This is a blog about young people’s experiences with medications, and I’m always looking to broaden the scope of stories I tell.

I’ve really appreciated people sharing their personal experiences in the comments section, but if anyone would like to elaborate in a guest post, or by getting in touch with me and then having me write up a short account of their experience, please get in touch in the comments section and we can go from there.

Full names aren’t necessary for those concerned about confidentiality.

I am particularly interested in hearing from those who began taking medication as children or teens. You can highlight any aspect of the experience that stands out to you, but here are a few ideas to get you thinking. You don’t have to address all of them!

1) How did you start taking medication in the first place? At the time, did you think you needed medication?

2) If a doctor or parent provided an explanation of why you were being prescribed psychiatric drugs, how did they explain it? Did they ever explain it as a “chemical imbalance?” What was your reaction to their explanation?

3) Did medication feel like what you expected? Why or why not?

4) Did you experience any troubling side effects? What was it about the side effects that was so troubling? Did you experience any unexpected benefits?

5) Did you talk to friends or family members about your disorder or the fact that you took medication? If you still take medication, are you more open about it now?

6) What kind of relationship did you have with the doctor who prescribed your medication? Did you also see a therapist or experiment with other therapeutic methods to treat your symptoms?

7) Did you – or do you – see medications as a temporary solution, or a long-term commitment?

Did medication itself – or just knowing that you took medication – change the way you thought about yourself?

9) Did you ever stop taking a medication or change a dosage without telling your doctor? Why?

10) Did a medication ever stop working for you? What was that like?

11) Do you wish you’d begun taking medication earlier or later in your life? Is there anything else you’d change about the circumstances under which you began taking it?

12) Has taking medication from a young age had any other lasting impact on you?

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From Psych Central's World of Psychology:
Psych Central Week in Review -- Video Podcast #2 | World of Psychology (February 6, 2012)

    Last reviewed: 1 Feb 2012