In Summary
- Medication and Therapy Combination is Often Most Effective: While the decision to seek psychiatric services is personal, studies suggest that combining medication (prescribed by a psychiatrist) with counseling is often more effective than either treatment alone, especially for moderate to severe mental health symptoms, as medication can provide faster symptom relief.
- Psychiatric Medication Efficacy Varies by Condition: Medications are generally highly effective for many common conditions, with $60-85\%$ of people responding to treatment for anxiety. However, for severe, genetically-driven conditions like Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, medication is almost always necessary to correct chemical imbalances, as therapy alone is often insufficient.
Deciding to seek psychiatric services and using medications to treat your mental health issues is a big step. It is wise to know how it will be treated and if your provider is skilled to do it.
Why Should I See a Psychiatrist?
Many people are torn and conflicted about whether they should see a psychiatrist or a psychologist. People have different opinions about medication, counseling or a combination of both. Although personal preference weighs heavily in the decision-making process, there are some situations and conditions for which medications or therapy may be more effective. Many studies show that medication with counseling is more effective than either one alone. When many mental health diagnoses progress to the moderate or severe range, seeing a psychiatrist and starting on medications can be important. Many medications kick in quickly, provide faster relief of symptoms, and get people to a more functional state and bring down the severity faster than therapy can.
Will Medication Help My Anxiety and Depression?
Psychiatrists routinely prescribe antidepressant for the treatment of depression and anxiety. Most antidepressants take 3-5 weeks to build up in the bloodstream and 50% of people see improvements within 6-8 weeks. As noted above, those with moderate to severe symptoms often see a marked improvement with medications. Anxiety is one of the most effectively treated conditions with 60-85% of people with anxiety responding to medications and/or therapy. In short, medications are often effective for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Do ADHD Medications Work?
Children and adults with ADHD who have mild symptom presentation may be able to manage it with behavioral strategies and techniques. Those with moderate to severe symptoms often need medication to help manage their ADHD. There are a couple of antidepressants (Wellbutrin and Strattera) that are effective in about 50% of cases to help manage ADHD. Stimulants such as Adderall or Vyvanse are even more effective in about 70-80% of people. Psychiatrists are very skilled in adjusting medication to get a positive response.
Will I Need a Medication for Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia?
Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have a strong genetic origin and have been found to be driven largely by chemical imbalances that almost always need medications to correct. Therapy is a useful adjunct to medications but is often ineffective on their own with these conditions. About 80% of people with bipolar disorder respond well to medications and are able to achieve stability in their moods and avoid manic episodes. Around 50% of people with schizophrenia improve with medications to the point where they can live and work independently and another 25% improve markedly with medicinal treatment and have a partial response. There are 10-30% of people with schizophrenia who do not respond well to antipsychotic medications.
If you want to meet with one of our adult or child and adolescent psychiatric providers to discuss medication options, feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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