3 ms·
Mental illness is one - very modern - modality for why one may want to do any number of seemingly irrational things. I think that a blanket lumping of everythin
by flatline 7y ago
Mental illness is one - very modern - modality for why one may want to do any number of seemingly irrational things. I think that a blanket lumping of everything into the bucket of "mental illness" is problematic for a few reasons:
- the only implied remedy is seeking help from a mental health professional.
- said professionals are in short supply and high demand and are inaccessible to many people for financial and other reasons.
- there is often a proximate cause of acute depression that may be remedied to prevent suicide without addressing deeper underlying causes.
- a blanket labeling of "mental illness" is about as specific and helpful as "demonic possession" or any similarly vague term.
- many psychological issues have organic components that are better addressed by a doctor.
- whatshisface 7y agoAll of those apply to physical illnesses: they usually mean you should see a doctor, doctors are in short supply and often inaccessible for financial reasons, oftentimes there is a proximate cause that a healthy lifestyle can get rid of, and being told you have a "physical illness" isn't specific enough to be helpful. All of these things are true, but it doesn't make "physical illness" a non-true or useless idea.
- flatline 7y agoIndeed, and just saying “physical illness” is pretty meaningless. Beyond that though, there’s sadly a lot more empirical data and practices behind medicine than psychology/psychiatry. You go to a doctor, you can get a diagnosis and effective treatment for many conditions in relatively short order. Therapy is generally the start of a years-long process. Psychiatry is more guesswork than science. That’s not to say they aren’t extremely helpful for many people, but I don’t see the two fields as being equivalent.