Bringing Light to Alternative Medications
Anyone’s first thought for dealing with mental illness is therapy and in later stages, medication and in a matter of weeks, recovery. But treating mental illness has never been this simple. For some, they may be stuck in stage one, because medication causes them to fear detrimental side effects or disapproval from society. Despite the various ways mental illness patients can be treated, therapy and medication are the only trusted means of treatment and do not guarantee improvement. “Mental illness depends on not just the result of a chemical imbalance but your genetics, lifestyle choices, relationships, and coping skills,” Psychology and Health activist Melinda Smith said. “Unfortunately we still can’t understand mental illness to the fullest and therefore can’t rely on only two means of treatment.”
What happens then? An hour of therapy isn’t enough to keep you stable till your next appointment and medication isn’t in the picture. Even for those who choose to take medication experience counter effects that further deteriorates their mental health.
Unknown to most, therapy and medication are only temporary supports and a “cure” for mental illness has yet to be discovered: a harsh reality many don’t come to terms with until a stage of irreversible damage. However, this void in the mental health industry pushed specialists to discover alternative types of treatments. Thomas Insel, National Institute of Mental Health’s former director confessed, “I spent 13 years at NIMH pushing on the neuroscience and genetics of mental disorders, and... I realize that while I succeeded at getting... papers published by cool scientists at expensive costs, we haven’t moved the needle in reducing suicide, reducing hospitalizations, or improving recovery.”
Since this new step, various methods of treating mental illness have been discovered, however, it follows a lot of skepticism. One method is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: the use of magnetic fields to fire up nerve cells that have been shut down due to mental illness. However, TMS is an unpopular field that causes patients to fear side effects, such as seizures or permanent brain damage. However these rumors have not been supported by research, as the worst side effects from TMS would be mild headaches or lightheadedness. In fact, TMS has been proven to have longer-lasting effects than medication and therapy. Some other alternative treatments to mental illness include nutrition therapy: therapy to restore the chemical imbalance in a psychiatric patient through nutritional diets or art/wilderness therapy which has been proven to boost confidence and decrease anxiety levels by igniting passion for daily activities.
These alternative medications have proven beneficial as they are easier to implement in everyday life and allow a variety of supplements to continually engage your brain through various activities.
In order to restore faith in those battling with mental illness, bringing light to various types of treatments can comfort those who have given up on treatment and cause a world of difference.