by Christine Graf
Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Kristen Marquis has opened her own practice, KM Psychiatry, at 4 Emma Lane in Clifton Park. She provides psychiatric care to adults, adolescents, and children ages 5 and up.
“I specialize in children and adolescents, but I see patients of all ages,” said Marquis. “I see a lot of kids with special needs and kids who are on the autism spectrum. I also see a lot of bipolar and ADHD. I also work with the transgender population.”
Marquis also sees same-day crisis patients from Albany Medical Center and spends one day a week working at Northern Rivers, a residential foster care program in Schenectady.
In her role as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, she does not provide therapy.
“When I see a patient and they are struggling, I do spend the time to listen to them and validate them. I also refer them out to therapists who we collaborate with,” she said.
Instead of providing therapy, Marquis conducts psychiatric evaluations, recommending medication when necessary. Those who are prescribed medication are monitored closely.
“Sometimes I won’t make a decision about medication after the first interview because I want to get to know them better. Especially with kids, you don’t want to jump to conclusions,” she said. “And, sometimes I don’t medicate them. There are a lot of kids who I think need therapy instead of medication.”
Marquis understands that some parents are reluctant to have their children take a medication that she recommends.
“For parents, their main concern is ‘How is this medication going to affect my child both short and long-term?’ I give them the facts and advise. I tell them, ‘I am not going to push any medication. This is totally your decision,’” she said.
“If I really feel like a child needs medication, I will say, ‘Think of it this way. If your kid had an infection and needed an antibiotic, would you give them an antibiotic?’ This is the same thing. It’s all neurobiological. The science is there. The facts are there, and I spend a lot of time educating them.”
According to Marquis, in some cases, denying a child psychiatric medication can exacerbate their mental health problems.
“For example, if I diagnose a child with bipolar disorder, I try to explain to the parent that the longer the mood goes unstable, the harder it is to stabilize it in the future. I also talk about the correlation between drug addiction and alcohol addiction with bipolar disorder especially. There’s also a lot of cocaine use with untreated ADHD.”
Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Marquis spent 18 years working as a registered nurse at Saratoga Hospital. It was during this time that she said became aware of the need for psychiatric practitioners.
“I saw a lot of kids come in who were in crisis, and there was just no placement for them. There were no providers for them, so they would sit in the ER for days and sometimes for a week before they could find a hospital or outpatient provider. I felt like I needed to do something, and so that was my goal.”
Marquis made the decision to go back to school, enrolling at Sage College. She is now one of the few psychiatric nurse practitioners practicing in the local area.
When addressing the shortage of mental health practitioners, she said it is related to an increase in demand.
“At one time there were enough, but there has been an increase in the vulnerable population with the mental health crisis we are experiencing. Now that there is less stigma surrounding mental health issues, we also have more people reaching out for help.”
The COVID pandemic exacerbated the problem, but as the pandemic waned, the demand for services did not.
“In general, there are just so many things that are causing anxiety in our world. We have been getting a lot more referrals for geriatrics with anxiety and depression,” said Marquis. “Going back to school was a big issue for kids after they were home for so long during COVID–especially for kids with underlying anxiety and depression. We’re seeing a lot of social anxiety, school anxiety, and a lot of issues with bullying and social media bullying.”
For parents who are concerned about their child’s mental health but are reluctant to seek help, Marquis advises scheduling an evaluation.
“I always say that an evaluation doesn’t hurt anything. Getting an evaluation doesn’t mean that you have to put your child on medication. And, I would never prescribe something to a kid without me feeling that I would do the same thing for mine. It keeps me in check a little bit when I think about it that way.”
KM Psychiatry is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 7pm. For more information, visit kmpsychiatryassociates.com.