The Answer Does Not Always Come in Pill Form - Drugs Can't Fix Your Life
Introduction
This post was prompted by some of the responses to my previous post on suicide.
One of the things I have noticed is a tendency for all of us (myself included) to over medicalise complex issues - by which I mean the idea that almost every problem has a drug based solution.
Nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to human psychology and psychiatry.
We live in a consumer culture which says that we ought to be able to buy an immediate fix to any problem using technology.
Drugs are one of the most ancient forms of technology we have.
People are busy and want quick fixes to difficult problems.
In certain cases that may work.
For example if you have a piece of technology, (say a car) that needs fixing then you can usually get it fixed pretty fast if you pay enough money.
If all else fails you can buy another one.
You can't do that with the human mind (at least not yet) but in a similar way people expect that if one drug does not work for them then they need to just try another one.
"The last one didn't work because it was not new or advanced enough - but this next one surely will."
The real issue is not the drug companies
Many people like to blame the drug companies for these kinds of issues.
Obviously it is in their best interests to push their products as solutions to as many problems as they can find.
They are businesses and not charities. They have also engaged in questionable and downright unethical practices.
However, placing the blame entirely at their door is an oversimplification in my opinion.
As human beings we have a tendency to blame others for problems because it allows us to feel better about ourselves.
The truth is that drug companies are only fulfilling a need that already exists in modern society.
They are a mirror which reflects societal need - without that they would not be so successful.
Psychological problems are complex
Most psychological problems are complex and multifactorial- they rarely occur overnight.
A large proportion of what causes them are related to our personality, lifestyle and social factors.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that drugs don't have a place.
In severe mental illness they are an invaluable tool to help arrest the immediate acute situation and save lives.
They can also help to counter genetic predispositions which give people a higher than average susceptibility to mental health problems.
What they cannot and won't do is fix the circumstances in your life, personality and thinking that lead you to the end point of developing mental illness.
It is simply unrealistic to expect that.
"Human" problems often need "human" solutions
These are "human" (person based) problems and need "human" (person based) solutions - things like counselling, psychotherapy, education and support services.
This bring us to one of the central issues of why pushing drugs is so attractive - Cost.
Even the most expensive drug will be a lot cheaper than training a new psychotherapist or clinical psychologist.
It is not just a matter of monetary cost though.
Drugs can be cheaper in terms of time and infrastructure too.
They require less work and effort on behalf of both society/institutions and the individual.
As an illustration of this, if we suddenly decided we wanted to train the actual number of psychotherapists and other professionals we needed to serve mental health services we would not have the required educational structures to actually do it.
Additionally engaging with something like cognitive behavioural therapy can take months (sometimes years) of hard and uncomfortable effort.
Patients often drop out and stop attending because it is too hard.
I lost count of the number of patients who asked for psychotherapy but when they actually were lucky enough to get their appointments (normally there is a waiting list) they dropped out or gave up after a couple of sessions.
So both from a societal and individual perspective we all engage in believing that the next pill will do what all the previous ones have not.
- It is almost like a shared delusion which shields people from confronting the more difficult problems.
As I have said before - It is so much easier to take a pill.
Then when it doesn't work we ask our doctor for a new one. Rinse and repeat.
Sadly life is not that simple.
Conclusion
In summary my main point is that it is easy for us to look for quick fixes to complex problems - particularly when it comes to our own minds.
This also makes it easier for institutions and organisations to neglect investing in more expensive long term solutions.
It is easy to blame the drug companies/"big pharma" for this situation but I believe it is actually a reflection of a deep seated and somewhat immature view of the psychosocial problems that exist in modern society.
It is in our nature to try to take short cuts and expend the least energy necessary to solve any problem.
It makes sense for some problems but in this case I believe it goes against our best interests. What do you think?
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Thank you for reading
Yes! So much can be accomplished with the power of one's mind. Whether it's mindful practice of a habit, meditation or just a sheer paradigm shift. It's sad that people, especially in the U.S. look to a pill so quickly to "fix" their problem, whether real or imagined.
We are an over medicated society. Pharma commercials are brainwashing.
Exactly.
Outstanding! My wife got her friend off 3 anti depressants. That was 4 years ago and she is very happy.
Just because you are sad or have down periods in your life does not mean you are depressed.
Just because you freak out occasionally or get super nervous about a situation does not mean it's a panic attack.
I took pills for ADHD into adulthood and was able to focus on tasks without medication. I don't blame my parents but I think it is a crime that children are being medicated against their will and their, sometimes crazy, little personalities are being squashed into little zombies.
i agree , i think one of the things that really needs to be looked at is simply turning off your television set, and i mean not for an hour a day i mean forever, kids and adults (in my humble and uninformed opinion) are inundated daily ney hourly with images of people living some story book life, the sun hitting them just perfectly, some beautiful man or woman looking lovingly at them , everything is clean and shiny, and perfect , all to sell some laundry detergent or a soda, i think as much time as people spend in front of their television they start to form an idea that is what life is and not the messy, confusing,complicated thing that they are stuck in, so they begin to examine themelsves and their lives as a failure. think about how many commercals like this your children are exposed to on an hourly basis, and then throw in some pharma adds that tell them yes you are rignt and you do have problems but if you just take this everyting will be ok, drilled into their minds for years and years.
thank you , very kind.
Thanks. Yes it is a particular problem in children.
If one has hormonal disorder, for example, no meditation will treat it, unfortunatly. I'm not "for" pills, but I'm not against them as well. I just think that sometimes it's a solotion enough where everything else doesn't work
Very true and that is why it is important to do full testing on anyone who has mental health issues. Although it is a less common cause of them certain hormonal disturbances can be the reason and proper treatment can result in complete remission.
Well, now I'm taking pills to cure my depression, just wrote a post about it today... But I tryed everything I could before I finally took the decision to looks for help in the doctor's office and the drug-house. I whish I succeeded, but I didn't
this post very important to every one
You did a great article on an area that needs to be addressed. It's so sad that most doctors tend to prescribe medications and overlook holistic methods and other ways where the patient can take charge of his/her life. Thank-you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you!
Awesome article. The human body is miraculous in its ability to heal itself.
We have to do the HARD work ourselves and that takes time and patience.
There is no quick fix as our culture seems to demand. And there's no shame in asking for help. Just as with anything let it be qualified help.
True and especially so for the human mind. To be honest I think even unqualified support is very helpful - the problem is in modern times we have less and less of it as we become more isolated.
Amazing post, I agree. Pharmaceuticals such as psychiatric drugs only cover the symptoms and not the underlying reason for the symptoms. A pill is no magical cure.
Exactly - they should only ever be part of the treatment, not all of it.
The Pharmaceutical industry is a monster, corrupt, and plain evil imo.
Shocking diets and lack of exercise have a lot to answer for, but the solution is simple and doesn't require pills! Get off yer arse and eat a salad!
Ok rant over... now where are my relaxants...
I don't think the pharmaceutical industry is any more corrupt than the rest of business - I think we expect them to behaviour better because of the business they are in but they don't.
Exactly
Agreed. Sometimes the best medication is postive encouragement from the lovely people around you. Altering your brain with chemicals is usually just a quick fix and will lead to greater despair. Thanks for sharing !
Very interesting article keep up the good work!
Thanks!