[POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING: discussion of mental illness, medication.]
I am just so tired of this gross and grossly common ~belief~ that, for someone with mental illness, medication will numb you; it will strip out your feelings; it will cut out what makes you you.
The thing is, some medications work differently than other medications! Paxil is not Effexor is not Wellbutrin is not Lithium. And sometimes medication doesn’t work for some people with mental illness, at all. But sometimes medication does work! Sometimes it works BEAUTIFULLY. Sometimes you have to try a couple different medications before you find one that works for you. Sometimes you have to take a couple different medications together. Sometimes you need just one. Sometimes medication, while effective, just isn’t for you!
Blanket statements are nobody’s friend. No one person’s mental illness is the same as another person’s. The problem with the aforementioned belief—that psychiatric medication will effectively shut you down—is that it demonizes psychiatric medication! It says, “Psychiatric medication is scary and bad, and wouldn’t it be better just to deal with your illness on your own instead of taking this medication? After all, your illness can’t be that bad!” It says, “You shouldn’t take psychiatric medication. You should do this on your own.” It says, “Your mental illness is you.”
Maybe you, reading this, can do it on your own. But I can’t. When I’m not medicated, that’s when I’m numb. That’s when my feelings are dull and washed out and gone. I’m erratic and irrational and dangerous to myself. I have horrible and terrifying obsessive thoughts and compulsions of self-violence. None of that is me. For me, medication has proved a savior. I write when I’m medicated, because I have the clarity of mind needed to concentrate on my work. I read books and watch TV and play games, because I can enjoy them. When I’m on my medication, I can feel. And I love feeling. I love emotions. I love loving. Sometimes I even love arguments, not because I enjoy arguing, but because it’s just so astounding to be able to feel anger.
So—when you say “psychiatric medication is dangerous and it will fuck you up,” what I hear is “you would be better off scared and alone and dead inside again.”
Stop saying that.
(bolding mine)
Allow me to add my two cents:
Most people who are or aim to become health professionals are genuinely trying to help. Doctors/therapists/counselors/psychiatrists/psychologists aren’t trying to dope people up or numb their feelings. They want to find a medication that will work for each individual, if there’s one to be found. Not every brain is the same; not every problem responds to the same chemical interventions; not every medication works effectively at first, or after several years, or in different circumstances. The best way to get the most effective treatment is to find a health professional that you click with, who will listen to you and your needs, and who you feel is an ally for you. It’s not merely unfortunate that the mental health profession seems to have a tarnish on its reputation; it’s potentially dangerous. A blanket mistrust of all psychiatric medication is a component of the stigma that individuals with mental illness face, and may place obstacle between treatment and those who need it.
(Source: formerlyroxy)
