Amen Clinic
Encyclopedia
Amen Clinics, Inc is a group of 4 neuropsychiatric clinics founded by Daniel G. Amen
which use single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT) in an attempt to diagnose and treat mental disorders.
, obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety
, ADD, aggressiveness, cognitive decline, and brain toxicity from drugs
or alcohol
.
Through taking an image of the brain Amen believes it is possible to notice which portions of the brain are out of balance and hence make a more accurate diagnosis of problems and prescriptions for correcting them. Dr. Amen has said that "Psychiatrists remain the only medical specialists that never look at the organ they treat."
Amen Clinics have the world’s largest database of functional brain scans used in psychiatric medicine, now totaling over 65,000 scans collected over more than two decades. It has locations in Newport Beach, California
; San Francisco, California
; Bellevue, Washington
, and Reston, Virginia
.
has questioned the clinical appropriateness of Amen's use of SPECT, stating "The clinical utility of neuroimaging techniques for planning of individualized treatment has not yet been shown." To date, the Amen Clinic has not shown that patients using his treatment approach have better outcomes, however a majority of patients are satisfied with their treatment.
Daniel G. Amen
Daniel G. Amen, M.D. is a child and adult psychiatrist, self-help advisor, author and medical director of the Amen Clinic. He has done work in evaluating psychiatric and neurological patients with the help of SPECT scanning, especially in the area of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.-Career...
which use single photon emission computed tomography
Single photon emission computed tomography
Single-photon emission computed tomography is a nuclear medicine tomographic imaging technique using gamma rays. It is very similar to conventional nuclear medicine planar imaging using a gamma camera. However, it is able to provide true 3D information...
(SPECT) in an attempt to diagnose and treat mental disorders.
Amen Clinics and SPECT
Daniel Amen claims it is possible to use SPECT to help diagnose and manage cases of brain trauma, underachievement, school failure, depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
, ADD, aggressiveness, cognitive decline, and brain toxicity from drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
or alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
.
Through taking an image of the brain Amen believes it is possible to notice which portions of the brain are out of balance and hence make a more accurate diagnosis of problems and prescriptions for correcting them. Dr. Amen has said that "Psychiatrists remain the only medical specialists that never look at the organ they treat."
Amen Clinics have the world’s largest database of functional brain scans used in psychiatric medicine, now totaling over 65,000 scans collected over more than two decades. It has locations in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
; San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, and Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
.
Controversy
While the Amen Clinic claims, via their website and books that they are able to create better and more effective treatment plans for patients due to SPECT imagining, the American Psychiatric AssociationAmerican Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
has questioned the clinical appropriateness of Amen's use of SPECT, stating "The clinical utility of neuroimaging techniques for planning of individualized treatment has not yet been shown." To date, the Amen Clinic has not shown that patients using his treatment approach have better outcomes, however a majority of patients are satisfied with their treatment.