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Should Medication be the First Resort in Mental  Health Treatment?

December 06, 20227 min read

“...someday..., we'll medicate human experience right out of the human experience.”
Dennis Lehane,
Shutter Island


Neurotherapy is a drug-free treatment for anxiety and adhd

Is America Overmedicated?

I'm sure most of you will not be surprised to hear that the United States ranks #1 in the world for prescription drug use while ranking only #6 in the "World Index of Healthcare Innovation". Since a prescription is required to legally obtain these drugs, it then stands to reason that prescription drugs are also recommended by doctors 90% of the time over CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), which is only 10% of mental health treatment. Other developed nations recommend 10% medication use and 90% therapy, with significantly better outcomes. The American Psychological Association (APA) also reports that 4 out of 5 mental and behavioral health prescriptions are written by a PCP (primary care physician) and not by mental health care professionals.

"Today, patients often receive psychotropic medications without being evaluated by a mental health professional, according to a study last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many Americans visit their primary-care physicians and may walk away with a prescription for an antidepressant or other drugs without being aware of other evidence-based treatments — such as cognitive behavioral therapy — that might work better for them without the risk of side effects." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Mental Health Statistics

With over 66 million Americans reportedly taking mental health medication, you'd think we would see a decrease in the number of people reporting mental health problems. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all. In fact, mental health visits and diagnoses have more than doubled since 2012. One drug company reported that mental health prescriptions tripled between 2020 and 2022

Over 6 million children have an ADHD diagnosis and as many as 62% of those diagnosed are taking prescription medication for ADHD alone. According to the CDC, less than half of those taking prescritpion drugs for treatment receive any kind of behavioral therapy as recommended by the APA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AMA).

To put into perspective the overuse of prescription medications in the US, note that the United States also makes up 86% of all opioid use in the world!

"Most antidepressants are prescribed by primary-care physicians who may have limited training in treating mental health disorders." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Does Medication Improve Mental Health?

We could feasibly conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic, the political climate and financial unrest may have contributed to the decline of mental and behavioral wellness. But, while prescriptions more than doubled from 2012, therapy visits ebbed and flowed between only 1 and 5 percent toward an increase by 2022. It may be possible that more medication is not resolving the problem and could actually be contributing to mental unwellness.

“Before you treat a man with a condition, know that not all cures can heal all people. For the chemistry that works on one patient may not work for the next, because even medicine has its own conditions.”
Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

Why is Therapy Not More Widely Recommended?

With this information, it's no wonder people are desperate to find alternatives for resolving their mental and behavioral health issues. The logical answer would be to seek cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first resort, as recommended by the American Psychiological Association, which is sounding the alarm on the overmedicating of mental health patients, and using prescriptions as a first resort after diagnosis. But, therapy is an ongoing process that requires many visits, often not covered or only partially covered by medical insurance. Most covering about 5-20 total visits per year. Psychiatrist visits and medications are not nearly as limited.

"Lower clinician reimbursement rates for psychotherapy and higher out-of-pocket costs to patients most likely contributed to the declining use of therapy, the study found." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Why is it Difficult to Obtain Therapy?

Insurance may only cover portions of patient visits, or none at all. The average coverage only includes 5-20 visits per year. With most therapy requiring ongoing care, the out of pocket costs can be overwhelming for paying clients.

The majority therapists work during business hours and many employers will not allow for so much time off during the day for personal reasons.

Therapists are hard to find as most are experiencing burn-out from coping with an increasing number of very sick clients and overwhelming client load due to the shrinking number of therapists available.

“The original sense of the word 'therapist' in its Greek form therapuetes, was that of an attendant. A therapist, Laing maintained, should therefore be a specialist in attentiveness and awareness.”
Fritjof Capra, Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People

What are the Alternatives?

More mental health professionals and prescribing physicians are recommending so-called "aleternative" therapies to patients who are not getting results from medications, do not wish to take medications, or as a last resort once they have tried and failed with various pharmaceutical treatments.

The American Phsycological Association now recognizes the need for treating the whole person, including the brain and metabolic function. They have since integrated "Complimentary Alternative Medicine" or "CAM", into the practice of Psychology.

The majority of common mental and behavioral health problems can be found in the brain, and when properly identified and "trained", can be resolved with lasting results.

Neurotherapy Centers of America addresses both metabolic/nutritional and neurological causes of mental and behavioral issues.

