About Dr. Scarcella
Erminia Sciumbata Scarcella MD, was born in Rome, Italy. She graduated in medical school at the State University in Rome, she completed her residency program in Neurology and Psychiatry. She became attending physician to the main Psychiatric Hospital in Rome and began working with patients in private practice. She also worked as a consultant for Rome public school. Upon coming to Washington DC in 1977, she went to George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital to complete her residency program in psychiatry in the United States. She was certified as a Psychoanalyst on 1993. Her long lasting interest is the application of the C.G. Jung analytic psychology
Professional Highlights
- Attending Physician, Veterans Administration Hospital 1985 - 1990
- Attending Physician, Walter Reed Army MedicalCenter 1990 - 1995
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Knollwood MilitaryRetirement Community 1995
- Psychiatrist Private Practice 1991 to present
- President of The Jung Society Washington for 20 years 1999-2019
- Assistant Clinical Professor, George WashingtonUniversity
- Former Chair, International Medica Graduates
- Founder, Embassy Disaster Preparedness of the Washington Psychiatric Society 2002
- Medical Director of ALHS Mental Health Clinic 2014 - 2021
- Designated Physician of the Embassy of Italy 2000 to present
- Designated Physician of Alitalia, the Italian Airline Company in DC, 2018 - 1021
- Major of Army Reserve of US Medical Corp
- She has also received the honor to become the Knight of the Republic of Italy.
Areas of Practice
Treatment
Psychiatric Evaluation [PE]
PE is the first and fundamental step in making the Psychiatric Diagnosis. PE is a method to assess an individual's behavior, personality, cognitive abilities, and several other domains. A common reason for a psychiatric evaluation is to identify psychological factors that maybe inhibiting a person's ability to think, behave, or regulate emotions constructively. It is the equivalent of a physical examination. The PE is used to find a possible underlying psychological disorder, emotional factor, medical problem, and neurologic problem, including assessment for chemical dependency. There has been greater importance placed on the patient's neuropsychological status because an increase of concerns with the functioning of the brain. Consequently, taking a personal history along with clinical examination allows the psychiatrist to fully establish a diagnosis. The patients will be asked about current illness, past medical and family history, the list of drugs or dietary supplements, and lifestyle. Self-reporting methods may be used, including questionnaires. The evaluation will also assess behavior, personality, cognitive abilities, and several other domains.
Psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology deals primarily with symptoms, it helps to ease the symptoms, and most of the time is efficient, but it does not deal with the reasons for the symptom's formations, for which relapses can occur.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is the only treatment in which the unconscious is examined to elicit the awarness of the unconscious motivation, allowing a patient to consciously modify the dysfunctional and painful behavior.
To become a psychoanalyst, one must go through many years of personal psychoanalysis to be admitted into a psychoanalytic school in order to obtain a degree.
Contact
4910 Mass. Ave, NW #300
Washington DC, 20016
Office: (202) 244-5462
Cell: (202) 285-0617
Email: e.scarcellamd@gmail.com
If you need a physician who speaks Italian visit: www.ItalianPhysicians.com
