Written By: Rajkaran Sachdej, MD
Psychiatric treatment may include medication, but it should never be reduced to a prescription. The strongest treatment plans begin with understanding the person sitting across from you: their symptoms, medical history, relationships, culture, values, and goals.
At The Ross Center, our psychiatrists take time to understand these different dimensions of a patient’s life. This broader perspective helps us develop recommendations that are evidence-based, practical, and personalized.
Understanding the Whole Person
People’s experiences of mental health and healing are shaped by their families, communities, identities, cultural traditions, spiritual beliefs, and life experiences. These influences often intersect, affecting how someone understands emotional distress, seeks support, and approaches treatments such as medication or psychotherapy.
Practicing with cultural humility means approaching these conversations with curiosity rather than assumptions. A psychiatrist may ask what has helped in the past, whether cultural or spiritual practices are important to the patient, and what concerns they may have about medication or therapy.
These conversations provide a more complete understanding of the patient and help ensure that treatment reflects what matters most to them.
Where Complementary Approaches May Fit
Many people already use practices outside of traditional psychiatric treatment to support their well-being. Depending on the individual’s needs, these may include:
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Yoga, tai chi, or other mind-body practices
- Breathing and relaxation techniques
- Exercise and intentional movement
- Sleep and circadian-rhythm strategies
- Nutritional interventions
- Biofeedback
- Acupuncture
- Vitamins, herbal products, or other supplements
- Cultural, spiritual, or community-based practices
These approaches are not necessarily alternatives to psychiatric care. When appropriate, they may complement psychotherapy, medication, or other evidence-based treatments, thereby improving the treatment experience and clinical outcomes.
A skilled psychiatrist can help determine where a complementary strategy may be useful, and where greater caution is needed. Recommendations should account for the person’s diagnosis, symptoms, medical history, current medications, preferences, and treatment goals. The quality of evidence also varies considerably among different practices and conditions.
Supplements Deserve Careful Review
Vitamins, herbal remedies, and dietary supplements should be discussed as openly as prescription medications. “Natural” does not always mean safe or effective.
Some products may interact with medications, affect how the body processes them, increase side effects, or worsen certain medical or psychiatric symptoms. Product quality, ingredients, and dosing may also vary.
Patients should therefore tell their psychiatrist about all supplements and over-the-counter products they use. A knowledgeable clinician can review the available evidence, identify potential interactions, and help determine whether a product is likely to be beneficial, unnecessary, or potentially harmful.
Care That Reflects the Individual
Medication can be an effective tool for many mental health conditions, but it is only one part of treatment. Whole-person psychiatry recognizes that mental health is influenced by biology, psychology, relationships, culture, identity, environment, and daily habits.
By understanding each patient’s background and thoughtfully integrating appropriate complementary approaches with established treatments, psychiatrists can create care plans that are both clinically sound and deeply personalized.
The goal is not simply to reduce symptoms. It is to help people build healthier, more fulfilling lives in ways that reflect who they are and what matters to them.
A Whole-Person Approach to Psychiatry
The psychiatrists at The Ross Center take the time to get to know each individual patient, and to understand the background, experiences, and preferences that bring them in for treatment. You can learn more about our psychiatrists and the psychiatric services we offer HERE, and CONTACT US if you are looking to schedule an appointment.
Rajkaran Sachdej, MD is a board certified adult psychiatrist who has experience treating an array of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD. Dr. Sachdej has interests and personal familiarity with complementary and alternative healing practices including traditional and folk medicine, mindfulness, and yoga.