Psychiatric Medication Should Be a Last Resort — Not Automatically the First Thing We Reach For

The Lindsay Clancy trial has brought attention to something I have believed for years.

Before we immediately try to change someone’s brain chemistry, we should be asking more questions about why that person is struggling in the first place.

This is not an argument that psychiatric medication is always wrong. It is not an argument that doctors do not care. It is not an argument that someone experiencing severe psychiatric symptoms should simply spend time with a pet and hope for the best.

Sometimes medication is appropriate. Sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes it is lifesaving.

But psychiatric medication should not automatically be the first thing we reach for simply because a person is anxious, depressed, unable to sleep, overwhelmed, or behaving in ways that make other people uncomfortable.

Before we ask what medication someone needs, I believe we need to ask what is happening in the whole person’s life.

What could be contributing to someone’s distress?

What is happening hormonally?

Is this person experiencing postpartum changes, perimenopause, menopause, or another significant hormonal transition?

How is the thyroid functioning? Is there anemia or a nutritional deficiency? How much is this person actually sleeping?

Are they living with chronic stress, trauma, grief, isolation, or an overwhelmed nervous system?

Are medications, substances, or environmental exposures contributing to what they are experiencing? If there is a credible exposure history, is further testing appropriate?

These questions matter because emotional distress does not always appear out of nowhere. Sometimes anxiety is not an inexplicable malfunction in the brain. Sometimes a person is anxious because their life is incredibly stressful.

Sometimes someone cannot sleep because their nervous system never gets a chance to feel safe.

Sometimes depression exists alongside grief, exhaustion, loneliness, hormonal changes, trauma, or a relationship that is slowly wearing someone down.

And then there is another question that gets overlooked constantly.

What is happening in this person’s relationships?

Mental health is influenced by the environment around you

Are you living with someone who constantly criticizes you, manipulates you, controls you, or makes you feel like you are walking on eggshells?

Are you carrying the emotional and practical load of the entire household?

Are you being financially controlled, isolated, betrayed, threatened, or emotionally abused?

You do not need to diagnose someone’s partner as a narcissist to recognize that a chronically toxic or unsafe environment can profoundly affect mental health.

A person’s symptoms may be connected to what is happening to them.

This does not mean every difficult relationship explains every psychiatric symptom. It does mean that your home, relationships, sleep, medical history, hormones, nutrition, and sense of safety deserve a place in the conversation.

A prescription can be written in minutes.

Understanding the whole human being takes time.

The healthcare system often rewards speed

Here is the uncomfortable part.

Doing this kind of investigation takes time and money.

Comprehensive medical testing costs money. Hormone evaluations cost money. Nutritional testing can cost money. Functional medicine appointments can be expensive and are often not fully covered by insurance.

Good therapy takes time.

Sitting with someone long enough to understand their relationships, trauma, sleep, nutrition, environment, and support system takes time.

Many doctors are working inside a healthcare system that rewards short appointments, quick diagnoses, and symptom management. That does not mean they are careless or unkind. It means the system makes the fastest intervention the easiest intervention.

We should still be willing to ask whether it has become far easier and cheaper to prescribe a medication than to investigate the whole human being.

That is not simply a criticism of doctors. It is a criticism of pharmaceutical influence, medical education, insurance reimbursement, and a healthcare system that often leaves little room for curiosity.

Medication is not risk-free

Psychiatric medication can be helpful, but it is not risk-free.

Antidepressants can cause side effects. Some patients experience agitation, insomnia, activation, akathisia, hypomania, or mania. Certain psychiatric medications can also be difficult to discontinue and may require careful tapering.

Not everyone will experience these problems.

It means people deserve to know that these possibilities exist before beginning treatment. You deserve informed consent, careful monitoring, and a prescriber who listens when your experience changes.

Medication decisions should be based on your symptoms, history, diagnosis, safety, preferences, other medical conditions, and response over time.

You should not stop a psychiatric medication abruptly or change your dose without speaking with a qualified prescriber.

A necessary note about postpartum psychosis

The Lindsay Clancy case does not prove that psychiatric medication caused what happened. That is an enormously complicated legal and medical question.

