One issue that many people struggle with when it comes to the field of psychiatry is that they fear being “medicated.” They fear the idea that medication might affect the way they think or feel, and they want to do anything they can to avoid that.
Still, it’s important not to see medication as an enemy of wellness, or even necessarily a last resort. Medication is just one of many options available for mental health, but when it’s appropriate, it can be a very helpful tool and likely exactly what you are looking for.
Medications and Mental Health
First, it’s important to understand that even psychiatrists have other options besides medication. For example, here at Aware Behavioral Health in Dallas, we have what’s known as a TMS device -a non-medicinal device that uses magnetic fields to address conditions like depression, and can do so without the need for medication.
Still, we want to help people understand that medication is not necessarily much different from other mental health treatments.
We often feel like our mental health is something more in our control – something thought related that we can just “overcome” with a little bit of effort.
But the research clearly shows that our mental health is affected by very real chemical changes in the brain and body that affect how we think, how we feel, and how we process new information. Our thoughts are not separate from how our body functions. They are partially, and sometimes entirely, linked.
One of the reasons that psychotherapy works is because the mind really does have some control over the body. By addressing our thoughts and experiences, we can change not only how we feel and think, but the concentrations of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that our body creates.
In that sense, therapy is not that different from medication. Both affect the concentration of neurotransmitters in the brain, for example. But therapy can be:
- Time Consuming – Therapy takes time, sometimes months or years.
- Challenging – Therapy requires very difficult conversation and personal exploration.
- Inconsistent – Therapy is usually about once a week, with not all sessions valuable.
So what happens if you need help right away? Or you need consistent help? Or you need to reduce some of your symptoms so that you CAN better focus on yourself and these difficult conversations?
Medication is designed to provide that balance in a daily, more consistent way. It then opens the door for you to get the other treatment you need and take control of your life again.
Like other treatments, medication is not right for everyone either. But it’s also not something to fear. Just like you would take medication to treat an infection, so too might medication be useful for helping address your mental health.
When we meet, let’s talk about your goals. Let’s determine if medication might help, if there are alternatives, and what the best approach may be. In situations where medication is the right choice, then we can also talk about what needs to happen to reduce or even stop the medication someday if that’s a possibility.
It’s natural to be concerned, but we’re just trying to figure out what the best option is for you. Let’s get a conversation started. Call Aware Behavioral Health today and we’ll talk about your concerns and decide what the best option is for you.
