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Psychiatric Medications are not Magic Pills 

By Dan Larrazabal, LMFT Therapist with MedPsych Behavioral Health 
Founder, MedPsych Behavioral Health

I frequently write posts and do videos on the perils and problems with psychiatric medications in children, teenagers and adults. I do this in the context of someone who is a psychiatrist in Northern New Jersey/ Bergen County. I specialize in the prescribing of these psychiatric medications for many conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia and Bipolar Disorder. I am not against prescribing psychiatric medications whether in children, teens or adults.  However, I am passionate about educating patients on the topic of psychiatric medications.  There is a great deal of information from many different sources about the topic.  My goal is to bring my extensive knowledge and clinical experience to help my patients have a clear understanding of the benefits and problems of psychiatric medications.  

One of the biggest challenges with psychiatric medications is the exaggerated promises of going on a psychiatric medication. This is the case for whatever psychiatric condition is being treated. It is essential to have very realistic expectations when you start a trial with one of these medications.  Taking a pill is not going to necessarily fix all your problems. When you start a medication, it is important to evaluate for benefit and negative side effects. There does need to be a clear benefit and clear tolerability of psychiatric medication to justify staying on it. The challenge at times is defining what the benefit looks like. Medications are limited in what they treat.  Attempting to use psychiatric medications to fix everything leads to unnecessary high dosages, over-medicating and potentially serious negative side effects.  

A clear example of this is in the medication treatment for ADHD. ADHD medications can be helpful in treating challenges with focus, attention to detail, forgetfulness, sustained attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and easy distractibility.  However, medications don’t address your motivation or desire to get tasks done. ADHD medications can’t help you to develop the skill set to be more organized or to manage your time better.  ADHD medications won’t help you understand the value of hard work and perseverance.   

The limitations of the benefits of psychiatric medications are not confined to just ADHD. These same ideas can apply as well in the treatment of anxiety and depression.  There is much more to us than our biological challenges. It is important to have a holistic approach to getting well. The habits and routines you inhabit can at times be much more powerful than taking psychiatric medication. Our biorhythms matter a great deal. Going to sleep with a consistent sleep routine at the same time every night and getting up at the same time will be helpful regardless of what medication you take or what psychiatric condition you struggle with. This is why as a psychiatry practice; we discuss sleep so often with our patients. What you put in your body nutritionally matters a great deal. The decisions you make about food can and will impact how your mind and emotions will work.  

When one is faced with anxiety leading to frequent avoidance. Anti-anxiety medications can be helpful in addressing certain symptoms but there needs to be an understanding and training in learning to tolerate the discomfort and distress of those very symptoms.  There also needs to be a desire to “want to win” against anxiety.   

Another essential thing that medication doesn’t address is how to make sense of your psychiatric and emotional struggles. You can’t control your involuntary symptoms, but you need to have a consistent realistic framework of how and what to think about your struggles.  This is a key to getting well and stable. Our underlying worldviews and foundational belief systems play a massive role in mental health and in how one responds to life struggles.  

If you think you might benefit from MedPsych’s conservative psychiatric approach, you can schedule a free consultation by emailing [email protected] or scheduling an appointment directly here