How to Help Your Student with their Mental Health

Today, there's much less stigma against mental health treatments, thankfully. That's made it much easier for students to pursue treatment whenever suffering, too. So, if you have a student struggling with mental health, make sure to support them. Here are a few ideas if you're treating one of them yourself.

Explore Beta Blockers as a Potential Therapeutic

Of all the concerns when handling anxiolytics, addiction might be at the top. Anxiety can be debilitating if it's left untreated, though. So, that's why many practitioners have been turning to alternatives. Now, they've seen a ton of evidence supporting beta-blockers.

In the body, our parasympathetic nervous system handles autonomic processes. It's responsive to adrenergic transmissions, responding to epinephrine. By administering a beta-blocker before performances, many feel a marked reduction in anxiety. So, beta-blockers are popular among performers as well as students.

It's an effective anxiety medication without much risk of addiction. In fact, they're often a part of treatment plans for cardiac patients. On top of their anxiolytic effects, they can also regulate blood pressure. So, using them could help with any hypertension you're experiencing, too.

Ask your doctor to see if they'd be effective as an alternative to other medicines. For many, the best thing about them is you can take them on demand. Unlike many medicines, you don't have to use them chronically to notice the benefits. Simply take one before you're doing something that would make you anxious.

Calcium Channel Blockers Can Be an Off-Label Anxiolytic

First developed to treat nerve pain, calcium channel blockers also help with anxiety. Today, they're seeing more off-label use as doctors search for non-addictive anxiety treatments.

Even though they're not effective for everyone, many find them beneficial. They don't seem to cause as much of a sedative effect in people sensitive to them, either. So, it doesn't seem to dampen their cognition as much.

Certain SSRIs Are Effective for Anxiety

Usually, you hear about SSRIs when they're used while treating depression. But, our serotonin system also helps to regulate feelings of anxiety.

So, if you're taking an SSRI, you may notice a difference. They're commonly known for relieving social anxiety more than other forms.

The best thing about them is their benign side effect profiles. Compared to other drugs, the risks aren't that great. So, even if they're ineffective, it doesn't hurt to try, usually.

Mood Stabilizers May Help in Some Cases

Believe it or not, a doctor could prescribe lithium as a way to treat anxiety. It's not usually a first-line treatment, but it does seem like it's effective.

When taken by humans, lithium exerts a modulatory effect on mood. If you're getting worked up, it prevents you from getting overstimulated. But, it picks you up if you're too low as well.

There are a few other mood stabilizers with beneficial effects on anxiety. Many of them work as neuroleptics, decreasing seizure risk. By lowering the electrical activity of our nervous system, they can calm us down. As a result, they're useful when treating manic patients. Plus, they can stop someone from feeling overly anxious.

NDRIs Can Also Be Beneficial

Some students feel anxious because they're not keeping up with their studies. The further they get behind, the worse they feel. But, their anxiety prevents them from getting stuff done in the first place.

By taking an NDRI, like Wellbutrin, you may notice a benefit. Since they affect the dopamine system, they can help with attention. Then, you might have an easier time accomplishing tasks. Relieving anxiety would just be a downstream impact in this case. But, that doesn't mean the relief you're feeling isn't valuable.

If you need help studying to feel less anxious, there's nothing wrong with that. Doctors can prescribe medication that improves focus. Plus, many of them aren't overly addictive.

Conclusion

Mental health treatment has progressed by leaps and bounds in the past few decades. Today, it's no longer something to be afraid of if you're having a hard time. Instead, proactively seeking treatment is to be encouraged. By getting help fast, you won't have to suffer for nearly as long.