Medication Vs. Counseling

There is seldom a day that goes past where I don't have a client who
comes to me with a great concern that their medications are not working.
Often, when I ask what they are doing for themselves, they develop a
rather puzzled look on their face. Most of the time, they say that they
just wait for the medication to take effect.

More and more, society is putting focus on medications while ignoring
personal responsibility. It is very easy to blame a chemical imbalance
in the brain when one becomes angry and harms someone, or when a person
does not have enough motivation to get a job or leave the house. When
people have these problems, an overwhelming number of them focus on the
perceived need for medications and then are displeased to find that
these medications often do not fix the problem. Really, I can't blame a
person for feeling that they should take a medication when they have
such a problem. We have a society that has a huge focus on medications
and there are frequent prescription drug commercials on TV.

I want everyone to realize that there is a need for medication in many
cases. The current prescription medications are helpful for many people
and lets them function. I think it is important to point out that
people who take meds also need to take care of their mental health by
looking at their thinking, how they interact with others, and their
level of physical activity.

If people continue to place themselves in stressful environments,
isolate themselves, have a lot of negative thinking, and get little
exercise, they will likely have minimal benefit from a medication only
approach. How can one attain significant changes if they do not change
their thinking and behaviors?

What does counseling have to offer that medication does not? Well,
medication helps to decrease symptoms so that a person can function.
Counseling helps a person identify the causes of these symptoms. Often,
these causes are a result of some sort of a relationship problem.
Sometimes feelings of depression and anger are stemming from ourselves
because we concentrate on negative things and continue to be ourselves
up. How can a person feel good if there is continued negative self talk
and continued relationship problems which cause very stressful
environments?

I want everyone to realize that there are chemical and behavioral
(thinking and doing) sides to our problems. Not everyone needs
medications. Many people can manage their emotions by participating in
therapy and changing their thinking and behaviors.

I urge everyone to first give therapy a try. If that doesn't work, or
has little success, then there may be a need for medication in addition
to therapy.