A Complete Guide to Making This Important Decision

You’ve been Googling late at night (hello, anxiety), wondering:

“Is it time to try medication for my mental health?”

“What if my symptoms aren’t severe enough to justify medication?”

“Will psychiatric medication change who I am as a person?”

If these questions sound familiar, you’re in the right place. At Defina Health, we help people navigate this decision every day—without judgment, without pressure, and definitely without overwhelming medical jargon.

There’s no shame in it—we’ve all believed a few mental health myths at some point.

From Hollywood stereotypes to well-meaning advice from family, a lot of us grew up with the wrong ideas about what therapy is, who it’s for, and what it means to struggle mentally. The good news? Once you get the facts (or actually go to therapy), those myths start to unravel—and what’s left is often surprisingly human.

Here are some of the most common mental health myths we’ve all heard—and what’s actually true.

What Is Anxiety—and How Do You Know When It’s Time to Get Help?

Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It’s that jittery feeling before a presentation, the tightness in your chest before a difficult conversation, or the racing thoughts that keep you up the night before a big event. In small doses, anxiety can even be helpful—it sharpens focus, signals caution, and gets us through challenges.

But what happens when anxiety stops being useful and starts taking over?

Understanding what anxiety is, how it shows up, and when to seek support is a powerful first step toward feeling better. Let’s take a closer look.

A Modern Mental Health Check-in

We all have our go-to explanations when we’re not feeling great:

• “I’m just tired.”

• “It’s probably the weather.”

• “It’s Mercury in retrograde.”

• “I stayed up doomscrolling and ate pretzels for dinner—obviously.”

But what if it’s more than that?