Medication vs Therapy: Why Not Both?

For many mental health disorders, medication is the fastest way to get relief. Even though it can take a few weeks for psychiatric medication to alleviate symptoms, it’s considerably faster than therapy for many people. For some people, medication is the only thing that can provide enough relief for them to function.

However, it can take some trial and error to find the right medication or combination of drugs. That can include some negative side effects. Furthermore, the benefits of medication stop when the person stops taking them. Because many mental health disorders are lifelong, someone who chooses a medication-only treatment plan may have to stay on medication for the remainder of their lives to keep symptoms at bay.

Therapy is the opposite side of the same coin. The goal of therapy is to help people cope in healthy ways, thus alleviating symptoms. This process takes time. After all, most people have learned unhealthy coping over their entire lives. It will naturally take time to unlearn those practices and form new habits.

However, therapy is well worth the investment. The things you learn in therapy can serve you for a lifetime, even years after your last session. While therapy is not a cure for any disorder, it can seriously alleviate symptoms and make it easier to live with a chronic disorder. If needed, patients can always return to therapy for maintenance or to get through challenging times.

Medication is fast-acting but temporary. Therapy is long-lasting but takes time to work. Before the 1970s, many professionals assumed that therapy and psychiatry were competing forms of treatment and that patients should only have one type of treatment.

Since then, extensive research has shown that together, therapy and psychiatric medication can make a powerful treatment plan. In many cases, therapy and medication combined are more effective than either treatment alone.

• A combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressants has been shown to be the most effective treatment for people with depression.
• People with eating disorders experience better recovery results when they combine psychotherapy and medications.
• People with bipolar disorder and those with schizophrenia can improve functionality by adding psychotherapy to their medication regimen.
• One study found that combining stress reduction therapy and antidepressants, patients had fewer tension headaches than when treated with either approach alone.
• A review in Psychiatric Times found that combining therapy and medication is effective for patients who have not responded well to medication or therapy alone.
• A recent meta-analysis found that combined treatment was the most effective option for people with panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depression

Many people who receive combined treatment see a prescriber and a therapist from different practices. Certainly, these providers offer excellent care. However, we have found that a team of specialized mental health care providers can work together to improve patient outcomes.

At LifeStance, you can get psychiatric care and therapy from the same location, and from providers who share the same values. Together, they can ensure that each treatment complements the other, and that you have all the resources you need.

Don’t struggle alone. Our providers can help.