Because most of Dr. Kram's professional hours are allocated to his position as Attending Psychiatrist at the UCLA-affiliated West Los Angeles Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, he has a part-time private practice with limited hours. He treats adult patients who do not need hospitalization. Patients requesting ongoing marital or family therapy are referred to psychologists, marriage and family counselors and social workers.

Dr. Kram has several different areas of interest and expertise – Forensic Psychiatry, Pharmacologic Treatment of Mental Illnesses and Permanent Weight Reduction.

Forensic Psychiatry

Dr. Kram has almost 30 years of experience in the evaluation of work-related injuries, sexual harassment on the job, psychiatric disability claims, Social Security benefits for psychiatric disability, testamentary capacity and competency to enter into legal contracts. He has testified as an expert on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He also has had experience in matters involving patient­doctor/therapist confidentiality and medical malpractice. No referrals for crimina-related matters are accepted.

Pharmacologic Treatment of Mental Illnesses

Pharmacology (medication) has been helpful in treating Depression, Schizophrenia and Anxiety Disorders. Dr, Kram evaluates adult patients who can benefit from medication. However, he discusses both the advantage and potential side effects so the decision to begin medication treatment will be made jointly with the patient’s consent. A rule of thumb is that most medications need to be taken for several months to a year in order to achieve maximum benefit, but in some cases patients will be advised that it is recommended that these medications be taken for a longer period of time.

Referrals

Although private patients are accepted, most new patients are referrals from lawyers, insurance companies, mental health or other medical professionals. Attorney referrals are accepted for evaluation of clients with history of psychological trauma, personal injury, or other injuries involving emotional symptoms. Referrals for medication treatment of mental illness are usually made through the treating therapist or medical provider. Individuals requesting evaluation for medication treatment can be self referred but will require a more extensive initial evaluation. An initial evaluation will take approximately one full hour and is usually followed by subsequent appointments lasting approximately 25 minutes.