Parents not Allowing Medication

[maryyyyyyj]

Hi. I've been diagnosed with depression/anxiety by both a doctor and a therapist. They have both recommended and prescribed medication, but my parents aren't comfortable with me taking it. They instead wanted me to get more sleep, eat healthier, and work out, all of which I have done. It's made no difference. Any thoughts or advice on what to say to them? I don't know how to convince them that medication is a good idea.
Thanks,
Mary

[martin05]

Anti-depressants have a bad rap. They're often in the news, and rarely for the right reasons. It's no surprise lots of people are sceptical of them.

You should try explaining to your parents just how much you're suffering, and just how much this condition is affecting your life. When your parents understand this, and understand your doctor thinks medication will help you, they may be more open to the idea of you taking it. After all, nobody likes seeing loved ones suffer.

Unfortunately, mental problems don't get the respect they deserve. We'll move mountains for a person on crutches, but when somebody's mind becomes a tad unstable, we tell them to toughen up or sleep it off.

[Dahila]

your parents are right, There is so many side effects. My friends daughter (15) years old is on meds , constantly changed meds, and they are not helping............young people have such good mechanism of coping with right therapist they do not start their life with meds.
Of course there are some mental diseases, that require daily medication.
How old are you? probably very young. You need to see people, to get out, to play, to move, and good therapist can help you with fear and anxiety

[Ponder]

Anti-depressants have a bad rap. They're often in the news, and rarely for the right reasons. It's no surprise lots of people are sceptical of them.

You should try explaining to your parents just how much you're suffering, and just how much this condition is affecting your life. When your parents understand this, and understand your doctor thinks medication will help you, they may be more open to the idea of you taking it. After all, nobody likes seeing loved ones suffer.

Unfortunately, mental problems don't get the respect they deserve. We'll move mountains for a person on crutches, but when somebody's mind becomes a tad unstable, we tell them to toughen up or sleep it off.

Hi Martin,

I don't think antidepressants have a bad rap at all. Most of the warnings to do with antidepressants point to the complacency of individuals that that both prescribe and use them. It's not only antidepressants that the context of such warnings are aimed towards. Chemical solutions for lifestyle relates problems is actually an epidemic. Additionally whilst there is comfort in forums like these when discussing medications, it's as much part of the problem when it comes to novice prescriptions. The latter being one of the many dynamics that play into complacency that thrives on peoples tenancy for a quick fix without wishing to do any of the work as previously discussed in another recent thread. Oh woes me ... I'm just going to pray for a fix. Same shit different channel. I'm talking about the subdynamic, not the religion.

That's said, that same problem rife in relgion is part and parcel of the "bad rap" to which you refer. It's not about the meds or the scripts/ure but the attitudes of people using them. Just as it's said that guns don't kill people; people kill people. Same analogy with technology.

Eisenstein was quite correct ... we now have a generation of idiots. Don't take it personally, it's been that way for a few quite generations now. :)
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."

It's the way we are using them that is being questioned.

[martin05]

Hi Martin,

I don't think antidepressants have a bad rap at all. Most of the warnings to do with antidepressants point to the complacency of individuals that that both prescribe and use them. It's not only antidepressants that the context of such warnings are aimed towards. Chemical solutions for lifestyle relates problems is actually an epidemic. Additionally whilst there is comfort in forums like these when discussing medications, it's as much part of the problem when it comes to novice prescriptions. The latter being one of the many dynamics that play into complacency that thrives on peoples tenancy for a quick fix without wishing to do any of the work as previously discussed in another recent thread. Oh woes me ... I'm just going to pray for a fix. Same shit different channel. I'm talking about the subdynamic, not the religion.

That's said, that same problem rife in relgion is part and parcel of the "bad rap" to which you refer. It's not about the meds or the scripts/ure but the attitudes of people using them. Just as it's said that guns don't kill people; people kill people. Same analogy with technology.

Eisenstein was quite correct ... we now have a generation of idiots. Don't take it personally, it's been that way for a few quite generations now. :)
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."

It's the way we are using them that is being questioned.

Well, by bad rap, I mean the media love using them to stir up controversy. That was something we saw more of in the past, but perceptions are hard to change.

