When discussing mental health, much of the focus is usually spent on encouraging people to seek help for their condition. While this is the right approach and is liable to significantly improve quality of life, it’s also important to focus on what can happen after people have sought treatment.
Many people with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety find that medical treatment is not as effective as they may hope. This is incredibly difficult to deal with; after all, when we become unwell, most of us expect modern medicine to be able to offer a cure.
Mental health, however, doesn’t work like that. While the majority of people with mental health conditions will experience notable improvements thanks to medical intervention, this is not a guarantee – and those that do not see improvements from treatment can find that their condition is labeled “treatment-refractory”.
What does “treatment-refractory” mean?
Essentially, it’s a medical name that is given to a condition that has not responded to treatment, be that medication, counseling, or other forms of talking therapies.
The term “treatment-resistant” is sometimes used to describe the same circumstances.
So it means medical intervention won’t help?
Not at all; in fact, addressing this is one of the key reasons this post is so necessary. Many people are told their condition is treatment-refractory, or see the term in their notes, and despair, presuming it means that there is no help available to them.
However, treatment-refractory status does not mean that the medical professionals you are working with have given up or decided nothing would help. It’s more of an acknowledgment of the complexity of your specific case.
Does being “treatment-refractory” mean a mental health condition will never improve?
No!
In many cases, treatment-refractory conditions are merely waiting for new, innovative approaches that may not have yet entered the mainstream. CBD, for example, has shown great benefits for mental health, but has existed outside of standard medical practice; those who wished to try CBD opted to buy Harmony CBD for themselves. Of course, it’s always important to talk to your doctor if you want to try alternative therapies, but it does exemplify the fact that medical science tends to work quite slowly – and many treatment-refractory cases are just waiting for developments to catch up.
There is also the fact that many cases of treatment-refractory mental health conditions are simply not responding to conventional approaches right now – but they will in the future, often for no obvious reason. treatment-refractory status can be temporary; it does not mean that your condition will never improve.
What should I do if I learn my condition is considered “treatment-refractory”?
- Focus on managing your mental health condition on a day-to-day basis.
- Follow research into your specific condition and discuss with your doctor any new ideas you feel may be beneficial.
- Talk to your doctor for their suggestions; some may suggest alternative therapies, or perhaps even medical trials that you may be suitable for.
- Talk to other people with the same condition in order to obtain support and advice on condition management.
In conclusion
In the vast majority of cases, treatment for mental health conditions dramatically improves lives. If, however, your condition is found to be treatment-refractory, try to focus on the fact that this is not necessarily permanent, that effective treatment may well be available in future, and work with medical professionals to ensure you can manage as well as possible in the meantime.
