Medication & Mental Health: Myths vs Facts

In this video, we’re talking about why it’s so important to take your health seriously, even when life gets busy, stressful, or just plain overwhelming. With a little humor and a lot of truth, this message is a reminder to listen to your body, pay attention to warning signs, and stop waiting until things get worse before getting help.

Whether you’re dealing with stress, ignoring symptoms, or just need a funny but real reminder to prioritize your well-being, this video encourages you to make your health a priority. Sometimes laughter helps us hear the message, and the message is simple: your health matters.

If this video encouraged you, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more uplifting content about wellness, self-care, and keeping it real.

#mentalhealthawareness #menhealth #emotion #meditation

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the podcast. Welcome back to the YouTube. Today we're going to have a conversation that a lot of people have a strong opinion about, but not everyone is necessarily informed with the accurate and correct information around the topic. We're going to talk about medication and mental health. More specifically, we're going to talk about the myths versus the facts. Now, I'm going to warn you, I'm not a big medication person at all. Nevertheless, before we get too far into the conversation, let me clear this up real quick, real quick. Hear me clear. This episode is for educational purposes only. I am not a prescribing medication diagnosing person. I do provide diagnosis to my clients. However, I do not prescribe medication. So with this mic, through this mic, it's just educational purposes.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yo, welcome to the show. I'm a dumb mental health and over my health. Let's get to it.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Questions like that. Questions like, will I have to take it forever? Questions like, will it change who I am? Questions like, isn't therapy enough? Questions I often hear, very, very often, is Isn't prayer enough? Isn't can we just pray the thing away? Can we pray anxiety away?

unknown 2:02

Can we pray?

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Will people judge me if I take medication? What if I start taking medication and I don't like how it makes me feel? What if I need it but I'm scared? And let me tell you, those are real questions, real concerns. Those questions deserve an answer. And so today we're going to slow this conversation down. We're going to remove the shame. We're going to challenge the stigma. We're going to talk through common myths. And we're going to replace those myths with facts, wisdom, and practical guidance. Because mental health treatment is not a one size fits all. It's not a it's not. I'm I'm I'm I'm no I know that people tell you, you know, that whatever it's not. Okay. For some people, therapy is enough. For some people, medication is helpful. Helpful as well. It's a helpful tool. As I said, a tool. For some people, the most effective approach is therapy, medication, lifestyle change, community support, spiritual support, and practical structure all working together at the same time. The goal is not to pressure anybody, the goal is to help people make informed decisions. So let's get into this. Let's first start off why this conversation matters. Let's start here. Medication and mental health is one of those topics where people often speak from experiences. They speak from experiences, but they also speak from a place of fear. They speak from a place of families' beliefs, cultural beliefs, church belief, social media opinion. Or maybe one bad experience that they had many years ago. And because that because of that, because of all those things, a lot of people are either overconfident or overly afraid. Some people say everybody needs medication. Other people say nobody needs medication. Both of those statements are too extreme. The truth is more balanced. Some people benefit greatly. Some people find the right medication after trial and error of long periods of trials and error. Some people decide with their provider that medication is not the best route for them. Mental health treatment is not about pride. It's about care. It's about functioning. It's about safety. It's about giving your mind and body the support they need for healing, regulating, and recovering. Now I know there can be a lot of stigma around the topic, especially in communication amongst communities, where we were taught to just pray about it. We were taught to be strong. We were taught that what goes on in this house stays in this house and mind your own business and stay in your own business. We were taught things like you don't need pills, you need discipline, need structure. And I want to say this very carefully. Prayer. Prayer works. Discipline. Discipline has proven to be work, to be a thing that works. Resiliency, those are things that build a sense of resiliency, builds power. I believe in prayer personally. I believe in discipline personally. I believe in a person taking responsibility. I believe that to be true. I believe those things work. But needing additional support does not mean that those things are a failure. If a person has diabetes and takes insulin, we usually don't say you just need to have more faith. If someone has high blood pressure and takes medication, we usually don't say you just need a sh, you just need more discipline with your diet. Well, I say this sometimes, but if someone has asthma and uses an inhaler, we don't say things like you need to stop depending on that inhaler too much. You're being weak. But when the brain and the nervous system are involved, oh boy. People often treat completely different. The brain is an organ. We must understand that. The nervous system is part of the body. Mental health systems, mental health symptoms are not uh imaginary. It's not, it's not make-believe. It's not Santa Claus. Just because you can't always see them, anxiety can affect your heart rate, uh your breathing, your digestive system, your sleep, your concentration, your decision making. Depression can affect your energy, motivation, appetite, your focus. It can affect your ability to hope and your ability to connect with other people. Trauma, trauma, trauma. I love studying trauma. Trauma can affect how you feel safe, or if you ever feel safe in your own body. ADHD can affect your attention, your ability to stay organized, impulsive, impulsive, impulse control, emotional regulation, and your failure to follow through. Bipolar disorder can affect your mood, your sleep, your energy, your judgment, and your stability. So when we talk about medication, we are not talking about a shortcut. We are talking about one possible tool, right? Just one possible tool in a large treatment plan. I want to make that clear. A tool that's a part of a big plan. And that's the foundation for today's conversation. Medication is not magic. There's no one. Medication is not weakness. It's not. Medication is not always necessary. Medication is not an automatically dangerous thing. Medication is. It is, it is a tool. And like any tool, it needs to be used appropriately with wisdom and with monitoring, with the right support. We have to understand that. So let's address the first myth. Let's jump right into it. Something I always hear, always hear across the board. Taking medication means I'm weak. This is so common. This is a common belief amongst the people. They may instead say something similar to this. I should be able to handle this on my own. They'll say things like, I don't want to depend on anything. I ain't trying to depend on nobody. Nothing. They'll say things like, I feel like I'm giving up on myself. They'll say things as my family would think something is wrong with me. They'll say things, I'm supposed to be stronger than this. Let's, let's, let's, let's, let's replace those myths with some facts. Okay. Let's let's talk facts. Let's talk facts. Taking medication when clinically appropriate is not a sign of weakness. It can be a sign that you're actually taking your health seriously. Strength is not pretending. I want you to hear me good. Strength is not pretending that everything's good all the time. Strength is not pretending that you're okay when you're falling apart. That's not what strength is. Strength is being honest enough to say, something is not working. I need support. Strength is making decisions based on wisdom and not shame. Strength is being willing to use, being willing to use the available tools that you have access to, right, to get healthier. Now, I want to be balanced. I want to be balanced. Now, I want to be balanced. Medication is not the only way to show strength. Choosing therapy is strength. Setting boundaries is strength. Changing your sleep habit is strength. Asking for help is strength. Going to support groups is strength. Being honest with yourself is strength. I feel like I'm at church right now.

