people too quick to medicate

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Do you find that people are too quick to medicate people for mental issues?
I was suffering from mood swings while at university because of the stress and change moving from home, I went to a counsellor person about it and she suggested almost straight away that I go on mood stabilisers, which are quite strong medications and I am quite young, its a serious suggestion to go on mood stabilisers, the counsellor suggested it about 10 minutes after talking to me.

I also have a friend who was put on ADHD medication in primary school which made him depressed tired and feel sick every morning while on them, my friend was only about 6 at the time, the medication made it more difficult to teach him than before he was on them, it was the school who pressured to have him put on them.

it seems that sometimes medical professionals are almost lazy in helping people and would just rather medicate instead of finding alternative solutions, I generally think medication should be the last resort, especially for children

I used to think the same way but they really do help
its hard to judge what they do when you have never taken them
I do agree about the part about children though

Doctors are too quick to prescribe anti-depressants in my opinion. Often the underlying cause of the depression is related to life circumstances (unemployment, lack of money, relationship problems etc) rather than the biochemistry of the brain being out of balance. Counselling would likely be of more lasting value to resolve the underlying problems rather than drugs to make the patient less likely to care about the hole their life is in.

Frankly, my view is: the less medication, the better. If they help, they help, and should be used. At times, it dilutes the essence of a person.

yeah I have heard specifically about people saying if makes them into robots, that's what I was worried about when mood stabilisers were suggested

I do take beta blockers though but they are a very low dose, just enough to stave of panic attacks so I think moderation is key with medication

Definitely. I have some mood stabilisers but only take them when my mood gets too extreme (suicide ideation). In fact normally only one tablet is enough to do the job! The effects are almost instantaneous (within 20 minutes) and last around 12 hours but that is generally enough to get me stable again. I can go for several months without needing to take one.

Doctors are too keen to medicate with most issues because it's the easiest option. It's far easier to give the patient a pill and send them on their way than spend time listening to the patient and find out where the real problems are.

at least in my life the problem is that I needed to work on my circumstances, and I have discovered that if you are medication something that is unrelated to what a medicine really does (say chemical imbalance) it only makes things worse. Medications caused more problems for me rather than helping

I am not denying some people need medicine, only that you should see if there is some more deep underlying cause and work from that first

Paleo diet is better. It's fantastic.

As to my depression or low mood my therapist thinks my social problems are causing it, hence why she wants me to get a formal assessment for aspergers. She thinks an ASD support group might be more beneficial for me than tablets. I don't have self esteem issues and my thinking is apparently incongruent with Social anxiety so she can't do much for me apparently. She was a CBT therapist.

In my case, doctors were too slow to medicate.

Generalizing about his is silly though. People's minds are like snowflakes - each different.
What one needs might destroy another.

I agree with most of the posters here. Doctors are too quick to medicate, though sometimes it can be necessary. If someone is severely depressed, for example, pills can ease the symptoms. But they shouldn't be used as a substitute for counseling and making changes to a person's life to try to solve at least some of the circumstances that brought on the depression.

I've read that Aspies tend to be sensitive to medication. I don't take much medications (no prescriptions), but I've noticed lesser doses of over the counter stuff work for me just as well as the prescribed dose -- one aspirin instead of two; one puff with the inhaler instead of two. If I ever have to go on a prescription drug, I'm going to tell my doctor about this and ask that I be given the lowest strength reasonably possible. I think people need to speak up more about dosages. You can always go with a stronger dose if the weaker dose isn't sufficient. And maybe starting with the weakest dose would cut down side effects.

Some things can't be gotten over with counseling.

Just do a search for "SSRI med + violence" and do some reading on the downplayed side effects of antidepressants and mood stabilizers.

I would rather struggle through my own depression and anxiety than risk infusing my brain with those neurotoxins. That level of complete loss of impulse control is too terrifying to risk.

I can tell you that my self-control is greatly improved by medications. And I would be dead if I did not take them.

Sometimes doctors are too quick to medicate or maybe some doctors are. My sister's friend got lithium prescribed for her by a GP after one appointment where she said she suspected she might have bipolar disorder and described her symptoms. She had a really bad reaction to it and stopped taking it and now she doesn't think she has BPD anymore. I was really surprised that a GP would diagnose and prescribe medication for bipolar disorder on the spot after one interview! Lithium is a pretty strong medication that can have adverse side effects.

My GP is very careful about medication. He did prescribe olazapam for me to take occasionally when I have an anxiety attack or am overly anxious/agitated at night but that a similar medication had been prescribed for me by a psychiatrist and that was on my records.
When I was depressed he referred me to a psychiatrist and didn't prescribe SSRIs for me himself and he didn't prescribe ADHD meds for me for focus either but referred me to a psychiatrist, even though I had been prescribed something similar in the past by a psych. The psychiatrist didn't hesitate to prescribe meds but did check my medical records and discussed my response to previous meds and my diagnoses and symptoms and she checked for known interactions between the two meds I was taking. The medications have been helpful for me. I'm not clinically depressed anymore but I take the SSRI cipralex for anxiety. Sometimes people need them.

Actually, I think a lot of Aspies as opposed to NTs with personal issues are undermedicated. One should remember that Aspies tend to have problems with neural communication and enlarged amygdalas, so it stands to reason that much of our neurochemical imbalance is biological in origin. However, GPs and much less counselors are not experts in neuropharmacology. I think their advice should be taken as a suggestion that perhaps one should consult a psychiatrist. I started out getting my antidepressants from internists. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone to a psychiatrist (and sought counseling) much sooner. My psychiatrist found that I was undermedicated when he took over my meds. He also knows what to watch for in terms of side effects, toxicology, and drug interactions. Do my meds address my personal and behavioral issues? No. I have weekly CBT. Do my meds help me with the stability needed to make strides with my therapy, resolving issues, and moving back toward a productive lifestyle? Absolutely. With my meds out of balance, on the other hand, I can be suicidal, anxious to the point of panic, and sleepless. Some folks have problems with some meds having opposite their intended effects. That's why one should have a an expert monitoring usage and no one on here, including myself, is an expert. A lot of people on these forums have also gotten into self-medicating, which I find especially dangerous, having lost a brother to alcoholism and substance abuse.