By Nancy Virden (c)2024

Very few medical advances, if any, have no attached risks. We are playing with human bodies in myriad ways; surgeries, injections, scopes, and pills each come with risk.

Each body is different and will react uniquely to an intervention even if the treatment is a routine one. Almost everyone accepts the use of aspirin, Tylenol, NSAIDS, ointments and surgeries as helpful. We place our trust in experts to know their jobs.

Yet somehow, trust in brain specialists also known as psychiatrists, wanes. Bathed in stigma, some people still look down on or distrust anyone who has seen a psychiatrist. You hear it in news reports that generalize criminals as “having mental problems.” Only characters who behave in obviously strange ways are featured in movies as mentally disturbed.

Those of us who use mental health medications have various stories. The statistics say that at least 80% of those who receive treatment get better. (Treatment does not always involve meds.) Only about half of those with a need for treatment actually receive it. Many are underrated.

Doubts about medications may come from watching a person try them and remain in an emotional or mental struggle. Before denying yourself or anyone else this type of treatment, here are three reasons why meds do not always help. 

(1) The patient is non-compliant due to their illness.

Depression can tell us we are not worthy of treatment, and who cares if we live or die. There may be trust issues. Other mental illnesses create struggles with compliance as well. A manic state leads one to believe he is well and no longer in need of treatment. Anxiety may cause one to cancel appointments or leave prescriptions unfilled.  Temporary disconnection to reality disrupts the best of intentions. It is difficult to maintain any schedule when your mental health is awry.  

Adherence, or compliance, means taking medication as prescribed. Timing and dosage are important. Whether taken with food, water, or on an empty stomach affects how medication works.  Any of these Cognitive and emotional issues may interfere with a patient’s communication with doctors. Without full disclosure,  a psychiatrist will not have access to the knowledge she needs to make the best recommendations. 

(2) The medication needs adjusting. 

Psychotropic medications, similar to other types of medicine, require specific dosages for different people. Finding the balance that works best may take some time. Meanwhile, functioning can remain a challenge.

Not all medications work well for everyone either. It’s a complex system matching the right med to the client who will respond best to it.  Some medicines even have a dual purpose. For example, in a higher dose, one drug relieves anxiety, and in a lower dose, the same drug helps with depression.

Unfortunately, for some people, a search for effective treatment may take longer than for most. This does not mean there is no hope!   

(3) The patient refuses co-treatments. Psychotropic medications are not “happy pills.” If our expectations are for them to fix a negative personality or relationship problems, we will be disappointed.

One’s usual thinking processes may be unhealthy. Experiences have influenced how we think. Medication cannot make us reasonable, knowledgeable, or motivated if we choose to not be. Psychiatrists are medical specialists and generally do not offer psychotherapy. Seeing a licensed therapist is important. Yet even that is not enough without our full participation. 

Co-occurring disorders such as addiction add another layer to treatment needs. If there is an unwillingness to make all-around changes, medicine will not help much.

-COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

Nahum 1:7 NIV
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him…

¹Martin L, Williams S, Haskard K, DiMatteo MR.  The Challenge of Patient Adherence. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2005 Sep; 1(3): 189–199. Published online 2005 Sep. Retrieved on January 8, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1661624/

²Mental Health Treatment. Mental Health America. Retrieved on January 21, 2017 from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/types-mental-health-treatments

If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or for a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room. In the EU call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here ). Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional, and speaks only from personal experience and observations. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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