[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

To say it isn't a cure is not true. I take pills for anxiety and depression. On top of that I exercise 5-6 days a week, sleep 8 hours a day and have used talk therapy in the past. Take away my pills and my life will spiral downward. I would do anything not to have to take these pills and the side effects that go with it. I've done lots of research on anti depressents and it's dark side. That said I tried living life without them for long periods of time only to have the above come back.

Medication isn't a cure, it is a treatment but it isn't a cure. I really believe in a high percentage of cases people are prescribed pills because it is an easier option. It isn't as simple as taking a pill, or going to the gym or getting some more sleep (although all those things can help) it is about addressing the individual reasons for the mood disturbances and doing so takes long periods of time, is thankless and costs a bunch of money. Pills on the other hand and quick and fast and people view them as a cure, rather than as a treatment.

On a short time basis they can be quite effective as they help stabilise a persons moods so they can deal with the talk therapy in an effective manner.

That isn't what they are used for though, they are often used instead of therapy not as a supplement to therapeutic discourse.

I agree that meds can be a quick and easy fix but it's also a doctor problem where they don't want to deal with the issues the patient is dealing with. For example I had at one time a doctor who sat with head down and picked at his finger nails as I explained what was happening with me. He returned a few minutes later without looking at my face and handed me a sample package of Paxil and said try this. No mention of getting talk therapy, nothing! Lets just say I quickly found another doctor willing to help me.

That is a common story because mental health is a speciality that few people are trained in and frankly it is time intensive. The guy realistically should have written a referral to somewhere else.

Making talk therapy affordable for everyone is a huge issue. If you're not lucky enough to have an employee assistance program it can cost upwards of a $100 an hour or more to see a psycologist.

Kids and adults should be taught that just because someone has a mental illness they are not be feared or avoided.

I agree, I also think that you are stuck on what you call talk therapy because it has worked for you but there are other approaches such as groups, and CBT that are effective in dealing with mental health issues, however as I indicated before it is a societal issue and we need to look at the way our society is established if we want to see effective change, we live as individual units not as part of a larger cohesive framework.