One of the biggest challenges that someone can face is whether to take medications. There are four large categories of psychotherapeutic medications based on the symptoms for which they are primarily used: antipsychotic, antimanic, antidepressant, and antianxiety medications. In addition, stimulants are used for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Compared to other types of treatment, psychotherapeutic medications are relative newcomers in the fight against mental illness. This is even true as compared to complementary and alternative treatments as many of them have been around for thousands of years. The first psychotherapeutic medication, chlorpromazine, was introduced 41 years ago. These medications have made substantial changes in the treatment of mental disorders. People who previously would have spent years in mental hospitals may now only go in for brief treatment, or might receive treatment at an outpatient clinic.

In some instances, psychotherapeutic medications can make other kinds of treatment more effective. For example, someone who is too psychotic to talk, for instance, cannot get any benefit from psychotherapy. In these types of situations, the appropriate medication may improve symptoms enough so that the person can participate in therapy.

Symptom Relief, Not A Cure

One of the problems with psychotherapeutic medications is that they tend to mask the problem by only reducing the symptoms. In othert words, they don't actually get rid of the problem. These is even true of other the counter medications. For example, aspirin can reduce a fever without clearing up an infection that is causing it. Similarly, psychotherapeutic medications act by controlling symptoms. Like most drugs used in medicine, they correct or compensate for a biological malfunction and do not actually cure the illness.

Although psychotherapeutic medications do not cure mental illness, but can lessen discomfort and behaviors. In many cases, these medications can help a person get on with life despite side effects, continuing mental pain, and difficulty coping. For example, antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine can eliminate auditory hallucinations experiences in schizophrenia.

The length of time someone must take a psychotherapeutic medication depends on the disorder. Many people schizophrenia may have to be take indefinitely. Other people with less severe problems, such as mild anxiety, may need medication for a single period perhaps for several months and then never have to take it again.

Problems with Reliability and Effectiveness

Like many substances, psychotherapeutic medications do not produce the same effect in everyone. Some people may respond better to one medication than another while others may need larger dosages than others. One person might experience annoying even life-threatening side effects while another does not. Everything affects a person's reaction to a particular drug, including age, sex, body size, genetics, and diet.

Recently, the effectiveness of the most popular group pf psychotherapeutic medications has come into serious question. A large number of studies have shown that antidepressant medications do not work any better than sugar pills for depression, even the severest forms. This is not to say that antidepressants don't work; the studies showed that while antidepressants do work to reduce the symptoms of depression, sugar pills work just as well, and without the side effects.

Questions for Your Psychiatrist

If you're experiencing mental illness and thinking about taking medication, it's important to see a psychiatrist as opposed to a general doctor. This is because a psychiatrist receives exponentially more education and experience with psychotherapeutic medication than does a general physician. To increase the likelihood that a medication will work well, a patient needs to actively participate with the psychiatrist, such as explaining past medical history, and other substances being taken, including medications, supplements, and herbal preparations.

According to the he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a patient should ask a doctor the following questions before taking any medication:

• What is the name of the medication, and what is it supposed to do?
• How and when do I take it, and when do I stop taking it?
• What foods, drinks, other medications, or activities should I avoid while taking the prescribed medication?
• What are the side effects, and what should I do if they occur?
• Is there any written information available about the medication?

References
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