Integrative Psychiatry: A New Understanding of Mental Illness and Human Potential – HPP 07

Will Van Derveer, MD

The medical model commonly found in psychiatry focuses heavily on categorizing a constellation of symptoms into mental health disorders. This is a useful approach when a person needs medication to reduce those symptoms in order to function in their lives. However, where this model falls short is in truly identifying the root causes of mental suffering.

Many links have been made to brain chemistry, genetics and family of origin dynamics, but these don’t usually present a holistic perspective that’s curative in nature. In this episode, you’re going to learn about a different approach to psychiatry. Integrative psychiatrists look into the root causes of mental illness. Many aspects of mental illness are viewed as imbalances in the body created by a number of factors.

Dr. Will Van Derveer is the founder and medical director of the Integrative Psychiatric Healing Center in Boulder, Colorado where he has practiced integrative psychiatry for 15 years. He holds an adjunct clinical faculty position at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is the course director of the psychiatry resident course on integrative psychiatry.

Show Notes:

The functional medicine movement and mind-body medicine approach [7:21]

Integrative psychiatry initial assessments and evaluations [21:12]

Psychiatric symptoms are not caused by diseases…they are root imbalances [28:29]

What happens in the brain during early childhood attachment [41:39]

A new view on mood disorders versus personality disorders [46:43]

The future of medicine-enhanced psychotherapy [53:18]

Will Van Derveer, MD

Dr. Will Van Derveer is the founder and medical director of the Integrative Psychiatric Healing Center in Boulder, Colorado where he has practiced integrative psychiatry for 15 years. He holds an adjunct clinical faculty position at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and is the course director of the psychiatry resident course on integrative psychiatry. He co-founded the Psychiatry Masterclass where he teaches doctors and psychotherapists how to address severe psychiatric symptoms without medications. He and a team of researchers recently completed a phase II clinical trial evaluating MDMA psychotherapy as a treatment for chronic treatment resistant PTSD and he is a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine and the New American Board of Integrative Medicine.