The recent reliance on psychiatric drugs to treat any and all problems in thought, learning, traumatic and even social situations, often replaces actual solutions to life’s problems. Psychiatric drugs have become a mainstream phrase that 100% of our population is accustom to hearing about, reading about, and missing vital information about. One underlying assumption in this practice is that people are just brain-operated bodies, masses of chemicals, which happen to often need re-mixing.
The subjects of psychology and psychiatry originally aimed to treat the “psyche”, or soul of man, hence their names. What is left of that elevated focus is an entirely materially-based view of Man. Faith in Nature, even, has been replaced by the arrogant assumption that common, natural behaviors and attitudes must be “fixed”; such as children’s short attention spans and higher energy levels. These are now labelled as disorders, with psychiatric drugs prescribed as an end-all.
Several unfortunate consequences result from this trend. One of them is to remove – at least apparently – the need for more interesting teaching methods, more time and attention from parents, improved nutrition, thorough, searching health exams, more compassionate ways to treat the aged, or better ways to rehabilitate the traumatized soldier, or destructive criminal. Another consequence is a diminished faith that persons themselves, through willpower, self-education, exercise or change of environment, could lick their own problems.
This is not to mention the lowered responsibility level brought about in the persons themselves being “treated” with psychiatric drugs. If it’s a brain-based disorder, why do anything other than pop a pill?
It is rather obvious that greater clarity of thinking, understanding one’s emotions, increased awareness and contact with the real environment, are all essential to resolving life’s struggles. Psychiatric drugs, however, do the exact opposite — subduing both the emotions and mental acuity of children, teens, or adults taking them. Their consequent inaccessibility undermines sincere and diligent parents, teachers or caretakers, whose attempts are then doomed to failure. This, then “proves” the claim of psychiatrists that “more and/or different medications are needed”.
The question must be asked: Will the popular trend of labeling and medicating behaviors and attitudes bring actual health, happiness and success to people? Perhaps it will to the manufacturers and prescribers of these high-priced meds. But it is doubtful that the use of psychiatric drugs, with their serious and often devastating side effects, will bring greater health, happiness, and moral strength to those taking them.
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