Amen Clinics
View on WikipediaAmen Clinics is a chain of brain health clinics focused on the treatment of brain activity functions and psychiatric disorders. It was founded in 1989 by Daniel Amen an American medical doctor and psychiatrist. They use brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging to diagnose brain activity patterns in their patients. Amen's marketing of SPECT scans has been condemned by scientists and doctors as lacking scientific validity and as being unethical, especially since the way SPECT is used in his clinics exposes people to harmful radiation with no clear benefit.[1][2][3]
Key Information
Operations
[edit]Amen Clinics were founded in 1989. Since 1991, the clinics have performed brain SPECT scans, purportedly to diagnose brain conditions that manifest as psychiatric health issues by evaluating the brain activity amount and location in the brain.[4]
The effectiveness of SPECT scans in treating psychiatric conditions has been the subject of scientific debate.[5] John Seibyl of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging has stated that it is settled that SPECT is of no value for diagnosing psychological disorders.[6] In 2008, Tufts professor and writer Daniel Carlat published an article on Amen's use of SPECT imaging.[7] After visiting Amen's clinics, Carlat called Amen's interpretations of the scans "spectacularly meaningless".[8] Amen Clinics incorporates questionnaires (of clients and their family about the client together), clinical histories, and clinical interviews in its practice.[9][10][11] Some Amen Clinics locations also use quantitative electroencephalography as a purported diagnostic tool.[12]
As of 2026, Amen Clinics had a database of more than 200,000 functional brain SPECT scans. The clients are from over 100 countries with ages ranging from 9 months to 105 years old.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Burton, Robert A. (May 12, 2008). "Brain scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease?". Salon. Archived from the original on 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Hall, Harriet (March 19, 2013). "Dr. Amen's Love Affair with SPECT Scans". Science-Based Medicine. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Farah, M.J.; Gillihan, S.J. (2012). "The puzzle of neuroimaging and psychiatric diagnosis: Technology and nosology in an evolving discipline". AJOB Neuroscience. 3 (4): 31–41. doi:10.1080/21507740.2012.713072. PMC 3597411. PMID 23505613.
The lack of empirical validation has led to widespread condemnation of diagnostic SPECT as premature and unproven.
- ^ Daniel G. Amen (26 April 2010). "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ Anderson, James A; Mizgalewicz, Ania; Illes, Judy (2013-08-08). "Triangulating perspectives on functional neuroimaging for disorders of mental health". BMC Psychiatry. 13: 208. doi:10.1186/1471-244X-13-208. ISSN 1471-244X. PMC 3751061. PMID 23924295.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Sanjiv (February 6, 2013). "Dr Daniel Amen interview: The shrink who believes technology will replace the couch". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ Carlat, Daniel (May 19, 2008). "Brain scans as mind readers? Don't believe the hype". Wired. Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Tucker, Neely (August 9, 2012). "Daniel Amen is the most popular psychiatrist in America. To most researchers and scientists, that's a very bad thing". Washington Post Magazine. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ Daniel Carlat (May 19, 2008). "Brain Scans as Mind Readers? Don't Believe the Hype". Wired. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Eliza Shapiro (14 December 2012). "Can Daniel Amen Read Your Mind?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Conditions We Treat". Amen Clinics. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
- ^ Zoë Kessler (2014). "Shawn Ladd's Excellent Amen Clinics Adventure – Part I". Psych Central. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ "How The Amen Clinics Method Works". Amen Clinics. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
