, but not all psychiatrists also have expertise in one or more form of psychotherapy, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy or cognitive therapy. Some specialize according to patient age (child psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry), specific patient populations (schizophrenia, organic brain disorders, mood disorders), or specialized social roles (forensic psychiatry in a court setting, consultation-liaison psychiatry in a hospital setting).
- Psychology
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Clinical Psychologists are Ph.D. or Psy.D. practitioners with special expertise in fields such as counseling psychology, cognitive-behavior therapy, supportive therapy, insight-oriented psychotherapy, E.M.D.R. or integrative psychotherapy. Psychologists help patients face and work through emotional problems whether they stem from early childhood traumatic experiences, current relationship problems or both. Many, but not all psychologists also have expertise in psychological testing. Some psychologists specialize in specific clinical areas such as eating disorders, marriage counseling or child psychology.
- Counseling
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Counselors are a diverse group of clinicians (M.A., M.Ed., M.S., L.P.C., C.I.S.W.) who share in common masters degree level training. Most counselors in private practice specialize in individual counseling, though some have specialized training in other areas. Most do at least one other form of counseling such as family counseling, marriage counseling, group therapy, insight-oriented therapy and/or critical incident debriefing.
- Psychoanalysis
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Psychoanalysts are usually psychiatrists, psychologists or counselors who go through a rigorous additional training program and earn an additional Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree in psychoanalysis. This training program usually includes four years of classes in psychoanalytic theory, years of experience undergoing one's own personal psychoanalysis and a minimum of three supervised cases of patients treated with psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysts emerge from training with a deep understanding of how the mind works, including the powerful unconscious forces that often keep people stuck repeating dysfunctional behavior patterns. Patients undergoing psychoanalysis must be highly motivated to commit substantial time and financial resources to an extended in-depth examination of their minds, with the potential payoff being the changing of chronic behavior patterns that resist change using other methods.
Downloadable Pamphlets From the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health
Persons considering one or another form of mental health treatment often have questions about whether their symptoms are serious enough to warrant a professional diagnosis and treatment planning. Below you will find a collection of pamphlets from NIH and NIMH that describe the symptoms of some of the more common mental health and substance abuse disorders (and related subjects). Click on a link to download each pamphlet in PDF format. If you do not find a pamphlet that matches your particular symptoms, you may wish to go to our Web Resources page to explore the NIH and NIMH web sites directly, as well as the many other mental health web sites that are listed on that page. If you still cannot answer your question, you can search the entire web through our Web Resources page using Google.
Alcohol Interactions with Prescription Medications
Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Medical Record Privacy
Many existing and prospective patients, especially consumers of mental health services, are concerned about the growing loss of privacy of their medical records. Recent legislative efforts have intensified their concerns, because for the first time under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) clinicians can release medical records to insurance companies and their business associates without a patient's consent. This threatens to make it too risky to seek mental health care, especially if employers are self-insured.
endeavors
to protect the privacy of all patients being treated at Member Clinics whenever
possible. Under most circumstances, our Professional Members do not release any
medical records to anyone without the patient's written permission even
when they are no longer required to obtain that permission. Psychotherapy
notes containing particularly sensitive information are kept in a separate
section of the chart from medical and billing information, and are given special
protection from inadvertent release as required by HIPAA. Click on our
Privacy Policies to view them. Existing patients who need more
information about privacy protection should discuss their concerns directly with
their treating clinician.