As if anxiety itself weren't bad enough on its own, it presents new challenges and frustrations when we decide to face it and get rid of it once and for all. Probably because anxiety disorders are so prevalent (together, they are the most common of all mental illnesses), there's a plethora of proposed ways to treat anxiety. Trying to decide what is best for you is itself anxiety-provoking.

Big Pharma contributes to mental health stigma in its attempts to sell psychiatric drugs. Big Pharma's message is that people with depression need anti-depressives like diabetics need insulin and talk about chemical imbalance in the brain. They appear to be taking the blame away from person, but they are not. We eat this up and agree and repeat it thinking we are being politically correct. We think this helps people with mental illness feel less stigmatized. But it helps Big Pharma sell its message, and sell their medications.

Are You Deciding Whether to Use Medication for Anxiety? Today, we are joining the American Psychological Association Mental Health Blog Party, trying to decrease stigma and bring public awareness to mental health issues. Anxiety medication and deciding whether to medicate your anxiety are important issues! Many people ask my recommendation when deciding to use drugs to manage their or their children's anxiety symptoms. I cannot give a recommendation since I am not an MD but I do have an opinion! The best way to make this decision is to weigh the risks and benefits of taking the medication. And to do this, you'll need to gather some basic information.