My own view based on personal experience is that severe mental illness often comes with problems that are not sufficiently dealt with by antipsychotics/psych medication in general alone. This is especially true of comorbid issues that don’t fit into a diagnostic text book.
Whilst antipsychotics have dampened down some of my symptoms the reality is I am long term unemployed with no social network outside family and living independently but restrictedly. My major issue is social and antipsychotics have done little to improve that side of things . Good therapy, social skills training and a recognition of my comorbid aspergic?/non verbal learning disorder issues might have made a significant difference on that score.
The bottom line antipsychotics can help to some degree but as a stand alone treatment to bring about maximum improvement, to put it crudely, they often suck.
Of course the problem for many is that medication alone is the only thing on offer. In my case I have been told I am unsuitable for therapy though my nurse practitioner didn’t mention an organisation doing CBT the appointment before last. The trouble being CBT would place everything as faulty thinking and by and large dismiss real experiences.
I know what you mean about the social network. I am not good at meeting people. I’ve been thinking about leaving the assisted living center where I live and moving into public housing. I would probably become very isolated though. I have a high tolerance for solitude, but I do need at least a little human interaction. I don’t know how things would turn out if I moved into public housing. I think I could make it if I didn’t drink.
AP’s are part of a bag of tricks. Although when I first went on them I thought the voices would go away, almost a magic bullet. Well that hasn’t been the case.
I managed to get my self into therapy after 1.5yrs of being unwell and it helped with some of the life traps I’d fallen into. As well as doing some Mindfulness and CBT!
I found that I’d made some friends in supported housing, they have helped me so much since moving on they’re amazing.
I kinda think I see them more now I’ve moved out, maybe because they see me as having potential/higher functioning?
Along antipsychotics, I also need anti-negatives. Oops, they haven’t yet been invented. Shikes !!!
I agree that asociality is a major problem. The AP helps me keep my head above water. I still have to deal with life’s unpleasantnesses. I am just now beginning to respond a little to the therapy provided me by the state. I run into problems with any relationship.
Antipsychotics like Risperdal, keeps me level headed and grounded.
Some of the major symptoms like deluions and hallucinations are under control, thanks to the meds.
I still get paranoid, the APs dont eliminate this symptom.
I am always worrying about my health and understand that APs have a lot of different side effects.
I need these meds to survive - without them, I am lost.
I know antipsychotics aren’t enough alone but they do help me. I take two different APs. Latuda once a day, Haldol three times a day. but I also go to therapy and my therapist is a big help.
I entertain that as a possibility with me. I’m certainly less emotionally reactive but how much that is down to medication, or a currently less stressful life, is hard to tease out. All in all I’m pretty much stabilised at a certain level but it isn’t one of near recovery or what might be called optimal functioning .
It’s a level that allows me to live independently in a somewhat restricted fashion.
Much of that is dependent on things being set up to allow me to cope independently; ie any major changes like having to move would throw a major spanner in the works. I would need much more support than I’m currently getting if that were the case.
I don’t think AP’s are supposed to cure learning disorders nor expected to change social circles. I guess they can help make you feel better which likely makes some more sociable.
We have positive symptoms and we have dopamine-drugs anti-psychotics and then they give us negative symptoms…
After I posted this…
I read your post.
Even though our posts are different the search for non dopamine related medication seems to be the
common factor
That is no doubt true but people with severe mental illness often have areas of cognitive difficulty and difficulties with socialising either directly related to their SMI or to comorbid problems.
That is why antipsychotics alone are often not enough.
You complain a lot and are dissatisfied with your state of mind.