March 10, 2014 - Director of Clinical Services, Eduardo Constantino, MD was quoted extensively in a Newsday article by Randy Dotinga about the movement of psychiatry away from talk therapy in favor of medication management.
Citing a national survey, Mr. Dotinga said that fewer than half the psychiatrists in the United States provide psychotherapy today, compared with two-thirds ten years ago. Dr. Constantino attributed part of the decline to sharp cuts in insurance reimbursement for longer therapy sessions, but recommended that psychiatrists continue to practice psychotherapy because of its effectiveness, particularly in the treatment of anxiety and mild to moderate depression. Expressing doubt that health care reform will increase insurance coverage for longer sessions, Dr. Constantino held out the hope that large insurers will come to realize the benefits of adequate mental health care for their policy holders.
The article, titled “Psychiatry’s shrinking role: Talk therapy wanes as ‘med checks’ rise,” was published on March 4, 2014 in the Explore LI section of the paper.