When someone finds out that I have a mental health condition, especially some strange type of OCD called Primarily Obsessional Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, they tend to have a lot questions. One of the questions I get frequently is something like, "What sort of medication do you take for it?" That seems to be the thing that people are most worried about asking. I'm not bothered by it. I just think it's odd that people tend to focus on the medication aspect of treatment instead of something more practical like the cost and frequency of therapy, or maybe even the other stuff I'm doing, like lifestyle changes, that are helping me on my journey to recovery.
I feel weird about that question. I don't take any medication every day for my OCD, but I was prescribed Ativan. I only take it if my anxiety has been too high for a set number of days that I give myself in spite of everything I do to get the anxiety to go back down, or if I feel a panic attack looming and I can't fight it off. I take it sparingly. I have told this to people, and I've encountered people on both ends of the judgement spectrum.
Some people think it's a big deal that I don't take something like Lexapro or Anafranil or even Valium every day, and they have recommended self-medicating with pot since I don't want a prescription. Some people also seem very negative about the fact that I take an Ativan occasionally. I've also encountered people that view medication for mental health conditions as un-Christian. It seems like I'm either too medicated or not medicated enough, depending on who you ask.
In our society, we have a huge stigma around taking medication for mental health conditions. In America, it seems like taking medication for your mind is a sign of weakness, or that someone is using it as a Band-Aid or crutch. It also seems that, at least in my area where ADHD medication as well as things like Prozac and Paxil are handed out like candy by doctors who shouldn't really be prescribing such things without sending patients for a psychological evaluation, that being diagnosed with an actual condition but not taking any medications for that condition is just as frowned upon and puzzled over by a great number of people. (Like, I have a free pass to take the happy pills so I should take advantage of that.)
I'm most definitely not anti-medication. I think that if you need medication to help your brain get well and to help you function at a higher level, then you should definitely talk to your therapist about a medication action plan that would work for you. The medication is there to help you, and when coupled with therapy it can be very effective for a lot of people.
I don't even have a profound reason for not trying Anafranil or any other medications. I just don't want to try them yet. I tried Lexapro for 5 days, and it was the worst 5 days of my life. The Lexapro just didn't get along with my brain chemistry. So, I'm trying therapy on its own, and that is currently what works best for me. Although, if my therapist thought I needed medication, I would listen to her.
I'll end with this: Mental health conditions are so very different for everyone that lives with them every day, and so are the effects of the medications used to treat them. Whether or not you choose to use medication in your treatment plan is the business of you and your therapist, and maybe your parents if you're under age. Don't let anyone make you feel weird about your decisions regarding medication because they aren't you. They have no idea how your brain works, and they have no idea what you live with every day.
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