James Greenblatt, MD

Biography

A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, James M. Greenblatt MD has treated patients with complex behavioral and mood disorders since 1990. After receiving his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Greenblatt completed his psychiatry residency at George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Greenblatt went on to pursue a two year fellowship at John Hopkins University School of Medicine to become board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry where he also served as the Chief Resident. During the fellowship, Dr. Greenblatt received specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders that appear in childhood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and complex mood and anxiety disorders. 

Following the fellowship, Dr. Greenblatt noticed the current treatment model in psychiatry relied solely upon symptom-based recommendations for medication with little consideration for the biochemical individuality or the underlying biological mechanisms that may be contributing or causing symptoms. This prompted Dr. Greenblatt to develop an outpatient clinic, Comprehensive Psychiatric Resources, which provided patient-centered care for families with children struggling with ADHD and other behavioral disorders. Dr. Greenblatt was one of the very few physicians at that time who knew how to utilize nutritional interventions to help patients achieve relief from their symptoms. His work in the 1990’s was years ahead of his time, as the field of psychiatry had not yet understood how genetics, nutrition, and biochemistry played a role in an individual’s mental wellbeing. Dr. Greenblatt’s expertise in integrative medicine attracted patients from all across the world seeking consultations for complex mood, behavioral, and eating disorders.

Pioneers such as Dr. Greenblatt have contributed to the revolution of consumers seeking “personalized medicine”. The culture has since shifted and the fields of medicine and psychiatry are rapidly changing, as more physicians are acknowledging the accumulating research looking at nutritional interventions for psychiatric illness. The understanding of genetics, metabolism, and nutrition is now incorporated into mainstream medicine. Integrative medicine has eclipsed terms such as “alternative” medicine. For the last three decades, Dr. Greenblatt has devoted his career to educating his colleagues, clinicians, and patients how integrative medicine can have profound effects on mental wellness and how to employ balanced, integrative strategies in the treatment mental illness.

Dr. Greenblatt currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine.

Presentation Abstract

Psychiatric Medication: Adverse Effects and Withdrawal Strategies

While psychiatry continues to adhere to a largely psychopharmacologic model of treatment, training clinicians how to prescribe psychotropic medications, it remains steadfast in its apparent insistence on minimizing – and effectively denying – its own responsibility for teaching clinicians how to safely stop psychotropic medications.

Given the scope of antidepressant prescribing practices in the U.S. and abroad, it would seem a matter of immediate concern that the medical establishment should develop clinical guidelines for safe antidepressant discontinuation. Unfortunately, the literature on antidepressant withdrawal best practices is sparse and, at best, confusing. This presentation will review an Integrative approach to the management of antidepressant medication side effects, focusing on withdrawal syndrome.

Publications

Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame

Inducted 2017

In April of 2017, Dr. Greenblatt was inducted into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame by the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine, which has recognized significant contributors to science and medicine who operate from the perspective of biochemical individuality and nutrition-based therapies since 2004. Dr. Greenblatt shares this profound honor with over 60 recognized leaders and many of his heroes in the field of orthomolecular medicine, beginning with the pioneers of nutritional psychiatry Abram Hoffer, Linus Pauling, David Horrobin, Roger Williams, and many more.

 

 

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