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Millions of people in Canada and the USA suffer from one or more mental disorders, and often prescription medications are the first type of treatment offered. Many physicians and mental health experts are very pressed for time, with a high patient load and often only a few minutes to see each patient. This has led some to accuse the medical industry of pushing prescription medications when other and less risky treatment options may be just as effective and without any of the dangers or the possible side effects. In the USA many children are diagnosed with a mental disorder and put on medications intended for adults, drugs that have not been approved fr use in those under 18 years old. Some believe that drugs are often pushed as the first line of treatment because it is easier and takes less time, but these drugs can also have dangerous or even deadly side effects and complications.

In some cases prescription medications may be required to treat severe mental disorders, but for many people psychotherapy and other non drug treatments may get results that are just as effective as well. There is already a shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists who can provide talk therapy, biofeedback, and other treatment options which do not involve prescription medications. With the substance abuse epidemic that is going on around the world using drugs should be a last resort, not the first choice when it comes to treating mental disorders. Other treatment methods may be more time and labor intensive but they also do not carry the risks and dangers that many of the drugs used to treat mental conditions do. Which method would you try first if you or a loved one suffered from a mental disorder?