An Individualized Approach
Medication decisions begin with a conversation about what you are experiencing and how it affects your life. Dr. Parisi considers your psychiatric and medical history, prior treatment, current medications, and preferences when developing a plan.
Assessment Measures for New Patients
New psychiatric medication-management patients complete standardized questionnaires and rating scales to help assess symptoms and day-to-day functioning. These measures provide a starting point for the clinical assessment and may be repeated to help track changes during treatment.
Scores are considered alongside your history, interview, treatment response, and goals—not used alone to make a diagnosis or medication decision.
What to Expect
- A psychiatric assessment and discussion of your treatment goals
- Review of potential benefits, risks, and alternatives
- Follow-up to assess response, side effects, and functioning
- Coordination with other treating clinicians when appropriate and authorized
Medication and Psychotherapy
Some topics take time to discuss. When appropriate, medication may ease symptoms that make it difficult to participate in psychotherapy.
For some people, this may make reflection and conversation more manageable. Experiences vary, and the pace and focus of treatment are considered together.
Research in chronic depression has found that combining antidepressant medication with a structured psychotherapy may lead to faster remission than either treatment alone. The benefits and pace of treatment depend on the condition, the treatments used, and the individual.
Research on combined treatment ↗
Preparing for a First Visit
Have a current medication list, treatment history, and relevant records available.