Finally Hopeful by James M Greenblatt MD Book Review

About the Book:

Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 21 million American adults and 3.7 million of our youth each year. And yet, the current one-size-fits-all medical model for psychiatric treatment of depression does not work for a significant portion of patients. Antidepressant medications are often treated as a magic bullet, but the truth is that depression is a complex mental and physical condition, influenced by nutrient intake and absorption, body chemistry, metabolism, genetics, hormones, food sensitivities, stressful life events, social support, and many other factors.

In Finally Hopeful, functional psychiatrist Dr. James Greenblatt offers a new model of treatment that acknowledges that depression is not "all in your head," but in your body. Dr. Greenblatt provides a unique guide to optimizing the nutrients, hormones, neurotransmitters, and many other biochemical factors that play a major role in most cases of depression. It is vital to address these physical factors using testing that customizes treatment to the individual, and Finally Hopeful outlines what tests you need; how to read the results for practical action; and how to work in conjunction with your physician. You'll also gain key insights into antidepressants and feel empowered in seeking the answers you deserve.

A functional psychiatry approach recognizes that depression has many causes and often requires a range of therapies, both drug and non-drug. Finally Hopeful makes the whole-body approach available to everyone, delivering real hope and relief.

My Review:

I had no idea depression was so complex. No wonder just throwing antidepressants at patients does not work. Greenblatt argues that each individual's biochemistry has much to do with the cause and cure of depression. He has pioneered Functional Psychiatry, taking in all the factors affecting an individual. Greenblatt seeks to correct imbalances in the body and the corresponding deficiencies. He gives a hierarchy of things to test, based on his own practice results. His philosophy is test and treat, find and fix. He advocates working with a health care professional while one is working to understand the cause and cure.

Greenblatt explores a number of possible causes, such as lack of particular nutrients. There are a number of tests so he has provided an at-a-glance list as a guide. He also suggests supplements to take to correct the deficiencies. This is a good book for anyone who wants to understand depression and possible cures.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

A pioneer in the field of functional and integrative medicine, board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, James M. Greenblatt, MD, has treated patients since 1988. After receiving his medical degree and completing his psychiatry residency at George Washington University, Dr. Greenblatt completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. He served as the Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA for nearly 20 years and has been an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine. He is the author of eight books, including the best-seller, Finally Focused: The Breakthrough Natural Treatment Plan for ADHD. His updated edition of Answers to Anorexia was released in October 2021 and his newest book, Functional & Integrative Medicine for Antidepressant Withdrawal is available now. He is the founder of Psychiatry Redefined, an online learning platform dedicated to an evidence-based, personalized treatment model for mental illness.

Visit www.PsychiatryRedefined.org or www.JamesGreenblattMD.com for more information.

Rodale Books, 368 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)