3 surprising facts about mental health treatment
Happy mental health awareness month! We often talk about raising awareness and recognizing warning signs but I thought it would be helpful to discuss treatment, especially things you may know know!
1. The vast majority of people in treatment get better
When we think of how difficult and debilitating mental health struggles are, it can really be surprising that most people in treatment get better!
I see this first hand in a variety of settings, inpatient, outpatient.
I’ll be honest, this still pleasantly surprises me every day. When I see someone who is incredibly ill and cannot function, get their life back, I can’t help but thank God for the gift of treatment.
2. Treatment does not change who you are
Many people often tell me they are reluctant to get treatment because they don’t want to “lose themselves.” Or take something that will change their personality.
Depression is not your personality
Anxiety is not who you are
Even more so for mania or psychosis
You are more than your illness.
These are things that are preventing you from feeling like yourself and the role of treatment is simply to remove that barrier.
3. It’s not a lifetime contract
OK, so I started treatment- am I going to be doing this forever now? Not necessarily. Sometimes we just need support through a particularly difficult season. That support can be therapy, medication, or both. But it doesn’t mean that we go on autopilot and do the same thing forever and ever.