Yes. Well said.anna09 wrote:Mental illnesses do have a physical origin either chemically or structurally and of course a genetic predisposition. Take schizophrenia for example, there are several different types of schizophrenia with different origins. Acute schizophrenia is chemically based and is due to excessive dopamine activity. This type is more responsive neuroleptics unlike Chronic Schizophrenia that arises from structural abnormalities in the brain. (less than average brain weight, enlarged ventricles, reduction of the number of neurons in prefrontal cortex etc.) Some people even have a combination of neurotransmitter issues AND brain abnormalities. There is no cure-all pill for mental illnesses. Some people simply do not respond to certain (if any) medications but that doesn't mean the medication itself is "bullshit". Based on what I've been taught, the common view is that if medication is necessary then therapy is a must. Yes, I am aware there are some psychologists and psychiatrists that don't follow this but don't disregard the whole field becuase a few people are assholes.
Tell that to somebody who suffers from Bipolar Disorder. Manic episodes can only be controlled with medication.Mr Jobby wrote:If possible its definetely better without medications.
Two other points: first, the much-talked about side effects (particularly associated with SSRIs) are real, but not everybody has those side effects with every drug. Look at five different SSRIs, for example, and they'll all list fatigue as a possible side effect. That does not mean that every person will experience fatigue with every one of them. This is why experimenting with different meds and adjusting dosages is often necessary.
Second: often it is quite dangerous to leave something like bipolar disorder - or even depression - untreated. These things are episodic. The profile for depression is often like this: first episode is triggered by some external stressor (e.g., death in the family, divorce). The second episode often arrives with no external trigger, and is worse. Same with future episodes. The more episodes you have, the more you're likely to have. And they become increasingly harder to treat. Yes, the brain is not a robust organ. And one of the things that can damage it irreparably is repeated episodes of depression or mania.
Furthermore, some people recommend using medication only temporarily. While this can have some merit (avoidance of side effects, for example), often the suggestion is made simply because of a personal bias against medicines for mental health in general - an attitude that if you use meds for mental problems, you're simply using a crutch and instead should "tough it out". You wouldn't tell someone with diabetes or a heart condition to stop taking their medicine when they feel better. This is more than just a matter of personal preference: I know from personal experience that if a medication works and then you stop taking it, there's a very good chance that that med won't work the next time.