Medication Makeover

Disclaimer: I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I am not a Psychiatrist or medical doctor. 

Medication is something Americans tend to be incredibly comfortable with. According to a study by the CDC from 2011-2014: 1 in 9 Americans take antidepressants compared with 1 in 50 three decades prior. In many ways, this is a necessary treatment. What seems to be an issue is the way it can be handed out. For example, if I break my foot there is a protocol I would follow. I would see a doctor, maybe have surgery, take some medication to manage the pain, take some time off work depending on the severity, and track the progress until I can make changes. I would not be on crutches forever and I would not be taking pain pills forever. I use those things for that season where my foot is broken. In other cases, I might be dependent on medication for life. 
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We know these things about physical issues but when it comes to mental health, we have a different view. If I break my foot, I will probably see a doctor that specializes in this area. I probably would not be comfortable with my general practitioner performing a complicated surgery on my heart or brain. However, we will take psychotropic medication from someone that does not specialize in that field. And it can help, right? That is why we do it. We feel better after we take it so we do not really see an issue. The physical equivalent here would be hobbling around on a broken foot and taking pain pills to get us through without treating the source of the pain-the break.

There are many reasons why this is important, but let me highlight one of them. When it comes to depression and suicidal thoughts, sometimes people are too depressed to make a suicide attempt. With the little energy they have, it sounds like too much work. While this keeps them alive, it is not how someone would want to live either. Here is where a big difference can come in: If this person were to go to a psychiatrist, they may be given anti-depressants that they take for a week and then return. When they return they have an opportunity to explain if their suicidal thoughts have become worse or more accessible. If they receive the same medication from their general practitioner that asks them to return in a month or three it may be too late. While this may seem extreme, depression can literally be a life or death situation and it needs to be addressed by people who know the spectrum of potential outcomes.

There are many things in the area of mental health, like with physical health, that may require lifelong medication. However, there are other things we face in life that can be overcome in therapy. There is a difference between shoving down the emotions we have and addressing the root cause of these emotions. If you are not crying anymore but you are not happy anymore either, you may have dealt with your pain or grief in a way that left its own damage. Here are some tips to change the way you deal with your medication:

1. If you are currently receiving medication for something related to mental health and have never met with a psychiatrist, find one. Do not just stop taking what you are taking, but let them know why it was prescribed and who it came from.
2. If you are taking medication for symptoms that could be related to depression or other mental health diagnosis, consider pairing it with therapy. Whoever prescribed the medication can likely offer a referral or you can look people up through https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
3. Lastly, I need to reiterate, if you have been taking something from your general practitioner or another doctor that is not a psychiatrist, DO NOT just stop taking it. Coordinate your care between the different doctors you see and let them decide what needs to happen.
4. Always be honest about your symptoms with any care provider you see. Often, we fall into the trap that doctor’s know best. The truth is they only know what they hear from us, so never be afraid to admit when something is not helping.