When working towards bettering your mental health, you may find yourself at a crossroads. Do you give a shot at therapy or medication or both or none? What would work for you to get better? These questions are a part of a larger debate in the mental health community when it comes to treatment.
Types of Mental Health Providers
Before getting into the discussion of treatment itself, you need to be informed on the different types of mental health providers who offer treatment. Professionals trained in psychotherapy include those who represent psychiatry, clinical psychology, mental health counseling, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, and psychoanalysis. Nonetheless, it is important to note that a psychiatrist has a medical degree and is allowed to write prescriptions, but a counselor does not have a medical degree and is not allowed to write a prescription. You can always ask your doctor to suggest a professional that is right for you.
Points to Consider When Making Your Choice
If you struggle with depression, two kinds of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, along with antidepressant medications, could be helpful to you. Combining medications and psychotherapy has been found to usually be more effective than either treatment alone.
If you struggle with a anxiety disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications, and anti-anxiety medications can all be effective in helping you. Moreover, research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.
If you struggle with an eating disorder, you may require medical management to maintain your physical safety. In terms of therapy and medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and antidepressant medications have all been shown to be helpful, with evidence pointing towards combining psychotherapy and medications in order to be more effective than either treatment alone.
If you struggle with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing medications may be deemed necessary for you. In addition, research suggests that adding cognitive behavioral therapy or family psychotherapy to the treatment can improve functional outcomes.
If you struggle with problems associated with parenting, marriage, or adjustment, psychotherapy is typically the first recommendation for you. This is because this treatment can help you build skills and respond better to stressors.
Advice to Take on This Journey
It is known that those who struggle with emotional or behavioral issues could find help in medications, psychotherapy, and maybe both as well. What you must keep in mind, however, is that different kinds of issues and people will respond differently to various treatments – some more positively and some more negatively than others.
Nevertheless, do not forget that psychotherapy and medications both require that you stick with the treatment long enough for it to help you and that results usually do not happen overnight. For this reason, you will most likely stick with a treatment if it makes sense to you, so it is essential that you talk about the treatment thoroughly with your doctor and that the treatment is explained in a way that you can clearly understand. Lastly, when in doubt, ask your doctor for he or she can inform you on the best evidence and make a specific recommendation for your unique condition.