Many people who find the Alternative Mental Health Solution’s community are just like you:

• They have struggled with mental health symptoms for years and have had treatment but don’t feel like they’ve gotten all the help they need from conventional approaches.

• Most have found that medications haven’t done the job fully, and some have experienced medications even making things worse.

• Almost everyone isn’t sure what to do next.

This is right where Evan was when he found me about 3 years ago.

When I met him he was more depressed than he had ever been (and he had been depressed since he was a kid). He had no idea why he was so down and felt clueless about what might help. He was hopeless!

All he knew was that he was DONE seeing psychiatrists.

In all, we only met 3 or 4 times over a few months and by that fourth visit his depressive symptoms were much better.

After that, I didn’t really hear back from him. He referred a number of family members and friends to my practice, but he and I didn’t really connect about how he had been doing over the past few years.  

Then a few months ago, out of the blue, Evan reached out to me and told me how important the work we had done together had been in his life.

I asked him to write a testimonial about his experience and the story below is what he sent.

I was so moved by it, and felt that others would be too, that I decided to share it as a blog.

Letting others read this deeply personal statement seemed important because it was so clear that there are healing options for depression out there, even if you feel hopeless and confused!

So here’s Evan’s story in his own words…

“I struggled with depression for most of my life.  About six years ago, I finally gave in and sought professional help from a psychiatrist.  I filled out a brief health history form and he sat me down on the couch to ask me a few questions.  That was all the info he needed to make his diagnosis, “Major Depressive Disorder”.

He prescribed me some drugs and told me to check back in a few weeks.  The drugs actually helped a bit at first, but I fell back into depression shortly afterward.

I continued to struggle over the next few years.  During that time, I saw several psychiatrists and they all had a similar method of diagnosing and treating me.  They asked me a few questions, diagnosed me with some vague-sounding disorder, and sold me some drugs.

Unfortunately, this approach almost killed me.

In 2013, I checked into a mental hospital after a suicide attempt.  I had no history of anything like this ever before. Nobody had any idea why I was so sick. I was in a dark place and I was afraid.

Thankfully, I found Dr. Friedman shortly after being released from that hospital.  

He explained there could be a dozen or more physical conditions that could be causing my symptoms and the only way to accurately diagnose me was to test for the “usual suspects,”as he put it.

After testing, he identified several probable causes for my symptoms, including a major deficiency in one important trace mineral. He also found that I had low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and one serious food allergy to a food I ate every day.

Dr. Friedman recommended over-the-counter supplements to treat the deficiencies we found, as well as some dietary changes.

What followed were three years of freedom from depression.  

I have had no mental health issues whatsoever for three years and I took no drugs at all!  Every area of my life has been so much better than before.

It was like a light switch turned on in my head and my whole world changed.

After seeing my profound and sustained recovery, about a dozen of my family and friends have been treated by Dr. Friedman with positive results.

Words truly cannot express my deep gratitude for this man and his help.”  

There is help out there….

If you resonated with Evan’s powerful and moving story, the real takeaway is that there IS help out there for you!

You need to find a skilled practitioner who can help you identify and address the root physical issues causing your depression. These practitioners usually practice a new brand of “detective” medicine known as Functional or Integrative Medicine. 

To find out more about the “usual suspects” check out a recent blog I wrote on the subject

My website also goes into more depth about the process of understanding and addressing the root causes of depression, and if you want, sign up for my email list so future blogs come right to your inbox. 

If you want to book an initial case review to begin your healing process click here.

I would be honored to work with you!

If you know someone stuck with mental health symptoms after seeking therapy and medications, PLEASE share this information with them.  Let them know that they are not alone and that there are healing options that they may not know about.

And most of all, remember we are ALL in this together.

In good (mental) health,

Dr. Josh