Are Medications The Only Solution To Mental Illness?

 / 

Mental Illness

The Only Solution To Mental Illness?

I’m mentally ill, and I will not take my medication. I don’t want to, and I feel a wave of indifference pass over me when I see others who do. The reason for my change of heart is due to losing many years of my life in a drug haze. Decades passed me by, and yet, I cannot remember huge chunks of my early life. I’m mentally ill, and to be honest, I wish I could have been free in my madness. This is my reason and my argument.

Medication For The Sick And The Mad

So, it’s a consensus that something must be done to heal the sick. We don’t just sit around and watch cancer patients die, so why would we watch the mentally ill perish or live in chaos. We don’t do that, we medicate them. From radiation to pills, if we can’t cure it, we treat it. After all, no one wants to endure too much pain, right?

So, what’s the problem, you ask. There’s apparently a wide gap between my hatred for medication and the need for help. The thing is, or rather, the problem is, medication doesn’t have to be all bad. I mean, it does help relieve symptoms so that our day to day routine can continue undisturbed. It does help us sleep, help us eat, and even help us socialize in some cases. But what’s too much? How do we draw the line?

Over-Prescribing

As for mental illness, psychotherapy is the gauge in which physicians determine the dosage and the need for prescription medication. Unfortunately, so many drugs are prescribed with no psychotherapy at all! Around 50% of patients receiving anti-depressants and psychotic drugs receive no other form of treatment. It’s check-in, get medicated and check out. It’s like fast food therapy for the mad!

Most of these drugs are used to treat depression or anxiety, and per witnesses, some of these drugs actually cause worse bouts of depression when discontinued for a short time. Also, if depression is treated for a long period with prescription drugs, it becomes labeled a disease rather than a temporary issue. Even though depression can be an alive long issue, there are those few who only experience temporary depression and need a whole other approach to the issue.

Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry thrives off sales, and any decline in those sales causes the industry to push for more clearly defined mental illness disease labels. What this means is the more mental illnesses are diagnosed, the more drugs that will enter the market and make money for the producer. This is another clear reason why over-prescribing is such a problem today.

Read What It Means To Have Treatment Resistant Depression?

When Medication Is Needed

Okay, so I pulled from my opinion about medication, now I want to talk about why some drugs are necessary. Yes, I guess I sound contradictory, but I want to be fair. Although I don’t care for medication, in some instances it works and can save lives.

Just like medicating pain from cancer treatments, medications for depression and other mental disorders is sometimes needed. In some instances, mental illness stems from “bad wiring” in the brain. Chemical levels can be off and message centers of the brain just don’t function in the way they should. In this case, there are certain medications that help bridge the gaps and temporarily rewire the broken regions of the mind.

Or, at least, that’s what they tell us.

When this is the issue, there’s nothing wrong with the right dosage of physician-prescribed medication. Sometimes, the only way to focus on the job, keep from having panic attacks, or simply get out of bed can depend upon one pill in the morning and once at night. Seriously, this is an exception.

I’m mentally ill, and I will not take my medication. But in my case, I simply prefer holistic methods and the like. Had ya fooled, didn’t I.

Before you go all radical like me, do your research. It’s okay to forego your traditional medication if you are familiar with many other ways to treat your disorder. Mental illness is no joke, but never forget, there are many ways to treat your problem besides prescription drugs.

Curious? Go get educated! Let me know what you find.

Read 9 Vital Steps To Protect Your Mental Health (backed by science)


Mental Illness
The Only Solution To Mental Illness?

— Share —

— About the Author —

Responses

  1. Patricia J. Dunstan Avatar
    Patricia J. Dunstan

    Coping skills, not pills.

    1. Aissatou Sunjata Avatar
      Aissatou Sunjata

      However, in the meantime, while researching and finding a qualified person or book, or iPod program to learn those skills, what does someone who has a mental illness, like those who hear voices, or suffer from depression, anxiety, or some other symptom which incapacitate do in the meantime? Find a drug dealer?

    2. Patricia J. Dunstan Avatar
      Patricia J. Dunstan

      Aissatou Sunjata, I feel that drugs are a short term solution while coping skills are learned. I have seen quite a few lives ruined by prescribed meds, especially the Benzos. I do want to add that I am excluding Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar from my statement.

    3. Aissatou Sunjata Avatar
      Aissatou Sunjata

      Patricia J. Dunstan Depression with a chemical imbalance and other conditions for which any measure other than medication warrants should also be excluded. Seeing others who may have for various reason not been helped by medication is not definitive. There are some people for whom medication is not short termed. For these people, it is the difference between coping and not being able to do so. A chemical imbalance is not going to be a short termed condition for which something else can replace what medication does for them.

