Better Than Cured

What is “Better Than Cured”?

The term “cured” isn’t one we normally use in mental health spaces. For many years, the prevailing message has been that mental health can be managed, supported, treated, and classified–but not “cured.” In the psychiatric field, there’s no “cure” for mental disorders. The best we can hope for is to help people live with their illnesses using medication and intervention treatments.

This never made sense to me. As medical doctors, we’re told no part of the body works in isolation, but then we’re taught to prescribe treatments based solely on neurological symptoms. While it’s true that medications can offer enormous support, why wouldn’t we address the whole person—body, mind, and soul? Shouldn’t the benchmarks for recovery include improved quality of life, ability to achieve goals, and a sense of fulfillment?

As a psychiatrist with a private practice in Los Angeles, I’ve worked with people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Hollywood newcomers who craved the limelight. Songwriters who hoped their music would be discovered. Corporate executives, talented artists, retired engineers, freelance designers, small-business accountants—they all had two things in common.

Every single one of them recognized they were in pain and needed help. And they wanted to get better.

Better Than Cured (BTC) isn’t a step-by-step instruction manual, nor is it a one-size-fits-all recipe. It’s not a quick-and-easy solution that will make all your problems disappear. BTC combines my clinical experience as a psychiatrist; current scientific research in the fields of psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and psychiatry; traditional medical interventions; and positive mental health practices to help you answer the question, “What do you need to be happy?”

After over a decade of working with patients, I’ve found that the majority of people will work hard to feel better. They’ve been searching for answers that go beyond managing symptoms. They simply need to know that it’s possible and to understand the tools that can make it happen. They may have obstacles in their lives that stop them from progressing, like financial troubles or lack of support, but when those barriers are removed, they’re prepared to go the distance.

BTC intends to change the paradigm of how we treat mental health concerns by combining scientific advancement, medical intervention, and intuitive intelligence to find solutions that go beyond “good enough.” It’s not held back by rigid adherence to popular modalities or theoretical models. Instead, BTC unites disciplines and scientific knowledge with the intrinsic wisdom of the practitioner and their patient to achieve effective, long-lasting, life-changing outcomes.

For more information on BTC, check out the book page or join our email list to be the first to know when the Better Than Cured book is available for purchase!