Fascinated by the inner workings of the mind, psychiatrist Robert Buchalter, MD, has spent his career learning how the brain works and utilizing his knowledge to treat patients. The variety of personalities and emotional issues he deals with ensure his job is never boring.

 

"Everybody is interesting," he noted. "I enjoy interaction with people; exploring what makes people happy and unhappy."

 

His daily routine is challenging but he wouldn't have it any other way. He starts his day at 6 a.m. on rounds at Saint Francis Hospital, along with patient evaluations and consultations at both Saint Francis and at Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis. The second half of his day is spent seeing patients in his private practice located on the Saint Francis grounds.

 

His background is psychoanalytic training, and he has a particular interest in psycho-biologic strategy. For him, looking at the whole picture – physical, mental, socieocultural, and economic factors – is vital to determining the causation of mental disorders.

 

"You bring all of that to your problems. It factors into mental health," he said.

 

Especially with the current economic woes, noted Buchalter, he's seeing an influx of patients who are beyond stressed.

 

"I've seen the impact of what we're going through economically."

 

While mental health understanding and treatment has come a long way, the age-old challenges still exist. Buchalter works toward erasing the stigma attached to mental illness, as well as the specialty of psychiatry.

 

"We have to overcome the fear and prejudice that surround the idea of mental illness," he maintained. "The solution is education about mental illness being a treatable illness. It's not just about the illness itself. For patients, "It's overcoming their fears and anxieties to get help, make the best use of their treatment and continue with treatment."

 

Within the medical field, many misconceptions are held about the science and aptitude of mental health treatment.

 

"There are a lot of questions about how much help you can give for mental health.

 

After all, the mind is an intangible, which makes for a difficult exploration, but mental health plays a huge role in physical health, Buchalter contended. That is why he is dedicating to keeping up with the latest discoveries and involving all schools of thought to develop solutions for his patients.

 

In the United States, dollars put into mental health have long been spread thin, while most doctors maintain that understanding how the brain and mind work are vital to understanding the interplay between mind and body and its role in physical health issues.

 

"Our knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg. We need to expand our knowledge of the mind and brain – what parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental disorder."

 

Besides his private practice and rounds at the two hospitals, Buchalter expanded his interest into geriatric psychological disorders. He is the medical director of geriatric psychology at Saint Francis and specializes in electro-convulsive therapy.

 

With people living longer and diseases of aging becoming more and more common, geriatric psychology is becoming a major focus. Living longer with disease can easily lead to depression.

 

In fact, about 7 percent of Americans age 50 and older are currently depressed and about 15 percent have been depressed in their lifetimes, according to a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) survey. Depression can lead to faster physical and mental decline in older people and even to death at an earlier age.

 

A 2003 study found that depressed seniors living in the community were 70 percent more likely to die within 18 months than their peers who were not depressed.

 

The most exciting advancement Buchalter has seen in his career, he said, is the understanding of the biology of the brain, and through that the development of medicines – medicines that weren't available 30 years ago.

 

Buchalter's training began at Memphis State University, then UT Medical School and an internship at Georgetown University Services at DC General Hospital. He did his residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and then spent two years in Army psychiatry. This was from 1968 to 1970, during the Vietnam War. During that time he was stateside, working at Valley Forge General Hospital with soldiers, most of whom suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

 

"There were many casualties both physically and mentally. I gained an appreciation of the stresses that come from troops in battle during times of war."

 

After that he worked in Philadelphia and New York City before settling his roots in Memphis.

 

Buchalter said he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon, but to continue to be the best psychiatrist he can be and help more patients; he understands the importance of time away from work. That's why he takes a half day off every Wednesday.

 

In his spare time he plays golf, tennis and enjoys traveling with his wife.