What makes visiting a cardiologist for cardiac issues much more convenient than a psychiatrist for depression or other mental health issues? Is it the negative portrayal of psychiatrists in popular culture? Maybe the societal stigma is still attached to talking about mental health. Unfortunately, many individuals are reluctant to seek psychiatric assistance due to a lack of knowledge, bad depictions, and societal stigma. This contributes to the persistence of Doylestown child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry myths because of the underlying lack of knowledge. Dangerous myths about psychiatric care discourage those who may benefit from receiving it. Here are some typical misconceptions regarding psychiatry and psychiatric treatment:
- Psychiatrists will make you take drugs
If you go to a psychiatrist, you won’t necessarily have to take medication. Your unique symptoms will be considered as we formulate a treatment strategy to meet your requirements best. You should feel free to talk to your psychiatrist about any aspect of your treatment plan that makes you uncomfortable. Psychiatrists may use a wide variety of treatments, not only medicine, despite popular belief to the contrary. Talk therapy is one example of such a modality.
- Psychiatric medications will affect your personality
When used for too long or at the incorrect dose, any drug might have unintended consequences for the patient. From a professional’s perspective, a person’s personality will undoubtedly change for the better if they can conquer their depression with the help of medicine. No longer plagued by despair, hopelessness, and antisocial tendencies, they can enjoy life fully. Another healthy and good change in personality may occur when someone with schizophrenia receives effective therapy, and their mind becomes less dominated by hallucinations, delusions, and irrational fears.
- The only people who need psychiatry are the ‘crazy’ ones
Most patients suffer from a genuine ailment or imbalance that can be treated successfully. Many people go to psychiatrists because they have a mental illness that is a secondary symptom of another physical sickness, such as Asperger’s. Your medical professional may be unable to treat Asperger’s syndrome, but they may help you learn to cope with it and get the upper hand on your anxiety.
- There is no scientific foundation for psychiatric diseases.
Pick up any top psychiatric magazine. You will find a wealth of excellent research covering not just biological topics like genetics and brain imaging but also psychotherapy, early development, social determinants of health, etc. While it is true that neuroscience can be difficult to follow at times, it’s also important to keep in mind that the human brain is by far the most complex creation in the history of the planet and that the conditions you are studying are dimensional and likely represent the ends of a continuum (making them less likely to be related to some “thing” you can observe as pathological).
There are numerous misconceptions about psychiatry and psychiatric care, as this piece has shown. Many individuals don’t get mental health care because they believe the abovementioned falsehoods. Hopefully, by debunking these misconceptions, you will better know psychiatry and be more willing to seek the assistance you need. If you are still undecided, contact P.S. Psychiatry.