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Jews in the D
B
efore it was in vogue
for psychiatrists to
prescribe brain-
based medications for their
patients, Alan Rosenbaum,
M.D., was researching and
incorporating psychotro-
pic drugs for his patients
in need. That was more
than 50 years ago. Today,
Rosenbaum, who practices in
Farmington Hills, is consid-
ered an expert and pioneer
in the field.
In addition to serving
as a clinical professor of
behavioral science at Wayne
State University and an
adjunct clinical profes-
sor of psychiatry at the
University of Michigan, he
is a distinguished life fellow
of the American Psychiatric
Association.
For his years of dedication
and commitment to treating
mental illness, Rosenbaum
was honored on Nov. 15 by
the Michigan Psychoanalytic
Foundation at an event at
the Henry Ford Museum
of American Innovation in
Dearborn.
“We were so pleased to
honor Dr. Rosenbaum,” says
psychiatrist Sally Rosenberg,
D.O., co-president of the
foundation and president of
the Michigan Psychoanalytic
Institute. “He has had a
major impact on the mental
health community in the
Detroit area.
“Dr. Rosenbaum’
s expert
combination of the science
and the art of medicine has
helped many patients with
widely varying problems. His
careful communications with
referring practitioners have
facilitated the integration of
psychopharmacology and
psychotherapy.”
Rosenbaum, born and
raised in Detroit, went to
medical school at U-M,
where he simultaneously
took classes at the Graduate
School of Pharmacology.
In 1965, he received both
his medical degree and a
master’
s of science degree
in pharmacology. He did a
psychiatry residency at the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minn., where he remained
on staff for 9.5 years.
Very early on, Rosenbaum
incorporated his knowledge
of brain-influencing drugs
into his psychiatric practice.
“My first patient as a psy-
chiatric resident was admit-
ted after her husband died,
and she developed a psychot-
ic mania as a result of the
stress,” he explains. “When
she came on to our unit, I
was told to talk her out of
the psychosis. It didn’
t work.
I read about medications for
mania and found research
being done using lithium for
bipolar disorder.
“For my next manic
patient, I called the corner
drugstore and asked if they
had any lithium. They said
yes — it was used as a salt
substitute for blood pressure
— and agreed to make up
some capsules for me. I gave
them to my patient, and they
worked in about a week.”
At Mayo Clinic, while
studying some of the new
antidepressants, Rosenbaum
measured stress hormones in
patients with severe anxious
depression and found that if
their cortisone and adrenalin
were too high, antidepres-
sants made them worse.
In 1981, Rosenbaum, along
with his wife, Maxine, and
two daughters, moved back
to Michigan. He pursued his
career in psychopharmacolo-
gy and continued doing drug
evaluations.
DRUGS AND DIAGNOSES
Rosenbaum says psychiatric
illnesses that may be severe
enough to require medica-
tions include depression,
bipolar disorder, ADHD,
obsessive-compulsive disor-
der, panic disorders, severe
anxiety, eating disorders and
schizophrenia.
However, drugs are not
prescribed without careful
consideration, a thorough
medical history and close
monitoring.
“Depression and bipolar
disorder cause a higher inci-
dence of high blood pressure,
strokes, diabetes and demen-
tia,” he says. “Some of our
newer anti-psychotic medi-
cations can cause a metabolic
syndrome, increasing one’
s
risk of heart disease, stroke
and Type 2 diabetes.
Patients have to be mon-
itored regarding their cho-
lesterol, sugar, thyroid and
kidney function. Most drugs
work about 50 percent of the
time on the first try and, if
the patient works with you,
about 85 percent will get
Pioneering
Psychiatrist
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Alan Rosenbaum
lauded for facilitating
the integration of psychopharmacology
and psychotherapy.
Dr. Alan Rosenbaum was honored Nov. 15 by the Michigan Psychoanalytic Foundation.
JM