Medication doesn’t adequately help with all the problems that a person with psychosis/schizophrenia encounters.
Within having experienced psychosis(according to the pdocs) which is mild(IMO) my biggest problems have been social interaction/social skills difficulties and undiagnosed learning(ie cognitive) difficulties.
For all those medication has a minimal therapeutic effect but during my 42 years of psychiatric treatment I have never been offered in depth help for those problems.
Yes it’s important to treat delusions and non benign hallucinations ,and medication may be a good approach for those, but the effects of psychosis go beyond that and a more comprehensive approach is needed.
This requires psychiatrists really listening to and observing their patients, and seeing medication as a tool that helps many but not the whole psychiatric tool kit.
My doctor does not see medications as the only answer.
It seems to me that if I am not a danger to myself or others then she is not so concerned with medicating me unnecessarily.
I told her that I was a bit paranoid in the supermarket - I thought that this guy was following me in the store - she said that she did not want to give me more medication, as long as I did not act upon the paranoia.
My current psychiatrist does not raise the medications or adds new medications, unless my symptoms become totally out of control.
She lets a lot of my symptoms go without throwing meds at every complaint that I may have.
Most of my past psychiatrists upped my dose quickly and kept me over medicated - my current pdoc allows for some craziness to breakthrough without adding more meds.
I am ok with this approach, because I know that these meds come with a lot of of unwanted side effects - she seems to be concerned with my physical health - she keeps reminding me that the meds can do only so much.
I think more attention is paid to the social effects of psychosis/schizophrenia in the US than it is here in the UK. There is certainly more help for social skills difficulties.
Medication on it’s own is often not a sufficient therapeutic tool. Or at least that has been my experience.
For some it may have little or no therapeutic value at all. I think there is some weight to the argument that psychiatry is primarily about social control and less about the difficulties a person experiences. You can suffer and struggle but please don’t be an inconvenience .
They’ll lecture me if I’m late for my depot too many times but as for being really concerned about how I am doing beyond uttering positive psychology platitudes that are ultimately dismissive - pass.
When I did seek more help and support I was branded “awkward,demanding and troublesome”. So once bitten twice shy I am not proactive in pushing my needs or problems.
I express a lot more here and on other forums because there is a lot less dismissiveness and a lot more understanding.
My psychiatrist seems to be concerned with making sure that the big stuff like psychosis, mania depression is under control.
She seems less concerned with my Anxiety Agorphobia, OCD - and this is a shame, because my Anxiety symptoms are crippling.
My past psychiatrists did not take my Anxiety seriously enough as well.
My Agoraphobia is just as disabling as my other major symptoms - but most psychiatrists are more concerned with making sure that I am not a danger to myself or others.