Psychiatry

The mind is just as important to treat as any other part of your body. While mental and behavioral issues may not be as physically obvious, the reality is the same: in order to heal oneself, you must treat these issues as you would any physical ailment. At The Landon Center, our Board Certified Team of Psychiatrists serve to provide our patients with excellent and effective treatment for these conditions and help them begin and maintain a long-term recovery.


Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health, including substance use disorders. They are fully trained physicians who specialize in diseases and conditions of the mind, just as their peers treat diseases of the body.

Written by Dr. Raafat Girgis

Posted on November 24, 2016

As part of our clinical assessment process, our psychiatrists will evaluate each patient’s emotional and mental problems by performing a full range of medical laboratory tests, brain imaging studies and psychological tests, to help determine the neurobiology of each patient’s mental and physical state. Based on the criteria from the ASA’ ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-5), the physician will identify and diagnose any underlying disorders, whether temporary or chronic. Based on the above findings, combined with a thorough and compassionate discussion with each patient, the psychiatrist will formulate the best course of action for their treatment.

Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health, including substance use disorders.

Specifically, addiction psychiatrists are substance abuse experts who have completed additional ACGME-accredited residency programs. They may prescribe medication as an integral part of your treatment. Psychopharmacological interventions are prescribed on a case-by-case basis and are generally assigned to one of the following four categories: antipsychotics, antidepressants, stimulants (to treat mood disorders), and anxiolytics (used to inhibit anxiety). Should medication assisted treatment become a component of your recovery plan, The Landon Center’s Medication Management Team will intervene to closely monitor any side effects and/or make any necessary modifications to dosing.

As a multi-disciplinary clinic, the patient’s psychiatrist will work hand in hand with their primary care and other specialty physicians in a coordinated fashion to ensure that patients’ medical and emotional/behavioral needs are fully met with efficiency, in one convenient setting.


Addiction treatment has changed greatly over the past few years, and thanks to extensive research into the nature of both addictions and co-occurring disorders, mental health care professionals are now better able to identify the root of the patient’s emotional trauma and effectively treat conditions, often resulting in a full recovery.

As part of our clinical assessment process, our psychiatrists will evaluate each patient’s emotional and mental problems by performing a full range of medical laboratory tests, brain imaging studies and psychological tests, to help determine the neurobiology of each patient’s mental and physical state.

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At our beautiful institute in Newport Beach, California, The Landon Institute provides nationally recognized evidence-based outpatient treatment programs for addiction, rehabilitation, and recovery. Our Board Certified Physicians are extensively experienced in addiction recovery and rehabilitation. We believe in a comprehensive, whole-recovery approach to overcoming chemical and/or alcohol dependency that focuses on all three factors of health that addiction affects: physical, mental and emotional health.

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