Alternatives to psychiatric meds!
This is the number one thing I get asked for when I tell people that I consult with those who have been harmed by psychiatry and psychiatric drugs. What are the alternatives to psychiatric meds?
A lot of people say psychiatric drugs are a last resort, or that everything else should be tried first. They don’t even mention alternatives to psychiatric meds though! Even many doctors claim psychiatric drugs should only be a last resort if all other options have been exhausted.
Really? Â Are people trying everything or even close to all of the alternatives to psychiatric meds?
Some of these options might be prohibitive due to cost, beliefs, interest or access, and that’s why I’m sharing a long list. Please look up any terms on this list you aren’t familiar with and be sure to do enough research to give yourself the best shot at succeeding at these methods. Most require ongoing regular practice.
Some are self explanatory, others require instruction or even medical advice. Some of these alternatives to psychiatric meds won’t work for you, but keep scrolling and a few will. If you’re considering going on psych drugs (or planning to come off, or in the withdrawal process) here are some things that can help:
1. Acupuncture (community treatments are often $15-30, some areas have free group acupuncture).
2. Journaling. Writing my thoughts down every day has no doubt kept me out of the mental health system entirely for many years.
3. Art. Â Whatever kind you are drawn to can reframe your experiences so it no longer makes sense to see them as a mental illness.
4. Less refined sugar. Nutritional alternatives to psychiatric meds could be tried before taking “mood stabilizers” such as Lithium or Lamictal.
5. More protein, vegetables and healthy fats
6. Massage from a friend/Self massage with oils
7. Professional massage
8. Magnesium- Some supplements can be great alternatives to psychiatric meds for anxiety and sleep!
9. Run/walk/hike most days- wonderful alternatives to psychiatric meds such as SSRIs and SNRIs that would be good to try.
10. Yoga/gentle stretching
11. Meditation-Quiet time, breathing, yoga and meditation are important alternatives to psychiatric meds for many people, myself included.
12. Prayer
13. More time in nature
14. Eating wild foods
15. Methyl folate-especially for people who have the MTHFR gene, methylated B vitamins are important alternatives to psychiatric meds to try first. They can help with anxiety and stress.
16. Methyl B12
17. Herbal teas- these are great alternatives to psychiatric meds and work best when loose leaf whole dried herbs are used.
18. Vitamin C
19. High quality food-based multi vitamin
20. Cod liver oil- this and other essential fatty acids are important alternatives to psychiatric meds as they have been found to help with depression and anxiety as well as lowering inflammation in the body.
21. Flax seeds/chia seeds
22. Bone broth
23. Blogging
24. Peer counseling
25. Warm lines
26. Starting a business with your talents
27. Probiotics
28. Go organic
29. Go to the beach/ lake/ river more. Many people in cities might forget to consider these important alternatives to psychiatric meds. Negative ions in natural flowing water change brain waves and make people happier and more relaxed.
30. Plants
31. More hugs/cuddling
32. Music
33. Tracking the lunar cycles- these alternatives to psychiatric meds have been used to understand moods in relation to the fluids in the universe since before psychiatric drugs existed!
34. Astrology
35. Tarot
36. Get tested for all vitamin/mineral deficiencies- very important to try these alternatives to psychiatric meds before starting any.
37. Naturopathic advice- Many naturopaths can give you detailed information about a lot of the items on this list of alternatives to psychiatric meds.
38. Homeopathy
39. Flower essences
40. Crystals
41. Weight lifting
42. Sports
43. Date and/or join a women’s group/men’s group/gender queer group
44. Clean your closets
45. Hire/ask someone to help you do something you can’t do yourself
46. Peer support groups
47. Protests/activism- These alternatives to psychiatric meds that lets you use your emotions and integrate them into a greater purpose, while understanding more deeply where the issues come from. All emotions and states of mind are sociopolitical and none exist in a vacuum within an individual.
