Mental illness has insufficient research foundation and evidence-based information when compared to physical diagnosis. The use of drugs to treat psychiatric disorders is widely accepted but may not be justified in a particular case. The combination of pharmacology and behavioral therapy can reduce the need for medication and provide an identical health outcome. Thus, drugs are a fundamental treatment strategy when the patient has physiological or neural deviations that cannot be cured by psychotherapy.
The specificity of the medical intervention is based on knowledge of the diagnosis and proven methods of intervention. Mental illness can be caused by physiological abnormalities in the brain or nervous system. This type of disorder must be treated pharmacologically since psychotherapy and behavioral training have no significant effect on developmental complications. It has been noted that the pathophysiology of mental illness is characterized by neurobiological abnormalities, which are primarily caused by deviations in the body development due to heredity or genetic defects (Normandeau et al., 2017). Therefore, adequate use of pharmacology, such as antidepressants, tranquilizers, or antipsychotics, is advisable if psychotherapy does not provide the desired health outcome.
Treatments for psychological illnesses are more likely to succeed when adopting a holistic system of intervention. Behavioral training and psychotherapy are optimal non-pharmacological treatments as it builds trust between the patient and the provider. The stress-vulnerability model identifies environmental factors and character traits that can increase or decrease the severity of psychological challenges. It may be the preferred method of intervention if the patient is unable to cope with the disease with non-pharmacological intervention alone. Hence, the combination of drugs and psychotherapy is essential for gradual treatment without the overuse of chemicals.
Psychological illnesses can depend on neurobiological or neural changes that can only be cured by pharmacological intervention. Therefore, although the overuse of drugs is harmful, it is the only way to ensure a healthy life for the patient. On the other hand, the combination of pharmacology and psychotherapy is essential for the stress-vulnerability model, in which integrity and consistency are the key factors in recovery.
Reference
Normandeau, C. P., Naumova, D., Thompson, S. L., Ebrahimzadeh, M., Liu, Y. Q., Reynolds, L. et al. (2017). Advances in understanding and treating mental illness: Proceedings of the 40th Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting Symposia. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 42(5), 353-358. Web.