What is Psychiatry Medication Management?
Psychiatric medication management can be incredibly helpful in the treatment or prevention of mental health conditions and behavioral disorders. After undergoing a full evaluation by a mental health professional, it may be determined that a teenager could benefit from (or in some cases, require) medication therapy alongside psychotherapy. Often, psychiatric medication management is utilized to stabilize a teen and encourage emotional or chemical balances so that true healing can begin.
Psychiatric medicines may only be administered by a licensed provider with prescriptive authority and has undergone proper training as well as medication compliance teaching courses. in order to render long-term mental health improvements and beneficial behavioral results. While teen medication management isn’t for every young person struggling with mental instability, it can be a tremendously helpful solution in certain cases.
Many people with substance use disorder (SUD) have co-occurring mental health issues. Frequently, those mental health problems are significant drivers of substance misuse, as the affected person seeks relief from anxiety, depression, or trauma.
The presence of co-occurring disorders is also referred to as dual diagnosis. Mental illnesses that frequently coincide with substance use disorder include personality disorders such as schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder, panic disorder, anxiety, various phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Many of these conditions need to be treated with prescription medications. Common medications for such cases include antipsychotics, which are used to treat schizophrenia, antidepressants, used to treat depression or bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorder medications. People with addiction and mental health issues should seek dual diagnosis treatment. What types of medications and therapies are available for dual diagnosis treatment are questions to ask a teenage addiction therapist.
Although people with mental health issues often use psychoactive substances to seek relief, misusing drugs or alcohol can make an underlying mental illness actually worse. In the case of dual diagnosis, both conditions need to be treated effectively which may require the continued prescription of psychiatric medications.
When is it Appropriate to Prescribe Psychiatric Medication for Adolescents?
The problems teens face today can be overwhelming and very often lead to mental instabilities that may require temporary administration of prescription medicine to assist in achieving emotional stability. While every case is different, teens who exhibit behaviors such as violence, self-harm, or who are suicidal may be ideal candidates for a psychiatric medicine management program. Prescription medication for teenage anxiety and depression can be effective as well.
Additionally, medication management for addiction can be effective. This is especially true when considering teen medical aspects of addiction and recovery such as life-harming withdrawal symptoms while weaning off of alcohol or addictive substances.
What’s important to realize is behavioral health medication management (if deemed a viable solution) must be undergone in tandem with conventional therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy – also known as “talk therapy.” Moreover, teens who are on a medical management program should be closely monitored to assess the outcomes of the prescription medication and its efficacy.
The Goal of Medication Management for Teens
When contemplating medication management, mental health needs to be viewed from a holistic perspective. In other words, medicine alone will not “cure” a teen from mental illness, behavioral disorders or addictive disorders. However, a multifaceted approach that fuses medicine with behavioral therapy is a far better assurance for long-term recovery and mental wellness.
Ultimately, teen medication management should help troubled youths help themselves. In many cases, medicine can alleviate symptoms that impede healing. Too often, a mental disturbance has grown to such an extent, that therapists might not have the leeway to reach a teen in need. Prescribed medicine may stabilize a teen so that a therapist can begin to give one-on-one talk therapy to a teen, facilitating healing, recovery, and/or rehabilitation.
Psychiatric Medication Management for Teens at Muir Wood
Muir Wood has experienced medical doctors on staff who can suggest medication management in mental health for teens to assist with substance use issues and address any co-occurring mental issue at the same time.
Moreover, we understand that often a teenager refusing to take antidepressants or psychiatric medication is a symptom in itself, and we pay attention to that too. If medication is deemed helpful towards effective treatment, our trained therapists can help you with suggestions about how to get your teenager to take medication. Most teens who enter Muir Wood on medications typically discharge on fewer medications or no medications at all. Our goal is to utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, family-based therapy, and other evidence-based treatments in lieu of medications when indicated.
Why Choose Muir Wood for Teen Medication Management & Psychiatry
While we understand the choice is yours, Muir Wood is the best option for holistic, comprehensive, compassionate treatment. We believe that psychiatry medication management for youth should only be used if necessary. Furthermore, medication should never replace therapy – it should take a supportive role in an array of therapies and treatments. At Muir Wood, we treat the whole teen. Our qualified and experienced mental health professionals know that the symptoms are only a small portion of often overarching issues. Therefore, we make every effort to treat your child with the best tools, resources, and solutions available so that he or she can begin to live a life of joy and vitality.