Persons diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder are significantly more likely to use CAM treatments than the general population, and the majority of people who use CAM to self-treat a mental health problem take prescription medications concurrently. Almost one-half of persons diagnosed with major depressive disorder or panic disorder use at least one CAM treatment, compared to less than one-third of the general adult population. Roughly two-thirds of severely depressed or anxious persons who use CAM therapies consult with a mental health professional and 90 percent of the time this is a psychiatrist. The majority of persons who use CAM therapies for a mental health problem do not disclose this to their mental health care provider. This trend is alarming in view of potentially serious safety problems that can result when combining certain herbals or other natural products with pharmaceuticals. More than one-half of persons who self-treat severe depression or anxiety using CAM while concurrently taking a pharmaceutical believe that CAM treatments and conventional medications are equally efficacious.
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