Medicine for mental health and meditation

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I want to know about some mental health issues…
Like anixity, overthinking, ADHD…
Do you think this people should take medicine …
Or the only cure for such condition is meditation.

There are certainly side effects of medicine but still…

As in goenka retreat they don’t allow to take such medication.

If any substance make your mind calm …is it ok to take that substance and then sit for meditation it will help in jhana for sure …but when it comes to Vipassana it will hide unpleasant feeling I think…

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I think most mental issues are down to wrong perception of the nature of reality.
If right understanding - most specifically the perception of anatta- is developed then I think the person won’t have issues- all moments simply arise and pass away after all.

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And you speak as a doctor? Or from personal experience with severe mental illnesses?

Please consider the implications of you words here as they may directly impact someone’s decision to seek medical help.

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If you are having mental health issues I would recommend seeing a health professional, just as you would if you had a physical ailment. Even the Buddha used medicine that was available to him at the time.

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Medical problems should be discussed with the health professional. However, you should express your desire to try to solve the issues without medication if the issues are mild enough to do so. After that, it is up to your health professional to decide.

A google on “what percentage of gen z are on psychiatric medication” provided this excerpt:>

According to the State of Gen Z Mental Health study, 42% of Gen Z respondents have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. However, only about 20% have sought therapy to address their mental health concerns. Additionally, 60% of Gen Z individuals are currently using medication to help manage their mental health
(I assume this is referencing America)

So this seems a little high and I would have to side with @RobertK on some of this and side with the medical professionals on others. I think that expressing your interest to go “el natura” should be expressed to your healthcare professional, but tell your doctor you want what is best for your health. If medical-grade-depression is leading to dangerous thoughts of suicide etc, then it must be treated.

ADHD is probably over diagnosed because most people cannot concentrate when and asked to do so on demand in a testable way. When they see the results, they get upset. It can be like a false psychic saying to a client, “you got angry this week, and your lust was a little strong. Be careful!”. So Attention Deficit is a natural reality that takes practice to control. Age and Maturity also helps with that too because a child or teenager is naturally hyperactive. There is a reason why car insurance is so high for people under 25. I think people don’t let kids be kids. I’ve also read a report that 50% of American gen z college grads are getting fired. They cannot handle responsibility, they are late for work, miss too many days, late for meetings and complain the work is too hard. America is going to fall down in 20 years if this continues.

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I just had a recheck of the opening post.

I want to know about some mental health issues…
Like anixity, overthinking, ADHD

I wouldn’t call those examples severe mental illness and no I am not a doctor.
I speak from confidence in the Dhamma.

Take anxiety as mentioned by the OP- it is only a type of dosa, aversion. It arises and passes away.
One who learns Dhamma gradually sees that all there is are different ephemeral elements and they are all conditioned and arise and cease. Anxiety arises at times for all of us - but for the person steeped in the Abhidhamma it is merely a conditioned phenomena - an element to understand, just like any other.
Someone who hasn’t heard the Dhamma will tend to react to that anxiety - “oh I wish I was calm” That is natural but it actually increases dosa.

So the more life is seen as it really is, as different realities, the more sane we become for sure.
There are only 4 jatis - and seeing each moment as one of these breaks down wrong view - and that is the way to end all dukkha, including mental suffering.

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Any time I see someone say that, I know that they have no experience with chronic, clinical anxiety.

I also have deep confidence in the Dhamma, but I also don’t have the arrogance to think that every mental health problem can be solved by right view.

When someone asks about medicine for mental health advice you need to assume that 1) people other than the OP are going to read it and 2) that the OP is likely going to minimize what they are asking about.

Anxiety, OCD (which could be what someone in some cases describes as over thinking) and ADHD can be severe, debilitating conditions.

I really think that this forum should have a policy to not offer medical advice of any kind. Legally it’s much safer for you as the forum owner.

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Dhamma is no quick fix - but it is the path to solving every problem. And it also leads out of samsara.

SN 22:7. Anxiety Because of Grasping

“Mendicants, I will teach you how grasping leads to anxiety, and how not grasping leads to freedom from anxiety. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“And how does grasping lead to anxiety? It’s when an uneducated ordinary person has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen good persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the good persons. They regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form. But that form of theirs decays and perishes, and consciousness latches on to the perishing of form. Anxieties occupy their mind, born of latching on to the perishing of form, and originating in accordance with natural principles. So they become frightened, worried, concerned, and anxious because of grasping.

They regard feeling as self …

They regard perception as self …

They regard choices as self …

They regard consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness. But that consciousness of theirs decays and perishes, and consciousness latches on to the perishing of consciousness. Anxieties occupy their mind, born of latching on to the perishing of consciousness, and originating in accordance with natural principles. So they become frightened, worried, concerned, and anxious because of grasping. That’s how grasping leads to anxiety.

And how does not grasping lead to freedom from anxiety? It’s when an educated noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen good persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the good persons. They don’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form. When that form of theirs decays and perishes, consciousness doesn’t latch on to the perishing of form. Anxieties—born of latching on to the perishing of form and originating in accordance with natural principles—don’t occupy their mind. So they don’t become frightened, worried, concerned, or anxious because of grasping.

They don’t regard feeling as self …

They don’t regard perception as self …

They don’t regard choices as self …

They don’t regard consciousness as self … When that consciousness of theirs decays and perishes, consciousness doesn’t latch on to the perishing of consciousness. Anxieties—born of latching on to the perishing of consciousness and originating in accordance with natural principles—don’t occupy their mind. So they don’t become frightened, worried, concerned, or anxious because of grasping. That’s how not grasping leads to freedom from anxiety.”

Even for the ‘chronically anxious’ they can learn about the four jati I mentioned. If they do they can understand that at moments of seeing, hearing or tasting there can’t be any anxiety. This understanding interrupts the flow of thoughts that may be focused on ‘anxious me’.
Or while reading some passage from a sutta or Abhidhamma if any understanding comes in, just for a few seconds, those are moments of calm - and they are pointing to a longer lasting calm.

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