Psychiatric Illnesses

PSC is proud to serve people suffering from various psychiatric illnesses, from acute stress to more chronic, complex conditions where an individual may have multiple diagnoses. We combine medication management with psychotherapy and case management. Medication helps with the biological aspect, psychotherapy helps with the psychological aspect, and case management helps with the social aspect of psychiatric illness. We take into account all aspects of our patients’ situations, so it’s easy for us to implement a comprehensive approach in their treatment and recovery.

In our existing medical and clinical practice, the diagnosis guides the treatment. There are many heterogeneous causes of the depressive phenotypes, and patients are unique in how the illnesses manifest for each and how they adapt to the challenges inherent in mood disorders. Our psychiatrist, Dr. Sharma, formulates both categorical (structural) and descriptive (phenomenological) diagnoses during the initial psychiatric evaluation as a foundation. That means he understands whether you fulfill criteria (symptoms) to satisfy a DSM-VTM diagnosis as well as “how and why” you experience certain symptoms. His model of treatment is therefore the combination of medication (to alleviate symptoms) with purpose-motivated cognitive-behavioral therapy. Medication can dramatically improve emotions and cognition when impairments are acute or severe. In certain cases, medication changes behaviors, too. Once acute, severe symptoms subside, people can benefit more from therapy. The benefits of therapy may be slow but are sustained and long-lasting. Hence, medication is only recommended if there is a crisis and the patient requires immediate control of their symptoms. For chronic and complex illnesses, maintenance medication lasting months or more may need to be combined with therapy.