Over the last decade research has uncovered a vast amount of information as to the causes of mental illness, as well as ways to reduce mental health symptoms simply by correcting these underlying issues. Unfortunately, often these health problems are not being addressed, and many of the research-based treatment modalities continue to not be widely used in conventional psychiatry. Integrative medicine differs from the generic, treatment-centered approach of traditional western medicine by taking an individualized, patient-centered approach. It is based on a partnership between a healthcare provider and a patient, working toward overall wellness as well as uncovering and repairing the potential cause of mental health symptoms. It requires both the leadership of the provider and the active participation of the patient. The necessary time to gather all pertinent information from a patient is taken, often including lab work to get a clear picture of the patient's health status, and treating the entire patient and not a single symptom. Through judicious combinations of conventional and nonconventional approaches, integrative medicine offers a reasonable "middle way" in mental health care. Integrative psychiatry is highly individualized and values providing a structure and plan to keep patients on less or no medication. At the same time, the clinical value of psychotropic medications is not undermined and always taken into account but are used with care and consideration. However, long term plans often involve "root cause resolution," or looking for what may be causing or exacerbating mental health symptoms and resolving them, in order to provide a platform for patients not wanting to be committed to a lifetime of psychiatric medications. Frequently, after resolving these medical conditions patients naturally are not so reliant on medication. These plans are considered together, between the provider and patient to facilitate the goals of each patient individually.