Let me start by saying that I am not opposed to medication. What I want to speak of here is going beyond meds, not necessarily eliminating them. I have recommended them and have taken them myself. Sometimes they are an extremely valuable asset in feeling well and functioning effectively. When we can't get beyond symptoms to actual causes, insights, and growth, medication is necessary. There are also many psychotic disorders and other mental conditions that have their roots firmly planted in brain abnormalities and in such cases, medication is not only necessary but often lifesaving.
However, how did we get to the state where normal human responses to events, circumstances, experiences—and simply life—get classified as disease? And why did we go there? The short answer is the DSM, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders, which has been around in some form since 1952. By turning psychology into a medical discipline and by giving human responses a “diagnosis,” the architects of the system have succeeded in turning everyday troubles and existential dilemmas into “illness,” thereby gaining access to the insurance treasury chest.
In 1980, the DSM-III was the first to describe mental disorders as biomedical diseases. This was intended to—and did—reestablish psychiatry (and by association, all psychotherapy) as a medical specialty. Once diagnoses were medicalized, they could be medicated. This meant doctors could prescribe lots of expensive psychotropic medication, guaranteeing vast profits to the drug companies.
The DSM-V now allows the sleight of hand whereby an unpleasant but vague, human, and often fleeting mental state—by giving it a name—can be magically transformed into a biological physical entity and then acted upon as if it were verifiable fact. Thus, anxiety and depression, or almost any disorder, are assumed to be caused by a chemical imbalance, a genetic anomaly, or some other neurobiological glitch, which “explains” the disorder in the same way a virus explains the flu.
Why is this problematic? Because once someone is locked into a diagnosis, no further exploration occurs about what that person is actually experiencing, or what psychological or spiritual meaning could be gleaned from their suffering. The diagnosis box begets the treatment box—and the treatment is most often pharmaceutical. Something like 80% of all prescriptions for psychotropic meds are written by primary care physicians. These doctors rarely refer patients to psychotherapy. A much healthier path would be referral from psychotherapist to psychiatrist to medication—if necessary.
In my view, we experience human dilemmas so that we can find their meaning and, through that process, move forward toward our goal of being our best, most enlightened, happiest self. We do not move forward through medications. Meds remove the obstacles to this movement. Too often, those who take only medication stop all inquiry into what is happening to them—sometimes not even discussing the issues further with loved ones, friends, clergy, or a psychotherapist.
Medications may be necessary, but let's understand that they don't change personality—they alleviate symptoms. If needed and used properly, they allow the true self to emerge and the real work to begin. But you must still do the work. Many studies show that the efficacy of medications without therapy drops drastically. To heal, the nervous system must be calmed. This is best done through breath, meditation, exercise, sleep, yoga, recreation, nature, friendships, laughter, empathy, understanding—and yes, psychotherapy. Medication should be the last resort, not the first or only one.
I really want to stress that if you need medication, don't blame or shame yourself. You are not a failure if medications are necessary or used. In my view, all things come from the One Consciousness, the Divine Core that includes everything—even medicines. But again, we must look beyond medicine, whether or not we ingest it. Popping a pill may slow or eliminate symptoms, but it never addresses the cause of our anxiety. A pill alone will not offer insight or greater consciousness.