Neurotherapy has over 65 years of research, application and efficacy, proving it to be safe and effective in the treatment of disorders such as anxiety, ADHD, depression and more.

"Neurofeedback participants made more prompt and greater improvements in ADHD symptoms, which were sustained at the 6-month follow-up, than did CT participants or those in the control group. This finding suggests that neurofeedback is a promising attention training treatment for children with ADHD." In-School Neurofeedback Training for ADHD: Sustained Improvements From a Randomized Control Trial| AAP Publications Pediatrics (2014) 133 (3): 483–492.


neurotherapy is recommended by harvard researchers for adhd and anxiety

How Does Neurotherapy Work?

Neurotherapy, Neurofeedback (NFB), Biofeedback, or Brainwave Training is an alternative to medicinal treatment, and utilizes real-time displays of electroencephalography (EEG) to highlight brain activity. By recording brain wave activity with sensors placed on the head, we can collect details about why someone might be experiencing symptoms based on what is measured in the brain.

States of over-arousal or under-arousal in the brain can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, attention deficit (ADD/ADHD), and other common conditions.

Once the initial information has been collected from a number of sties on your head, Neurotherapy can be used to track brain wave activity, and train the brain to perform more efficiently by giving a visual and auditory feedback response as brain wave patterns balance, and self-regulation happens.

The initial information is collected by obtaining a qEEG and creating a brain map.

What is a Brain Map?

Click Here


Get Started With Neurotherapy

Virtual Options

Contact us to schedule a FREE consultation and find out how you can qualify for 3 FREE congitive/behavioral and metabolic assessments.


*The information in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the blog owner, and any other opinions in quotations are the opinion of the sited reference.

"Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use."

Neurotherapy Centers of America 2022

Julia Phares

Julia Phares is the Owner of Neurotherapy Centers of America, Formerly Atlanta Neurotherapy Institute. Julia has been a speaker at the SBMT, has appeared in WebMD videos and is featured in various medical publications.

Back to Blog
blog image

Should Medication be the First Resort in Mental  Health Treatment?

December 06, 20227 min read

“...someday..., we'll medicate human experience right out of the human experience.”
Dennis Lehane,
Shutter Island


Neurotherapy is a drug-free treatment for anxiety and adhd

Is America Overmedicated?

I'm sure most of you will not be surprised to hear that the United States ranks #1 in the world for prescription drug use while ranking only #6 in the "World Index of Healthcare Innovation". Since a prescription is required to legally obtain these drugs, it then stands to reason that prescription drugs are also recommended by doctors 90% of the time over CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), which is only 10% of mental health treatment. Other developed nations recommend 10% medication use and 90% therapy, with significantly better outcomes. The American Psychological Association (APA) also reports that 4 out of 5 mental and behavioral health prescriptions are written by a PCP (primary care physician) and not by mental health care professionals.

"Today, patients often receive psychotropic medications without being evaluated by a mental health professional, according to a study last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many Americans visit their primary-care physicians and may walk away with a prescription for an antidepressant or other drugs without being aware of other evidence-based treatments — such as cognitive behavioral therapy — that might work better for them without the risk of side effects." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Mental Health Statistics

With over 66 million Americans reportedly taking mental health medication, you'd think we would see a decrease in the number of people reporting mental health problems. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all. In fact, mental health visits and diagnoses have more than doubled since 2012. One drug company reported that mental health prescriptions tripled between 2020 and 2022

Over 6 million children have an ADHD diagnosis and as many as 62% of those diagnosed are taking prescription medication for ADHD alone. According to the CDC, less than half of those taking prescritpion drugs for treatment receive any kind of behavioral therapy as recommended by the APA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AMA).

To put into perspective the overuse of prescription medications in the US, note that the United States also makes up 86% of all opioid use in the world!

"Most antidepressants are prescribed by primary-care physicians who may have limited training in treating mental health disorders." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Does Medication Improve Mental Health?

We could feasibly conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic, the political climate and financial unrest may have contributed to the decline of mental and behavioral wellness. But, while prescriptions more than doubled from 2012, therapy visits ebbed and flowed between only 1 and 5 percent toward an increase by 2022. It may be possible that more medication is not resolving the problem and could actually be contributing to mental unwellness.

“Before you treat a man with a condition, know that not all cures can heal all people. For the chemistry that works on one patient may not work for the next, because even medicine has its own conditions.”
Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

Why is Therapy Not More Widely Recommended?