Postpartum psychosis is also different from postpartum depression or ordinary emotional overwhelm. It is a psychiatric emergency that may include hallucinations, delusions, severe confusion, mania, extreme agitation, and rapidly changing mental status.

When someone may be experiencing postpartum psychosis or is at immediate risk of harming themselves or someone else, urgent evaluation and emergency treatment are necessary. Medication and hospitalization may be appropriate or lifesaving in that situation.

In severe cases, delaying urgent care in favor of an extended investigation into hormones, thyroid function, nutrition, or relationships would not be safe.

The point is not that medication should never be used.

The point is that medication should be part of thoughtful, individualized care rather than an automatic substitute for understanding what is happening.

Pet Medicine and pet-assisted emotional wellness

This is where I believe Pet Medicine belongs in the conversation.

Not because your dog replaces your psychiatrist.

Not because your cat can diagnose postpartum psychosis.

Not because the human-animal bond and mental health are interchangeable with medical care.

Animals can be part of a much larger toolbox for helping you build capacity while you and your care team explore what is actually happening.

Pets can encourage movement, daylight, routine, sensory connection, play, laughter, and rest. They can offer a warm body beside you when words feel too expensive. They can help you notice the present moment without demanding that you perform wellness perfectly.

That is the foundation of pet-assisted emotional wellness.

Your pet is not a means to escape life. Your pet can be a partner in building the capacity to live it.

Try the 5 Paws Framework with your pet

Pet Medicine works through five simple categories, called the 5 Paws Framework. Together, they are five small, repeatable ways to work with the bond you already have, on purpose.

Paws 4 Connection

Paws 4 Connection is about closeness. Rest a hand on your pet and let their nearness remind your body that it is safe.

Sit near your pet for two minutes. Notice their fur, warmth, weight, eyes, or the sound of their breathing. If they are not interested in touch, let them remain nearby without asking them to perform comfort on command.

You can quietly say "We are here together."

Then notice one quality of the connection. It might be steadiness, affection, humor, trust, or simply company.

Paws 4 Movement

Paws 4 Movement releases tension the way animals do naturally, through gentle body-led movement without overthinking it.

For three minutes, follow your pet's natural movement. If you have a dog, take a slow walk around the block or through your home. If you have a cat, invite gentle play with a toy. If your pet prefers rest, stretch your shoulders, hands, or feet while watching their body move.

Let your attention begin with your pet's movement before you notice your own body. The goal is not athletic achievement. The goal is to create a small shift through movement and shared presence.

Mindful Paws

Mindful Paws uses your pet's presence as an anchor for a short meditation. Something to come back to, not something to force.

Choose one external detail about your pet. Notice five things about their softness, color, warmth, movement, or sound. Then notice four things in the room around you. Continue until you have gently oriented to the space you are in.

Begin with your pet as the external attentional anchor. Only after you have connected with their presence should you invite yourself to notice internal sensations.

You might then ask "What do I notice in my body right now?" There is no wrong answer. You may notice tightness, numbness, warmth, restlessness, or nothing obvious at all.

Paws 4 Tapping

Paws 4 Tapping combines EFT tapping with the calming presence of your pet, to move stuck emotion gently through the body.

Sit somewhere comfortable with your animal nearby, if they choose to be with you, and begin by noticing what you are feeling. Rate the intensity of the feeling from 0 to 10.

Start on the side of the hand and repeat three times "Even though I'm feeling this stress right now, I can be here with it, and I can let my body know that I am safe in this moment."

Then move through the tapping points. Eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, under the arm, and top of the head.

As you tap, use simple phrases such as "This stress." "This feeling in my body." "My nervous system is working really hard." "I don't have to solve everything right now." "I can notice my pet beside me." "I can feel their warmth, their breathing, or their presence." "My body can soften just a little."

Continue for five full rounds, allowing the words to change naturally as you notice what comes up.

When you finish, place your hand on your heart or gently rest it on your pet if they enjoy being touched. Take one slow, comfortable breath and notice what has changed. Rate the feeling again from 0 to 10.

