While prescribing drugs for mental health problems may have a short-term palliative effect,
drugs don’t obviously help people to change the way they think or change the socio-economic environments that might be the root cause of their psychological problems
.
Should we use medication to treat mental health problems?
Medication can significantly improve your symptoms, although you may experience side-effects
. Medication can be a way to get through a crisis or a long-term treatment. You might take it to treat or reduce the symptoms of your mental illness, or stop them from coming back.
Does medication worsen mental health?
Although antidepressants may provide a small benefit over placebo over the short term,
there have now been a number of studies concluding that these drugs increase the risk that a person will become chronically depressed over the long term.
What are some potential negatives of using medication to regulate your mental health?
Some of the most common side effects of antipsychotics, which are prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are “
increased appetite (and resulting weight gain), increased prolactin (women may lactate and men grow breast tissue), somnolence [sleepiness], and restlessness
,” according to Siegel.
What happens if you are bipolar and don’t take medication?
“Without medication, there could be severe consequences related to poor decision making, at-risk behaviors, sleeplessness, spending sprees, social withdrawal, lack of personal hygiene, trouble meeting professional or school obligations, psychosis, or worse case, suicide,” Bressler says.
Can I refuse to take medication?
In most cases, you cannot be forced to take medication
. If you are offered medication, you usually have the right to refuse it and ask for an alternative treatment.
What are the challenges of medication use in patients with mental illness?
Results. Four themes were identified. These include
attitudes of patients towards psychotropic medication, availability of psychotropic medications, financial concerns towards psychotropic medications, and coverage of free treatment policy
.
How are medications used to treat mental disorders?
Researchers believe that the symptoms of mental illness come from chemical imbalances in a person’s brain. A medication works on these imbalances
to reduce your symptoms, or sometimes, to relieve them completely
.
Can medication cause permanent side effects?
Adverse drug effects that are overlooked or misdiagnosed pose significant risk to the patient. These neurologic side effects, if not properly addressed,
can result in permanent and/or irreversible conditions
; therefore, prompt identification and removal of the offending agent is critical.
Why do psych meds make you worse?
Brain SPECT imaging studies show that some psychiatric medications—particularly benzodiazepines, sleeping medications, and pain pills like hydrocodone and oxycodone—have a negative impact on the brain. SPECT scans reveal that
they suppress brain function in many people
.
Do psychiatric drugs cause brain damage?
We know that antipsychotics shrink the brain in a dose-dependent manner (4) and
benzodiazepines, antidepressants and ADHD drugs also seem to cause permanent brain damage
(5).
What are the disadvantages of taking medication?
The risks of medicines are the possible unwanted or unexpected effects that might happen to you when you use them. Risks can be minor, like a mild upset stomach, or more serious, such as
an increased risk of bleeding or liver damage
.
Can medicine for mental illness cause issues?
Mood stabilizers can cause several side effects
, and some of them may become serious, especially at excessively high blood levels. These side effects include: Medications for common adult health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression may interact badly with anticonvulsants.
What are the cons of antidepressants?
- blurred vision.
- heart toxicity in those at risk.
- constipation.
- dizziness.
- dry mouth.
- fatigue or drowsiness.
- increased heart rate.
- increased appetite and weight gain.
Can a bipolar person live without medication?
Without effective treatment, bipolar disorder can cause severe high and low mood episodes
. The symptoms of these episodes may negatively affect a person’s life. Bipolar disorder may also increase the risk of self-harm and suicide.
Does untreated bipolar cause brain damage?
A study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center indicates that people with bipolar disorder may suffer progressive brain damage.
Can bipolar be managed without meds?
There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but
treatment enables people to manage it
. Some lifestyle adaptations can also help, alongside the medication.
What is the 3 month rule mental health Act?
Under Section 58, a 3-month rule specifically applies to medication for mental disorder for detained patients covering the first 3 calendar months commencing from the first date (not necessarily the date on which they were detained) they are administered such treatment as a detained patient; after 3 months such …
What do you do if someone refuses mental help?
- Listen and validate. If your relationship is iffy, it doesn’t hurt to just listen. …
- Ask questions. …
- Resist the urge to fix or give advice. …
- Explore options together. …
- Take care of yourself and find your own support.
Can schizophrenics be forced to take medication?
Patients with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia,
may be legally mandated to receive treatment
. In the early 20th century most admissions to psychiatric institutions were involuntary, due to stigma, overcrowding and understaffing at the facilities.
