26 | DECEMBER 12 • 2019 

continued on page 28

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