These irk me because they are based on false information. Unfortunately, people believe them. It requires some suspension of one’s stigmatic beliefs to consider alternative facts. After 14 years of AlwaysTheFight ministry, experience has taught me that few people are willing to learn against their biases and prejudices. I am proud of those who do.

Here are the facts:

• Psychiatrists are MDs. They are not therapists. It is rare for a psychiatrist to spend more than 15-30 minutes with a client. It is their job to apply medical knowledge to our mental health needs.
• Therapists (talk therapy) will spend 45-60 minutes per session with each client. Styles and personalities will vary, as do outcomes. Therapy takes time. If the client will not do the work, there will be no growth.
• Psychotropic medication can restore a person to his/her normal level of reasoning. Pills, injections, and extreme interventions such as electric shock cannot make one wise, successful, or happy. Someone who is characteristically negative even while healthy will not become a positive thinker after taking medication. A foolish and reckless person will not become analytical. An underachiever before a mental health crisis will not advance because of taking medication.
• Due to meds, depression and anxiety can take a break, leaving room for the client to work out issues of the heart. Spiritual weakness, if present, will not mature until the person takes the initiative to grow. Meds work, but they are not miracles and rescues.
• If a client is motivated to experience a more satisfying life, the work they put into therapy will help to rearrange old thought processes, teach fresh ways of seeing the world, and challenge negative assumptions. It is rewiring, remodeling, and renewing of the mind. This is what we each need, healthy or not.
• Suffering is inevitable; misery is optional. When one is outright against psychotropic medications, it is usually because of a fear of chemicals or an unfortunate spiritual point of view. A holistic diet is helpful to a degree. Avoiding some chemicals is wise. But do we want to suffer longer because St. John’s Wort didn’t lift our mood? Do we wish to lose a family member because the spiritual condemnation made them feel even more worthless?

The best outcomes involve a combination of medications and talk therapy.

-COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

Proverbs 17:22

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength