I really hate when people do this...
I’m entering my 39th year soon, and my goal is to stop following the herd. To lean more into me. That looks like me showing up here as myself, saying the things on my heart, even if it means fewer people like me.
Tonight, I saw an Instagram post that triggered all sorts of feelings in me. I wish I could tell you what those feelings were, but I’m sorta stumped myself.
It was a mix of mad, frustration, sadness, and an overwhelming sympathetic energy to yell. The post was of a lady sharing that she recently added a new mental health medication to her arsenal, which now equaled a total of five different meds.
Rather than being a keyboard warrior, I stepped away from my phone and asked myself, “What about this is evoking such strong feelings in you?” Was it the fact she was on five different mental health medications? Was it that she said she recently added another? Or was it because she said in the caption, “Take your meds?”
What I landed on was this…
I hate when people encourage others to take mental health medications, and before you yell at me, hear me out.
I know mental health medications have saved people’s lives, and some truly find the medications helpful. The problem is a lot of people don’t find relief from psych meds and some are actually harmed by them. It’s because of these people that I get this weird, can’t even describe feeling that resonates in my chest when I see people encouraging meds.
It’s harmful to suggest meds (unless you are sending them to the rare gem of a provider who actually informs their patients and doesn’t just push meds) and I don’t want to see another person fall victim to the mental health system.
Sadly, people aren’t being informed when they get on mental health medications.
They aren’t being told that these meds could come with side effects (that might require more medications), that you might experience withdrawal (which they will say is a “return” of symptoms and further proof you need the med), and that most mental health medications aren’t designed for long-term use. What’s even worse is the providers aren’t getting curious. They aren’t trying to identify the root cause of the symptoms. They briefly meet with their patient, write a prescription, and send the person on their way.
This crushes my heart.
I’ve heard the stories, I’ve seen the consequences, I’ve spoken to psychiatrists who later realized the harm they were doing, and I’ve lived the experience myself.
So, yes. Posts like that do upset me. Not because someone is saying they are accessing help through meds, but because I imagine a world one day where everyone is medicated and still struggling (if not worse than they were before the medication).
So what does this all have to do with leaning into myself and not conforming to what the herd (the current mental health narrative) is doing?
It means I’m leaning into the things that bring me alive, and that’s helping to change the mental health narrative (even if it means I get called mean names and receive serious pushback). I care too much about YOU to not say something, so I guess this is a hill I’m willing to die on if it means you get to live your best life.
…and if medications are helping you live your best life, keep doing you boo. I’ll never judge you for doing what you feel is best for you. However, it won’t stop me from trying to help you, so maybe one day you can either a) get off the medications or b) at least lower the dose.
Until our next chat,
Biggest hugs