BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT & PRIMARY CARE REFERRAL
Alternative Healthcare LA Behavioral Health Director Robert L. Jamison, CRA, PhD a Dedicated Healthcare Professional with 20 year background as a former Fellowship trained Physician Assistant in General, Cardiovascular, Neurology & Plastic surgery. For the past eight years he's been working as a Behavioral Health Consultant along side Dr. Steve Lower Ph.D. a board certified Psychologist and Staff at Psychology Associate. Dr. Jamison oversees our Behavioral Health Assessments (BHA) Program
What is a disability examination?
When you’ve suffered an injury or impairment for which some level of benefits are available, that disability or impairment is often confirmed by a Physician. The benefits could be paid by the government, such as for Social Security or workers’ compensation, or through private insurance, so there’s usually an investigative process for which a disability exam is a key component.
A disability examination may not end with your physician’s evaluation, however. often other specialists are involved. For example, if you’ve suffered a work-related injury, an occupational medicine specialist or occupational therapist’s assessment may be requested to determine how your injuries interfere with your work and what accommodations are needed if you are to return to work. Allied Health Solutions works with many other specialists in the Los Angeles area, so referrals are easy and, in some cases, close to one of the Allied Health Solutions locations.
What can I expect during a disability medical exam?
The individual requirements for a disability examination typically vary with the type of injury you’ve suffered as well as the agency requesting the exam. Specific tests and follow-ups may be requested in each case.
Alternative Healthcare LA may connect you with therapists or with specialists as needed in consideration of your diagnosis, such as seeing a psychiatrist or psychotherapist if you’re experiencing job stress. We may also refer you to an Orthopedist, Rheumatologist o
Additional Information:
The State Employment Development Department (EDD) manages the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) programs for the State of California. SDI also includes Disability Insurance (DI), Paid Family Leave (PFL) and Family Care Leave (FCL). Our (SDI) Physician is adept at handling FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) documents and processing. He could also assist you with filing a Workers Compensation Claim or file for Unemployment if you do not qualify for/or have a need for State Disability benefits.
If you do not have health insurance, our staff could direct you to resources to apply for health insurance. With having health insurance, the road to recovery becomes less arduous and we are better able to expedite your recovery so you could eventually return to work.
In the last 30 days, an estimated 3.5% of Americans have suffered psychological distress, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This results in more than 61 million visits to doctors’ offices annually. Clearly, behavioral health providers such as Dr. Jamison and the healthcare professionals at Alternative Healthcare LA, play a key role in mental health care.
Mental Health Q&A What are common mental health problems?
Mental illness comes in many forms, on their own, in combination, or resulting as a complication from another disorder. Often, similar mental issues are classed together in groups of like disorders. Some of the most common mental illnesses are discussed here. Affective disorders create changes in your moods, such as seasonal affective disorder, thought to be caused by lack of sunlight during the winter season. Depression and bipolar disorder also fall into this category.
Anxiety disorders usually produce reactions of fear or dread, panic episodes, and physical symptoms such as sweating, shallow respiration, and rapid heartbeat, which are out of proportion with the trigger situation. Your response may also be out of your control, and it may interfere with normal function in your life.Post-traumatic stress disorder typically follows experiencing or witnessing a major traumatic event. This may be due to assault, accident, or natural disaster, and it can include long-lasting responses, thoughts, dreams, and memories. Personality disorders often cause issues with daily life, at home, school, or work. Your patterns of thinking may be substantially different than those of normal society, as well as rigid and inflexible. Examples include obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder.
How are common mental illnesses treated?
Treatment of mental illness frequently depends on the type of disorder you have. A mental illness may have medical, psychiatric, and social aspects, and treatments may vary even among patients of similar diagnoses. Medical treatments don’t cure mental illness, but they may lessen the severity of symptoms. Some medications may make psychotherapy treatment more effective. Commonly used medication classes include:
- Anti-anxiety medications: reduce agitation and panic associated with anxiety, which may also relieve associated insomnia
- Antidepressants: non-addictive drugs that relieve symptoms of sadness, lack of energy, concentration issues, and lack of interest
- Antipsychotic drugs: used alongside antidepressants or on their own to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorders
- Mood stabilizers: typically used with bipolar disorders and occasionally with antidepressants.
How are non-medical treatments of mental illness approached?
Alternative Healthcare LA partners with mental health professionals in the Los Angeles area, referring patients when medications alone can’t relieve the symptoms of your illness.



