Beyond the Pill Bottle: Why Coping Isn’t the Same as Healing

This article is not intended to provide medical advice.

Please consult your prescriber before beginning, adjusting, or discontinuing the use of any medication.

Many of my clients come to therapy feeling like they’ve tried everything—meds, meditation apps, TikTok wellness trends, even multiple rounds of CBT—and still feel stuck. It’s not that those tools are useless, but something deeper often goes untouched: The underlying conditions of their life and psyche.

A recent piece in Bloomberg reviewed the latest research on SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). The takeaway? Despite the pharmaceutical industry’s promises of chemical fixes for depression, the majority of benefits people experience from SSRIs appear to come from the placebo effect. For about 15% of users, the drugs may provide a genuine benefit—but even then, the mechanisms are unclear, and side effects can be serious.

None of this is shocking. Critics have long pointed out that the “chemical imbalance” theory was never grounded in solid science, but rather in marketable storytelling. What we do know is that these medications change brain chemistry in ways we still barely understand—and that for many people, the long-term effects include emotional blunting, dependency, or worse mental health outcomes.

This isn’t a call to shame anyone taking medication; for some, SSRIs can be lifesaving. But we should be honest: These are not cures. At best, they’re stabilizers. And in a capitalist culture that treats distress like a glitch to be patched rather than a signal to be understood, it’s no wonder we reach for fast solutions.

Rollo May, one of the early existential therapists, warned against therapists becoming “patch-up artists”—quick to soothe symptoms without helping clients confront the deeper dilemmas at the heart of their suffering. It’s a warning that still rings true.

In my work, I hold space for people to explore their existential reality: The ways oppression, trauma, alienation, and capitalism intersect with their inner world. We talk about grief. Identity. Longing. Rage. Meaning. We don’t ask “how do I fix myself?” but “what does it mean to be human right now, in my body, in my life?”

Medication can help. So can mindfulness, and EMDR, and many of the other interventions trending on your social media feeds… up to a point. But if we stop there, we’re settling for relief instead of liberation.

Healing, to me, isn’t symptom management. It’s the ongoing, courageous work of facing yourself—and building a life that feels meaningful even in the face of everything you can’t control.