The Belief That Medication is Bad
We’ve come a long way when it comes to the treatment of mental illness. There is still a stigma associated with using psychiatric medication to treat mental health issues. Some people insist that there are ways to manage depression without medication. This idea may be valid for some people suffering from depression. However, this point of view can be damaging to people that are using psychiatric medicine as a part of their treatment plan. For example telling someone who has mental illness to stop taking their medication, when you are not their doctor isn’t safe. Only the person’s medical provider has the right to instruct them how to manage their mental health issues.
There are some benefits to taking psychiatric medications for many people who have mental health issues. For those who find relief from medicine that treats depression or any other mental health issues, it’s not up to the peanut gallery to determine if their choice is right or wrong.
How Medication Can Help Mental Illness
In the 1940’s-1950’s lobotomies were a common neurological procedure used to treat mental illness in The United States. The precise number is debatable as sources vary, but it appears to be between 40,000 and 50,000. Today, this would be considered barbaric. To cut out a portion of a person’s brain to treat depression seems unimaginable today. However, this was standard practice back in the mid-20th century.
Today, science has evolved past using brain surgery to make human beings vegetables to treat mental illness. There have been advancements in science, and now we have access to psychiatric medications, which help manage a variety of mental illnesses that are diverse. Medicine can treat common mental health issues such as anxiety or more severe diagnoses like Paranoid Schizophrenia. We are lucky to have access to medications that help us live a better quality of life.
Psychiatric Medicine Shaming
Despite the fact that people benefit from psychiatric medications, there are those who are against it. Some people even shame others for taking medication to help their mental illness. This kind of shaming is detrimental in many ways; first, it makes the person who takes medication feel bad about themselves, second it may prevent them from continuing to take a medicine that is helping them feel better. If you’re against taking pills, that is your choice. However, it is telling others that it is harmful to them if you’re not treating the person for an illness can harm them.
Shaming others for helping themselves seems counterintuitive, but it happens often. For men, it’s hard enough to come out of hiding sometimes and admit they have a mental illness; many men self-medicate with substances instead of trying psychiatric medications for their mental illness. When you tell a man that he is harming himself by taking medicine for a diagnosed mental health issue, you aren’t helping stigma; you are perpetuating it. Don’t pretend to be a doctor if you haven’t earned an MD.
Medicine Isn’t For Everyone
Many people find that therapy is enough to treat their mental illness; if you are one of those people, then that’s wonderful. You discovered something that helps you feel better. Medication isn’t the answer to everyone’s mental health issues. It depends on who you are and what your symptoms are. Some people choose to see a psychologist for their mental illness while others choose a psychiatrist. If you can cope with mental illness without using medicine, then that’s your prerogative. However, remember that no one has the right to tell you not stop going to therapy, you don’t have the right to say to others: “don’t take psychiatric medication.”
What Works For You?
You decide how to manage your mental health. You can explore different treatment options and discover if medication work or therapy makes you feel better. Maybe exercise is a part of your treatment plan. One of the most important things to remember is that you are the master of your mental health journey. You figure out your wellness journey.
This is a featured post by site sponsor Better Help.
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