Photo submitted by Kathy Morelli
This is a Guest Post from Kathy Morelli, LPC, author, blogger and avid mother & family supporter. Thank you, Kathy, for helping us understand part of the ever-confusing world of medications and mental health. Kathy takes us through the informed choice processes of possibly needing medications to feeling healthier and wanting to take ourselves back off them. Medications and mental health: an issue with fifty shades of gray. I discuss two shades of gray below. If you have others to add, please put them in the comments below. Gray Shade One: I don't want to take meds; I don't like chemicals in my body, I'd like to manage things myself Whenever someone comes into my office who has anxiety or depression and who is not suicidal and says this, I say, Hey, no problem. I'm not the expert on your life and I'm not your personal mental health gate-keeper. There are fifty shades of gray here. So I say, let's have a thoughtful discussion about your situation, let's plan your path back to health. Yes, sometimes feelings of anxiety and depression can be managed using a twice-weekly regimen of talk therapy and daily strict adherence to mindbody therapies. There is ample evidence supporting the use of mindbody therapies to reduce physical and emotional pain. Hell, I was the Mindbody Specialist at a hospital for three years, I love this stuff. So let's design a mindbody program just for you; we'll see how you feel, and we'll re-evaluate your situation in a few weeks. And, just in case, I have back-up; I have the names of some wonderful primary care physicians and psychiatrists who can help you with medication, if necessary. So you get to look at some complementary methods and the research behind these methods and you get to go home with some choices to think about. But the thing is, what I find, is with most people walking into my office, a professional counseling office, is that they are usually too anxious, depressed or traumatized to adhere to a mindbody program. Just finding me either online or from a referral, making the appointment and getting to my office for the first time required a lot of their energy and was a monumental step. So, in general, people who are too paralyzed from depression and anxiety don't have the energy or mental space to devote to regimen of mindbody therapies. And sometimes the habit of depression or anxiety has become so ingrained neurologically, psychologically, and behaviorally that it's a life-crisis. They are suffering terribly. So a jump-start of medication can help someone who is depressed or anxious get going on a practical level with their lives. And the mindbody work can be added as complementary therapies to support their healing path. There are fifty shades of gray here: after the crisis has past and some healing has occurred, some individuals with some diagnoses might be able to be weaned from the medication and sustained with mindbody work. It really depends on the diagnosis and the person. Some people may need medication for the rest of their lives, and others may need it just to regain their balance. GrayShade Two: I feel better, so I want to stop taking my meds Ok – so you feel better, that means things are going well – rock on! Fabulous! You think you want to disengage from the pharmaceutical machine. Ok - this is another instance where I feel, as a professional counselor, I am not here to direct your life. I'm here to help you work out your thoughts and feelings about this matter and to be a resource for you. So, I say, let's talk. It is a good idea to empower yourself by being mindful of your own choices about your own health. A decision to go off of medication deserves as much thought as a decision to go on medication. These decisions are kind of life altering. If you were very ill before taking your medication and now you want to stop, you might want to think about how not taking your medication will affect your life and the people in your family. It's actually dangerous to just go cold turkey with many psychotropic medications, they should be tapered off gradually under the direction of a doctor. You can become mindful of your choices by exploring your thoughts, feelings and options around this issue. So, develop your own informed decision about going off your meds. Have a fact-gathering, thoughtful discussion on an emotionally mature level with your counselor, your partner and your medical doctor. Such questions to explore might be: – Is it appropriate in my individual situation, with my diagnosis, to try to live without a medication? – What are some therapies that can support my decision to live without medications? – What would these complementary therapies entail? – How will my going off my medications affect my partner and family? – How does my partner and family feel about me going off my medications? – What is the back-up plan if I am feeling ill again? – How quickly can I begin medication again if I need to? – Is it easy to get an appointment with you if I need medication again? Beginning a medication requires assessment, emotional commitment and planning. Stopping or tapering off a medication also involves thought, informed decision-making and support. As I said before, there are fifty shades of gray here: after the crisis has past and some healing has occurred, some individuals with some diagnoses might be able to be weaned from the medication and sustained with mindbody work. It really depends on the diagnosis and the person. Some people may need medication for the rest of their lives, and others may need it just to regain their balance. Empower yourself! Discuss your decision with your family and healthcare practitioners before discontinuing any medication. Kathy Morelli, LPC, is a licensed marriage and family counselor in Wayne, NJ. Kathy specializes in helping women and their families with the emotions of birth, pregnancy, postpartum and in the adjustment to parenthood. Author and blogger, she is the author of the BirthTouch® series of books on motherhood. She writes at her own blog, BirthTouch®, is co-hosting the Postpartum Support International's May 2013 #PSIBLOG Hop, and has served as a Guest Editor for the Lamaze Science & Sensibility blog. Visit her at birthtouch.com and kathymorelli.com
What Shades of Gray can you think of in terms of mental health, therapy and/or medication?
15 Comments
5/19/2013 01:43:24 pm
Wow, thank you Kathy. This is such a down to earth post about thoughts that so many people have about taking medication. So so many. I really love your perspective and approach for both shades of gray. I will be sharing!
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5/21/2013 11:20:48 pm
Hi Andrea - thanks so much for your support! It means alot to me, coming from you, you do so much advocacy work and have been on both sides of the couch, so to speak. Love & Light, Kathy
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5/21/2013 11:22:31 pm
Hi Jenny - As a therapist, I am always pushing the boundaries to be non-judgmental. I need to always let my clients learn for themselves what is right for them as individuals. Namaste, Kathy
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5/21/2013 11:23:23 pm
Hi Sara - thank you so very much for your kind words. It means alot to me, coming from you! take care, Kathy
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5/22/2013 12:02:34 am
Thank you Kathy for a very informative post.
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5/22/2013 08:10:38 pm
Hi Irene - yes thanks for bringing up another shade of grey. It is well-researched that the combination of talk therapy and medication is a winning combination!
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Laura DiVenti
5/22/2013 03:48:46 am
Such a good article! Thanks for writing about these very important issues.
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Arlene H. Johnson LMFT
5/22/2013 04:16:55 pm
Kathy, Outstanding post. Such an important issue. So many want to just stop taking medication, you have given some important guidelines to consider.
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5/24/2013 12:34:32 am
Kathy,
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