Psychiatrists as Prescribers Versus Holistic Providers of Mental Health Treatment

With the many recent advances in the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric conditions.The pharmaceutical industry has been vigorous in promoting their products as being very effective intervention for the treatment of mental and psychiatric conditions. Health insurance companies have also been very restrictive in reimbursing psychiatrists for their clinical services if they do not prescribe medications for their patients’ treatment [1]. As a result, many psychiatrists have been pressured to limit their scope of practice to prescribing medications and have been labeled as prescribers as opposed to being physicians who specialize in providing comprehensive and holistic mental health treatment to patients who suffer from psychiatric conditions [2]. The purpose of this commentary is to redefine the role of psychiatrists not just as prescribers but as providers of their time honored calling as holistic healer of mental illness.