What's the deal with anxiety meds for students?

No judgmental posts have come from me. If you want to get offended and LOOK for judgment, it's certainly your prerogative. But medication is a serious thing, and should not be the commonplace treatment, nor the only option explored, for situational anxiety.

I don't know where you got this idea that anyone here believes that they have a right to be involved in their peers' treatment decisions in the first place. It's a conversation, and nobody, to my knowledge, is planning to tar and feather a fellow student on anti-anxiety medication. I'm allowed to express my opinion, and yes, I believe many practitioners take the "easy way out" by prescribing anti-anxiety medication without other interventions.

I'm not offended, I dislike folks who are already down getting picked on. I never said you made judgmental remarks....so not sure why you are offended. You're speaking about practitioners, this thread is about nursing students.

They don't have to be tarred and feathered....it's often a difficult decision for someone to decide to take mental health medication, reading messages that imply they are just taking the easy way out just feed in to our culture's beliefs that folks can just "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" with mental health issues. That their diagnosis is just some kind of character flaw, they can will themselves out of.

I stand by my original assertions. I'm sorry if you're offended by me saying students have the right to choose whatever treatment plan works for them, without hearing "they're just taking the easy way out" from folks who should know better....because that's all I've said.

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

Maybe you are not addressing my posts, because I agree with you that it is a difficult decision for some to begin medication. However, in my generation (I'm 22), with the advent of medical information all over the web, more and more people are diagnosing themselves and seeking medication for their self-diagnosis. I can't believe that most MDs at a general practice have the knowledge and experience to properly assess a patient with a mental health problem and decide they need medication.

And I disagree with your assessment that our culture states that people should pull themselves up their bootstraps when it comes to mental health. I feel that people would much rather medicate their children to the point of being numb, hide their mental health issues in a closet, and pretend that everything is okay.

I'm advocating for those with mental health problems to not depend on medication as the only way to help themselves. With the knowledge that those on anti-depressants have become suicidal, that many mental health drugs are also drugs of abuse, and that those with prescriptions may not have the most stable mindset - I think I do know better. I do know that medication isn't the answer for every patient, and that for some patients that prescription will cause more problems than solutions.

At this point I don't think we're disagreeing that much. I certainly believe that the patient has a right to decide their own treatment plan, and I would never believe otherwise. But if asked my opinion? I would certainly also encourage them to explore CBT, group therapy, exercise, writing....it goes on and on...to combat their anxiety.

deleted...decided not to go any furthur with this.

Good night! :)

Edited Nov 22, 2010 by kayty2339