48. Helping others with your madness/genius- this is the best of all of the alternatives to psychiatric meds
49. Travel
50. Make more friends
51. Spend more time with your friends
52. Spend more time alone, in quiet
53. Let yourself stay in bed all day sometimes and let it be okay
54. Find friends you can have a meltdown with
55. Let yourself have meltdowns when needed
56. Avoid psychiatrists and people who believe in the medical model when you’re in crisis
57. Martial arts
58. Express anger in a safe place
59. Write letters to family members that you don’t send
60. Find someone who will just listen without judging or giving advice
61. Sing
62. Dance
63. Stick up for yourself
64. Avoid people who bring you down
65. Follow your inner guidance
66. Talk to yourself (vocal journaling)
67. Pray out loud
68. Vitamin D
69. Avoid too much caffeine
70. Limit other addictions
71. Sex/masturbation
72. Bare feet on the earth
73. Garden
74. Find rock bottom faith in your life
75. Examine your beliefs either on paper or aloud, alone or with a friend
76. Join meetups/other groups
77. Play games
78. Theater-act out different parts of you safely
79. Self-trust-never give full authority away
80. Speak publicly about something that can help others
81. Make You Tube videos to reach out to others
82. Find more support people online via Facebook groups and other forums
83. Make online friends into phone friends and in person friends when possible
84. Connect with animals
85. Get more fresh air
86. Move somewhere with weather and culture that suits you
87. Do a fundraising campaign on Go Fund Me/Indiegogo/Kickstarter to raise money for a project, or just for your expenses/goals
88. Reach out more and ask for help directly (from people who won’t label you)
89. Start a support group if you can’t find the right one in your area
90. Listen to your voices; what is their message?
91. Reconnect with old friends
92. Find friends who understand difficult times
93. Allow all feelings and mental states to exist
96. Talk to your loved ones who have passed on and see if they have a message for you
97. Go to a psychic
98. Lie on the Earth and ask it to hold your problems for you for awhile
99. Stay hydrated
100. Take Epsom Salt/baking soda baths regularly
101. Use Coconut Oil on your body; it helps detox metals
102. Exfoliate your skin
103. Floss regularly-it prevents blood stagnation
104. Unplug when you need to
105. Let yourself rest/sleep more
106. Oil pull
107. Make a list of things you can offer and things you need. Â See where you can barter.
108. Slow down
109. Spend an hour a day expressing your creativity
110. Let yourself go crazy sometimes and know it is part of the human condition
111. EFT/tapping
I have actually tried all of the alternatives to psychiatric meds on this list; these aren’t random ideas I have heard of. Every single thing on this list is something that has kept me off psychiatric drugs! No joke. Though I thought it would be hard to write such a long list, now I think there are many more things to add too. Please add your own ideas in the comments below and please share widely so we can start to shift the idea that people have already “tried everything”.
Get your thyroid checked, especially if you are anxious.
Yes. I had anxiety and depression symptoms for years…had undiagnosed hypothyroid. When I started on thyroid treatment…most of my anxiety and some of the depression went away!
Thanks Diane. I have heard this from others too.
As an EFT practitioner I’m so excited that was in your list 🙂 I would add: cry, walk barefoot on earth, plant a garden, take one day at a time, accept your feelings, talk to yourself like you would a loved one, keep (and tap) a gratitude journal, aroma therapy, color therapy, affirmations, meditation, visualization, forgive yourself and everyone else, help other people…
Great ideas Dede. I added some of them to my second draft of this blog which now has 120 items. A few of these are actually on the list already 🙂
Great list! Also check for histamine intolerance or iron deficiency – both can be extremly similar to depression/anxiety.
I’m writing a similar blog, but i’ts for german-speaking people.
Thanks Freigeist! Would love to see your blog. Yes, iron deficiency is something I have struggled with, as well as histamine intolerance. Thanks for those ideas.
You can find my blog here: http://www.my-free-mind.at or http://www.facebook.com/myfreemindblog
Unfortunately I’m writing only in german right now, but I’m sharing lots of ressources and videos on facebook and some/most of them are english 🙂
Abhyanga. I know self massage is on the list but abhyanga is a little different. It is the number one thing that helped me find balance
Good reminder. I need to get some sesame oil!
Avoid preservatives, especially CalciumPropionate(in bread mostly) and MSG both of which mess with your head x
yes, very important, as well as chemicals in body care products.
I loved this article. Simple & practical. I would not try every idea you, but you make some really good points! I’m going to take my next $180 that could’ve gone to my therapist & invest the cash differently!
smswaby.wordpress.com
SMSwaby
Awesome SMSwaby!
dianetics. I also received counseling when I was younger but not by someone who wanted to put me on drugs. I handled a lot on dianetics because its strategies were different than just talking about my problems with a counselor. I also recommend writing all your problems down in a list and then seeing what you can come up with for solutions or get guidance to find solutions BUT dont let others come up with the answers =) very important.
Light therapy (full spectrum)
Celiac disease- check if you have it. It is an auto-immune disease linked with depression.
Planning social activities- for many making oneself get out of the house every day really helps.
Physical therapy if you have pain in joints or muscles.
Meditation.
Visual imagery.
Great ideas, Miriam, thanks!
listen to your doctor when this isn’t enough!!!!
