Talk Therapy: The Medicine that Works Forever

Talk Therapy: The Medicine that Works Forever

There have been great accomplishments in treating mental illness. Many focus on medical advances, like the greater variety of drugs that can be used to treat depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. But treatments like talk therapy have come a long way too, with a lot less press, and sadly for some people, a lot less insurance coverage.

Everyone wants to take a pill and get better. Easiest solution, least work, problem solved. But talk therapy takes a longer view. Yes, you can deal with your immediate problems, but you learn why they are problems, why you view them the way you do. You might even learn to change your mind about them. It may take a while. Your therapist may suggest something and your immediate reaction is “I could never do that.” But the idea stays with you, shifts your thinking and becomes a possibility. Six months later, you’re ready to do that. A couple of decades later, you can’t believe you ever did anything differently.

For a lot of people, talk therapy goes hand in hand with medications. This can be especially helpful for dual diagnosis patients in addiction treatment. Meds can help get the patient stable, and a therapist can start to address all the issues with a mental health diagnosis and create a treatment plan. Don’t dismiss it right away. A therapist is on your side, even when they are suggesting something that makes you uncomfortable.

Here’s the best news about therapy and the least advertised: It keeps working long after you are done with it. You can’t say that about an antibiotic. The tools you gain in therapy can help you the rest of your life.