The biomedical approach in mental health is something that is used today and seems to be a cookie cutter to all mental health illnesses, if someone’s depressed they give them SSRI if they’re bipolar then Lithium/mood stabilizers. It’s something though it does help a lot of people it shouldn’t be the first approach of therapy to those who want to overcome something like mental illness. (APA, 2014)
When someone has surgery its common to prescribe them a painkiller to help soothe the pain while they recover, but the same can’t be said for those who receive medication for mental illness, you can’t just take a dose while you finish up something and expect to feel “normal” medicines that affect your brain isn’t something that be thrown lightly to you, it should be something that is talked about and also the other kind of therapies that one can try before committing to a medication.
The reason why I don’t believe in medication being the first step is because someone can overcome something with other therapies and completely bypass the whole medication/withdrawals and other side effects that are common when one uses medications. There’s also medications that can cause those to become addicted or dependent with these medications. There can be people who feel as if they can’t function without having the medication that they once had, which can cause huge problems to those who lose their jobs/health plans.
Overall, I think the approach of biomedical therapies is a good thing but I think it’s become mainstream to just give someone medication without looking at all the other things that can be done. I know long term use of these drugs can be bad and the withdrawals of them will make some miserable, I think we all have our opinions of medication before other treatments but I think keeping an open mind on this topic will better help those who aren’t fully educated in the other therapies.
References
(Mayo Clinic, 2012). (APA 2014)
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/msstate-waymaker-psychology/chapter/biomedical-therapies/