I remember the media insinuating anti-depressants were the reason for various high school shootings, like Columbine, and I remember them being brought into the equation when Princess Diana's driver (who was taking Prozac) crashed that car. In fact, if you listened solely to the media, you'd believe anti-depressants were a devil drug that would make you murderous, suicidal and brain dead.

I think an honest discussions about medication's pros and cons is a good thing. Unfortunately, many just blindly follow stereotypes fed to them by somebody else. I'm not suggesting the OP's parents are like that, though that may be one possibility for their not allowing her to take the medicine she believes will help her.

[Dahila]

Watch 'Genius " it is tv show about him , fantastic watch

[Ponder]

Thanks for the reply martin ... I think it's safe to say that we both know it's not the medicine that's 'evil.'

[martin05]

Where can you find it, Dahila? I like his quote "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." I try and always keep that in mind.

@ Ponder: Np!

[Kirk]

I agree with martin05's assessment.

[jjh333]

My dad was often the same in the beginning. He just never had any experience with mental health issues so would say things like "just cheer up!" The way I explained it to my dad is some people just don't have enough serotonin in their systems. If I had a cut, we wouldn't ignore it. We'd treat it appropriately. Mixing working out, hanging out with friends, sleeping, eating healthy, AND medicine saved my life a few years back.

[Dahila]

Martin I downloaded, but try youtube, it is the best tv series I had seen lately do you need a link ? let me know so I will pm one

[rockyfalldownstairs]

Hey, I'm kind of late to the party here, but if your parents aren't having it with medication, maybe you could try convincing them to accept more holistic methods, supplements like CBT oil or GABA tend to work well, are natural, and carry virtually no bad side effects. Maybe your parents will be more receptive to this, assuming you still have this problem of course. My parents are not willing to go down the medication route either, so I know how it feels.

[MrsMargo]

If medicines don't help you should talk to your therspist about pharmacogenetic analysis. It determines how effective the medicine is for you and possible side effects. I'm sure there's no point experimenting with your body.

[Ponder]

Well I certainly have experience anxiety all my life. I think there is way too much reliance on taking meds with the old chemical imbalance story being nothing other than a poor excuse. There is a much one can do to balance out and help the body produce it's own natural chems to right ones boat. I mean if you constantly keep recommending people go see a GP at the first sign of anxiety, or one's sibling making too much noise ... then no wonder people don't know how to regulate their own emotions if not running after some GP to constantly pick them up and solve all their issues.

Take some initiative yourself and YES EXPERIMENT on yourself. Just don't do it with all those synthetic meds. Even those addicted to meds for all there professed balancing know those meds are deadly for doing that! Point and Case. BUT DO EXPERIMENT with changing your routine, way of thinking ... Hell try and get more sunshine and possibly even become a little more active with the intent to clean out your system naturally like how people used to do before the advent of social media and the like.

Yea meds are good for people struggling with hard core mental illness ... BUT ANXIETY ... the *&%$ing meds recommended on a whim in places like these only drive it all the more.

If after experimenting with all the natural options and having given it a good go and your still feeling sorry yadda yadda ... then sure ... Go Take your pills. Fact is ... people today need personal assistants to get the &$#@ out of bed. lol ... I smile @ because I have one that visits once a week for an hour to help me get through the rest of it medication free. We should have more of that. Would in fact cost society was less than all those trips to the GP every time we start to feel our hearts beat.

You'll be OK. Go with what you reckon is best. If your too young to qualify making decisions for yourself, then look into ACT (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/two-takes-depression/201102/introduction-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy) ... it will help you accept your predicament and by doing so you might just avoid the need!

[Twichard]

Hi you could try sitting down with you're parents and you're healthcare professionals and talk about it all together and discuss the pros and cons of medicine and try to come to some agreement with you're family sometimes people don't know how these medicine's work and older generation's think it's wrong to take drug's

[Ponder]

Your family that type that sits down altogether for dinner? Nice fantasy these days. Most families that do that usually have a head of state on both ends of the table. lol

So where you at with it all maryyyyyyj ?

You got a lot of responses here. Hope some of them help.

What's your thoughts now?

[nathalia1011]

I agree to your parents , it is much better to have a good sleep and eat more healthier foods than taking medications .