My Approach to Treatment

When Medication May Help

If symptoms of anxiety and depression are impacting your ability to get through the day and meet your obligations at home and at work, then psychotropic medication may be of help.

I have found that psychotropic medications are their most helpful when used to target specific physical symptoms of emotional distress. For example, medications can:

  • Dull the physical symptoms of anxiety
  • Aid in sleep restoration over the short term
  • Provide a boost of energy
  • Improve concentration
  • Stimulate appetite

With physical symptoms under better control, a person can better meet their day-to-day needs. In this way, I see pharmacotherapy as a tool to speed the time to recovery.

Medication as One Tool Among Many

Equally important are tools like:

  • Practicing healthy boundaries with others
  • Investing in your life outside of work
  • Moving your body regularly
  • Prioritizing sleep
  • Reevaluating inaccurate perspectives or unhelpful expectations
  • Holding ourselves accountable for our choices

A good community is incredibly important, and the most important relationship in that community is the one we have with ourselves.

My approach in session is heavily informed by concepts from:

  • Traditional Psychoanalysis
  • Attachment Theory
  • CBT and DBT
  • Internal Family Systems
  • Relational Life Therapy

A Long-Term Perspective on Medication

Psychotropic medications are neither quick nor permanent solutions. They are a means to an end. Two long-term objectives that guide my approach to pharmacotherapy are:

  • Minimum effective dose
  • Medication-free periods

Particularly in the case of controlled substances, like sedatives and stimulants, medication-free days are of the utmost importance in order to avoid the pitfalls of tolerance, loss of efficacy, and withdrawal.

Lab Work

If we decide that medication is appropriate for you, I may request some general blood work.

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FAQs

Yes. A brief 15 minute phone consultation can be scheduled upon request.
The initial consultation usually runs over an hour.
Yes. My office is located in Montclair, NJ.
Evening appointments are available up to 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Weekend appointments are not available at this time.
If psychotropic medication proves helpful to you at one time in your life, during periods of recovery and improvement it can be worthwhile to lower or even discontinue that medication as a way of preserving its usefulness should it be needed again in the future. See my approach to medication tapers.