I think one of the top questions I receive as a psychiatrist is 'When should I start taking medication?' Alot of people will want to manage their symptoms through behavioral changes or through therapy, which are both very valid options for treatment. To me, the thing that I will ask alot of my patients asking this question is if they are:
Feeling stuck - Meaning that they are able to see what they want and need to do but their symptoms (depression, anxiety, ADHD etc) are stopping them from getting there
Feeling hopeless that things will change - that things feel so overwhelming, that you cannot agree energy to move forward despite knowing what you need to do. This can lead to a cycle of feeling more overwhelmed and unable to see that you will ever get out of the cycle
If they are feeling this way, I start to explore the idea of medication with them
If there are concerns about medication, it is best to bring them up in a session to make sure that we can try to work through them or understand how to manage your mental health better.
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