I feel like it's stupid to google this when there's probably a few people on here who could answer this question from experience.
After getting diagnosed by a doctor for a psychiatric disorder like depression or anxiety, do you have to do talk therapy in order to continue to get medicine? How does that all work? Does it depend how bad it is?
My friend has been thinking about going to the doctors lately but s/he had a traumatic experience with a psychologist when s/he was a pre-teen. S/he doesn't mind seeing one temporarily but not as a long-term treatment plan. S/he would rather not even get help.
psychiatrists vary a great deal. also remember they get paid when you come in for a session. depending on where you live i think there are minimum yearly visits for certain classes of medications but in general you can find someone who will just give you the prescription and have you come in if dosage / type needs adjusting
Medicine is not what you need.Medicine for mental healthcare doesnt work straight point blank. That sh!t is poison and will leave you worse off than were you were. Thus you seek new/more medication...and that is the scheme the pharm companys run. Its a temporary fix and will leave you destoryed..this stuff is not normal nor helpful.
What "she" needs is a counsiler of some sort...a sponor who cares about you. The brain will heal itself with soulseeking and meditation...this is the only solution. You need to find the sorce of the symptions and cure that..as seen in the Seed Model Medicine.
no, I got prescriptions from my primary care physician & went to therapy once and hated it. just tell her to speak up to her doc about it and see what they will do
deletedalmost 8 years
Some of this stuff can actually help other people and not feel so alone either so.
The effect SSRIs without therapy have is comparable to analgesics or painkillers which is why I said what I said. Sure, it might provide some relief short-term, but long-term it's not recommended because of all the side effects and possible dependence. Long-term medication is not ideal unless we are talking about severe issues like chronic psychosis or schizophrenia. It also depends on the disorder in itself. I'd love to see someone with BPD being treated just with medication and no talk therapy, that's just like suicide.
do you have to do talk therapy in order to continue to get medicine?
No, doctors can give you a prescription for a year and you wouldnt need to see him again unless u get side effects and stuff. This is how it works in Canada but i dont know in the us. But doctors could also decide otherwise. But yeah, therapy is really important in many cases. For some mood disorders its even necessary.
If someone had a back injury, would you tell them to just use analgesics without doing physical therapy? Or would you advise both? Medication is literally a mood stabilizer. It won't magically solve the problems you're having or the way you handle them.
I wasn't. This is what I learned in med school, not from my experience. If you want my experience, I've only needed medication when I was at my lowest, this is for a few months every couple of years or so. For me, just therapy works fine.
deletedalmost 8 years
Don't assume your experiences with medication or opinions on its use translate across any kind of demographic. It's not ideal to get a person new to navigating these problems into the mindset that there is only one objective way to tackle mental-disorders.
deletedalmost 8 years
*Meds not mess - won't let me edit the post, my bad.
deletedalmost 8 years
The success people have with the medication and therapy is highly subjective. Therapy is an especially polar subject; you'll have people tell you it's useless, you'll have people who say it fixed their entire lives. Don't make decisions off of the personal opinions of people online, work closely with your doctor to arrange consultations with a psychiatrist. Be weary of psychiatrists who put you on mess with little consultation time, ensure they understand the situation and those things which make you more apt to be in a depressive scene or which stimulate your anxiety to unhealthy levels. The key is ensuring that your psychiatrist fully grasp your condition, so be honest and thorough with them - confront any biases you have, and break away from ALL stigma's associated with mental disorders. Getting caught in a cycle of depression is not ideal, and the internet does an exceptional job of romanticizing mental health issues, so don't let yourself fall into it.
You do not need therapy to get meds, psychologists are not psychiatrists (typically, some are qualified in both, but if you have psychiatric qualifications you get paid way more than a therapeutic psychologist, so there generally isn't much mixing), however you may benefit from attempting it. I have not had success with therapy, but that doesn't mean you won't. The key to ensuring you get better is genuinely found in how willing you are to be honest with yourself, your family, and your doctors about your condition. Don't undersell your problems, but do not make them out to be worse than it is: many anti-depressants and mental conditioners are neurocides, and being put on serious meds if your condition is minor must be avoided. Don't shorten your lifespan and general brain functionality to personify depression.
Good luck mate, message me if you want further details!
deletedalmost 8 years
Everyone's stories and advice really help. I really appreciate you all. Thank you. And for those who have similar or different experiences, feel free to post as well.
the psychiatric system can be very traumatizing and sometimes not helpful in the slightest. medicine can help without talk therapy and vice versa; whatever makes the person comfortable.
I absolutely believe medication works, for some it works better than others. Therapy is a good idea to back it up though. everyone is different and needs something different to help them out of it, but medication is helping me. to get meds refilled you probably will have to talk to your doctor every now and then, at least for the first few months (depending on how bad it is). Not every doctor/therapist is the same, it takes trial and error tbh
medication definitely works without therapy and i would argue that sometimes therapy doesnt help at all. if youre diagnosed with a mood disorder you can receive medication without continued visits to a therapist as long as you have check ins with your doctor/psychologist every few months
