{"id":8415,"date":"2016-08-10T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=8415"},"modified":"2016-08-06T10:31:49","modified_gmt":"2016-08-06T14:31:49","slug":"pills-answer-better-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html","title":{"rendered":"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"medications-257344_1920\"<\/a>When you struggle with your mental health, do you think, ‘Take a pill?”<\/p>\n

Drug companies want you to have this thought.\u00a0Think of all the commercials aimed at improving your life through medication. But are all these pills really the answer to better mental health?<\/p>\n

After so many years of drug development and the\u00a0availability of so many new drugs, mental health problems are on the rise, not getting better.<\/p>\n

Take panic for example. Patients often want to reach for a pill to help, but other methods, like exposure can be\u00a0just as effective. Or think about chronic pain and the high use of opioids. Yet, chronic pain is in the brain and responds well to treatments that target feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, people just aren’t aware of these options. Other times, pills are easier to take than doing the hard work of changing behavior, feelings and thoughts. Change takes time.<\/p>\n

But the brain, the body and the spirit have a powerful connection. Facing your fears, examining your negative thoughts, changing behavior and finding purpose and hope, go a long way to improving your mental health. Do we\u00a0see many commercials advocating these approach?<\/p>\n

And lifestyle matters! Sometimes we bring on poor mental health through our neglect of exercise, eating poorly and being isolated–key areas\u00a0that medications can’t provide substitution. Big pharma has\u00a0some answers, but getting at the root of peoples’ discontent is important. Medications treat symptoms (important) but they don’t usually cure in the field of mental health.<\/p>\n

Yes, there is a place for pills. Some of my patients have changed lives as a result of medications that work on the\u00a0biological roots of mental health problems. People with more organic conditions like\u00a0bipolar disorder and schizophrenia need medication help. Others would benefit from\u00a0a more holistic approach to improving their lives. Sometimes, we are reluctant to put in the time and energy necessary for lasting and long-term pay off. And often, insurance doesn’t cover these approaches.<\/p>\n

So before you pop a pill to feel better, ask your provider if there are other approaches to your presenting mental health problem or symptoms. Be bold about asking what the research says and what is the evidence-base for the treatment you might be offered. So many times, consumers of mental health services are told to take a pill and are not aware of other approaches that have proven to be effective. While I am thankful for the medications that have helped so many, pills are not always the answer. And most often, they are part of the solution, not the entire solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you struggle with your mental health, do you think, ‘Take a pill?” Drug companies want you to have this thought.\u00a0Think of all the commercials aimed at improving your life through medication. But are all these pills really the answer to better mental health? After so many years of drug development and the\u00a0availability of so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[925],"tags":[3570,1863,3569,13,3568],"class_list":["post-8415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mintle-mentions","tag-big-pharma","tag-holistic-health","tag-medication","tag-mental-health","tag-pills"],"yoast_head":"\nAre Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you struggle with your mental health, do you think, ‘Take a pill?” Drug companies want you to have this thought.\u00a0Think of all the commercials aimed at improving your life through medication. But are all these pills really the answer to better mental health? After so many years of drug development and the\u00a0availability of so…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-10T10:00:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-08-06T14:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2016\/08\/medications-257344_1920-300x199.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?","og_description":"When you struggle with your mental health, do you think, ‘Take a pill?” Drug companies want you to have this thought.\u00a0Think of all the commercials aimed at improving your life through medication. But are all these pills really the answer to better mental health? After so many years of drug development and the\u00a0availability of so…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html","og_site_name":"Doing Life Together","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","article_published_time":"2016-08-10T10:00:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-08-06T14:31:49+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2016\/08\/medications-257344_1920-300x199.jpg"}],"author":"Linda Mintle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@drlindamintle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html","name":"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2016\/08\/medications-257344_1920-300x199.jpg","datePublished":"2016-08-10T10:00:30+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-06T14:31:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2016\/08\/medications-257344_1920-300x199.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2016\/08\/medications-257344_1920-300x199.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/pills-answer-better-mental-health.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are Pills the Answer to Better Mental Health?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/","name":"Doing Life Together","description":"Relationship Doctor, Mental Health, Emotional Wellness, Relationship Advice & Entertainment","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142","name":"Linda Mintle","description":"It is rare that a trained academic who speaks passionately to the heart of people providing real answers to real life problems is so relatable. Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8415"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8424,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8415\/revisions\/8424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}