A respected board certified psychiatrist who has been treating patients for more than a decade, Dr. Sridhar Yaratha works out of his private practice in Richmond, Virginia, and is also a staff psychiatrist at Gateway Homes in nearby Chesterfield. To augment this work, Dr. Sridhar Yaratha is a longtime member of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Medicaid coverage is vital to the overall physical and mental health of the American population. For this reason, the APA was one of numerous organizations to applaud a court ruling in early 2019 striking down laws that would take away coverage from individuals who don’t meet certain work requirements. These groups had filed an amicus brief in the case, laying out the reasons they believe such requirements would lead to a large number of people disenrolled from Medicaid, leading to a subsequent deterioration in the health of Americans. In a joint statement from the APA and six other groups, the letter stated that creating barriers to healthcare only creates more hardship for those looking to re-enter the workforce, as they can’t access the care they need to stay healthy enough to work. The groups also called upon stakeholders to make access to health care easier, not more difficult.
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Until 2018, Psychiatrist Dr. Sridhar Yaratha served as an associate professor in psychiatry at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where he received a teaching award from the department of psychiatry. Dr. Sridhar Yaratha now serves as a psychiatrist at Gateway Homes in Chesterfield, Virginia, where he manages the psychiatric care of adult patients with chronic mental illness.
A nonprofit entity, Gateway Homes provides residential mental health services in Chesterfield County. The organization, which was founded in 1983, operates a 36-acre campus that provides a comprehensive treatment facility for adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Those treated at the facility have access to mental health care in addition to case management, skills training, counseling, education, and psychosocial rehabilitation. Gateway Homes treats both men and women at it's residential campus. To be considered for treatment, all patients must be at least 18 years old and have a primary diagnosis of mental illness. Individuals who have committed a sexual offense are not allowed, and any individuals with a recent history of self-injury are evaluated on a case by case basis. In addition, the organization requires that any individuals admitted for treatment express a desire to recover, especially in cases of substance abuse treatment. Gateway Homes also does not treat individuals with personality disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, or those with a significant intellectual impairment. For additional information on the organization, visit www.gatewayhomes.org. Dr. Sridhar Yaratha possesses more than 15 years of experience practicing psychiatry and has also served as a faculty member at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Active in his profession outside of his everyday duties, Dr. Sridhar Yaratha is a longtime member of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In November 2018, the APA reaffirmed its stance against conversion therapy, a type of therapy designed to treat homosexuality as a mental health defect with the ultimate goal of turning a homosexual person into a heterosexual person. The organization has opposed this practice for two decades, but recently felt the need to restate its position given the recent public awareness of the practice through news and entertainment media. Conversion therapy has been deemed a harmful practice by 14 states, which have banned it outright. The APA concurs, citing the fact that conversion therapy is not rooted in evidence-based science and carries the potential for significant damage to the patient’s self-worth. Further, the APA has adopted the position that sexual orientation is not correlated to mental health and is not an aspect of a person’s life that necessitates change. Dr. Sridhar Yaratha is an accomplished forensic psychiatrist who provides services to the courts in the Richmond, Virginia, area. Dr. Sridhar Yaratha also manages the care of patients with chronic mental illness and has extensive experience in addiction psychiatry. A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry highlighted the prevalence of addiction in today’s society, with 23 million, or 10 percent of Americans, having experienced a serious drug problem over the course of their lifetime. Of these, only 25 percent sought any type of treatment. At present, an estimated 4 percent of the U.S. population has a drug use disorder, with less than 15 percent receiving professional care. The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and parallels a JAMA Psychiatry study that found that 32 million Americans have faced a serious alcohol problem over the past year alone. Making the situation more complex and difficult to bring under control, other mental health problems, ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder to depression, are more common among those with drug use disorders. Dr. Sridhar Yaratha currently serves as a forensic psychiatrist at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, and an attending psychiatrist for Gateway Homes in Chesterfield. On his website, Dr. Sridhar Yaratha includes links to research about psychological issues such as anxiety disorders.
Although many people feel anxious for various reasons throughout their lives, some feel anxious nearly all the time. People who experience continuous anxiety for a period of at least six months may have an anxiety disorder, such as one of the following. 1. Panic Disorder: symptoms are exacerbated by stress and include panic attacks resulting from minor events and feeling self-conscious at being unable to complete ordinary tasks. 2. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): someone with OCD will repeat an action numerous times without being able to easily stop themselves from doing so. 3. Social Anxiety Disorder: this disorder causes one to fear judgment from others, and can be so overwhelming that it negatively impacts ordinary daily functioning. 4. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): often beginning in one's teens, GAD intensifies with age and involves persistent worry without a discernable cause. |
AuthorSince 2006, Dr. Sridhar Yaratha has worked for Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, as a forensic psychiatrist and attending physician for the men’s long-term forensic unit. Archives
January 2020
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