Psychopharmacology – What’s it all about?

Psychopharmacology is the study of pharmaceuticals used to treat psychological disorders. Although some mental health problems can be treated entirely with therapy or counselling, quite a lot of people do require medication to help them live their daily lives.

There is an unhelpful stigma towards mental health medication, which can lead to family members ‘sabotaging’ treatment by suggesting they can do without, “that rubbish”. Over the years, psychopharmacology has been portrayed inadequately by film and television and sensationalised. You might find that some people struggle to accept that mental health conditions are real, as they’re not ‘visible’. This can lead to very unhelpful statements such as, “It’s lazy to take anti-depressants rather than fix your problems,” or, “I heard about somebody who cured schizophrenia purely by changing their diet, you should try it,”, and of course the popular, “have you tried spending more time in nature?”. While some people may struggle to ‘fix their problems’, anti-depressants can be the key to them feeling like they can change things in their life that need changing. Diet can help with mental health to an extent, as a lot of serotonin is produced in the gut, however it is not the answer for everybody.

Medication can actually be very helpful alongside regular consultations with a psychologist or psychiatrist. There is a variety of medication available to those with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and many other conditions that cannot be managed with therapy alone.

There are lots of different kinds of anti-depressants. Some people discourage taking these, but the reality is that sometimes they are totally necessary. Having said this, everyone is different and can respond in different ways – just like any medication, but with medication for mental health it can be even harder to predict what might happen. This is why most people prescribed anti-depressants will be put on the lowest dose and monitored for the next 4 weeks to see if they have any unpleasant side effects. Side effects can be anything from stomach issues, to suicidal thoughts. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts as a side effect to their medication should tell their doctor immediately, as another anti-depressant may not affect them this way. There are gene tests available, although you have to pay for them, that may be able to give a list of medications you would respond the worst to.

Mental health problems are usually long-term, so sometimes being able to live life to the full might mean taking medication long-term. Finding the right medication for Psychopharmacology treatment  might mean having to accept certain side effects, such as weight gain or tiredness. Although accepting side effects can be hard, it’s about figuring out what is best for you.