At the risk of losing a few points.....?!
Question: Why is it that every answer to these mental health questions is always meds, meds, meds?! In truth meds help but are not the solution. Psychotherapy is the true key to mental health. Meds help you get to a functional area of rational thought and psychotherapy helps you to explore rational thought processes that help you cope and learn coping skills that will help prevent going back to an unhealthy mental state. Communication is the key to mental health meds are the tool to communicating. Been there done that free from illness .THank you for letting me vent.
Answers: Why is it that every answer to these mental health questions is always meds, meds, meds?! In truth meds help but are not the solution. Psychotherapy is the true key to mental health. Meds help you get to a functional area of rational thought and psychotherapy helps you to explore rational thought processes that help you cope and learn coping skills that will help prevent going back to an unhealthy mental state. Communication is the key to mental health meds are the tool to communicating. Been there done that free from illness .THank you for letting me vent.
Personally, I've had medications prescribed before and have not found them to be helpful-- I find that what helps me most is practical advice on changing my outlook and coping skills. Which, admittedly, is a heck of a lot of work-- and I do backslide periodically and have to start all over again. But it's worth it, to me, to try to improve my overall functionality.
I tend to view medication as a stopgap measure which (assuming it works for the patient!) seems to help him reach a place where he can do the necessary mental work. But for some people, that stopgap measure may be very necessary. It takes time to open up and to reach a point where productive therapy can take place, and if a medication can prevent needless suffering in the meantime, that's a good thing, right?
Although I wouldn't advocate drug treatment for more than a few months for depression or anxiety, and certainly not without therapy as an adjunct, I have to admit that there are more serious mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder in some cases, certain personality disorders) which do not respond well to therapy and which do require long-term medication for adequate control in most people.
Honestly, I agree with you. However, most people don't want to work at feeling better, they want it to just happen and they believe meds are the key to that.
Yes you are so right. I think you answered your own question... wait, what was the question?
most mental disorder sufferers need medication. therapy only lets you talk, it doesn't help out when you are at home or driving from therapy. i've been to therapy twice for the total of 10 visits for my bipolar disorder and ADHD problem and all it did was make me feel worse about myself. so no, psychotherapy does not help everyone. people with chemical imbalances (like bipolar disorder) need medication, not therapy. therapy cannot balance out chemicals.
True, meds aren't the answer. But psychotherapy isn't either. The don't dig deep enough. They treat symptoms, period. They THINK they found the cause, but there is something deeper than they can see, unless they are looking spiritually. Of course, most therapists don't.
I agree that therapy is very important, but some mental disorders can't be controlled without meds. It's always better if herbal supplements will help, but that's not the case for a lot of mental ailments. I'm not disagreeing with you at all, its just that I know somebody that refused to take meds for bipolar, and he's no longer with us because of that.
You know what, I agree with you as well! I very recently posted a question in the mental health forum wondering whether MSG effects manic depression and all I got were a bunch of responses like "go back on your meds". It's real discouraging.
A lot of medications for bipolar disorder cause weight gain, lethargy, and sometimes hallucinations, which is why a lot of patients including myself will avoid taking them whenever possible. There are some good herbal supplements for it but nothing is foolproof 100% of the time. You are very fortunate to have found freedom from your illness! I hope to say the same myself one day.
well some d.r are not wanting you there every week they want to give you a pill you cant afford to get you out d.r. make money for prescribing drugs and for the more ppl they see so most dont want to spend an hour hearing you complain about how bad your childhood was hope this lets you know what they think from my experences
That is true only if the person who takes the meds can actually communicate. Many people are not talkers, don't have the ability to discuss what is on their mind. You have to have the ability to be able to engage in talk therapy. Many people have no clue how to do that. Many of the people who have the best success are the more educated people or the more literate. They have practice. Many poorer people who don't or can't read also have difficulty talking about their struggles and can't verbalize why.
Another reason is that those of us who are or ever have been clinically (I mean deeply for more that two weeks) depressed are so far in the pit of despair that they need meds to help get them up of their "knees" first before any kind of therapy begins. Some people aren't even verbal but sort of catatonic (just walking around, bizzarre behavior, staring into space, never speaking, etc. aren't even mentally in the present. They are oblivious to their surroundings. I have seen this. I have been there.
That "thought process" you speak of can't even begin to work until the mental health has improved enough to engage in recovery. Recovery comes in after all the old crap is jettisoned and makes room for the healthy new knowledge. For me, writing was a cathartic. I answered many questions on paper because speaking that crap was too risky. The irrational mind is tricky. Impending punishment is part of that risk. At that time, I felt that if I spoke aloud about what I was dealing with, I just knew that I was going to feel the long arm of my father half way across the US to find me and do me harm. Unless you have been deeply, clinically depressed for a year or more whith no hope for getting well, it's very difficult to comprehend it in others.
This is just a thumbnail sketch. There is ever so much more to your question. I appreciate the fact that you are reaching out to at least try to understand what happens to bipolar and/or depressed people. Mental health issues are usually taboo subjects because people don't understand what is going on. The fear is too great that we may be contagious.
Seems like this isn't a problem for the board and how ppl react to their own truth.
Yet something might be irritating the "ventor" of this ? when folks answer in the way that they are here. Hmmm
So whats bugging you anyway?
You are accurately correct. There is a move to bury the problem with little resources available to help the depressed. Pills don't take any time and time costs money. If you know you need to work it out in your mind remember you still need a friend to tell you a few secrets. But 32,000 suicides a year now in USA is so sad. They were all born as good babies.
What you say is true IF the problem is not a chemical imbalance. You can emote until you are blue in the face in talk therapy and it will not do any good unless the chemical imbalance is handled first (take MEDS).
I'm bipolar and the meds keep me functional. All of the talk therapy that I participated in was BEFORE my correct diagnosis. Once I got on MEDS everything took care of itself.