With this information, it's no wonder people are desperate to find alternatives for resolving their mental and behavioral health issues. The logical answer would be to seek cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first resort, as recommended by the American Psychiological Association, which is sounding the alarm on the overmedicating of mental health patients, and using prescriptions as a first resort after diagnosis. But, therapy is an ongoing process that requires many visits, often not covered or only partially covered by medical insurance. Most covering about 5-20 total visits per year. Psychiatrist visits and medications are not nearly as limited.

"Lower clinician reimbursement rates for psychotherapy and higher out-of-pocket costs to patients most likely contributed to the declining use of therapy, the study found." Inappropriate prescribing by Brendan L. Smith, June 2012, Vol 43, No. 6

Why is it Difficult to Obtain Therapy?

Insurance may only cover portions of patient visits, or none at all. The average coverage only includes 5-20 visits per year. With most therapy requiring ongoing care, the out of pocket costs can be overwhelming for paying clients.

The majority therapists work during business hours and many employers will not allow for so much time off during the day for personal reasons.

Therapists are hard to find as most are experiencing burn-out from coping with an increasing number of very sick clients and overwhelming client load due to the shrinking number of therapists available.

“The original sense of the word 'therapist' in its Greek form therapuetes, was that of an attendant. A therapist, Laing maintained, should therefore be a specialist in attentiveness and awareness.”
Fritjof Capra, Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People

What are the Alternatives?

More mental health professionals and prescribing physicians are recommending so-called "aleternative" therapies to patients who are not getting results from medications, do not wish to take medications, or as a last resort once they have tried and failed with various pharmaceutical treatments.

The American Phsycological Association now recognizes the need for treating the whole person, including the brain and metabolic function. They have since integrated "Complimentary Alternative Medicine" or "CAM", into the practice of Psychology.

The majority of common mental and behavioral health problems can be found in the brain, and when properly identified and "trained", can be resolved with lasting results.

Neurotherapy Centers of America addresses both metabolic/nutritional and neurological causes of mental and behavioral issues.

Neurotherapy has over 65 years of research, application and efficacy, proving it to be safe and effective in the treatment of disorders such as anxiety, ADHD, depression and more.

"Neurofeedback participants made more prompt and greater improvements in ADHD symptoms, which were sustained at the 6-month follow-up, than did CT participants or those in the control group. This finding suggests that neurofeedback is a promising attention training treatment for children with ADHD." In-School Neurofeedback Training for ADHD: Sustained Improvements From a Randomized Control Trial| AAP Publications Pediatrics (2014) 133 (3): 483–492.


neurotherapy is recommended by harvard researchers for adhd and anxiety

How Does Neurotherapy Work?

Neurotherapy, Neurofeedback (NFB), Biofeedback, or Brainwave Training is an alternative to medicinal treatment, and utilizes real-time displays of electroencephalography (EEG) to highlight brain activity. By recording brain wave activity with sensors placed on the head, we can collect details about why someone might be experiencing symptoms based on what is measured in the brain.

States of over-arousal or under-arousal in the brain can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, attention deficit (ADD/ADHD), and other common conditions.

Once the initial information has been collected from a number of sties on your head, Neurotherapy can be used to track brain wave activity, and train the brain to perform more efficiently by giving a visual and auditory feedback response as brain wave patterns balance, and self-regulation happens.

The initial information is collected by obtaining a qEEG and creating a brain map.

What is a Brain Map?

Click Here


Get Started With Neurotherapy

Virtual Options

Contact us to schedule a FREE consultation and find out how you can qualify for 3 FREE congitive/behavioral and metabolic assessments.


*The information in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the blog owner, and any other opinions in quotations are the opinion of the sited reference.

"Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use."

Neurotherapy Centers of America 2022

Julia Phares

Julia Phares is the Owner of Neurotherapy Centers of America, Formerly Atlanta Neurotherapy Institute. Julia has been a speaker at the SBMT, has appeared in WebMD videos and is featured in various medical publications.

Back to Blog

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*We offer a drug-free, non-invasive approach to alleviate symptoms associated with: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety, Insomnia, Learning Disorders, Memory Loss, Fibromyalgia, Migraine and more..

Our advertising features actual client testimonials. Individual results may vary.

©2022 Neurotherapy Centers Of America. All rights reserved.

*We offer a drug-free, non-invasive approach to alleviate symptoms associated with: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety, Insomnia, Learning Disorders, Memory Loss, Fibromyalgia, Migraine and more..

Our advertising features actual client testimonials. Individual results may vary.