Medications for mental health treatment are often misunderstood, but they can play an important role in supporting recovery.
Rogers Behavioral Health’s Dr. Jerry Halverson, MD, FACPsych, DFAPA, psychiatrist and chief medical officer, explains what medications do and debunks four common misconceptions.
Why are medications used to treat mental health challenges?
Mental health challenges are brain-based. They involve different types of chemicals at a very microscopic level that the brain uses to communicate. When someone is struggling with depression or anxiety, for example, their brain chemicals are thought to be out of balance —either too low or too high.
Depending on the disorder and the symptoms, medications can help to bring those chemicals back into balance by either increasing or decreasing activity in a particular part of the brain.
Which mental health challenges are most commonly treated with medications and why?
Three of the most common conditions treated with medication are:
Depression: Generally, there’s too little activity in areas of the brain that manage emotions and behavior. Medications are used to increase brain activity to a more normal level.
Anxiety: Generally, there’s too much activity in certain areas of the brain, resulting in excessive thoughts, intense fear, and difficulty calming the mind. Medications are used to decease the hyperactivity to a more normal level.
Psychosis: When someone is seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, or feeling detached from reality, certain parts of the brain are thought to be overreactive. Medications can help calm the brain and get symptoms under control.
How do clinicians decide when medications are needed?
For most people, a combination of therapy and medication provides the best chance for long-lasting recovery. Both can change the brain back to normal functioning. Through therapy, people gain skills to help manage their thoughts, emotions, and symptoms, while medications help the brain work more normally by adjusting relative levels of chemicals in the brain.
At Rogers, a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant manages the medications, while psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and social workers support therapy. We work together as a team because both pieces are important.
Medication is usually recommended when someone’s symptoms are moderate to severe and are getting in the way of multiple areas of life, such as school, work, and home.
Most importantly, we never force anyone to take medication. There’s always an honest conversation about the benefits and risks, and the person receiving treatment makes the decision without any pressure.
What are some common misconceptions about taking medications for mental health?
I would like to address four of the most common misconceptions when it comes to medication and mental health treatment:
1. Taking medication is a sign of weakness: This stems from stigma and is completely baseless. People don’t think twice about needing insulin for their diabetes. They know their bodies need it to function well. Mental health challenges are no different. They’re also biological illnesses.
2. I don’t need medication because I should be able to get over it: I hear this most often when it comes to depression. When someone is seeking treatment, they’ve usually been suffering for some time and have been trying to manage it on their own. Depression isn’t something a person can snap out of. Medication helps most people feel better faster.
3. If I just exercise or eat right, I’ll be okay: While those things are important to a person’s overall health, when someone isn’t able to be the parent, sibling, daughter, son, or employee they want to be, medication in combination with therapy can get people back to engaging in their lives.
4. Medication won’t help: We have 25 to 30 years of experience with the current generation of medications. We know they work, although it’s true that not all medications work the same for everyone. There is some trial and error involved in finding the right medication with the fewest side effects for each individual.
Do you see people getting better after starting medication, even if they were unsure at first?
Yes! We see medications helping all the time. Oftentimes, people with anxiety are the most hesitant because they have a lot of concern about side effects. Once we find the right medication and dose, I often hear, “I didn’t know it could be like this. I didn’t know my brain could be so quiet.”
Many people come into treatment with a lot of misunderstandings. They blame themselves and feel guilty. They think they should be able to handle their struggles. We help people understand their disorder and how medication with treatment can make them feel better.
I think one of the powerful things about our programs is that you’re with other people dealing with similar issues. Over time, many begin to think, “It’s not their fault, so why is it mine?”
What would you say to someone worried about taking medication for their mental health?
Needing medication to help manage your mental health isn’t any different than needing an antihypertensive to prevent you from having a stroke or a heart attack. Mental health disorders are medical conditions. Medications help millions of people. When you’re struggling to the point where you can’t engage in your life like you used to, you deserve the help. You deserve to feel better.
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