Critical Thinking: Why Are There So Many Mental Disorders?

When there is a problem, the first thing that will need to take place will be to find out exactly what is going on. Once this has happened, there is the chance that something will be able to be done about it.

If the problem is not identified, it is not going to be possible for anything to be done about it. With this in mind, it shows how important it is to find out what is going on in order for something to be resolved.

A Big Area

This, then, is the reason why different labels are used when someone has mental and emotional problems. By being given a label, it allows someone to find out exactly what is going on for them.

Before this, they may have felt confused and wondered if they would ever be able to understand what was taking place. Now, thanks to the label they have been given, this will be a thing of the past.

A Relief

This doesn’t mean that any of their symptoms will have been taken away, of course, but they may feel more settled. Instead of walking around in the dark, it can be as if a few lights have been put on.

From here, they may end up being given some kind of medication to go on and/or end up being referred to a cognitive behavioural therapist. It could feel like a big step has been taken, and that their life will only get better.

A Strong Need

The one thing that their mind needs to be able to settle down is certainty, which is one reason why being diagnosed will provide them with a sense of relief. This part of them won’t care if what they have been told is the complete truth.

What can make what they have been told even more believable is if they have been diagnosed by an expert. This person can be seen as having all the answers, meaning that what they say will be the ultimate truth.

Two Options

If one was to end up on medication and to have cognitive behavioural therapy, there is the chance that their level of self-knowledge won’t improve. Numbing their pain by taking drugs and focusing on their thoughts and behaviour is unlikely shed any light on what is taking place at a deeper level.

Their unconscious mind will then end up being overlooked, with them only focusing on what is taking place at a surface level. But while this will be the case, they might not be aware of this.

Cast Aside

The reason for this is that the expert/s who they see might not even mention the unconscious mind, preferring to simply focus on what is taking place in their conscious mind. Along with this, they might hear a lot about the effect that a chemical imbalance can have and ‘faulty’ DNA.

So, while the pain that they are in will have provided them with an opportunity to take a deeper look into their own being, it won’t be gasped with both hands. Not only will they want to avoid their own pain, the people who are guiding them will also have the need to keep everything on the surface.

Avoidance

The ego will do anything to avoid pain, using all kinds of defences, and it is clear to see how the mainstream approach to mental problems is often influenced by the ego. Medication and the behavioural approach allow people to avoid themselves.

It is the equivalent of taking a car to a garage that has problems and simply having it painted by a mechanic. Yet, while this won’t allow the car to work, a human being will most likely still be able to function in the their day-to-day life even if their symptoms are managed and their unconscious mind is overlooked.

The First Step

When someone is diagnosed as having a mental disorder, it can open the door for them to gradually understand themselves and to develop self-knowledge. Or, it can be a time when this door will stay shut and they will continue to live in the same way.

Being diagnosed is then not something that is negative per se; it all depends on what happens after this has occurred. And someone can even end up being diagnosed as having more than one disorder.

One Purpose

It is then going to be a good thing that there are so many labels available as this will enable someone to get the right diagnosis. But while this is so, it could also be said that another reason why there are so many labels is that it legitimises this whole operation.

The impression can be created that these so-called experts have everything worked out and that that is a clear difference between what is healthy and what is not healthy. Along with this, the drug companies out there can come up with different drugs for each disorder.

The Perfect Scenario

The last thing that these companies want is for people to look within themselves and to gradually resolve their issues. If they were to do this, this would take a lot of their business away.

Naturally, the ideal will be for people to buy into all these labels and to end up taking their medication until the end of their life. With the help of doctors and other people in high places, they have been able to exert their influence and to define the type of relationship that so many people have with their mind and body.

Conclusion

Does this mean that medication for mental and emotional problems should be outlawed? No, what it comes down to is that these companies are there to make money, and it is going to be a lot easier for them to achieve this when people are dependent on what they provide.

The last thing that these drug companies are going to want is for people to find other ways to resolve their inner challenges. In other words, these companies are going to do whatever they can to keep as many people as they can in a mentally and emotionally undeveloped state.