Functional and Integrative Mental Health

Functional and Integrative mental health is more than just treating the mental health symptoms a person is experiencing. It is taking a deeper look at a person's overall health and determining the overall cause of why the person is experiencing the mental health conditions that is present.

Functional mental health is a method of treating mental health disorders by getting to the root cause of the mental health disorder and not just treating the symptoms the person is experiencing. According to Lake (2017), functional medicine uses various methods to analyze the relationships between a person's nutritional status, immune and endocrine function, brain chemicals, and mental symptoms. There are various blood and urine tests that help to determine a person's nutritional status, hormones, and brain chemical balance as well as inflammation markers. Having all this data and the symptoms the person is experiencing can help to determine the root cause of the person's mental health condition. Knowing the actual cause of the mental health condition can help ensure the person can live the most functional life possible. ​

Integrative mental health is simply a erm for using various treatment methods to treat mental health disorders. Integrative mental health uses various treatment methods such as talk therapy, supplements, essential oils, massage, yoga, exercise, and diet. All the complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies used by the healthcare provider in the treatment of mental health conditions should be evidence-based and are usually combined with prescription medications (Lake, 2017). There is growing evidence that many CAM therapies can increase the benefits of prescription medications.

Please do not start any CAM therapies without first consulitng a healthcare provider. Some CAM therapies can interact with prescriptions medications as well as other CAM therapies. If you would like to get to the bottom line of your mental health condition please contact Amanda Haworth, APRN, CNM, PMHNP-BC @ 316-779-2560 for an appointment.

References:

Lake, J. (August 8, 2017). The role of functional medicine in mental health care. Retrieved from psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201708/the-role-functional-medicine-in-mental-health-care?amp

Lake, J. (August 15, 2017). Introduction to integrative mental health. Retrieved from psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health/201708/introduction-integrative-mental-health-care?amp