Key Takeaways
- Functional psychiatry is a holistic approach to mental healthcare that often includes lab testing and lifestyle changes alongside medication.
- You might try functional psychiatry if traditional medication alone hasn’t helped or if you want to better understand the underlying causes of your symptoms.
- Functional and integrative psychiatry share similarities, but functional psychiatry relies more on laboratory testing to guide treatment.
Functional psychiatry is a holistic approach to psychiatric care. It looks at the whole person and aims to uncover the root causes of symptoms, including physical, emotional, nutritional, and even environmental factors. If you’re looking for mental health support that considers the whole picture and not just specific symptoms, functional psychiatry might be right for you.
What the functional psychiatry approach looks like
Rather than focusing on a single symptom or test, functional psychiatry examines every aspect of your well-being and how it’s connected to your mental health and psychiatric needs. Through this holistic approach, functional psychiatry tries to illuminate the underlying root causes behind your symptoms.
Traditional psychiatrists might be focused on finding the right medication to help you find relief from your symptoms as quickly as possible. In contrast, functional psychiatrists use laboratory testing to understand exactly what’s going on and how everything could be contributing to your mental health symptoms.
For example, some tests a functional psychiatrist might run include:
- Gastrointestinal testing to test the gut-brain axis
- Testing for vitamin or nutrient deficiencies that could be contributing to mental health symptoms
- Assessing your environment, including mold exposure, heavy metals, or allergens
- Hormonal panels to check thyroid or adrenal functioning
- Inflammation markers, like CRP or cytokine levels
It’s perfectly OK if your primary goal when going to a psychiatric provider is to get medication for your mental health symptoms. Mental health conditions can be very uncomfortable and distressing, and it’s understandable to want to get relief as soon as possible.
But, in some cases, standard psychiatry might not meet all of your needs.
You might try functional psychiatry if you:
- Have tried a few different medications, only to find that they don’t help much
- Want to understand the deeper reasons behind your mental health symptoms
- Don’t feel like yourself, even if your labs look “normal”
- Experience both mental and physical symptoms, like fatigue or gut issues
- Want to take a more active role in your mental health treatment
- Would like to explore a mix of conventional and complementary approaches
- Prefer long-term solutions over short-term symptom relief
- Are looking for a diagnosis that better explains your experience
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How functional psychiatry compares to integrative psychiatry
Integrative psychiatry is another holistic medicine method used to treat mental health concerns. Functional and integrative psychiatry are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re different practices. Integrative psychiatry is similar to functional psychiatry in many ways, yet key differences set them apart.
Functional and integrative psychiatry both:
- Seek to understand you as a whole person instead of just your symptoms
- Strive to uncover the root causes of your mental health symptoms, beyond what’s happening in your brain
- Consider the relationship between physical and mental health
The main difference is that functional psychiatry uses laboratory testing in order to uncover root causes. Integrative psychiatry doesn’t typically use testing in the same way but may recommend alternative or complementary treatments based on what the psychiatrist observes.
What functional psychiatry treats and how it benefits patients
Functional psychiatry can be a helpful option for anyone dealing with mental health symptoms, as long as symptoms are mild. If they’re more moderate or severe, it may be helpful to seek traditional psychiatry to stabilize and then later seek functional interventions.
Treatment methods related to functional psychiatry try to treat the root causes of your condition. Sometimes a functional psychiatrist will recommend a combination of medication and other interventions to address these underlying issues.
For example, if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, your functional psychiatrist may prescribe you an antidepressant medication. But they might also help you make a plan to connect with others and get regular physical exercise. They might also look at hormone markers or inflammation levels.
Another example: If you live with ADHD, they might prescribe you ADHD medication but also take a look at your diet and how it might be affecting your symptoms.
Getting started with a functional psychiatrist
If functional psychiatry is something you’d like to explore, you can start by asking for recommendations from other providers that you see. Although functional medicine (including psychiatry) is evidence-based, you may find it’s not as mainstream as traditional psychiatry, especially in certain locations.
Don’t assume that every potential psychiatric provider you talk to is familiar with functional medicine. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their knowledge and experience as well as specific laboratory testing they conduct to explore root causes.
I feel that functional psychiatry helps fill in the gaps for patients who are not seeing improvement with other types of treatment. Usually, there’s an underlying issue that functional psychiatry could help address.
Find care with Rula
Functional psychiatry might be a good fit if you’re looking for a provider who looks beyond your immediate symptoms. This approach can help you get to the bottom of your symptoms and explore new ways to feel better — especially if you haven’t found relief through standard treatment.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we’re here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
About the author
Saya Des Marais
Saya graduated with her Master in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California in 2010. She formerly worked as a therapist and motivational interviewing trainer in community clinics, public schools, mental health startups, and more.
Her writing has been featured in FORTUNE, GoodRX, PsychCentral, and dozens of mental health apps and therapy websites. Through both her clinical work and her personal OCD diagnosis, she’s learned the importance of making empathetic and accurate mental health content available online.
She lives in Portland, Oregon but you can find her almost just as often in Mexico or in her birthplace, Tokyo.
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