    4. Patricia J. Dunstan Avatar
      Patricia J. Dunstan

      There are always exceptions but I believe that in the case of depression and anxiety, we can through hard work, change the chemistry and develop new nuero- pathways in our brains. Exercise has been proven to increase endorphin’s and has been effective in my case, ( I was hospitalized with clinical depression and put on drugs years ago). I also feel that diet is another factor as well. But I understand that sometimes drugs are needed when one is down so low, one can not even bring them selves to get out of bed. Sending you blessings.

Leave a Reply



Up Next

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: Why You Sacrifice Sleep For ‘Me Time’

Warning Revenge Bedtime Procrastination Symptoms!

Do you find yourself wide awake at 2 a.m., scrolling through social media or binge-watching your favorite show, even though you know you have to get up early? You’re not alone! This might be one of the revenge bedtime procrastination symptoms.

This term might sound like it’s straight from a dramatic movie but, it’s a real and relatable issue for many of us.

Read more here: How To Fall Asleep In 2 Minutes: Mastering The Military Sleep Technique

So, What Is Revenge Bedtime Procr



Up Next

Unsocial Media: The Real Effects Of More Screen Time

Serious Effects Of More Screen Time: Can It Truly Hurt You?

Spending too much time on social media can take a toll on your relationships and mental health. Let’s explore how more screen time is affecting our lives in unexpected ways.

Loss of real-life interaction hampers social development.

Key points

A significant amount of real-life social interaction seems essential for the development of emotional and personal skills.

Research suggests that today’s youth has about half the exposure to critical real-life social interaction that pre-internet generations did.

Trends in poor social development among young people suggest the need for urgent attention and specific strategies to enhance s



Up Next

Is He Silently Struggling? 8 Symptoms Of Depression In Men

Symptoms Of Depression In Men: Is He Silently Struggling?

When it comes to men and depression, the signs aren’t always obvious. A lot of men hide what they’re going through on the inside, making it harder to spot the symptoms of depression in men. Men have been conditioned to believe for years that they should never talk about their feelings openly.

This is the reason why it’s really hard to understand when they are struggling with mental health. They often don’t talk about their feelings openly, and instead, they may show different signs that are easy to overlook.

But male depression is real, and the sooner it’s recognized and dealt with empathy, the sooner they can get the help they need.

In this article, we’re going to break down eight common symptoms of depression in men in a way that makes sense, so you know what to look out for—whether it’



Up Next

Parentification: How To Know If You Grew Up Too Fast

Parentification: How To Know If You Grew Up Too Fast

Parentification takes place when the needs of the parent come before those of the child. It results in a role reversal where the child takes on responsibilities that should belong to the parent.

You may not realize you’ve been parentified because you didn’t have to cook dinner or care for younger siblings. If you had to manage your parent’s emotions or act as their confidante, however, that is parentification, too.

For example, at age 16 my mother confided in me about her extra-marital affair including all her feelings about both the man and my father. This is an obvious role reversal because instead of serving as my emotional support, she made me hers.

If you had to



Up Next

Fear of Rejection? Here’s How to Finally Overcome It

Fear of Rejection? Here's How to Finally Overcome It

We often think of fear of rejection in terms of feeling cast out from the group or abandoned. This fear is a common symptom of complex ptsd, due to rejection by the primary caregiver.

However, a subtler form of rejection can make you avoid asking for what you want. You fear this perceived rejection (and it is only perception) so much that you’d rather eliminate any chance of getting what you want than ask for it.

The fear that prevents you from asking for what you want is the chance you might hear the word ‘no’. That’s because as a child, being told you couldn’t have what you wanted was so commonplace you’ve come to expect it.

That’s not to say you will never hear ‘no’ when yo



Up Next

How To Overcome Black And White Thinking: 3 Things You Need To Do Break Free

Black And White Thinking: Things You Need To Do Break Free

One of the many outcomes of childhood trauma is black and white thinking. This is the all or nothing mentality that leaves no room for two things to be true at once.

If your home life was chaotic and traumatic, black and white thinking may have given you a sense of control. It allowed you to organize things into distinct categories of good and bad or right and wrong with no room for overlap.

That’s why you found yourself holding someone on a pedestal when you met them. Then downgrading them to evil when they let you down or made a mistake.

Your immature inner child would not let you label them a good person who did a bad thing. It had to be all or nothing. This is how complex-PTSD has robbed yo



Up Next

10 Microadventures You Can Try Right Now!

Simple Microadventures For A Quick Dopamine Boost

We all know the feeling—waking up and going through the same motions day in and day out. It can start to feel like life is on repeat, and suddenly, everything seems a bit… dull. We humans aren’t wired for monotony – our brains crave new experiences and little bursts of excitement. When we try something new or break out of our routine, our brains release dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical. These chemicals can lift your mood and give you a quick happiness boost. So, if your daily routine is feeling a bit stale, maybe it’s time to spice things up with some microadventures.

Adventures do not always have to be globe-trotting escapades. If you’re more of a homebody, tied down by work, or just not in the mood to splurge on a big trip, that’s perfectly okay! Instead, you can try microadventures.

Microadventures are small, everyday ways to break out of your r