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This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.

Okay. Today we're talking about how to overcome the stigma of taking medication.

Psychiatric medication has been around since the 1950s, when we first were introduced to an antipsychotic that was meant to treat schizophrenia.

Not long after, though, antidepressants hit the market.

And they gave people a lot of relief from their symptoms for the first time ever.

Obviously, since then, psychiatric drugs have expanded, and they've improved a lot.

But we also know that they've been marketed heavily.

People have been overdiagnosed with

certain conditions, and drugs are commonly overly prescribed. The concerns about medication have also

contributed to the stigma associated with taking them. As a therapist, I've heard people say

things like, I don't want to use medication as a crutch. I should be able to handle my depression

on my own. Or, medication is for people who don't want to use medication as a crutch. I should be able to handle my depression on my own.

Or medication is for people who don't want to work on themselves.

And while I don't think people should automatically be prescribed medication for depression,

anxiety, or some other mental health issue, it's really helpful in many cases.

Much of the research shows a combination of medication and therapy often helps people gain the best results. But so often, people associate medication with weakness,

but that's not true. In fact, for most people, it takes a lot of courage to try medication.

And it's usually not as simple as just remembering to swallow a pill every day.

Many people who take psychiatric medication work really hard.

They track their mood, their doses, and their side effects, which can be quite difficult to do.

But they want to be able to give their doctor that information so they can decide whether their dosage needs to be adjusted or if the medication needs to be changed.

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