There has been an increasing rate of mental health disorders being created over the past few years, due to the rising popularity of mental health being discussed. The current Diagnostic and Statistical Method (DSM-5) contains around 290 mental health disorders with about 10 that need further research. Do we really need that many? It is getting to the point where everyone in the world is going to suffer from at least one mental illness. These disorders are placed under a category to help classify them from each other such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Most of these disorders overlap each other with the only difference being one or two symptoms being added from the previous one. So, couldn’t we just reduce the number of mental illnesses and just write down the symptoms and risk factors of each category? It would make things much simpler and easier for people to navigate or understand what people are dealing with.
Each mental health disorder generally comes with a wide variety of treatment options. Medication is usually what most people would think of when they think of treatment options. However, medication should not be the first option for treatment. I repeat, medication should not be the first option for treatment. I say this because this is what happens to a lot of people that go to seek professional help in the form of therapy, counseling, or a psychiatry. Unfortunately, there is a cycle that goes around when you go to these professionals especially if you suffer from multiple mental health disorders or if you have a serious case of one. Don’t know what I am referring to? Don’t worry, I am here to explain exactly what I am talking about.
The “Vicious” Cycle
For many people out there, it is not your fault for becoming part of this cycle and for others, you can choose to avoid it. The cycle I am referring to involves four different parts: therapy, diagnosis, medication, and therapy. To explain what I mean in further detail, I will use Jane as an example.
Jane is a 42-year old woman that has been going through a rough time in her life. She has a hard time talking to other people in social events and every time she tries to interact with them, her hands start shaking, voice trembling, and constant sweating. Jane wants to do something about it, so she decides to see a therapist that can tell her what is going on with her. She meets with the therapist and talks with him for a few minutes about what she is experiencing. The therapist gives her an assessment, so he can get a clear understanding of things to give her a diagnosis.
The therapist tells Jane that he thinks she has Social Anxiety Disorder and then goes on to explain what that is. Jane feels devastated about the news, but the therapist assures her that everything is going to be fine because they will go over a treatment plan. The treatment plan consists of medication for Jane to take as the therapist explains to her that it will allow her to be more relaxed in social situations. Jane is so glad to hear this and gets the medication right away and takes her first pill. Sooner or later, she feels like she is on top of the world and that nothing can bring her down.
She performs really well in social situations and even went on a first date with a guy she just met. After a few months, she goes to get her pills only to realize that she has none left. She doesn’t have enough money to buy anymore, so she decides that she will be fine without it. It turns out that Jane reverted back to her old self and starts to feel nervous in social settings. Her hands start shaking again and she can’t stand it anymore.
In this example, Jane did not solve her social problems and a big part of that had to do with the therapist. The therapist advised Jane to get medication to help her anxiety, which sounds good on paper but when you really think about it… it’s a terrible idea. Medication is something that comes and goes.
Every time you take your pills, you feel better, but you know that sooner or later they will run out. When they run out, you need to get more, but it costs money to buy more. If you don’t have enough money to get any more medication, then you fall back to square one which is therapy. You will go back and see either the same therapist that told you about the medication or another therapist that will take you through the cycle again. You will take an assessment with the possibility of being diagnosed with a completely different mental health disorder.
A 2014 study published in BMJ Quality and Safety, reported that 1 in 20 American adults are misdiagnosed each year, which is equivalent to 12 million people. That is a large amount of people that generally believe that something serious is wrong with them when that is not the case. People have cabinets full of pills that their doctors told them to take for different kinds of reasons. How about we do some research and have one magic pill that can work for any disorder? Or how about we stop giving people medication all together. It is best for the mental health professional to work with the client the whole way no matter how long it takes. To me, medication is the easy way out. It is like saying “this person is too difficult to handle, so here is something that will fix everything temporarily.”
Another problem with medication is that a lot of people become addicted once they have had it for a long time. They never were properly treated, so the only way for them to improve is to take more. According to the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 1 in 10 people struggle with some level of substance use, including addiction to prescription drugs. That would result in around 24 million people which is way too much. We can blame mental health professionals for this, but there is no reason in doing so. They were just doing their jobs and truly believe that it would help clients improve their mental health. I would like to focus on a clear solution to all of this.
“Work with clients while they take medication, don’t wait until after”
What I mean by this is, if you are going to offer medication as part of the treatment plan then don’t make that the end of everything. If the client gets medication, let them take it and let them tell you how they feel after. If they feel good after, then work in finding a way for them to experience that same type of feeling without the medication. This would reduce the chances of them becoming addicted and would reduce the probability of them coming back after therapy is over. It allows the client to take control of the situation and not let the pills control them.
“Don’t diagnose them with a disorder, just let the know about the symptoms and risk factors they might go through if this continues”
If you work for a government agency, then you are going to need to give the client a diagnosis in order to continue working with them. However, if you work in a private practice setting or a place that is a little more lenient, then this is something that you can do to improve things. It is best if you tell them the symptoms and risk factors of the things that they have been experiencing because they will think that something is seriously wrong with them if they are given a label such as “schizophrenic.” By doing this, you can work with the client on each issue one by one until their problems are gone.
“If your client isn’t feeling any better after numerous sessions, don’t give up on them”
If they are motivated enough and believe that they can improve even if things haven’t worked out so well, don’t give up on them. These people show that they have self-discipline, which is important in facing obstacles. Don’t refer them to a psychiatrist to get some medication that will solve their problems in an instant. Create a payment plan option for them if they need more sessions and can pay for all of them. It is all about being there for the client and guiding them to find a solution. There will always be a solution, but for some it just takes longer than others to find. Giving them something that they can use for a long time is much better than giving them something that doesn’t last very long.
