Locations
Pamela A. Pappas MD, MD(H)
Scottsdale, AZ
About
Bio
Emphasizing mindfulness, self-awareness, and compassion, I'm a board-certified psychiatrist and executive coach in Scottsdale, AZ. My private medical practice provides natural healing options for adults dealing with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
In addition to many years as an academic psychiatrist, I've also formally studied and practiced Classical Homeopathy since 1999. A graduate of Dr. Andrew Weil's Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, I'm board certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine. As a certified Executive Coach, I help physicians prevent burnout on individual, team, organizational, and national levels. Burnout can be a transformation point where physicians reconfigure their lives in healthy, wholehearted ways -- leading to better health for all.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Psychiatry
Holistic Medicine
Integrative Medicine
Doctor Q&A
8.1K Answers
38K Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Multiple therapies: People w/borderline pd benefit most from combined approaches. First, individual psychotherapy with someone skilled in object relations work, along wi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not by itself: Seaweed can be very nutritious. Kelp, for instance, is a source of vitamins a, b1, b2, c, d and e, plus amino acids. (it can also be very salty thou... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not automatically: Many depressed and anxious people do have initial insomnia, or difficulty getting to sleep. But delayed sleep phase syndrome (dsps) is different and... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Wide range: There's a wide range of ages for this. Even small children may play with themselves, exploring their bodies. But focused masturbation is different. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Nothing good: By "meth, " i'm assuming you mean methamphetamine. Nothing good happens when you abuse this substance. There are some ongoing studies of Naltrexone ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
PTSD and Sleep: Ptsd can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, and can be associated with recurrent nightmares. These issues are very common, with some st... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
It depends: It depends on what supplements you mean, and what person. Probably everyone needs a good basic multivitamin to support ongoing good nutrition. Many ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Eventual death: "mad cow disease, " or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease affecting the CNS of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not harmful, but: Meditation itself is not harmful, but certain people might find it distressing. People who have untreated trauma may find the emotions that can arise... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Sinusitis: There are many remedies for sinusitis. But sinusitis is often a chronic, or repeated condition -- and thus requires homeopathic consultation to selec... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Talk w/gynecologist: If you are pregnant but don't want to be, please discuss with your gynecologist. Please do not try to induce a miscarriage on your own. If you don't... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Complicated issue: Despite the importance of breastfeeding for babies & moms, meds in milk is an issue. Several studies now have suggested that Prozac specifically may ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not always: Difficulty breathing can come from many causes. Sometimes heart problems; lung disease such as asthma or copd; sometimes anatomic problem like when p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Toxic shame: Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we're flawed and therefore unworthy of love & belonging. It's "toxic" because i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
1 visit vs treatment: Without knowing what troubles you and what you shared with the psychiatrist, it's hard to know what transpired. Definitive treatment cannot be comple... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Need specialist eval: Lewy body dementia (dlb) is a progressive brain disorder that involves cognitive, behavioral, and motor system deterioration similar to that seen in p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes and no: Homeopathic remedies stimulate your own healing mechanisms in the specific way needed for your system to find its own balance again. A remedy that's b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 28-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Many kinds: There are meditative activities for both kids and adults -- like getting lost in music, dancing, or art. Some people do better with moving meditation... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Assistance programs: There is a partnership for prescription assistance at https://www.Pparx.Org/ -- this lists many programs set up by drug companies to help people in n... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes: Classical homeopathy has been shown to be safe and effective in animals, babies, children, adults, the elderly, and in pregnant women. Here's an arti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes it can: Stress can definitely cause hyperglycemia. It's a well-known phenomenon in acute illnesses in hospitals -- such as post surgery, after heart attacks,... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not really: Atrial fibrillation has a long list of possible causes including hyperthyroidism; heart attacks; congenital heart problems; heart valve problems; sti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Bean sprouts: Bean sprouts can easily be contaminated with bacteria such as salmonella and e. Coli. These cause GI illnesses (food poisoning) which can be severe. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Mixed feelings: Perhaps remembering how you fell in love with him in the first place, before he needed the home-care, would help? How did your relationship develop? ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes, rarely: With well-trained acupuncturists, puncturing a lung is rare -- but is still one of the known risks depending on location of points needled. Pneumotho... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Agree to disagree: This may be one of those areas where you have to agree to disagree, because it's impossible to force someone to agree with you. The more important que... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Chamomilla?: I don't know a homeopathic remedy called "camilia", but there is one called "chamomilla" which can help colicky, irritable babies. A correctly presc... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
