How many times have you been pushed into talking therapy by your friends or family? Or the last time you were shunned for seeking alternative methods to help yourself? Time and time again those suffering from mental health problems are stigmatised by those closest to them due to the fact they don’t see traditional therapy as effective. Well, let me tell you, if I had £1 for every time someone told me that I, ‘don’t want to helo myself’, I would be able to buy myself a whole new mind. The truth is, it’s just not that easy.
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from poor mental health at some point in their adult life and with over 66 million people living in the UK, that is a lot of people suffering. Every person, every mind, and every experience is different, so how can we expect their healing processes to be the same? The assumption that the same type of medication or therapy will help combat mental health issues is delusional, and nothing more than a quick-fix solution to a growing problem.
The most common types of therapy include prescription medication and various types of talking therapy, such as cognitive behaviour therapy or basic counseling. What many people, who are not subject to poor mental health, don’t realise is that although these methods work for some people, they don’t work for everyone. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an alternative or many for that matter. There is a surplus of unorthodox types of therapy. From art therapy to exercise all the way through to micro-dosing on magic mushrooms (with the right amount of research of course), the options are endless, and quite frankly way more fun. I’m sure we’re all tired of being asked about our childhood traumas or reminded of how important it is to breathe.
Not to mention the horror that is anti-depressants, I mean really? Not only do these drugs come with a long list of side effects, like, increased anxiety, insomnia, and weight gain, they don’t actually help individuals to heal. As someone who has previously been prescribed anti-depressants alongside anti-psychosis medicine, I can with confidence say that all they do is numb you, but not only the pain. These prescription drugs numb every emotion, including, joy while simultaneously blocking out all your thoughts. This type of ‘healing process’ is simply ineffective, it doesn’t help the person combat their mental health problems, instead, it allows them to ignore it. People eventually become dependent on these short-term solutions and forget about trying to better themselves.
Ultimately, many people are aware that they can access anti-depressants if they suffer from poor mental health and they exercise this right. For doctors, this is also an easy way out of a complicated issue. Printing out a prescription and signing off on it is ten times quicker than referring someone to a mental health practice on the NHS, which can take months. If you don’t want to take my word for it, according to NHS statistics there has been a vast increase in anti-depressant prescriptions, from 67.5 million in 2017 to 70.9 million in 2018.
Chemist4U, an online pharmacy, conducted a study, involving 2000 people, and found that out of 81% of people who take anti-depressants, only 30% would agree and say that they were effective. Another 37% turned to herbal-based remedies.
Now don’t get me wrong I don’t mean to bash the mental health system or the NHS because I am grateful for their work. However, all mental health professionals are just people and as sad as it is, some are simply better at what they do than others. Some care more than others do. I myself, have been in and out of the mental health system since the age of 13, and despite being in a psychiatric hospital, I have never felt like conventional therapy was for me. Finding a good therapist for you is a bit of a hit and miss situation.
Having said that, the issue at hand is the stigma some of us attach to those who don’t wish to seek your everyday type of therapy. Do you know how upsetting it is to hear your friends or family scold you for not wanting to share all your deepest feelings with a stranger? I mean if you yourself are not suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD or any other mental health illness then how can you make a judgment on how someone deals with theirs? We simply need to accept that alternatives exist and can be just as effective if not more so in some cases.
Unconventional types of therapy include:
Art therapy: essentially any form of creative outlet.
Meditation/relaxation
Regular exercise, or taking up a new sport
Aromatherapy
Pet therapy: doesn’t have to be just cats or dogs.
Herbal teas/supplements
CBD/Cannabinoid treatment
And for those with enough guts and knowledge, micro-dosing on magic mushrooms. Now, I don’t want to seem like I’m promoting the use of psychedelic drugs to everyone, as this should only be something you attempt after conducting years of research and even then you should consult with someone who has tried this before. Nevertheless, I have read hundreds of stories shared by people online who claim they have self-healed by micro-dosing. See, magic mushrooms contain psilocybin that impacts our serotonergic system, aka our serotonin levels, thus can help combat anxiety, depression and even PTSD. I don’t know much about the process of micro-dosing, so I’m not gonna feed you false information for the sake of my article, but I do know one thing, it is worth looking into. You never know, it may just be the solution for you.
Leading on from that, it is important to keep an open mind. Just because your partner, friend, daughter or whoever is against psychoanalysis or prescription medication, it doesn’t mean that there’s no help out there for them. And it certainly doesn’t mean that they should be punished for seeking alternatives. As someone who cares for them and loves them, it is your duty to help them find what type of therapy, or non-therapy suits them best and support them in whatever choice they make. Ask yourself would you stuff a handful of pills down your throat just because someone with a Ph.D. told you it would rid of all your problems? Remember, nobody wants to be told they’re not helping themselves simply because they won’t conform to society’s stereotype of what therapy should be.
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