A symptom is the end of a story. It is not the beginning.
Low mood is a symptom. So is brain fog, fatigue, poor sleep, and a short fuse. Those words describe what you feel. They do not explain why.
The same feeling can come from many places
A slowed thyroid. Thyroid problems affect mood, memory, and thinking. Low thyroid can look like depression. Overactive thyroid can look like anxiety.
Low vitamin B12.Can cause mood changes, poor concentration, and memory problems. Easy to test. Easy to treat.
Blood sugar and insulin. Insulin resistance shows up more often during periods of depression. The two travel together. That does not mean one causes the other. The test that finds it early, fasting insulin, is usually not on a standard panel.
A medication. Many common prescriptions list depression as a possible side effect, including some blood pressure, acid reflux, and pain medications, and hormonal contraceptives. That does not mean yours is the problem. It means it belongs on the list.
Why these get missed
A short visit moves fast from symptom to treatment. Some of the useful labs are not standard. And once someone has a psychiatric diagnosis, new symptoms tend to get filed under it.
The gap is not knowledge. It is the step that gets skipped.
We Investigate
A full history. Sleep, food, movement, stress, medical and family history.
Every medication and supplement you take.
Bloodwork. Metabolic panel, A1c, fasting insulin, lipids, thyroid, micronutrients, homocysteine, ferritin, celiac screening, hormones and others as indicated by history.
Personalized Plan for your biology
This is not instead of psychiatric care
It runs alongside it. We work with your prescriber and therapist, not around them.
Sometimes the answer is still a medication. We would rather know what we are treating first.
We investigate before we medicate.
Call 404-995-1560 or Click to Book a consult
