Therapists and Medication

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I was just wondering what peoples feelings were towards psychologists/social workers/psychiatrists talking about medication on your first visit or appointment with them. I've personally experienced this with every person I've gone to. My personal opinion, this makes me write them off with helping me. It makes my faith in them go away. To me, they're basically saying "I don't know you that well but here's medication" and "I'm not that good at my job, so here's medication, hopefully that helps you."

What are your personal opinions on this matter?

Do you trust their decision when they've only tried getting to know you for about 30 min? Do you end up taking the medication?

I see two different psychologists and a psychiatrist as well. Here in the US only the psychiatrist can prescribe me medication. In some cases, the person's GP can prescribe as well, but not in my situation. Even though my first psychologist recommended to me that I get on an anti-depressant, when I told my second one that she still wouldn't tell the prescribing doctor to give me anything until she got to "know" me better and tried some ABA methods first.

So yes, personally I would be skeptical if the doc wanted to just throw medicine at me right away. To me it shows that they are a bit lazy and don't want to see if it's possible to get at the underlying issue first and try some ABA stuff.

Hope this helps.

Nowadays in the US at least psychiatrists just give out medication-- they don't talk to you about your problems. I would be worried though if a therapist or social worker just told me to get on medications after a 30 minute appointment. They're there to give you a broad view of all your needs, not to do just what's most convenient for them. Medication might be part of the solution but it almost never is the entire thing-- you usually need therapies and coping skill stuff to deal with your problems effectively.

Let me clarify that I know that only psychiatrists and doctors can prescribe you medication. Social workers and psychologists can recommend it though and then recommend you to someone who can prescribe it. And all the people I've been to have either recommended it or prescribed it (depends on who I was going to) within the first 30 minutes of my first appointment with them. It really shuts me down and I never go to them again. I was just wondering if anyone else ever feels the same way I do about it or if I'm being way too judgmental and doing my black and white thinking again.

OP, it sounds like a recommendation to take medication is not something that you want. I am pro medication as certain ones have been of great benefit to me. So I guess, I'm curious as to your aversion to trying them. However, if you want to seek other methods of treatment, have you expressed this to the counselors and if so how did they respond?

In my opinion any medical professional that wants to prescribe medication based on a first appointment - unless you display chronic symptoms of an ailment that medication is known to cure - is showing their lack of knowledge and empathy.

The last time I checked, psychologists and social workers were not permitted to dispense medication, and I think if you aren't authorised to dispense or prescribe it is more appropriate to refer a patient to a doctor who can, if you feel medication may be beneficial.
If a psychologist or social worker were to mention medication at my first appointment with them it would also be my last appointment with them.
If a psychiatrist wanted to put me on medication he or she would have to give me compelling evidence why this would be a better treatment than any alternative, or prove why there is no alternative; they would also surely expect me to do my research after being prescribed a medication and to bring up my concerns with them.
I have had my life badly effected by incorrect diagnosis and overmedication - essentially I became a zombie for a number of years because doctors felt medication was my best option.
In my case SSRI's only make me worse, so I cannot tolerate them, and anti psychotics tend to make me vague and numb and incapable of higher cognitive function, and therefore render me unemployable.

My advice is always seek a second opinion from an impartial doctor or health professional if you are not happy with the advice or prescription, and never believe there is only one option or answer when it comes to treating things which affect the mind or brain.
The chemicals in psych drugs are powerful and can cause immense damage to the brain, and though they work well for some, for others they can be very dangerous and unpleasant.

Remember, at the end of the day doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers are fallible humans, and should not be treated as all knowing oracles of wisdom.

In recent times I have had struggles with depression, and have had doctors asking if I would like to try medication; I am not willing to and don't see the need; though I find the antihistamines I am taking that are also sedatives do seem to help me sleep and in doing so keep the depression from getting worse - lack of sleep is a big problem for me, and only by getting enough sleep can I keep depression at bay.
The antihistamines I take are low dose over the counter meds; if they were by prescription only I would of course get a script and keep my doctor up to date with my usage.

OP:
The quickest way to get around that IMO is to go to a psychologist for therapy. They CANNOT prescribe medication, so it is immediately eliminated as a possibility. If both you and your psychologist should decide you would like to try medication of some sort, they can refer you to a psych-pharmacologist or psychiatrist whose job will be to explicitly prescribe and monitor your medication while in communication with psychologist. After many year of frustration and experience with this very problem, this is the solution that has worked best for me.

Its only a suggestion and I hope it helps.

This is what they do, and have done for 40+ years. They are drug pushers. They see as many patients as they can, and they push drugs on every single one of them.

no they do not.
pyschiatrists are only drug pushers if they follow the medical model,some; like mine follow the social model and instead prefers clients to try every available option first before even looking at meds,mine is ferociously anti medication.

honestly cannot stand pyschs who go straight to medications for every client,everyone shoud have to at least attempt to change poor sleep routines,diet, sugar/caffeine intake etc before giving medication,only giving it if there is an actual threat to life if they dont give it.
if people keep been given medications without at least trying other ways then they will never learn how to deal with the actual problem, the problems will not go away when they take the medication all it will do is put a mask on it.

They don't have a clue about anything else other then giving you drugs. Thats all they know. They are just shills for the pharmaceutical companies.

You probably don't have a choice. If you are going to keep seeing them, they are going to keep pushing the drugs at you.

You can try negotiating with them. Ask to take smaller doses. From my experience that usually keeps them happy.

Have you ever looked at the long lists of side-effects of the meds you are taking? In the worst-case scenarios that stuff will make you want to kill yourself, or you will get addicted to it, or hundreds of other bad things can happen to you.

But yeah, if it helps you and the side effects are worth it, then by all means take it.

Yes, side effects are a concern. I actually have small signs of tardive dyskinesia. However, I am much better with medication than without. It's a cost benefit analysis. In my case, I am far too much of a threat to myself to not take them.

I agree with you on this, it seems many psychiatrists are too quick to push medication.
A psychologist would talk to you and do therapy.
Psychiatrists give out meds like candy sometimes.

Try and see just a psychologist or therapist who won't push meds so quickly. Meeting person for only one time and then wanting to hand out meds is sickening.

Meds don't cure everything, many times they can make matters worse dependingly.

I personally don't take medication and don't think I ever will. I've only been to two psychiatrists before, the last time being about 5 years ago. I stopped going to therapy for 5 years because I became annoyed by medication conversations and I was doing well. I decided to go back to a psychologist who specializes in ASD recently and within the first appointment he discussed medication. Of course, this upset me. I was thinking about it long and hard the other day so I decided to post about it and hear the input of others. Thanks for everyone who replied. It's interesting to read the different perspectives on taking medication.

P.s. I've stopped going to this "specialist" since that conversation.

"Gee, thanks, Doc, if I get better drugs then I'll have better problems!" (Best in Gomer Pyle voice.)