1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, but only 1 in 8 are currently getting any kind of treatment.
There are a lot of stigmatic barriers to people getting the help they need, particularly when it comes to taking medication for psychological conditions.
Treatment adherence to medication is one of the most difficult challenges for people who have a mental illness – often due to feelings of shame, embarrassment, or fear of showing ‘weakness’.
But you should never, ever feel ashamed about needing medication to improve mental health.
Not only do acknowledging that you need help and taking the steps to get it take an incredible amount of courage, it is extremely brave to try something you’re not sure will work.
It’s easy to pin all our hopes on medication that can “cure” us of our problems, but mental health is so complex and individual that the possibility of medication not working can be off-putting.
Medication may not work miracles, but it can be life changing. Emma, a 22 year old from Oxford can attest to the freeing power of taking medication. Last year, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which she said Before her diagnosis, she often felt shamed for her impulsive decisions, behaviour and lack of following through on things.
“A year on ADHD medications completely changed the way I approach my life” she says. “The medication helped me to maintain friendships better, to complete my masters with a Merit, and to complete meaningful projects.”
She, too, believes that there is absolutely no shame in taking medication for your mental health. “My meds have helped me to survive in a world which shamed me for being behind… so to then shame me for taking the meds which alleviated these issues just doesn’t make sense.”
Lydia, also 22, admits that it took her a while to consider medication for anxiety and mild depression – and that the stigma of “popping pills” played a large part in that. After discussing the option with her parents, she noticed a generational difference in their attitude. Whilst they were happy she was getting help, it was difficult at first for them to come around to the medicative option. “I cared more about making myself better over anything” she said about making the choice, but could see how easily young people may be dissuaded from medication by their parents.
What other people think can be a huge driver of shame around mental health meds. Charlotte, 20, says that when she first started taking sertraline aged 17, she didn’t know anyone else who was on medication. “It felt horrible… I couldn’t talk with my friends about it”. She thinks the shame so many people feel because of medication isn’t spoken about enough.
“Medication is seen as a last resort, and something that should be avoided at all costs. But why? If it’s something that will help you live your life in the happiest possible way, why should that be a negative thing?”. Whilst she does still have days where she feels weak for taking medication, she says it’s such a small part of her and her mental health journey.
“I don’t want to feel ‘bad’ for one part of my recovery, medication makes it possible for me to get out of bed and live my day – that is nothing to be ashamed of”.