Medication Management
The correct medication makes a difference, both during and after treatment. We’ll work with each client to determine which prescriptions will benefit our clients the most in the long term.
Mental health treatment should be a healthy mixture of varying modalities, or approaches. This can include different forms of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, recreational therapies, and medication management.
Medication management should be a part of a larger approach to treatment. Combining medications with counseling leads to more effective mental health treatment.
In this resource guide we’ll cover the following:
- Why medication is used for mental health
- Which medications are often prescribed
- How medication management works at Sequoia Behavioral Health
Why is Medication Used For Mental Health?
Mental health is not only influenced by thoughts. Every system in your body can affect your mental health. If you’re feeling hungry, you may be cranky; if you feel physically uncomfortable, you may be prone to agitation.
For many mental health conditions, brain chemistry influences negative emotions and thoughts.
What Are Neurotransmitters?
Neurotransmitters are chemical compounds that send important signals across the brain and body. They regulate emotions, senses, stress responses, and even some physical functions.
There are 4 major neurotransmitters:
- Serotonin: controls levels of mood. Lower serotonin is often associated with depression
- Dopamine: produces feelings of pleasure that motivate repeat activities. Also plays a role in satisfaction, learning, and concentration
- Glutamate: found throughout the nervous system. It’s important for cognition, memory, and mood regulation
- Acetylcholine: Regulates heartbeat, blood pressure, and other important bodily functions
Dopamine and serotonin are the two transmitters most commonly associated with imbalances causing poor mental health. When these transmitters are balanced, mood and stress levels are more stable. People with balanced transmitters may still feel stressed or anxious in high-stress situations—and that’s a good thing.
The problems arise when imbalanced neurotransmitters cause distress when there’s nothing there to warrant the stress, anxiety, or depression.
How Do Medications Regulate Neurotransmitters?
Medications help regulate neurotransmitters in many cases by blocking the neurotransmitters’ receptors. These don’t completely block those transmitters from being produced, but they do stop the higher levels associated with negative symptoms.
What Medications Are Often Prescribed?
Everyone is different, but people with similar conditions will be prescribed similar medications. These include:
- Antidepressants
- Anti-anxiety medications
- Mood stabilizers
- Anti-psychotics
- Suboxone
These medications can be used in several ways and some of them share overlap. It’s important to know why some of these medications would be prescribed and what they’re best used for.
Why Are Antidepressants Prescribed?
Antidepressants are exactly what they sound like. They are used to help treat depression but they are often prescribed for other conditions such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorder
- Intense phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Depression is often associated with low levels of serotonin. Antidepressants raise serotonin levels in an effort to combat serotonin imbalances.
Read our full guide on antidepressants to learn more.
Why Are Anti-Anxiety Medications Prescribed?
Anxiety, panic, and high amounts of fear are associated with overactive transmitters. Anti-anxiety medications are designed to suppress and sedate the neurotransmitters that are communicating that anxiety should be happening.
The most common conditions treated with anti-anxiety medications include:
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety
- General anxiety disorder
The most common anti-anxiety medication used is benzodiazepines. They’re very effective at sedating the central nervous system and therefore need to be taken according to strict guidelines.
Related Article: Benzodiazepines
Why Are Mood Stabilizers Prescribed?
Mood disorders cause a person’s moods to shift in unpredictable ways. They can be very disruptive to someone’s daily life. They can cause severe lows or manic highs.
Mood stabilizers combat the effects of mood disorders by bringing down or bringing up the transmitters associated with the moods.
The conditions that are most often prescribed mood stabilizers include:
- Bipolar disorder
- Mania
- Hypomania
Mood stabilizers can be very helpful for several conditions and can prevent mental health relapse.
Why Are Antipsychotics Prescribed?
Antipsychotics alter brain chemistry and help reduce symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thinking. They’re major tranquilizers that reduce psychotic symptoms most common in conditions like:
- Bipolar disorder
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
The medications under this umbrella are very important for those experiencing these symptoms. It helps give them a clearer mind so they can move forward in their treatment.
Why Is Suboxone Prescribed?
Addiction is a devastating disease that can create feelings of helplessness. Once a substance use disorder is created, the brain requires the substance in order to function. This is part of building up a tolerance, and a reason that withdrawal symptoms can be so devastating.
Suboxone helps treat dependence on opioids like heroin and morphine. It should be taken under the close care of a trained professional.
Related Article: How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your System?
Why Choose a Holistic Approach to Treatment?
Medication management alone may help improve symptoms for a time, but it’s not enough for long-term healing. Talking through feelings, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors is also an important part of mental health treatment. However, medication can help someone get to a healthier place to talk.
A healthy balance between talk therapy methods and medication management is the best way to see healing over the long term. When they’re used together, healing can feel like an easier journey.
What Does Holistic Treatment Look Like?
When you take a holistic approach to mental health treatment, you’ll receive treatment for your thoughts, emotions, physical health, social interactions, and spirituality. This means you won’t be only approaching the symptoms of your disease, but you’ll be healing the root of your conditions and your whole body.
The holistic mental health treatment process includes medication management, traditional talk therapy, and group therapy. and recreational therapies like experiential therapy and sound baths.
How Medication Management Works At Sequoia Behavioral Health
When our patients arrive at our inpatient residential facility or our partial hospitalization program, we provide a psychiatric evaluation within 24-72 hours. The psychiatrist will work to make an initial diagnosis and prescribe the best medication for each patient. They’ll take into consideration any current medications and move from there.
Read more about our psychiatric services at Sequoia.
While under our care, residents receive 24/7 care and after leaving we’ll work to make sure you have the continued care you need.
If you have any questions, or if you want to start the process of receiving care, reach out to us today.