Dealing with mental illness over a prolonged period of time can be difficult. The battle, while never truly won, is managed for many by the use of prescription medication. But what happens when the medicine seems to take away more than it gives?
For 15 years, Taimi Allan managed her mental illness with increasing amounts of psychiatric medication. Twelve years ago, the successful production company head took stock. She was 30 at the time, an age when reassessment seems par for the course.
Duchess Kate gives emotional speech on mental health
Questions arose as to how much medication she was taking to manage the symptoms of her illness, and how much this had increased over the years.
“I said to my husband: ‘I started on one pill when I was 15 and I’m on 10 at 30, what is this going to look like when I’m 60?” she told the New Zealand Herald.
Her husband Stewart replied: “I’m not living with the person that I married any more, I’m living with this half zombie person. Do you want to see who the real Taimi is underneath all this? Are you willing to take that risk?”
This marked the beginning of a turning point in Taimi’s life, one that would see her take a more holistic approach to her well-being.
What worked, she said, was changing her diet.
On the suggestion of a friend, she got her thyroid checked and found that it had “died”. While this wouldn’t have happened immediately, the ‘sputtering out’ effect would have played havoc with her hormones, possibly explaining the many highs and lows she’d experienced over the years.
Working with a doctor in Titirangi, Auckland, she was given the support to make dietary and lifestyle changes.
“I started being really mindful about what I eat, knowing that the things I was eating and drinking, and what I was doing with my body, had a direct effect on my mind,” she told the New Zealand Herald.
Allergies to foods like dairy and wheat were identified, and she cut back on sugar. She also ate more fish and leafy green vegetables.
Withdrawing from her medication was extremely painful. At times, she recalls feeling intense pain, like electric shocks, in the back of her neck.
She told the New Zealand Herald that managing her diet in a more complete way has given her control over her life.
“You need to treat food as if it is your medicine. I’m not saying it’s the total answer, but I’m sure for most people it’s a piece of the puzzle, and, for me, it was a huge part of the puzzle.”
Always consult your doctor before stopping any medication, and never attempt to do it on your own.
