I take Prozac daily, and I DO NOT see a therapist. I don't need to talk about my chemical imbalance to fix the problem. Nobody knows my mind better than me, and since Psychology is a THEORY and not an actual science, and since Psychiatrists are simply humans like the rest of us and prone to error, I'll take my chances with phrenology first. I had to take some psych courses for college, and if you've ever read about Freud's psycho-sexual development stages, you'd know he was a fucking quack. He was also a misogynist, coke head, and sex addict. Now, I'm not saying that talking might not help some people, but I do not wish to pay someone I just met 100+ dollars per hour to tell me how my mind works when I've owned and lived in it all of my life. For those who assert that psychology is a science, then please consider that their data is nowhere near robust enough to tell people what normal baseline behavior should be. They've only gathered data from less than a percent of the total population, living and dead, and so can never actually predict true normal. Please also note that psychology has brought us the Oedipus/Elektra complex myth, lobotomies,shock therapy,and asserted until the 1970's that homosexuality was a mental illness. In fact, there was a whole section in my book that tried to explain to me why psychology WAS a science, something no science book in my memories has ever had to do. Emotions are intangible things, and every mind is unique.My mind and thoughts are my own and not to be rummaged in by somebody that read their Psych book and concluded anything other than, "Bullshit."
Treatment from a quality doctor will be two sided: drug intervention if needed along with the severe understanding that the patient should undergo counseling or therapy if some sort. A psychiatric nurse practitioner / PA is often the best option as they offer the best of many worlds, nurses are patient advocates from day one and quality nurses are willing to fight for their patients.
Not everyone responds to the same types of treatment.
Anything less is a leaky establishment. Anyone who thinks treatment less then this is quality care needs to reevaluate their healthcare providers/systems if possible.
I agree. However, Drugs don't work for all in the same way. Effexor makes me turn into a rage monster. Wellbutrin makes me feel like I have to pee all the time.Prozac keeps me level, but has a dulling effect on ALL emotions, not just sadness.
Demonizing drugs get us nowhere, there is a place and a time for the use of drugs in all sort of therapies. I am sorry your experiences and views maybe have led you to believe otherwise, drugs are quite useful when used properly.
And for those who said suicide is a coward's way out, I invite you to go and try to go through with the suicide method of your choice. When you have that gun to your head or are swallowing those pills or what have you, your body's fight or flight response DOES kick in. It takes a lot of courage to quash it and actually pull the trigger.