The goal is not to force yourself to feel calm. It is simply to give your nervous system a chance to move from something is wrong toward I am here, I am supported, and I can handle this moment.

Paws 4 Reflection

Paws 4 Reflection is gentle self-inquiry. A question to sit with, not a worksheet. Just a moment of noticing.

Take four minutes to write or think about these questions. What was happening before I felt overwhelmed? What does my body seem to need today? Is there a medical, relational, environmental, or emotional factor I need to investigate? What is one supportive next step I can take within 24 hours?

Your pet may help you access the pause, but Paws 4 Reflection helps you make sense of what the pause reveals.

Pets and nervous system support are part of a larger plan

Research on human-animal interaction has found associations with lower cardiovascular responses during stress. Studies involving interactions between people and dogs have also documented changes in biological systems related to stress and bonding, including cortisol and oxytocin.

Some research has found changes in heart-rate variability during interactions with dogs, suggesting possible effects on autonomic nervous system activity.

It is important to be precise here.

Heart-rate variability is a measurable pattern in the timing between heartbeats.It is not the same thing as the broad construct of nervous system regulation.

HRV can offer one physiological window into autonomic activity. Nervous system regulation is a wider concept that includes your ability to shift attention, tolerate sensations, recover after stress, connect with others, rest, and respond flexibly to what is happening around you.

A change in HRV does not prove that a person is fully regulated. A calm-looking person may still be struggling. A person with a lower HRV reading is not failing.

The human-animal bond can support your capacity in many ways that cannot be reduced to a single number.

Even ordinary dog walking matters. You may be getting movement, daylight, routine, sensory input, and connection at the same time.

That is not a replacement for medical care. It is a practical part of a whole-person support plan.

What to ask before starting or changing medication

If you are considering psychiatric medication, you can bring these questions to a qualified prescriber

• What diagnosis are we treating?

• How severe are my symptoms?

• What other medical conditions could contribute to what I am experiencing?

• Should we evaluate thyroid function, anemia, sleep, hormones, or nutrition?

• Could bipolar symptoms, medication effects, substances, or environmental factors be involved?

• What benefits should I expect?

• What side effects should I monitor?

• How will we know whether the medication is helping?

• How long should I take it?

• What is the plan if I want to discontinue it?

• What therapy, relationship support, movement, sleep, or pet-assisted emotional wellness practices could complement this treatment?

You deserve a conversation rather than a conveyor belt.

A gentle recap and a place to begin

Before asking what is wrong with you, consider asking what is happening to you.

Your symptoms may be influenced by hormones, thyroid function, nutrition, sleep, trauma, grief, relationships, safety, isolation, or chronic stress. Psychiatric medication may be helpful, appropriate, or lifesaving in some circumstances. It should still be considered within a thoughtful plan that respects your whole life.

Pet Medicine offers a structured way to work with the human-animal bond and mental health through Paws 4 Connection, Paws 4 Movement, Mindful Paws, Paws 4 Tapping, and Paws 4 Reflection.

Your pet is not here to help you avoid life. They may be here as a partner while you build more capacity to meet it.

For pet-powered practices, emotional support resources, the Pet Medicine Starter Kit, and community support, visit Paws 4 Wellness.

Could your pet be an emotional support animal? Learn More here: https://www.pettable.com#aff=35

About the Founder

Jennifer Bronsnick, MSW, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience supporting anxiety, ADHD, and emotional overwhelm. She is the founder of Paws 4 Wellness and the creator of Pet Medicine a gentle, science-backed framework that uses the human–animal bond to help people feel safer in their bodies, reconnect with themselves, and build everyday emotional resilience. Jennifer believes pets are not just companions — they're teachers, anchors, and reminders of what unconditional love feels like.

Explore pet-powered practices, free resources, and the Paws 4 Wellness community:

https://linktr.ee/paws4wellness

Disclaimer

This article is for general educational purposes only. It is not medical, legal, or mental health advice. Psychiatric medication decisions should be made with a qualified prescriber who knows your full history. If you are in crisis, contact emergency services or a local crisis resource.