It can be a terrifying time if you think that you or a close relative or friend has a psychiatric disability. Mental disorders are often very much understood and even when the cause is physiological or caused by something as simple as hormones it is the person's nature that is blamed or judged. The most important thing you can do in this situation is seek diagnosis and treatment, so that both you and those close to you can understand exactly what has happened. Psych disability is never the fault of the individual affected.

The treatment of a psych disability should depend on a number of factors; the individual's situation, the severity of the symptoms and the nature of the disorder itself. Because of this, you may wish to seek out the advice of a professional psychiatrist or counselor, instead of accepting a method of treatment from a general practitioner.

In general, a medical professional will avoid prescribing medication if they can. This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, medication simply numbs the negative symptoms of a psych disorder rather than getting to the root of why it's there. As with many disorders such as depression or anxiety, they can be a manifestation of a repressed memory or previous trauma. Often simply unearthing the root cause, talking through it and understanding it properly can help the problem to go away completely. Medication is designed to aid this process and to put the symptoms to one side while a person concentrates on dealing with the real problem. In addition, medication for psych disabilities can often have unwanted side effects such as addiction, dry mouth, fatigue, insomnia and disturbances in the sight and taste sensations.

However, with some psych disabilities the cause is not emotional, or a faulty reaction to a prior trauma but instead a hormonal imbalance or a physiological defect (either congenital or having developed over the individual's lifespan). In these causes medication is often required to either reverse the problem or keep symptoms under control. Unfortunately for some, such as those with schizophrenia, there is little that can be done in severe cases apart from provide good care and medication to soften the symptoms. If a psych disability is progressive then treatment will most likely need to eventually involve care from a government or private organization. On the other hand, many people with a psych disability will lead a normal and healthy life with family and children, simply interspersed with therapy sessions and/or medication to keep their symptoms under control.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a psych disability then it's very important to follow a method of treatment that suits your individual situation and need. Each person is different in their condition, so don't simply accept a prescription for tranquilizers from the first doctor you see; there could be a much more beneficial and better long term option out there.

Stan Tian

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