As a lot of you may already know about me, I have been on psychiatric medication for about a decade now. What you may not know is that I have gone a long time without medication. It is for this reason that I feel like I have the personal expertise to talk about this subject. I have found that for people with various mental illnesses, it is extremely vital for us to take and remain on our medication because going off of them can be detrimental to our physical and mental health. However, before I dispense my advice, I would like to give you some words of encouragement. If you are someone who has to take medication for your mental health, please keep in mind that that does not mean you are not "normal" or that you are a "freak of nature". I say this because when I was younger, that is exactly how I used to think, and I know there are others out there who think the same thing. If you take medications for mental health reasons, it is just like a diabetic having to take insulin shots. What I mean by this is that just like a diabetic needs to rely on their shots to keep them alive, so we rely on our medication to keep us alive or even out of prison. Another myth I hear from people concerning psychiatric medication is that taking medications displays a lack of trust in God. This is patently absurd because the people who make this argument will never tell a diabetic that their taking insulin shots displays a lack of trust in God. If they are not willing to say this to diabetics, then they should not tell us that either. So, if you have to take medication for mental health reasons, keep in mind that you are perfectly normal. Now, I will go over my advice, but I will separate my advice into three categories. These categories are Time Length/Life Consequences, Relationships, and Side Effects. I will elaborate on each of these points, but first, I'd like to say these are not the only reasons why you should remain on your medications. These are the main reasons, but if you can think of any more reasons, please feel free to comment below.
Time Length/ Life Consequences
What I mean by this is that if you have a clinical mental illness, you must remain on your medication so that you can have a good quality of life. I know that we cannot control the quantity of life because we all only live as long as the Lord permits. However, we are in control of how we live our lives. This means that we have the choice between not taking our medications and accepting our medications. If you choose the former, then you will risk ending up dead or in prison. I say this because depending on your illness, you risk having an episode where you can either be killed or you will do something that will get you locked up. If you choose the latter, then you will more than likely live with a better quality of life. Sure, you may deal with some bad side effects, but overall, your life will be better off. I say this because if we remain on our medication, then our minds will be much more stable. It has been proven that mental illness progressively gets worse over time, but when we take our medications regularly, then our mental progression will be much slower. If we go without our medication, that is dangerous because our mental illness will progressively get worse quickly. So, if we want any hope whatsoever of living a functional life, then we must remain medicated. I know this from firsthand experience because when I was younger, I tried to live without medication. As a result, my life went completely out of control. I ended up homeless in the streets at least ten times in my life. I vividly remember sleeping on park benches and in abandoned cars, too. I even remember going into mania episodes that either drew the attention of the Secret Service or even caused me to get into humiliating situations. It is for this reason that I came to the realization that I should keep taking my medication.
Relationships
If you remain on your medications, then it will greatly benefit how you treat your loved ones. I say this because I have noticed that when I am off my medications or when I need a medication adjustment, I treat my loved ones poorly. On the flipside, I have noticed that when I am medicated and my medications are working properly, then I treat my loved ones better. I believe that this is the reason, because for some of us with mental illnesses, if we go off our medication, we can become very paranoid. This paranoia can cause us to no longer trust our loved ones. This distrust of our loved ones will cause us to mistreat them, not because we hate them, but because we are trying to protect ourselves. However, when we are on our medication, our minds can think more properly and clearly about our loved one. As a result of this, we will be able to trust our loved ones more easily because we can see that they truly care for us. It is for this reason that our relationships will be better.
Side Effects
This is probably the most controversial topic that I can address because I know a lot of people do not like the side effects that come with taking medications. I know that the side effects are hard to deal with. I also know that sometimes the side effects can be life-threatening, too. It is up to us individually to decide what side effects we are willing to deal with because ultimately, it is our bodies that we must live with. I can tell you that when we find the right medication, the side effects should be minimal. It literally took me over ten years before I found the right medication, but once I did find the right ones, my life has been a lot better. I say this because I do not want you to become discouraged because you have not found the correct dose of medications that work for you. It may take a while, but you must not give up. If you keep being open and transparent with your psychiatrist about everything you are experiencing, then it will make things a whole lot easier for him or her to help you out. The saying "help me help you" is a perfect motto for the psychiatrist because he or she can only do so much if we are not completely honest with them.
I hope that this blog encourages you to remain on your medication or helps you to help someone else remain on their medication, too. Keep trusting in Christ, and He will guide you into all truth. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and may the grace of Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the CCMH Ministry Website
Time Length/ Life Consequences
What I mean by this is that if you have a clinical mental illness, you must remain on your medication so that you can have a good quality of life. I know that we cannot control the quantity of life because we all only live as long as the Lord permits. However, we are in control of how we live our lives. This means that we have the choice between not taking our medications and accepting our medications. If you choose the former, then you will risk ending up dead or in prison. I say this because depending on your illness, you risk having an episode where you can either be killed or you will do something that will get you locked up. If you choose the latter, then you will more than likely live with a better quality of life. Sure, you may deal with some bad side effects, but overall, your life will be better off. I say this because if we remain on our medication, then our minds will be much more stable. It has been proven that mental illness progressively gets worse over time, but when we take our medications regularly, then our mental progression will be much slower. If we go without our medication, that is dangerous because our mental illness will progressively get worse quickly. So, if we want any hope whatsoever of living a functional life, then we must remain medicated. I know this from firsthand experience because when I was younger, I tried to live without medication. As a result, my life went completely out of control. I ended up homeless in the streets at least ten times in my life. I vividly remember sleeping on park benches and in abandoned cars, too. I even remember going into mania episodes that either drew the attention of the Secret Service or even caused me to get into humiliating situations. It is for this reason that I came to the realization that I should keep taking my medication.
Relationships
If you remain on your medications, then it will greatly benefit how you treat your loved ones. I say this because I have noticed that when I am off my medications or when I need a medication adjustment, I treat my loved ones poorly. On the flipside, I have noticed that when I am medicated and my medications are working properly, then I treat my loved ones better. I believe that this is the reason, because for some of us with mental illnesses, if we go off our medication, we can become very paranoid. This paranoia can cause us to no longer trust our loved ones. This distrust of our loved ones will cause us to mistreat them, not because we hate them, but because we are trying to protect ourselves. However, when we are on our medication, our minds can think more properly and clearly about our loved one. As a result of this, we will be able to trust our loved ones more easily because we can see that they truly care for us. It is for this reason that our relationships will be better.
Side Effects
This is probably the most controversial topic that I can address because I know a lot of people do not like the side effects that come with taking medications. I know that the side effects are hard to deal with. I also know that sometimes the side effects can be life-threatening, too. It is up to us individually to decide what side effects we are willing to deal with because ultimately, it is our bodies that we must live with. I can tell you that when we find the right medication, the side effects should be minimal. It literally took me over ten years before I found the right medication, but once I did find the right ones, my life has been a lot better. I say this because I do not want you to become discouraged because you have not found the correct dose of medications that work for you. It may take a while, but you must not give up. If you keep being open and transparent with your psychiatrist about everything you are experiencing, then it will make things a whole lot easier for him or her to help you out. The saying "help me help you" is a perfect motto for the psychiatrist because he or she can only do so much if we are not completely honest with them.
I hope that this blog encourages you to remain on your medication or helps you to help someone else remain on their medication, too. Keep trusting in Christ, and He will guide you into all truth. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and may the grace of Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the CCMH Ministry Website
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