Why I Founded Healed For Good.

Maybe it’s just me, but 2020 feels like it was decades ago. It seems that so much has changed about our world since then, some for the better and some for the worse. The COVID pandemic was undoubtedly tragic and truly changed life as we know it. That’s a fact. However, in the same breath, I feel somewhat of an obligation to defend the pandemic for all the ways we’ve blamed it. The pandemic quickly became a scapegoat for all the problems in the world - the housing crisis, unstable economies, tumultuous political climates - the list goes on and on. I’d like to argue that COVID didn’t necessarily cause all these problems, but simply opened our eyes to them. As the entire world shut down and much of the senseless noise quieted, the deeper systemic issues that had been hiding beneath all the hustle and bustle finally came to light - racism, social injustices, environmental issues, and the widespread prevalence of mental illness (just to name a few).

While it’s evident that the COVID pandemic itself led to countless tragedies, including higher rates of mental illness across the globe, I’d like to highlight one silver lining - a dramatic increase in the awareness of mental illness. As the world came together to fight the devastating effects of COVID, people were encouraged more than ever to seek help for mental health concerns. The stigma that surrounded mental illness for so many decades slowly began to melt away, and those silently struggling finally had the confidence to accept support. 

This was a change that our world so desperately needed, especially given the growing prevalence of mental health concerns. According to the World Health Organization, rates of depression and anxiety increased by 25% as a result of the COVID pandemic. A study from the University of Michigan found that the number of psychiatric prescriptions increased by a whopping 63% during the pandemic. That’s HUGE. I firmly believe that psychiatric medications are useful and necessary for some people. The pandemic certainly brought unprecedented times, and many of us (medical providers included) were simply trying to survive. 

Because of the increased awareness of mental illness and the encouragement to seek help, many people were doing just that - discussing antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications with their primary care providers and/or seeking care from psychiatrists to help them cope through the global pandemic. Hear me: this is not a bad thing. If you go through a time in life that is so traumatic and unbearable that you cannot function on a daily basis, a psychiatric medication is absolutely appropriate and arguably necessary.  

However, even as the panic began to die down, COVID cases diminished, and life began to return to normal, I started to see some trends that were unsettling. The number of psychiatric prescriptions was not decreasing, and the number of psychiatric diagnoses continued at a concerning rate - arguably inaccurately. I began to see cases in which someone simply experiencing sadness was given a diagnosis of major depressive disorder without the appropriate supportive evidence, and thus they were prescribed a medication. I saw many instances in which any worry or stress was labeled as generalized anxiety disorder and prescribed a medication (sometimes an addictive one). That is simply inaccurate and a massive disservice to the individual. 

Now, many people have what they think is a life-long diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder, and a perceived life-long need for medication; when in reality, they simply had a very normal reaction to extremely traumatic circumstances. Rather than equipping people with the tools to cope with intense and stressful times, we are masking valid and normal human emotions with pharmaceuticals. As a result, you have people going through life on autopilot and simply surviving on medication, rather than increasing their ability to cope with stress in healthy ways and foster fulfilling lives. 

Again, one could argue that COVID created this problem of over-diagnosing and overprescribing psychiatric medications. However, I believe that the pandemic simply magnified this already-existing issue. Sure, before the pandemic it may have been on a lesser scale, but it was still there - slapping a band-aid on someone’s emotional difficulties instead of helping them to understand their emotions and how to cope in helpful ways, ultimately healing from the underlying causes instead of staying stuck.

I’d like to point out that there are thousands and thousands of truly exceptional therapists who help those struggling by doing this deep work day in and day out, and they deserve endless thanks. The reality is, there are not enough therapists to serve all the people who need help. So the point I am trying to make is that as medical providers and prescribers, we have to do better than just covering up problems with prescriptions; which is why I founded Healed For Good. 

Healed For Good is a mental health practice in which we offer a combination of integrative psychiatry and wellness coaching. In short, integrative psychiatry is an approach that utilizes conventional medication and holistic treatments (a whole body approach) to control symptoms of mental illness so that they no longer interfere with your daily functioning. Wellness coaching is the process in which we help you to uncover and overcome the root causes of your symptoms to help you truly heal from depression and anxiety and minimize your need for medication. We help you to recognize and understand your emotions and symptoms, how to effectively cope with them, and how to use them to your advantage. We don’t want people to simply “make it through” their days and survive life. Our goal is NOT to simply get you depression and anxiety free. Our goal is to help you thrive and create a life that you truly love.

If this is something that resonates with you and you would like to explore our services further, click here to learn more about our process and schedule a free consultation. We would love to help, and can’t wait to connect with you.

Sending you love and hope.