If you’ve ever talked to your family doctor about mental illness, you’ve probably gotten the old “eat better, exercise more, and sleep more” talk. While this is helpful advice for most people, these are not always the root problems. Whether you’ve tried medication or are looking to try something else, check out these alternative ways to treat mental illness.
Art Therapy
Finding a creative outlet is a go-to strategy for many people. Ancient civilizations created their mythologies to deal with the anxieties that come with the unknown. Art therapy is a blanket term that includes creative writing, painting, drawing, dance, drama, and photography. All are valid forms of expression that can release some of those feelings and give you a new hobby. On top of that, you can create a cool piece of art to use as decoration.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is relatively new to the mainstream therapy scene, with KAP becoming more popular as researchers complete more studies. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy uses the psychoactive drug ketamine to treat depression quickly. While the effects only last about an hour or so, study after study is starting to show that with repeated doses, KAP can greatly reduce mental illness symptoms in some patients.
Get Out More
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of building a support network for yourself. If you can manage it, spend time with friends and loved ones. You must keep yourself surrounded with positive influences that you can turn to when you need help. It’s also good to keep in mind that you don’t want to reach out only when you’re down. Create your own support system by making time to do things you like and want to do.
When you’re struggling with mental illness, reaching out and asking for help can feel like one of the hardest things in the world. If you’re looking for alternative ways to treat mental illness, start looking into alternative therapies and using your social circle. Living with mental illness is a journey that you’ll always walk on, but there are ways to make it a little easier each day.
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