I see a lot of people in my office who are frustrated because they’ve tried different medications, different coping strategies, or even therapy, and they still don’t feel like themselves. Some of them tell me that their anxiety comes back no matter what they do, and others tell me they get some relief from their depression, for a time, but then it comes back. When symptoms keep coming back, it’s natural to wonder if there’s something more going on.
Treatments are often aimed at symptom management, but true healing begins with understanding what is causing the symptoms in the first place. That is the foundation of holistic psychiatric treatment.
Instead of just looking at anxiety, depression, or change in mood, I look at how your physical health, lifestyle, relationships, past experiences, and emotional well-being interact. And by finding out what those are, I can create a personalized treatment plan for you that helps you heal long-term.
The Traditional Psychiatry Problem
Old school psychiatry is often like putting a band-aid on an infected wound. And the bandage provides temporary relief, but the infection underneath is still spreading.
Let’s take depression. Traditional psychiatry identifies the symptom. Ongoing sadness, low motivation, sleep issues. So it recommends an SSRI to raise serotonin. The medication may help, but if the depression is caused by nutritional deficiencies, chronic stress, unprocessed trauma, hormonal imbalance, or social isolation, then the medication is only treating one piece of a bigger puzzle.
Recent mental health statistics show that one in six U.S. adults experiences some type of mental illness, but many are stuck in what I call “symptom-management limbo.” They’re constantly adjusting their medications, trying different therapies, but never really getting to the root of what’s causing their condition.
What Makes Holistic Psychiatric Care Different
Your mental health is linked to your physical health, lifestyle choices, relationships, history of trauma, nutritional status, sleep patterns, stress management, and even your sense of purpose.
Integrative psychiatry is expanding traditional psychiatry; that’s what I’m doing. I’m saying, yeah, you might need medication. And let’s explore what created the biochemical imbalance in the first place.
This means my initial evaluation takes hours. I explore:
Your medical history: Thyroid problems, autoimmune diseases, and nutritional deficiencies can cause depression and anxiety. How would I know if I didn’t ask?
Your lifestyle: Are you sleeping 4 hours nightly? Subsisting on processed food? Isolated from community? These are depression and anxiety factories. Consequently, addressing them becomes foundational to treatment.
Your trauma history: Untreated trauma impacts your nervous system, your relationships, and your ability to regulate emotions. Traditional psychiatry may prescribe anxiety medication without knowing the root cause is unhealed trauma.
Your relationships and support system: Loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Social isolation is as much a cause of mental illness as brain chemistry, if not more.
Your sense of purpose and meaning: People who have a strong sense of purpose and spiritual connection consistently have better mental health outcomes. This dimension is rarely addressed by mainstream psychiatry.
How Treating the Root Cause of Mental Illness Actually Works
Here’s how my holistic approach to mental health differs in practice:
The Comprehensive Assessment
When someone comes to me with anxiety issues. I order a full panel of lab tests that will include nutritional status, thyroid function, hormonal balance, and metabolic markers. I examine their genes to see how their body handles drugs. I look at their sleep architecture, their exercise patterns, their diet quality, and their caffeine consumption.
So often, I find the cause of the anxiety is B vitamin deficiency, poor sleep hygiene, and stress that is not being managed, rather than a serotonin imbalance as such. This discovery changes everything about treatment.
Personalized Treatment Plans
Holistic psychiatric care creates individualized plans. For one person, it might be medication plus sleep optimization plus trauma processing. Or it may emphasize nutritional supplementation and exercise and meditation, with little medication.
Genetic variations can lead to dramatic differences in how well a drug works. Lifestyle capability is variable. History of trauma varies. So we have to do it differently.
Addressing Multiple Contributing Factors Simultaneously
Root cause mental health treatment recognizes that mental illness is rarely caused by one thing. You don’t get depression because you’re low in one neurotransmitter. This occurs due to biological vulnerability compounded by chronic stress compounded by sleep deprivation compounded by social isolation compounded by unprocessed loss.
Hence, all such factors need to be addressed in effective treatment. I could prescribe medication, recommend exercise, support nutritional changes, recommend therapy, help in improving sleep, and foster social connection.
The Modalities Within Holistic Psychiatry Treatment
My comprehensive approach includes:
Medication management: Used judiciously, optimized through genetic testing, integrated into a larger plan.
Psychotherapy: I provide talk therapy, but more importantly, I work collaboratively with therapists to ensure we’re addressing the same underlying issues.
Nutritional medicine: Specific deficiencies drive specific psychiatric symptoms. Correcting them creates a foundation for recovery.
Sleep optimization: Not just “sleep hygiene tips”—comprehensive evaluation and treatment of sleep problems that might involve medical, behavioral, or environmental interventions.
Exercise prescription: Tailored to individual capacity and preference, because the exercise that helps is the exercise someone will actually do.
Stress management training: Mindfulness, breathing techniques, somatic practices that help regulate your nervous system.
Lifestyle coaching: Guidance on relationships, work boundaries, social connection, purpose-finding.
Advanced testing: Laboratory assessment to identify correctable biological contributors.
Mind-body practices: Yoga, meditation, somatic therapy when appropriate.
Find Lasting Healing with Holistic Care from Dr. Shahrnaz Mashkoor
If you are ready to move beyond managing symptoms and want to start working on the root causes of your mental health concerns, Dr. Shahrnaz Mashkoor can help. I am a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), dual-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC & FNP) providing personalized, compassionate whole-person care. Together we will develop a customized treatment plan to meet your individual needs, helping you to find lasting emotional well-being, restoring balance and feeling more like your true self again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is holistic psychiatry just replacing medication with supplements and lifestyle changes?
A: No. Holistic psychiatry treatment combines evidence-based conventional psychiatry and complementary approaches. I still prescribe medications when indicated.
Q: How is root cause mental health treatment different from what my regular psychiatrist does?
A: Traditional psychiatrists are great at diagnosis and medication management. Integrative psychiatry takes this a step further and looks at contributing factors comprehensively.
Q: How long does a holistic approach to mental health take to show results?
A: It depends. Symptom relief can come within weeks as lifestyle changes and medication take effect. Deeper healing, which addresses root causes and rebuilds resilience, usually takes 3-6 months.
Q: Can I reduce medications through holistic psychiatric care?
A: Potentially, yes—under medical supervision. When root causes are addressed through lifestyle changes, nutritional optimization, therapy, and stress management, some people require lower medication doses.
Q: What does treating the root cause of mental illness actually involve?
A: It involves the comprehensive evaluation of biological factors (nutritional status, hormones, sleep, genetics), psychological factors (trauma, stress, coping patterns), and social factors (relationships, isolation, purpose).