MARCIA OLIVER, PMHNP-BC

ADHD is treated pharmacologically with a variety of stimulants and non-stimulants. These medications effect cognition and motor activity, and it is important to understand the paradoxical reaction they offer. Adult ADHD can drastically affect many aspects of an individual's life and should be evaluated and treated appropriately.

The pharmacological treatment for depression focuses on multiple different receptors and neurotransmitters located in the brain. Medication can play an important role in release or inhabitation of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Together, we will explore how medication can help facilitate antidepressant effects through these neurotransmission pathways.

Anxiolytics can be prescribed for many conditions within the category of anxiety disorders. Anxiety can also be in relation to other mental health conditions, such as OCD, ADHD, and depression. Stressors in life can cause anxiety in in of itself, so it is important to understand the many different psychopharmacological options and how these medications affect the brain and the body.

Contemplative practices include contemplation, meditation, and yoga, and are usually part of a larger worldview and way of life, optimizing well-being. These practices offer psychological and psychosomatic benefits. Through contemplative therapy, we can train and develop the mind, resulting in enhanced mental capacities, well-being, and maturity. This training therapy can heighten calm, concentration, insight, and joy.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) utilizes the cognitive skill of mindfulness, which is a clear, objective awareness of an experience. Being aware, attentive, and observant to all experiences and emotions in the present moment is the foundation to this therapy. This therapy can lead patients to improved emotional regulation and an ability to be less self-judgmental and more self-compassionate.

This therapy uses a phenomenological approach that focuses on awareness in the ‘here and now’. Gestalt therapy is very present-central, without concentrating on the past or future, allowing personal growth through insight and clarity of an individual’s needs, goals, and values. This phenomenological approach explores a person’s subjective meaning of existence in the world through the awareness of their own movements amidst their personal life experiences.

People with PTSD often feel intense emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, and detachment from friends, family, and community members. Pharmacotherapy is effective in treating some of the core symptoms of PTSD, such as intrusive reexperiencing of traumatic memories, avoidance of stimuli, numbing, anhedonia, and hyperarousal.