unknown 12:09

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Medication is not the is not the measure of whether you're strong or weak. It's simply one possible part of, as I said before, a bigger treatment plan. I often tell people the goal is not to provide, or the goal is not necessarily to prove how much pain you can carry, right? The goal is to get healthier, to be healthier. Sometimes people have been suffering so long that suffering starts to feel as feel as if that's just normal for them. They'll say, I've always been anxious. Everybody's a little anxious. They'll say, I've always been depressed. I've always had these mood swings. I've always struggled to focus. I've always felt on edge. They'll say things like that when it's it become it become normal to them. Well, sometimes what's normal to you isn't normal. And because it's familiar, they assume it's just their personality. But there is a difference between personality and untreated symptoms. There is a difference between this is who I am and this is how I've learned to survive. There is a difference between being um naturally curious and living in a chronic anxiety state. There's a difference between being uh reflective, uh, being being uh essentially um careful and being depressed. There's a difference between being energetic and being unable to regulate your mood and sleep. There's there's a difference between being passionate and being overly emotional and overwhelmed. So what I'm getting at, if medication can help reduce symptoms enough, if it can help reduce symptoms enough, then I I I think it's worth getting better sleep. I think it's worth participating, I think it's worth helping you on your job and at work. I think it's worth helping you with your family. Stop living in a constant state of crisis. That is not that is not that is not a sign of weakness. That's a sign that we need some support. And sometimes support is exactly what makes strength look like. Strength. So if you're ever, if you're if you've ever thought, if I take medication, that means I'm weak. I want you to challenge that thought with a more accurate thought, something like I'm exploring healthier options that's available to me. I can I can be strong and still receive help. Medication does not define me. My worth is not reduced because I need support. That is that's a fact. Let's talk about the next myth. Myth number two: medication will change who I am. This is this is a real fear for many people. People worry. Will I still feel like myself? Will I become numb? Will I lose my creativity? Will I stop caring? Will I become like a zombie? Now, let's talk, let's talk some facts about that. The goal of mental health medication is not to erase your personality, the goal is to reduce symptoms that are interfering with your ability to function and feel like yourself. When medication is working well, many people do not feel less like themselves. They feel more like themselves. They may say things, they may say things like, I can finally, I can finally think clearly, I can finally go through a day without crying excessively. I can finally, finally, finally sleep again. I'm not snapping on everybody all day. Or they don't say snapping, they say I'm not going off on people now every day. I'm not throwing hands every day. I can actually use the coping skills that I've learned in therapy. I don't feel like my emotions are driving the car anymore and I'm in the back seat, right? But here's here's here's a more balanced, a more balanced perspective, right? Some people do experience emotional blah or emotional numbness. Some people do experience fatigue, some people do experience sexual side effects, some people do have an appetite change, some people do struggle with uh uh finding a pattern of sleep that that that's working or the pattern of sleep is thrown off. Or some people do some people do feel as if they're off. Now, if this does happen to you, this doesn't mean that medication can never work for you. It may mean that the dosage needs to be adjusted. Um, the medication is not the right fit for you. It may me, it may mean uh we may need to review the plan as well as to review the whole treatment plan. This is why communication with your prescriber matters. You don't have to silently fight through side effects. You can say something, you should say something. Something like this when you talk to your prescriber, I feel emotionally fat flat, or I feel more tired than usual. My anxiety improved, but my motivation has dropped. I don't feel like myself, my sleep has changed, my appetite has changed, I am having side effects that concern me. That information that helps. That helps your prescriber help you at the end of the day. When the day gotta end and the day ends, take your health seriously, not Google my symptoms at 2 a.m. with diagnosing yourself with everything. Seriously, seriously, get checked, ask questions, and follow through. Your future self depends on you, and your future self does not want to be saying, I told you so. Until next time. Yo, please, if you like this type of content, if this spoke to you, if this resonated with you, or you feel that this would help somebody, share the content. Share, share, share, share. Let's reach one, each one, teach one. Let's make the community a better place. Your mental health matters and go, please go when within.