Psychiatric Medication Cannot 'Cure' Mental Illness

When you are diagnosed with a mental illness one of the first things you are told is that you need mediation in order to become well. And this is true--particularly with the diagnosis of chronic mental illness-- but medication does not ensure stability. It would certainly be nice if it did.

Coming to the Conclusion That Psychiatric Medication Cannot 'Cure' Mental Illness

I regret to inform you that this took me over a decade to really understand. Sure, I've seen my share of therapists and I have been in group therapy and attended group meetings when recovering from addiction. That aside, I really believed that the medication I took was the only way for me to become well. And stay well.

And then I realized I was wrong.

I saw my psychiatrist yesterday. The conversation went like this:

Her: "Natalie, how are you feeling?" (I hate when she enunciates my name)

Me: "Umm, not great. Depends on the day. Depressed, maybe?"

I wait for her to tell me to move my antidepressant up. I believe this will 'fix me.'

Her: "Natalie, your mood has nothing to do with bipolar disorder right now, you need to learn to regulate your emotions."

She really irritates me.

Me: "Would you please explain this?"

A little sarcasm, maybe a lot, taints my voice. I have a disdain/tolerate relationship her. I am certain she feels the same.

She explains that my mood reacts to stress and I react negatively to that stress.

I express distaste.

I think: "I have bipolar disorder, doesn't she understand? Medication will make me better!"

I woke-up today and realized that if I can learn to control my mood, separate it from bipolar disorder, I can be a healthier person. And so can you.

Differentiating The Symptoms of Mental Illness From External Stress

External stress=life stress. Changes in life. Or to simplify: Our reactions to things in our life. If we feel depressed we might not need to change or alter medications, maybe we just need to take a look at our life, our behavior, and our reaction to it.

Ask ourselves some questions.

Maybe questions like these:

>Is how I'm feeling related to changes in my life?

>Are my relationships healthy?

>If not, how does this impact my stability?

>What changes can I make to recover from mental illness?

>Am I practicing self-care?

It is important to point out that if we experience any change in mood we need to check in with our mental health team, but learning to check in with ourselves is equally important.