What’s the big deal about medication?

The brain is the most complex organ in the body.  It regulates every other process and system in our bodies as the head of the Central Nervous System.  It is the only organ in the body fully enclosed in a hard shell to protect it from violent damage.  So when the brain is misfiring, under-transmitting, and betraying the rest of the body, why do we not treat it seriously with doctors and medication?  More importantly, when we do, we often feel shame and look at treatment as a short-term solution preferably treated with natural remedies and exercise rather than a complex situation to be taken seriously.

All brains are not created equally - we have natural strengths and weaknesses, some of which, without treatment, will not only not change but will also create significant barriers to success.  I read a post of a parent about their 6.5-year-old child on the road to diagnosis and who was crying about school but didn’t want to put the child on medication “because they were too young”.  What age is the right age for medical treatment?  

Invisible disabilities can have devastating effects on someone’s life because from the outside, they can seem “not that bad” or a matter of “willpower” because they look whole.  So many Neurodiverse adults carry school-related trauma of being forced, day after day, to endure unnecessary difficulties that a prescription medication could have greatly alleviated.  We would never tell a paraplegic person to just “get up and get some exercise and you’ll be able to walk again”.  Why then is treating the brain in this way acceptable?  

It’s not, and there are so many different types of treatments, including medication, that can help immensely. The science is there too to prove it. We need to stop the stigma and embrace the truth - the brain needs to be treated like the important organ it is. Nobody gets extra points for white-knuckling through life. Get the help you need!