"Kind of like"?: If you only "kind of like" her, it sounds like you and this girl are playing similar flirtation games with each other. A little interest, peeking to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Peace amidst pain: Caregiving brings many intense situations and feelings; it can also be exhausting. A suffering person can be difficult to care for. Also, the care y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
People do it: If you feel that "normal" is simply what a lot of people do, then drinking alcohol to cope with anxiety & depression is "normal." but it isn't helpf... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Drunkorexia: "drunkorexia" describes someone who has both an eating disorder and alcohol abuse. The person may avoid food and consume her only calories via alcohol... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Letting go of shame: All humans who care about connection to others, experience shame from time to time. This means most of us know what it's like to feel we're not worth... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Confidentiality: Unless you're seeing the psychiatrist for a court-ordered forensic evaluation, or you think attorneys are likely to subpoena your medical records, wha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Ask him : The best person to tell you how he feels, is your boyfriend. However, even if he misses her it doesn't necessarily mean he wants to get back togethe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Got drama?: Maybe having things in common would bore people who require high drama in their relationships. :-) others, not so much. Even if you both grew up in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Body Dysmorphic D/O: People w/body dysmorphic d/o are preoccupied with what they see as a flaw in their appearance. The flaw is minor or imagined, but the person feels it... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not bad or good, but: Could provide many opportunities for growth . . . Which could also be painful. Moving in together is a serious step. It brings in all kinds of aspec... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
If done right, YES!: It's important to first have a good medical evaluation of your pain; your primary care doctor can help you. If this is chronic pain, with no acute or... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes: Thousands of homeopathic remedies can help back pain, including sciatica. A deep-acting constitutional remedy, prescribed with thorough understanding... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Talk with doctor: This is not uncommon, and there are many skilled, compassionate family physicians & obgyn's who can help you. You can talk with your doctor about wha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
YES: Using marijuana distorts perceptions, impairs coordination, causes difficulty with thinking & problem solving, plus problems with learning/memory. In ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes: As dr. Amster states, this disorder is called dissociative identity disorder. It's very rare (.1 - 1% of population), and many people with it have suf... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Gender confusion: Gender confusion is when a person is not clear about his or her own gender -- gender identity d/o, a painful condition. These are people who feel stro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not necessarily: You may just be very angry; perhaps there are patterns in this anger that cause you suffering? It's healthy that you notice this going on inside you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
It depends: This depends on the mental illness of the person involved -- but generally a compassionate, non-judgmental attitude and willingness to assist are need... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
No: The american college of obstetricians and gynecologists estimates that at least 85 percent of menstruating women have at least 1 pms symptom as part o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Antioxidants: Antioxidants alone will not control your depression. However, they can protect your general health, making you more resilient to potential insults t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Yes, and: You will still need prenatal vitamins. If you are vegan (not eating eggs or dairy products) you'll also need B12 for sure.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Psychotherapy helps!: This type of fear is not uncommon, and it can be helped. The reasons you fear you might not wake up are probably unique to you, and need to be unders... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Not usually: The mind and body are closely interwoven -- they are not separate. So when you feel anxious and fearful about something, your body responds by gettin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
123
Recommendations
17K
Thank you notes
Jul 23, 2013
Dr. Pappas is kindhearted, intelligent, practical and an achieved psychiatrist who possesses a broad yet solid knowledge of medicine. Her perpetual support of patients and colleagues is the ultimate s...Read More
Nov 24, 2012
Dr. Pappas is a compassionate, sensible, knowledgeable psychiatrist who uses her broad training in medicine and complimentary modalities to give easily-understood answers to complex questions. I espe...Read More
Dr. Donald Jacobson
Sep 18, 2013
I can recommend Dr. Pappas without hesitation. Her clinical acumen, resourcefulness, empathy, tact, ethics, and broad base of knowledge are to be emulated. I have learned much from her and I greatly a...Read More
HealthTap member
Hello Dr Pappas,
I just got this as I don't visit this site much. I have decided to tolerate the eating disorder until I can get off the cancer meds that are causing such a hormone shift that I can't...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you, Dr. Pappas!! Your reply was very helpful! Helped so much to see that this is normal, and to stop judging myself! I would be interested in trying classical homeopathy, definitely, however, ...Read More
HealthTap member
Thanks Pamela. I just see really crazy that people kill themselves with alchool and heavy drugs and those go quickly while the natural plant, not good for sure but 100% less harmful than those like al...Read More
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Wake Forest University School of Medicine, NC
Graduated 1979MD
Residency
East Carolina University School of Medicine
Awards
Phoenix Super Doctors, 2012
Fellow of American Psychiatric Association, 2010 - present
HealthTap Top Doctor in Arizona, Summer 2013
Affiliations
Optimal You
American Psychiatric Association
American Institute of Homeopathy
Publications
The 1918 influenza pandemic and homeopathy.
Homeopathy and Women’s Health (Book Chapter)
Homeopathy and its Applications in Psychiatry (book chapter)
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