With 1 in 5 American adults currently diagnosed with a mental illness1 and 3/4 of chronic mental illness being diagnosed by 24 years of age2, it’s likely that either you or someone you care about has had to ask some tough questions about their mental health condition. During their course of psychiatric treatment, many people find themselves wondering, “What does this diagnosis mean for the rest of my life? Will I be stuck with these medications and their side effects forever? Even if I can stop them, is it safe to try?” It can be very confusing for a person when they first begin trying to manage their mental health and medications. It can be frustrating or intimidating to have to talk to your prescriber about side effects. Even so, there is hope, and you aren’t the only person to feel this way. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you tackle this particular challenge in life.
- In some ways, a psychiatric diagnosis is what you make of it. – If you say it’s the worst thing to ever happen to you, that might end up being the case. However, many of the people who experience better outcomes after a psychiatric diagnosis realize that this is just one aspect of who they really are. This discovery isn’t always immediate. For some people it comes during the course of therapy, but it’s important to understand that you are more than a diagnosis listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Although your psychiatric diagnosis can provide useful information to mental health providers on how to support you, it in no way reflects the sum total of who your really are as a person. This is a fact that is easily forgotten during the more difficult periods of mental health, but it is a truth that applies to every mental health patient – even if your diagnosis happens to be in the area that the DSM labels as “personality disorders”.
- A psychiatric diagnosis could represent a hidden opportunity. – In some cases, our bodies can use our emotions and perceptions to bring out attention to issues that we may have been to busy/stressed/tired/afraid/traumatized/etc to deal in the past. Having a description for the process that is happening in your life provides an opportunity for you to begin learning how to improve things. The most important decision that you have to make at this point is whether or not you’re willing to change for the better. If you are, embrace the opportunity to learn as much as you can about your proposed diagnosis. Ask your provider to help you understand your symptoms and read descriptions of diagnoses at reputable sources like The Mayo Clinic, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Mental Health America. Even if it means that you eventually decide that the label doesn’t quite fit for your experience, you will most likely be a wiser and more capable person as a result the self-education. In the case that you decide the diagnosis is appropriate, who could be better serve as an expert on the way your brain functions than you? Learn all you can; your mental health team and future self will thank you!
- The dose of medication indicated during a crisis may not be needed to keep you stable over time. – Depending on your response to treatment, there’s a very real chance that your medication dose could be reduced over time. Although 1 i n 5 American adults have a mental illness, only 1 in 25 American adults are reported as living with a chronic psychiatric diagnosis2. Not all diagnoses result in life-long medication management. Even when there is a need for chronic medication management, it is possible for the need for medication support can decline over time – given the right circumstances. That is because a patient who actively learns about their mental health condition is usually also the kind of person who gradually develops skills to manage their mental diagnosis. This is usually done with skills that are not limited to medication intervention. Individuals may learn to manage their concentration, level of work stress, periods of low mood, history of trauma, or mildly paranoid thoughts using psychotherapy. They may improve their nutrition and/or tendencies for disordered eating with the help of a dietitian. They may improve their sleep quality by receiving treatment for sleep apnea. They may see a chiropractor for reduction of chronic back pain. As a person’s brain and body heal as a result of healthier new skill sets, the need for medication intervention can decline. Even if a medication can’t be stopped, it can be decreased to the lowest dose that continues to provide therapeutic treatment. This approach further helps to limits the side effects experienced over time.
- Before stopping your medication, please, PLEASE talk to your prescriber. – Even if you are cleared to stop your medication, you should be aware that some medications can cause serious problems when stopped abruptly. By serious, we’re talking about excruciatingly painful muscle cramps/spasms, withdrawal, and seizures. Doctor’s generally try to prescribe medications that will be forgiving and not cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms if they are discontinued abruptly, but more potent medicines can’t always be avoided. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re running low on medication before you’re able to afford your next refill, consider contacting your provider to learn if your remaining pills supply should be used to temporarily tapper off of the medication. In some cases, the doctor may have sample medications to help cover your treatment until a full refill can be purchased. Finally, for those in the difficult scenario where your doctor disagrees with your decision to stop a medication, keep in mind that your provider may still be able to provide useful information about how to gradually tapper off of the medicine to protect your safety.
- Medication doses often grow with the children taking them. – It’s important to know this fact for 2 reasons. The first is so you won’t be alarmed the first time your doctor recommends a dose advancement. The second reason is to prevent a child from switching from a perfectly good medication because of the perception that it isn’t working. If the dose hasn’t been advanced for 6 months and Junior has grown 2 inches and put on 10 lbs, his attention/mood might be off because he’s outgrown the old medication dose. When your child starts to come approach their adult size and metabolic rate, you’ll likely find that their medication dose stabilizes and no longer needs advancement.
- You’ll get further faster if you let others help. – On the journey to greater mental health, a person will be aided by any number of people. Some will be professional providers; others will be social contacts. Your psychotherapist will probably come to know you better than any other member of your mental healthcare team. It’s a good thing because it allows this provider to be of greatest assistance to you, but it also means you need to choose this person well. Feel free to keep searching until you find someone who is good fit for your personality style and mental health goals. Similarly, a person’s psychiatrist will play a central role in making sure that their medications are working just as hard as they are toward improving their mental health. If you don’t feel comfortable asking questions or can’t get clear responses to the questions you ask, the arrangement may be a poor fit. You want a mental health doctor who will teach you how to use your medications to maximally improve your likelihood of remaining stable. Mentally healthy friends and family are an amazing resource for those fortunate enough to have them. Family and close friends can observe and help report symptoms that you may never have noticed. They can also help provide close monitoring for safety, which may permit some individuals to avoid psychiatric hospitalization. Trustworthy family and close friends can provide respite child care for exhausted parents, accountability for those recovering from a history of substance use, and distraction from frustrating days of work or less than cooperative mental health. If you are fortunate enough to have safe and trustworthy people in your life who honestly want to assist you on your journey to greater mental health, get out of your own way… Let them help.
- If at first you don’t succeed, therapy, therapy, therapy… – Has it been mentioned that psychotherapy really helps a persons ability to manage a mental health condition? The reason is actually very logical. You therapy skills and self-discoveries will be carried with you for the duration of your life – long after your medication has been switched, decreased, or maybe even stopped. Most likely, your therapy experiences will assist the changes that gradually produce a new and healthier you. While there are plenty of situations where therapy isn’t effective until a medication is started, the fact remains that psychotherapy is very often the tool that allows people to accomplish changes that they weren’t capable of earlier in life.
These are just a few of the ways in which a psychiatric diagnosis may actually represent the start of a better chapter in your life. It’s unfortunate that the social stigma associated with psychiatric diagnoses often obscures the opportunity for wholeness provided through correct identification of a problematic process occurring in a person’s life. In spite of this fact, you should know that there can be hope in the process of mental healing and healthcare. You aren’t alone. Keep seeking; keep learning… keep the faith. Positive change will come.
References:
1 Mental Health America. (n.d.). 2017 State of mental health in America – report overview historical data. [Brochure]. Retrieved February 18, 2018 from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/2017-state-mental-health-america-report-overview-historical-data
2 National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health facts in America. [Brochure]. Retrieved February 18, 2018 from https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/Infographics/GeneralMHFacts.pdf