It's more than just drugs

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Let's talk about mental illness. There are many. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provides diagnoses for mental health professionals.

The manual contains many mental disorders from 157 to 297. The low number is distinct disorders and the high number include possible behavior manifestations.

There are 18 chapters of disorders including neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's dementia, depression, and substance abuse.

The standard treatment is medication and counseling, but people these days want more, so now there are complementary and alternative therapies available..

Some alternative therapies include horse therapy, music therapy, yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, supplements, and pet therapy.

Obviously, the choice of treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. If someone is at risk of harming themselves, the mental health professional will be more aggressive with treatment, but may be more open to alternatives for mild symptoms to help a client cope with his/her illness.

So far, in my book series Mental Music, I have used a hospital psychiatric unit, medication, counseling and horse therapy. Music is a theme throughout the series, but not as a specific therapy. But that may change.

In an upcoming blog, I plan to explore some of these alternative therapies, so stay tuned.

Click the link below for more information about psychological disorders:

https://www.verywellmind.com/a-list-of-psychological-disorders-2794776