Dale Archer

Dr. Dale Archer is a Medical Doctor, board-certified Psychiatrist and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association who has helped thousands of patients in his private practice for more than two decades. Dr. Archer was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a Tulane Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa, he received his BA in Philosophy with honors, and continued at Tulane where he received his M.D. from the School of Medicine. Dr. Archer attended The University of Texas in San Antonio for his internship in Internal Medicine and while there found his calling and completed his Residency in Psychiatry.In 1988, he founded The Institute for Neuropsychiatry in Lake Charles, Louisiana, a clinic which now staffs 6 psychiatrists and multiple psychologists, therapists and nurse practitioners, who all treat a wide variety of mental health issues. Dr. Archer considers himself a 'General Psychiatrist' and feels that the vast specialization that has occurred within the field misses the point that all human behavior is connected and that to treat one problem without assessing all aspects of the individual has only a limited chance for success. He coined the term ‘continuum theory of mental illness’ which states that psychiatric diagnoses don’t come with an on-off switch, where off is normal and on is, you have a mental illness. Rather, these traits occur on a continuum from 1 (none of the trait) to 10 (super dominant trait) and this will dictate whether treatment is needed and to what degree. He has had a private psychiatric practice for over twenty years, served as the medical director at various times for adolescent, adult and geriatric inpatient units, worked as a prison psychiatrist, served as an expert witness in many criminal court cases and was the corporate medical director for a 20 facility Addiction treatment group. He is now the Medical Director for psychiatric services at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital and is the psychiatric consultant for the SW Louisiana Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program which trains police officers in how to recognize and deal with mental illness. Recently he was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Louisiana Medical Advisory Board.Dr. Archer is a media veteran with over two decades of experience. He started a weekly mental illness news segment at the Lake Charles NBC affiliate in 1988. He has had three successful radio shows, including the very popular call-in show "Taking Charge with Dr. Dale Archer” and a regional and internet based TV talk show, "The Dr. Dale Archer Show". He has appeared on most of the top national news shows talking about various psychological issues related to current events.Dr. Archer has authored several articles, as well as the book Chemical Imbalance Depression. He currently writes "Taking Charge”, an advice column now syndicated nationally in numerous magazines and newspapers. His new book, a NY Times Best Seller Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional (Random House), will redefine our perceptions of what REALLY constitutes a mental illness In January 2009, he launched DrDaleArcher.com a free, internet-based psychological advice and blog website that combines common sense guidance and medical expertise.He now splits his time between Louisiana and New York City and continues to pursue his two primary missions: Dispensing free advice online to those in need and dispelling the myths and stigmas that surround mental illness.from http://drdalearcher.com/about