Dear Friends:

After more than three decades as a psychiatrist looking at the brain, I have realized we can do much better to decrease stigma, increase compliance, and help patients get better faster. The current state-of-the-art in psychiatry is unacceptable.

If you have crushing chest pain, your doctor will scan your heart; but
If you have crushing depression, no one will look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you are sick to your stomach, your doctor will image your abdomen; but
If you are sick with anxiety, no one will ever scan your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If cancer is destroying your body, your doctor will order a PET scan to see if it has metastasized; but
If your addiction is destroying your family, no one will look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have stabbing back pain, your doctor will order an MRI of your back; but
If you have repetitive urges to stab others, no one will ever look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have persistent knee pain, your doctor will image your knees; but
If you have persistent heartache that just won’t go away, no one will ever look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have a chronic cough, your doctor will x-ray your chest; but
If unremitting panic attacks are ruining your life, no one will ever look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have double vision, your doctor will scan your brain; but
If you are hallucinating, no one will look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have seizures, your doctor will scan your brain; but
If you are tortured by past traumatic events, no one will scan your brain.
That is unacceptable.

If you have a gunshot wound, your doctor will order an MRI of the affected area; but
If you want to shoot yourself, no one will look at your brain.
That is unacceptable.

Looking at the brain for complex psychiatric patients has changed everything we do for those we serve.

A long time ago I realized no one really wants to see a psychiatrist.

No one wants to be labeled as defective or abnormal;

But everyone wants a better brain.

What if mental health was really brain health?

Over the past 30 plus years we have built the world’s largest database of brain SPECT scans, which can be used to better understand ourselves and to create more effective treatments, so individuals and families can get the help they deserve.

That is why I created the Change Your Brain Foundation. It has three purposes:

1. Provide innovative mental health/brain health services for people who cannot afford it.

2. Provide education on brain health to as many people as possible. We currently have a high
school/college course in all 50 states and 7 countries.

3. Conduct research dedicated to changing how psychiatric medicine is practiced by adding
neuroimaging and natural ways to heal the brain.

With your help, we can fulfill our mission and together shine the spotlight on brain health as the key to advanced mental health treatments – and an overall healthier society.

Together we CAN change the world one brain at a time!

Daniel Amen, MD