Samantha Boardman, MD Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University New York, New York
Rosemary Odem Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas
Jeffrey A. Lam, MD PGY-1 Psychiatry Resident Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, Massachusetts
Disclosures The authors report no financial relationships with any companies whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.
By exploring and emphasizing potential and possibility, positive psychiatry aims to create a balance between pathogenesis (the study and understanding of disease) with salutogenesis (the study and creation of health24). Clinicians are well positioned to manage symptoms and bolster positive states. Rather than an either/or approach to well-being, positive psychiatry strives for a both/and approach to well-being. By adding positive interventions to their toolbox, clinicians can expand the range of treatment options, better engage patients in the treatment process, and bolster mental health.
Bottom Line
Clinicians can integrate the tools and principles of positive psychiatry into clinical practice. Teaching patients to adopt a positive orientation, harness strengths, mobilize values, cultivate social connections, and optimize healthy habits can not only provide a counterweight to the traditional emphasis on illness, but also can enhance the range and richness of patients’ everyday experience.
