Psychiatric Medications: Are People Forgoing Them Because of the Stigma Attached to Treatment?

There is a large portion of the American public currently suffering from a mental illness of some sort. From depression to schizophrenia, the range of illnesses are as wide and varied as the types of people who are afflicted with them. The pharmaceutical industry has responded to mental illness with a number of psychotropic drugs – and new treatments are becoming available all the time.

So, if there are so many different psychiatric medications available, why are there still so many people struggling to contain their mental illnesses. According to a report from the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research, located at Indiana University, most people are reluctant to take such medications, despite the fact that they believe they work.

There have been drastic improvements in removing the social stigma that has surrounded mental illness for decades. However, the stigma surrounding the medications remain. Many experts believe that this is the reason more people don’t take advantage of the medications to help control their illnesses.

IU sociology professor Jack Martin, lead author of the report, said in a statement: “Most people believe that mental health problems are amenable to treatment. They also agree that psychiatric medications are effective. Yet our survey shows that while Americans are aware of this, most have serious reservations about personally taking these medications.”

Some of the other findings of the survey, which received responses from 1,400 people, were:

* Almost half of those who responded to the survey said that psychiatric medications should be halted when the symptoms of the illness disappear

* Those who have the most positive attitudes towards psychiatric medications are likely to be older and white

* About 2/3 of Americans says that psychiatric drugs help people with mental illnesses deal with the everyday stress of life and helps to improve relationships in their daily lives

A study published in 2001 in the American Journal of Psychiatry is in line with Martin’s theory. According to the author of that study, Jo Anne Sirey, Ph.D., of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, the patients perception of stigma for psychotropic medications influences the treatment behavior.

The study looked at 92 new cases of depressions, 63 of which were patients between the ages of 18-64 years and 29 that were 65-year-old and up. The perception of a stigma was assessed in the patient at the start of treatment and reassessed during the course of treatment. It was found that all of the patients had some sort of negative view of people with mental illness and the treatments that go with it.

However, while there seems to be a stigma among the patients themselves, not everyone believes that the stigma runs deep within society itself. Psychologist Dr. John Grohol disagrees with the stigma attached to treatment theories. ” I actually don’t think there’s that much stigma in the general population for taking a psychiatric medication. May have been more true a decade or so ago, but it’s almost a status symbol to be taking an antidepressant or Ritalin these days.”

Grohol says the benefits of taking psychiatric medications to treat mental illness outweigh the drawbacks and is a far better option than not being treated at all. Part of the stigma attached to medicinal treatments for diabetes it the perception that medications change personalities. Grohol says this is simply not the case. “Medications don’t change personalities, but they do often impact a person’s mood (which may appear like a personality change to others). Mood affects how we interact with others, so medications can significantly alter those interactions with their beneficial effects.”