Spirituality, Mental Illness, Medications

December 7, 2013 5:29 PM

Hello, This question may be kind of out there, but I was wondering whether psychiatry is somewhat like hacking a computer in some cases. I have my masters in counseling psychology and I have seen people on an inpatient setting where I worked at the time. I have typically looked at medications as helpful for some people, but I also think that a person needs to get some treatment by a therapist to make things work. Here's my big question. I have heard of personality disorders being referred to as character disorders. When I have asked people who follow a particular religion and are also in the mental health field they have told me that personality disorders are character disorders. I have been thinking about that quite a bit, and I'm not sure that I understand. So, would bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other disorders also have a spiritual significance. The part that really confuses me is whether or not people who have any of these character disorders actually get to move forward. When I say this, I am looking at them as human beings while they are here on this planet. So, let's say a psychiatrist medicates one of her clients and the person is doing great from a mental health perspective. They seem to have it all together. Well, my main concern is that perhaps the medication changes their cognitions so that whatever they have to deal with is tolerable to them. Are people who are taking medications doing themselves a disservice by relying on the medication to do a lot of the work? Again, I am for medication when it is used as prescribed, but what if a person doesn't learn whatever they are here on this planet for because they are taking a pill which ameliorates the problem. So a person might not grow in some developmental areas where they should simply because they cannot do it without some help (i.e. prescriptions) Does this make sense to anyone or am I over thinking this.
posted by nidora to Human Relations (1 answer total)

While that's one way of looking at the world (and is taken to a further extreme by some people who refuse all non-Biblical medical care), I prefer to think that medication/treatment/etc. can help people to learn and grow as they were meant to.
posted by sninctown at 5:39 PM on December 7, 2013