Is "mental health" worthwhile?

[Christ_empowered]

I've posted before about how I take meds, then don't take meds, go to therapy, have second thoughts about therapy...on and on it goes.

Anyway, this isn't so much about me as it is about mental health (by which I mean psychiatry and psychology) in general. Do they do more harm than good? How do we reconcile Biblical beliefs with what many psychologists preach (the gospel of Self, basically) ?

Dr.Thomas Szasz says mental illness is a myth. People have problems in living that they used to take care of through religious means or (I suppose) other relationships. Now our sins are "mental illnesses" or "disorders," and we're sent off to experts (many of whom, I must say, are useless). Szasz is known mostly for the Myth of Mental Illness, which I have read, but he's also written The Myth of Psychotherapy, which I haven't read but plan on reading. From the quotes I've seen, he thinks psychiatry has religious elements and masquerades as a science, while psychology is more of a direct threat to religions--its focus on self-fulfillment, self-actualization, self-everything directly threatens the ideas that most religions (especially Christianity) are built upon.

I also have to say, personally, that I sometimes think my time in therapy and psychiatry has been counterproductive. Not just unhelpful; I think it stymied my growth and maturation. Honestly, as much as I used to love talking about myself, my problems, etc., I've really gotten to the point where I don't want to be so self-absorbed anymore. I just don't know how more reflection, more talking, more diagnoses would "fix" anything. I've also been bullied by 1 therapist, talked about by some psychiatrists, and subject to a state psych exam after committing a crime. The mental health industry kind of scares me. I feel as if it helped turn me into a whiney victim, while Christ has helped turn me into a less self-absorbed, more joyful and compassionate man.

But I don't know. I just don't know. What do you all think?

 

[Buzzy]

After spending more than 20 years studying psychology I really believe very little in it. With that said I can tell you that there are some really crazy people out there that have little or no grounding with any reality out there and they need help to keep them and everyone else safe. Some people absolutely need medications to keep their brain working right but there are a ton of meds being pushed on people who really don't need them.

A lot of the people I know through therapy would be much much better if they would stop looking deep inside themselves all the time. But they don't want to hear that and they absolutely do not want to hear that only Jesus Christ can solve your problems and fix a broken human.

God Bless and I'm praying for you.

 

[Christ_empowered]

Thanks. My last therapist was pretty cool, actually. He is devout Christian. Even in that situation, though, I had some issues. Sometimes I felt that he was blaming my parents too much for problems that might have happened anyway, or that I should probably reflect less upon and simply deal with. Who knows, though, right?

Conversation is always a good thing, as long as the conversation is positive and helpful. So maybe with this next therapist I should just focus on the talk aspect of it, instead of looking for it to "fix" or "help" something. I'm at a point in my life where I trust God more (not as much as I should, but definitely more than I used to) and I can't imagine that he'd send me a therapist (I kind of got sent to therapy w/o agreeing to it--long story) without having a reason behind it, even if the reason only turns out to be to encourage self-reliance and reliance on God. Or maybe it'll be the best therapeutic relationship ever, who knows.

I just don't want to end up turning to psychological theories (many of which are decidedly antagonistic to Christianity) instead of turning to God, who in the end is the only who can heal you and make you whole. Maybe the therapist is a tool of God in my situation? I dunno.

Thanks for your post.

 

[Pizzaguy]

I really see this in two parts.

1) The profoundly mentally ill. My son is one of these, he is paranoid schizophrenic, suffers from delusions, hallucinations and nightmares (at the age of 27). NONE of this is going to go away unless God Himself heals Bryan. The medications and counseling really do help - they are not a cure, but a management program.

2) The rest of us. Do the rest of us really need therapy or medication? I, for one, have seen a therapist. This lady was a devout and good Christian, she helped me see how "off" some of my thinking was. She also showed me how my parents influenced this thinking. This is NOT to blame my parents, they lived difficult lives at times in the past and carried those scars with them. (We all do this.)

I do not believe that the rest of us need medication, but sometimes the act of stepping back and questioning our actions or thought patterns can help us.

Faith is important, but if you spend your life asking God to change other people, change your circumstances, fix problems in your life for you ... well, you are wasting your time (for the most part).

So you see, when it comes to "mental health", I do not see it as a "yes" or "no" kind of thing.

 

[Christ_empowered]

Thanks, PizzaGuy. Sorry about your son. I was at one point diagnosed w/ schizophrenia (I don't know the subtype). The diagnosis was changed to a severe form of Bipolar (Bipolar I w/Psychotic Features). The medications are pretty much the same (antipsychotic+something for whatever current mood problem).

I guess I should be thankful that low-cost mental health services exist for people like me, who often end up in prison, homeless, or maybe some sort of mental institution. I should probably be thankful that it only takes 2 medications (meds that I tolerate quite well) to keep me more or less stable.

I'l just quit worrying so much. My therapist is probably a Christian (its the Bible Belt; they're everywhere, lol) and she seems like she really wants to help.