Hi,
How much do you think counseling helps in psychiatric illnesses?
Or is taking meds enough?

oh, such a loaded question......I don't believe meds are enough, and shouldn't be relied on.  Hopefully the plan would be to get off all medication...Counseling has to be with the right person.  I am so thankful I found the right one at a time when I needed it.

As far as I know, medication usually only suppresses the symptoms, rather than deal with the cause. Keyword here is "treatment". (Rather than "cure".)
Personally, I'm for the radical approach - which is to focus on the cause - only if the symptoms hinder you from dealing with the cause do you focus on them.
What I'm basically saying is that I'd rather go without meds than counselling.

Med in it selves are never a cure....it is a help to cope with a situation..or an illness....but if we don't change our life according to the illness or life situation we have entered, then med will only make the illness conserved, until the meds byproduct start to make more damage then healing.

So by an psychiatric illnesses, the med calm down the patient.
If no counseling, or no effort from the patient are made to better his/her situation, then they will continue to function as good as the med allow...until med have to be changed because the body deny it or it don't function as good as before..or the byproduct make more harm then help.

By going to counseling, when you are under med, will help because the patient, if willing,, easier can understand what to counselor will  (S)he shall do.

By taking small step, one can make thought pattern, that might help the patient to improve.

The main thing, when one are under psychiatric illnesses, is regularity and awareness.

It is easy for us to say...it is hard for the patient to do.....and the hardest bit is to understand that one can't be better without putting in an effort.

To day it is quiet common to get a psychiatric illnesses, and we need to discuss it more then what is the case now.

Many times partner or other family member feel that a psychiatric illnesses are something "strange and unnatural", and look upon it as  old times madness.

One should hope that in 2009 we should have  been more enlighten, and there is a lot that can be done to help the patient, BUT the most important part must come from the family, and partners, which have to take such an illness as a challenge, and not as a Defeat!

The more open we are about it...the less will other feel the "defeat", and I am glad that you and Abhi have been so open about your struggle....which goes forward....and which show that "real love" have a GREAT force. if used right.

But! it takes teamwork....none can manage such illness alone!

[quote="swetha"]Hi,
How much do you think counseling helps in psychiatric illnesses?
Or is taking meds enough?[/quote]

I think each individual is different. Some say that counseling is the answer, some that medicine and some other say that both. I personally tried everything for a major depression and counseling didn't do anything and I tried many counselors, finally I found the right medication, after trying many many different options. I tried some that worked with some friends but didn't work with me.
So I think every one is a very unique case. Just don't give up. It might take a little bit but you can find what works for you...