This scenario is occurring all to often these days…
Someone deals with a significant event in their life. They do not have the support and resources to help manage it. They feel out of control. They go to their doctor (their primary care). The doctor sees that they are sad/depressed/anxious. A medication is prescribed to deal with the “symptoms”. The “symptoms” improve, but nothing changes “why” they are occuring. The person starts moving through life with a suppressed ability to emotionally react to what is around them. Their quality of life begins to drop. They make choices that are not congruent for them in their lives (food, exercise, relationships, etc…). Now they are moving down a path where there is a significant inability to cope and manage emotion/stress which begins to greatly impact physical health. The emotional health becomes even more unmanageable and then more medication is prescribed. Then they become diagnosed as “bi-polar”.
Let us start changing the way we deal with trauma and stress in our lives. Let us understand the role of medications, to be used as a short term tool and not a long term crutch. Let us understand there are better options for dealing with these problems. Let us start re-building our tool box that we need in order to move through life with better quality.
Here is an action step to take- begin understanding what you have control over in your life and what you do not have control over. Let go of what you can not change.
Dr. Buttler
