Discussions
Should you use meds to treat mental illness?
Posted by butterflyv • 8/08/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: anxiety, bipolar, depression, medication, mental health, ocd, panic attacks, panic disorder
Do you think it is better to use medication when treating mental health issues like panic attacks, depression, etc? Or do you think it's better to just use therapy?
User Comments
-
I think each person is different, but I think more often than not a combination of both is best. Definitely not just meds, I don't think that's a good idea.-
not the meds, im da reason for any mental illness of myself and thy if anybody tried to help me reach the zenith to be able to cope up with it , he/she is welcome then , and not meds ! -
I agree with Drowsy Monkey. Have a banana...
-
-
If your doctor recommends something like cognitive behavioral therapy, then stick to that. Don't be afraid to get a second (or even a third) opinion. -
DrowsyMonkey already said what I was upto.
Moreover, alternative therapy is getting popular, customized and serving the needs of money. And, it also depends on what is meant by alternative therapy. For some it is in physical, for others it is in spiritual domains. -
yea -
As I said in another thread, I think meds without some other form of therapy is like turning up the car radio so you won't hear the noise your engine's making. Also, people often feel suicidal shortly after antidepressants start working, so it's definitely good to have a shrink around.-
Very good analogy!
-
-
Why do people start to feel suicidal right after antidepressants start working? That sounds quite dangerous.-
well, I'd say moods are complicated things. In my experience...getting really personal here...it was suddenly feeling better but then realizing it wasn't nearly enough....
-
It's a small percentage of the population
-
-
this is a very complex issue and a blog discussion forum is not the environment for coming to a solution on this as the persons here are not professionals in that area-
Very true, though I think just about everybody here is pointing in the direction of talking to a professional.
-
drjay
that's why it's a ridiculous discusssion
If you have a mental illness see a professional. end of subject
Do drugs make things worse? Sometimes Yes...
Should a person take themselves off medication ? No ..see a professional
It's an endless loop -
..Which is exactly what I said: Listen to your doctor, and consider getting a second opinion if you have doubts. The internet is the last place you want to ask for something like this, just because of the nature of the issue. Even doctors aren't always perfect, but what do we know about this stuff? A lot of us (including myself) see doctors, but we have no idea what they're thinking. They went to school for 10 years to do their job and earn over 100,000 dollars a year for a reason.
-
-
@ drjay
Thanks for explaining - didn't mean to pry. I was just very curious about why that happens. I agree this is serious stuff for professionals to deal with.-
It happens because there is an imbal;ance of cheicals in the brain. The ability to diagnose the exact illness is complex. If a person gets the wrong med, they end up with a further illness. People suicide, it's an emotional imbalance and this causes a chemical imbalance ...or which came first ... achemical imbalance.
Food causes an imbalance -
Imbalance theory is dumb -
mariamichelle, no problem. I volunteered the information. You didn't pry
-
A lot of things may cause an imbalance. Oversleeping, Coffee, Smoking, Lack of exercise, Genes, Poor Diet, Environment, etc.
-
yes true river
i've been around a lot of this stuff
My son died from a drug suicide mental illness -
I'm sorry to hear that
I've been seeing doctors for several years now. I was diagnosed with several disorders, it's hell having to live with them. I'm the only member of my family to be receiving treatment, although it runs in the family. My father and his father both have similar issues, but they don't see a reason to do anything about it.
-
-
There are two types of clinical psycho problems and both calls for different treatment methodologies
-
crap
-
One is pharmacologically treatable..
the other needs psychotherapy ..
it's complex .... -
you have no idea about this
It's much more complex
But gee I like the new avatar...brilliant -
it's so complex that complexity is complicating itself beyond the complicated facts
-
-
@ acoustic
Thanks. Makes sense. -
@ acoustic
Sorry. -
I'm sorry to hear that, too, acoustic
-
Me too
-
-
@ acoustic: Wise words and tragic experience. @ others: Don't self-diagnose or use tests online to self-diagnose. See a professional. It may take several trips to several specialists to identify the exact issues and come up with a useful treatment regimen. The treatment will evolve over time, with meds necessary or useful in many cases, and only helpful in some. The same for therapy. For instance, until the development of Dialectrical Behavior Therapy, no form of talk therapy was found useful for people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). But DBT does help them, though they often need meds as well.
-
I am a psychologist--and my answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. It really does depend on the situation--and each is different. If you are talking about depression, there's a difference between 'situational depression' (usually brought on by a life event, such as divorce, job loss, etc) or chronic depression (caused by a chemical imbalance). If you have a chemical imbalance you need medication just as someone with a hormonal or insulin imbalance would need to have. -
it varies per patient; some people need both or just either or
i dont think this is an issue for non-medical people to worry about -
Aren't disorders and depression two different issues? You can be depressed because you have a disorder. Disorders usually require medication because its something physically wrong. Mental disorders like bipolar, seizers or schizophrenia are all chemical imbalances that are not curable but treatable. My sister in law has a niece with schizophrenia..she sees dead people. No joke, she can't go to school. It's scary and sad. She's a very lovely girl of 17. Depression usually is secondary to some other issue and can be treated with therapy alone if not connected to a disorder/decease.-
Depression CAN be the main issue--and it can be 100% chemically driven by an imbalance. Situational depression can often be treated by therapy alone-but if a person had chronic depressipon, due to a chemical imbalance--the only effective treatment is going to be medication becaues therapy *alone* cannot correct a true chemical imbalance.
-
-
I don't feel in a position to make such a judgment.It depends on the what the patient and the doctors feel is the best approach. -
I think if you can do it, and have good support, go for the therapy. Panic attacks is usally caused from some trauma that happened. And meds have tons of side effects.
www.cultofdeception.blogspot.com-
not really. This antidepressant does not have sideeffects and is considered to be very effective. Wellbutrin or search for substance called buproprion chlorid.
-
-
This depends on severity of your disorder. One can take just psychotherapy but I know of people who have been taking mediations for years and even changed them several times but it did not help them. I even have my own experience here. Panic attacks and depression are something no-one should experience. It is devastating. So if you suffer and psyshotherapy does not seem to help you, go and take meds. It may help you a loooooooooooot.
take care and please visit my website friends.
www.pcterritory.net -
there are some disorders that have a biological root. in that case medication is a must. but, only medication is not sufficient. one aspect of a person being treated from a disorder is to be well adjusted within the social milieu and for this psychotherapy is required.
so, depending on the disorder, a combination of drug therapy and psychotherapy would be the right thing to go about.-
Exactly we are all individuals. That's why these kinds of posts end up being a continuous and never ending loop, as acoustic guitarist pointed out months ago in this same thread.
If you have a mental illness see a professional - end of subject
Do drugs make things worse? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
Should a person take themselves off medication or self-medicate? No - see a professional - it's an endless loop.
-
-
Neither therapy nor medicine will help you out of situations and behaviour that makes you feel sick. It is the very thought (and thereby your feeling) that attracts dis-ease. Of course you could use narcotics to stop the whole feeling thing, but... -
I suffer from mental illness and use both prescribed meds and therapy to continue getting through life. Both are on the advice of my doctor, and I think that the only answer to your question is "do whatever your specialist suggests" -
It depends. Some mental illnesses are cause by lacking chemicals in the brain. There is no way to fix that but to take medications. I'm on an anti-depressant at the moment and it has changed my life for the better! I feel like a different person now and I enjoy life now!
Add Your Comment
Login to leave a message.
