The Problem with a Medication Centered Approach

Psychiatry has devolved, to a great extent, into a practice of prescribing medications that arebeliveed to solve the problem for individuals facing mental health challenges. The issue with this approach is that the same people prescribing the meds don't necessarily empathize with how they can make a person feel. Mood stabilizers, for instance, have been described to me as like a "blanket on the brain." When we recognize that the vast majority of people with these challenges are extraordinarily intelligent, and that the medications require them to concede some of that intelligence to function with the rest of us, we are far more likely to find inroads with them. Medications serve a function in getting on top of these challenges, but they cannot be the center of the discussion. Educating oneself on how his mind works, regardless ofwhat the DSM V says, is part and parcel to effective treatment and the achievement of ones goals. This is a fascinating article with respect to this concept in the NBA:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24383926/jackie-macmullan-ocd-adhd-medication-marijuana-nba-mental-health