Mental illness is reaching a crisis point in the U.S. The statistics are staggering, as it is estimated that 25 percent of college students are suffering from anxiety and depression. The percentage of Americans who report that they regularly or frequently feel lonely is between 40 and 45 percent. The opioid crisis is not just a crime wave involving drugs that is sweeping our nation, but it is a mental health crisis also. It is estimated that 40 percent of people with addictions have an underlying mental health problem. School shootings continue to occur on a frequent basis throughout the country and often the perpetrator has a history of mental illness or demonstrated signs of instability prior to the incident.

As a future health professional, you will be addressing the whole person (an approach termed integrative, complimentary, or alternative medicine), not just medical issues. Integrative medicine addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person’s health. The conventional model of medicine has been the biomedical model (termed allopathic or Western medicine) that focuses on the physical and objective base of disease. In other words the goal is to treat the illness only. There has been a gradual shift toward including integrative medicine within medical and educational training programs as research is supporting the efficacy of the approach.

As you proceed through your undergraduate program, be aware if and how integrative medicine is being introduced and taught. This approach will allow you to see the whole patient and to be more effective in reducing the prevalence of mental illness.