RSS
_-The-Breakthrough-Antipsychotic-That-Could-Change-Everything.webp?t=1729528747 "KarXT (Cobenfy)_ The Breakthrough Antipsychotic That Could Change Everything.jpg")
Your patient says he’s doing “fine.” His SSRI is working—less anxiety, better sleep, decent appetite.
But his life isn’t.
No real friendships. A dead-end job. Weekends alone with takeout and TV. He says the right things (“I’m stable”) but something is missing.
You don’t want to raise the dose.
You want to raise the conversation.
You share a few of Drew Ramsey’s Nine Tenets of Mental Fitness, and something shifts.
You start with self-awareness—the practice of noticing what’s working and what’s not.
Then movement—not gym goals, but any joyful motion. He used to dance.
Then connection—not pressure to “be social,” just one text, one reach-out.
Not magic. But meaningful.
Dr. Ramsey's framework reminds us that beyond symptom relief, there’s the work of building a life.
Mental fitness isn’t wellness fluff—it’s a structure for helping people reconnect with what makes life worth living.
I’ve also put together a free Carlat Clinical Fact Sheet on Mental Fitness—a one-page guide to the nine tenets with practical steps for visits. You can download it directly from this post.
We also linked the full Q&A with Dr. Ramsey in the comments—it’s a practical, non-preachy read.
What’s one tenet you’ve found especially useful in your work with patients?
I’d love to hear.
Follow me (Daniel Carlat, MD) for grounded reflections on practical psychiatry.
Link to the original post.
