A Perspective on Medication

Hello, all!

Medication is a hot topic in the mental health world.  As many of us are painfully aware, one extreme says that all mental health challenges should be treated with pharmaceuticals, and the other extreme believes that no one should ever take mental health medications.  No individual can accurately represent every person in the community, because we are all unique.  We have different experiences, different ideologies, and different brains.  I know some people will disagree with me, and I respect that; but I would like to share my perspective on medication.

For years, I thought that medication was a “last resort.”  I struggled against the winter blues without any chemical assistance.  When I needed help, I only ever went the behavioral route: seeking therapy, keeping myself productive with a job, and engaging in creative expression.  These things were all wonderful for me, and usually enough to get me through my depressive episodes.  Sometimes, though, it wasn’t enough, and I would sink deeply into unhealthy and self-destructive thoughts.  Still, I refused to give medication a try.  I thought it was only for the truly desperate, and that taking it would mean I was too weak to get over my problems on my own.  Sure, some people needed medication, but if it wasn’t a dire need, why should I try it?

With more thought, I have come to the conclusion that I was dead wrong.  Medication does not have to be a last resort, reserved for “hopeless cases.”  Nor is it by any means a cure-all that every one with symptoms should take.  Nor must it be feared and rejected as a means to oppress the mentally ill (Yes, I have qualms with an over-medicated populace, as well as the financial and political strength of pharmaceutical companies, but issues like these are not my focus at present).

Medication is just a tool.  It’s just a tool that I can use to provide extra support in a difficult time.

When I have a cold, I take a decongestant.  It doesn’t cure the cold; it treats the symptoms while my own white blood cells track down the virus in my body and destroy it.  Without the decongestant, the days it takes to fight off the cold are extremely uncomfortable.  If I broke my leg, I would wear a cast.  The cast would not heal my leg; it would stabilize the limb until my bones knit themselves back together.  Without the cast, I would risk re-injury instead of allowing it to heal.

I have been stuck in a serious depressive slump for more than half a year.  Through my own thought process and with the advice of my therapist and my doctor, I have come to the conclusion that I can take an anti-depressant.  The medication will not heal me; it will provide a little more stability and make me even more able to overcome my challenges.  Without the medication, recovery would still be possible, just more difficult.

With this perspective, I now know I have nothing about which to feel ashamed.  I am facing challenges that not everyone has to face, and I am using the tools at my disposal to improve my situation.  I have major depression.  I see a therapist, I work, I exercise, I spend time with friends, and I write creatively.  Now, I am also giving medication a try.  I am not “crazy,” “useless” or somehow tainted by “mental illness.”  I am just a person, trying to be a happier person, like everyone else.

Thanks for hearing me out.  If you would like to share your thoughts, comments, opinions, experiences or even creative writing, email it to cmrlcblog@gmail.com.  Appropriate submissions will be published on our blog.

By: Deanna “Berry” Cassidy
Central Mass RLC