Why Medication "Works" Only Together With Understanding Meaning

When we ask "why does a psychiatric medication work or not work," Dr. Saulitis's method invites us to look deeper than the familiar routine of "score the questionnaire — write the prescription." A drug is neither magic nor evil in itself; it is a tool that unfolds only inside understanding.

Medication as a gift of the civilization of knowledge

The doctor treats pharmacological agents with the deepest respect. Behind every substance lie decades of scientific understanding, the synthesis of the compound, its biological testing, screenings for effectiveness and safety — a whole industry. He went through this entire cycle himself, working in the biology unit where substances were produced and tested.

That is why medication should be treated as holy — *sacra sanctum*. But the same sacred thing harms us if we take it "just for the sake of taking it," without understanding why, how, and where it leads.

Why a single questionnaire does not heal

The method criticizes the approach of diagnosing by a list of items: low mood, no energy, "cotton wool" in the head — "clear, depression." Then the classic prescription follows, "and if it doesn't help — it gets worse, and the person turns into a dumpling."

The problem is that behind the symptom the person is not seen: how they think, why they think that way, what they can or cannot do with their thoughts. Depression is a symptom, not a verdict-label; different conditions may stand behind it.

The alchemy of meaning: how chemistry is triggered at all

The key idea of the method: the organism is built so that we make contact with reality, and from the content, from the meaning of that contact, all the chemistry changes — neurotransmitters, emotions, energy. Information turns into chemistry; chemistry then carries out the emotions.

If there is no energy inside — "how are we going to run away from that python"? This is why you cannot just "talk and talk" — it won't work. And chemistry alone won't work either. Only a comprehensive approach works.

Complexity instead of hunting for the guilty

Hence why a panel gathers at the very first consultation: two psychiatrists and two psychotherapists. First understand what this person needs, and only then treat. The very first consultation should be the most top-tier, because a prescription without understanding is "just grabbing and dumping them in."

The method also names the dead end honestly: the endless search for someone to blame — the state, the doctors, the pharma lobby, the business. As long as the "thorn" hurts in you, blaming others changes nothing: "where it was, there it stays."

Practice: an understanding checklist before expecting an effect

1. Admit honestly: your health is your problem and your responsibility, not the fault of external figures.
2. Ask not "what is my label" but "what is happening with me": how I think, why, and what I can do with these thoughts.
3. Treat the drug as a sacred fruit of science: take it understanding why, how, and where it leads — not "just for the sake of taking it."
4. Don't expect one word or one pill to solve everything: a whole package is needed — understanding plus therapy.
5. Give it at least several months to show a result — "wounds don't heal any faster."