Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Psychiatry: A Fact Book (2026)

This version of the book includes:

• Instant access to the full PDF/eBook — readable on your phone, tablet, or desktop
• Instant access to the 8-credit CME Post-Test
• No print copy is shipped with this version. You can start reading and claim CME the moment you order.

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Evidence-Based Answers Beyond the Prescription Pad
Patients ask about vitamins, herbs, and supplements every day—and most clinicians are never taught how to answer. This fact book covers 67 complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments that fall outside conventional psychopharmacology, from lifestyle and mind-body therapies to nutraceuticals and plant medicines. Every entry is grounded in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and, where available, practice guidelines.

Click here to view the table of contents, see the fact sheet format, and browse a sample chapter.

Inside this book, you'll find:

• 67 fact sheets covering lifestyle, nutraceutical, phytochemical, and combination-supplement treatments
• Evidence ratings and dosing guidance drawn from RCTs and current practice guidelines
• Lifestyle and mind-body therapies: diet, exercise, circadian treatments, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and breathwork
• Nutraceuticals: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats, and other compounds natural to the body
• Phytochemicals and adaptogens: herbs and plant extracts, with safety and drug interaction guidance
• A clear-eyed appraisal of lower-evidence and discouraged supplements, so you can steer patients away from ineffective or unsafe options
• Appendices mapping CAM treatments to practice guidelines, detailing cosmetic benefits, and providing visual evidence summaries by diagnosis
• Targeted guidance for medication side effects, psychotropic-induced deficiencies, and alcohol use disorder

This practical resource bridges the gap between folk remedy and clinical evidence, giving prescribers a trustworthy guide to what actually works—and what to skip.

Evidence-based answers for the questions your patients are already asking.

What’s Covered

Lifestyle
Mediterranean diet • Exercise • Forest therapy • Dawn simulator • Light therapy • Dark therapy and blue light blockers • Acupuncture • Air ionization • Aromatherapy • Breathwork • Massage

Nutraceuticals: Natural to the Body
Vitamins B6, B9, B12, D, and E • Iron • Low-dose lithium and lithium orotate • Magnesium • Zinc • Acetyl-L-carnitine • Creatine • 5-HTP • L-arginine • L-carnosine • L-lysine • L-serine • N-acetylcysteine • SAMe • Sarcosine • Omega-3s • Palmitoylethanolamide • Phosphatidylserine • Citicoline • Coenzyme Q10 • Inositol • Melatonin • Probiotics

Phytochemicals: Plants and Herbs
Chamomile • Cocoa • Curcumin • Ginger • Ginkgo biloba • L-theanine • Lavender (Silexan) • Lemon balm • Lion’s mane • Maca root • Pycnogenol • Resveratrol • Saffron • Sulforaphane • Valerian • Ashwagandha • Bacopa monnieri • Ginseng • Rhodiola rosea • CBD oil • Chasteberry • Cytisinicline • Galphimia glauca • Kudzu • St. John’s wort

Synthetic Nootropics & Combination Supplements
Racetams • Enlyte • Micronutrients • Xiao Yao San (Free and Easy Wanderer)

Lower-Evidence and Discouraged Supplements
Promising but unproven • Unsafe or ineffective

About the Author

Chris Aiken, MD, is the editor-in-chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report, the mood disorders section editor of Psychiatric Times, and an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University and Wake Forest schools of medicine. He has authored numerous books and peer-reviewed articles in psychiatry, including Prescribing Psychotropics (2022) and Difficult to Treat Depression: A Carlat Guide (2026).

He began his career as a research assistant at the National Institute of Mental Health and completed his training at Yale, Cornell, and Duke medical centers. He has directed neuromodulation and esketamine centers in North Carolina, and his current practice, Psych Partners, integrates pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

Dr. Aiken has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

You must be logged in to your individual account to take the post-test. You will have two attempts to pass and must answer at least 75% of the questions correctly to earn credit. The Carlat CME Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians and maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This enduring material is designated for a maximum of eight (8) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians and psychologists should claim credit commensurate with their participation. This activity is available for CME credit for a defined period based on the date of publication, in accordance with accreditation requirements. The post-test must be completed prior to the expiration date; after that time, CME credit will no longer be available.