There are specialist mds who research new drugs for psychiatric disorders. I know people come from all over the world to a few NYC teaching hospitals. You can't even get meds from outside the US under special regulations. Some poor people get the expertise for free. It is very expensive for private pay. Almost all mds do psychopharmacology today. Most gps don't know enough about the meds. They don't attend conferences and undermedicate. Friends say it is more art than hard science. Well, maybe a combo.
I've had to take complex meds for pain management. Most Chinese herbs are also food for Chinese. A Chinese Chinese friend thought I was out of my mind using them. The Chinese friends I grew up with screeched at me. They said if I self grew my own I would be ok. I knew better, however. They asked how banned pesticides used on a NJ Chinese farm would help me with any illness. I never thought of this aspect and it sobered me.
I've tried doing it with research myself. In almost every instance, I had to telephone pain management in the middle of the night or call for an ambulance. Years of due diligence and respect fell away. I had to confess. If mds know what you did, they can help you much more readily than if you have no clue. These are not people socialized to deal with a smidgeon or a bit or this or that. Of course, I am usually hysterical in tears, confessing, and begging for help.