Principium Psychiatry

Founded by Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, M.D., an established clinician and forensic psychiatrist, Principium Psychiatry specializes in the comprehensive treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

Conveniently located on Santa Monica Boulevard, Principium Psychiatry offers an integrated clinical model that combines psychotherapy, medication management, and advanced treatment options, such as Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), as well as other emerging interventions for patients who have not responded to conventional treatments. Principium Psychiatry’s interventional program is designed and run by psychiatrists, with a team trained to deliver ketamine safely and to integrate it into your broader care plan.

Critical steps include:

- Comprehensive evaluation. Before treatment, we conduct a full psychiatric and medical work-up, including medication review and targeted medical screening when indicated (e.g., cardiovascular risk, obstructive sleep apnea risk).

- Individualized protocol. Dosing is tailored to diagnosis, prior treatment history, medical profile, and response over time. We use validated measures of depression and anxiety to track outcomes each session and across the acute and maintenance phases, consistent with evidence-based frameworks.

- On-site monitoring and readiness. During treatment, patients are monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and level of consciousness; staff are trained to recognize and manage expected effects such as dissociation or transient blood-pressure elevation. Our procedures align with the REMS requirements for esketamine and published monitoring recommendations.

- Integrated care. Ketamine is only one component of care. We pair it with medication management and psychotherapy as appropriate, emphasizing relapse prevention and functional recovery.

- Strict safety rules. Patients must have an escort home, may not drive or operate machinery the rest of the day, and are counseled to avoid alcohol or sedatives.