For Providers

While the summaries on this site are intended to provide a plain language, easy access point for consumers, the ultimate goal of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Mental Health Conditions program is to encourage consumers and providers to access our full analysis, downloadable here.

Our Goal

Consumers are using complementary and alternative medicine; more than 40 percent self-treat with these remedies. Many of that 40 percent do not discuss this with a healthcare provider. This can be problematic because of the risks of possible drug interactions and contaminants, among other reasons.

As part of the shared-decision making process, consumers and their providers should have open dialogue about all aspects of treatment and recovery, including the use of complementary and alternative medicine. We encourage both consumers and providers to educate themselves about these interventions.

As a provider, you may want to go directly to the full analysis in order to view our sources and learn about the science behind the program.

The summaries are written in plain language in order to educate a large audience about CAM. They are meant as an introduction to the full analysis. We strongly recommend that consumers and providers review the source material and rather than relying solely on summary content, for this and any other project.

We hope that you will read the Complementary & Alternative Medicine for Mental Health Conditions and help use the information you learned to have open and meaningful discussions about consumers around their use of complementary and alternative medicines.