[shortandcute]

Sometimes, I feel guilty for having to take meds. I find that it's helping me though. Part of it, is that I feel like if I were a "good Christian," I wouldn't need to take meds--and that has kept me from taking them for so long. It also kept me from getting the help I needed, and when I did, I wouldn't stick with it because I felt like I wasn't "trusting God."

[rockgal]

Originally Posted by shortandcute

Sometimes, I feel guilty for having to take meds. I find that it's helping me though. Part of it, is that I feel like if I were a "good Christian," I wouldn't need to take meds--and that has kept me from taking them for so long. It also kept me from getting the help I needed, and when I did, I wouldn't stick with it because I felt like I wasn't "trusting God."

Maybe another way to look at it is that God gave scientists the ability to develop the medications, and that God also put psychiatrists in your life to prescribe them and to help you. You're saddled with a difficult disorder, but these resources have been put in your life to get you through.

[PiperLeigh]

What rockgal has said is wise.

Also, it is good for us to remember that our illness is just like any other illness. Guilt isn't productive. We would use insulin if we had diabetes. We would take chemo treatments if we had cancer. We would get a cast if we had a broken arm. We would take medication if we had high blood pressure. I look at this way...Taking my medication is being responsible. It's not any different with treating our mental illness. It helps me live a life with fewer symptoms (like depression, anxiety, etc.). And really, the added benefit of treating depression and anxiety is that it helps me be more effective in being able to live out my faith. Like rockgal said, medication is a resource. I think we need to treat our body and spirit, not just one or the other. God gave us both; we should use the resources he gave us to treat our whole selves.