You might want to consider whether it is wise to post about dianetics. This is from a cult that preys on people with mental health issues, and takes their money. There is no scientific evidence at all behind this, and it is not accepted in any mainstream group. Please remove that comment!
Thanks for the input and for reading! I just added some of the suggestions and submitted a slightly longer list of 120 options to http://www.madinamerica.com
I did notice a lot of the additional suggestions were on the list… I guess when a list is this long some things get lost .
I read a lot of great books.
I practice forgiveness.
I practice “shame resilience,” coined by Brene Brown.
I have been retraining my self not to use psychiatric labels to describe my very valid emotions and experiences. For example “my depression.” I work to find words to describe the feelings that I am having. I heard someone use “big feelings.” Breaking it down and taking control of the words I use allows me to use steps, which includes some of the things on this list, to be well and stay well.
Thanks Chaya I am going to try some of your ideas.
So good…it’s always great to hear your ideas Corrine. Thanks for these additional ideas!
Activism/philanthropy — get outside of yourself. In particular, protection of the most vulnerable provides healing perspective.
Good point! Thanks Catherine.
I strongly recommend self-acceptance or mindful self-compassion to address emotional concerns. Learning to reduce our shame intolerance and reactivity is key, as low self-worth and high levels of self-criticism or fear of criticism of others are the core problem with anxiety or depression. As a psychotherapist, I use these concepts with clients to great effect. And recommend many things on this list, too! Be kind to yourself!
Thank you Harper! I think you are right. Self acceptance is so important and a life long practice. It always helps to have others encourage us in that direction so I appreciate your work.
Practice EmotionalCPR
Thank Dan. Feel free to share a link or description for readers who aren’t familiar with ecpr.
This is an awesome list! Contacting a crisis line. Samaritans is great because I don’t think they insist on emergency services. I volunteer for crisis textline 741741
Thanks Sam! Do you have the info for Samaritans?
I’ve read this list a few times now and love it so much! what stood out to me most, this time, was asking ancestors who have passed if they have any messages for me. when I was a little girl I would lie in bed at night praying to my deceased Nana and was very comforted. some other ideas are having a small routine, like a handful of things to do every morning–I like that because I get a happy accomplished feeling when I’ve done my dailies. 🙂 another idea is to try living in community. another idea is to make a zine! baking has been really satisfying to me in the past, but lately I prefer to cook a pot of beans. something abt simmering very inexpensive little hard plant things for a few hours until they become delicious, nurturing foods feels so healing! alchemical! it smells great too. media fast, day of silence, a road trip. hug a tree. give yourself flowers. become your own best friend, your own lover. do something good for Mother Earth. write yourself a love letter. spend five minutes visualizing the fulfilment of your deepest most beautiful desire. write a love letter to someone who is supporting you. look at pictures of outer space and feel the dazzling realness. think of a new tradition or new holiday that you can bring into your life to help celebrate the year. thank your organs. try a buy nothing day. go back to your roots. think of something that helped you a long time ago and see if it helps now. take a pilgrimage to a holy place. go to the person you know who gives the best advice and present your dilemma. try a spiritual practice that has always sounded good but that you never got around to. try a new food or drink. play on a playground. call someone you really love but haven’t talked to in a while. interview yourself. interview your relatives. reread your favorite childhood books. (mine are Frog & Toad.) well, that was a fun list. thanks for what you do, Chaya! I admire you!
I love this list. Thank you so much for compiling it. Ive shared it with many people. I do wonder if you could explain the connection between exfoliating and mental health. I couldn’t find anything when I did an internet search.
Good post!
Reading again is my goal because I have a screen addiction. I never mind having a small game like that. Anything that stimulates your brain is supposed to assist. Some people watch TV from work to bed. Better than that.
Exploring alternatives to psychiatric drugs is something I’ve found valuable in my mental health journey. Techniques like mindfulness, therapy, and lifestyle changes mobile ultrasound have made a significant difference for me. It’s empowering to try various approaches first, as they can lead to greater self-awareness and potentially reduce the need for medication.
If you’re on the hunt for a playful and nostalgic gaming experience, Dino Game is the perfect spot for you. This website brings the beloved Dino Game to life with a modern twist, making it a fantastic place for gamers of all kinds. Whether you’re looking for a quick break or a fun challenge, DinoGame.app has you covered with its exciting and easy-to-play Dino Game. https://dinogame21.theblog.me/
I aim to read more as I struggle with screen addiction. Engaging in small games is enjoyable; anything that stimulates the brain helps. For entertainment, some prefer watching TV from work to bed. However, diversifying activities like reading can enhance mental health more effectively. Consider exploring options like Monkey Mart for brain-stimulating games that provide a break from screens.