Only those who take psychiatric medications know the difficulty of getting the dosage, frequency, and medication itself right. It is difficult for a doctor to determine the most appropriate prescription when there are so many variables. Each patient behaves differently, and so does the body. There are still external factors that also contribute to the outcome. In other words, having a mental illness that requires the use of medications is always a very delicate condition.
My psychiatrist, for example, tells me not to read the leaflet. This is because I am very fearful and obsessive and soon start feeling all the side effects, without actually experiencing them. This hinders healing and trusting His Word.
These past few days have been turbulent in the country due to the arrest of Jair Bolsonaro. I followed the news both in print newspapers and on television and radio. At one point, my medications were there, as part of the information. Pregabalin and sertraline. Bolsonaro claimed that he was suffering from hallucinations because he took these drugs.
I’ve been taking it for over a year and have never taken it. In fact, when I went through the flare-ups, I didn’t eat anything. Isn’t justifying what he did by attributing his behavior to the potential side effects of medications a great disservice to those who need to take them and feel unsafe, like me?
To justify the looting of the electronic ankle bracelet, he found a way out by blaming the medication. Most likely with the help of lawyers. What kind of people are these? Don’t you think this information could cause discomfort to patients seeking treatment for mental illness? I’ve heard people around me say they use pregabalin and also sertraline and have never had a flare-up/hallucination. Actually, my psychiatrist disputes this.
When a public figure says something like this, they speak to millions. And many, weak people like me, or even more so, end up accepting this as an absolute truth. It is a lack of empathy and irresponsibility. It does not matter that there are doctors, experts, and even personal testimonies proving the opposite.
Anyone who is already living in a state of anxiety, fear and insecurity about their treatment hears that and immediately asks themselves: “What if this happened to me? What if I was taking a risk and my doctor didn’t tell me about it?”
What scares me the most is the realization that deep down, there was no regard for those who truly depend on these medications to continue living with some stability. It was just a convenient excuse, an improvised (and lame) justification to break the anklet. But it specifically affects those who should never be affected: people who struggle daily not to lose control of their mental health.
This is unfair. Unfair because we already face a lot of bias, a lot of misinformation, a lot of jokes, and a lot of judgement.
Ultimately, what I just want is for the mental health debate to be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Don’t turn it into a political debate, a public apology, or a inflammatory headline. Because for those who experience this firsthand, none of this is a joke.
Current link: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access seven free accesses from any link per day. Just click on the blue letter F below.