Agree or Disagree?

Question

From personal experience, if you go into a therapists office and explain to them your well-reasoned decision for not wanting to take psychiatric medication, they will refuse to treat you. 9/10. The other one will find some other reason.
I believe that they prescribe medication initially to mask and supress the symptoms, so that they do not have to work hard at fixing the problem. However, the problem is still there, and now you have a person is chemically dependant on a medication they didn't need to begin with, if the person they were paying actually did their job!

agree or disagree?

Answer 1

Many (but not all) psychiatric problems have neurochemical origins...imbalances in the brain chemistry. By correcting these imbalances many symptoms can be greatly reduced or even eliminated altogether. But this is only half of the picture.

I also believe that good old-fashioned therapy is an integral part of proper psychiatric care. The more a patient can learn about themselves and why they do the things they do, the better. However, you first have to reach a point where the person can be receptive to that therapy. If their neurochemicals are really out of whack, all the therapy in the world won't "fix" the problem either.

You gotta have both...

correct the chemical imbalance and then work on the underlying problems associated with the mental illness through therapy and other measures.

Answer 2

I disagree with you. Depending on your condition though. Many mental conditions are almost untreatable without medication. If a schizophrenic goes off of his/her medication they will become unstable and have delusions and be much more diffucult if not impossible to treat.

The same with bipolar disorder. If you have bipolar disorder your therapy won't mean squat if you are going through a manic phase. You won't care about anything because your brain chemicals will be going haywire. Also, many people that get depressed become too tired and depressed to even see their shrink. It is almost pointless because patients would be non-combative with their treatment plan.

In some disorders medication is vital for recovery.

Symptoms of a mental condition ARE the mental condition itself. It is supposed to be suppressed that is the whole point in seeing a therapist. It makes no sense to just feel crappy all of the time when their is a solution to the problem.

Medication DOES work to help fix the problem. Therapy only deals with helping the patient cope with what the medication doesn't help. Mental illness is not just an emotional bump in the road. It is an illness just like any physical one that needs treatment, and yes, treatment by way of medication which goes into the brain and balances the chemicals is needed.

I don't blame the therapist for not wasting their time on you if you dont want to take meds. You should take the time to educate yourself on mental illness and then you will understand the importance of medication in certain types of mental illness. Medication is part of the therapy and healing process.

Answer 3

Totally disagree. Therapists cannot write prescriptions for one thing and if a person is ill, h/she would be unable to respond to advice until they are feeling better. Most anti depressants are not addictive and can save lives by preventing suicide.
That being said, I would agree that some may become dependant on medication. Nonetheless it is good psychiatric care to treat depression with adequate dosage and for long enough. If the patient has had more than two serious clinical depressive episodes, it is prudent to use medication long term to prevent or minimize relapse.
Cognitive therapy is another useful tool and the combination is often more successful than either approach alone

Answer 4

Agree and disagree. I've had experiences with both types of doctors. Also, keep in mind the patient's mindset at the time of therapy. Perhaps the person is thinking no one understands them and the doctor is just druggin them up to "cure" them and shoo them away (because deep down the person believes they can't get better). However, the patient may be justified if an outside, unbiased source can find evidence of the doctor's negligence of the patient and massive "pill popping"

Answer 5

Disagree

Answer 6

It depends on if you have a "situational or brain chemistry mal-function. If you have a "reason" to be depressed or have a personality disorder - therapy alone usually helps. If you a brain chemistry problems, you will need meds and possible therapy. Good luck to you, Kitty

Answer 7

Disagree! Most ppl who have psychiatric issues have a combination of chemical imbalances as well as emotional issues. You need to take your meds as well as see the doctor for therapy as ordered.

Answer 8

disagree. a counsellor cant help you work out your problems if you are too depressed or psychotic. they are not magicians, if you refuse to follow a doctors prescribed treatment why should they try to work with you. its like you going to a nurse and saying nurse my leg got cut off and i dont want it sewed up even though its bleeding badly , i just need something for the fatigue caused by the blood loss.

Answer 9

sometimes they give meds just to do the opposite to break down the patient and bring out more certain more well defined easy to see symptoms... don't agree or disagree it all depends

Answer 10

Agree
remember before Eli Lilly and all these other drug companies could advertise on television (1994 it started I think)
now all they say is take a pill/fill our pockets with $$$
oh your kids got problems/we got Ritalin for that