The use of medications to “treat” emotional problems has grown exponentially in the United States over the past two decades. The class of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), which includes such well-known names as Prozac and Paxil, has become commonly prescribed and immensely profitable. Only recently have some alarm bells been rung regarding these medications.

I am not a physician and thus am unable to prescribe any medications. If I were able to prescribe, I would be very, very slow to advise any patient to use a medication which is aimed at symptom relief alone. I think that it is almost always important to get at the underlying causes of a symptom.

In my view, our emotions have evolved over a very long period of time. They have important adaptive and signal value and should not be ignored or artificially manipulated except for very serious reasons.

I am saddened and upset when I hear of a patient who, after as little as a single 15-minute interview, has been prescribed one or more powerful psycho-active drugs. I am especially upset when the patient is a child and the prescribing physician has not taken the time to investigate why the child is anxious, sad, or inattentive.

I have worked with many patients who have sought help via medication and have been disappointed by their limited effects or disturbed by some of their unwanted side-effects. I also have worked with some patients who have sought or continued to take medications during our work together. I often have found that, when we have been able to look at their many reasons for taking medication, patients have been able to reduce or discontinue the medications.

At the same time, I have good working relationships with a few local psychiatrists who are willing to consult with my patients regarding the use of medications. These physicians see medications as a sometimes-useful adjunct to psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, not as a substitute for work that addresses more directly the thoughts, feelings, and fantasies that often lie behind the symptoms.

[Home] [General Introduction] [Specific Services] [My Background] [Location - Directions] [FAQ] [Confidentiality] [Fees & Insurance] [Medications] [Legal Notice] [Links]