I’m so sorry for psychology’s loss, whatever it is
As I read the article, it occurred to me that one of the fundamental flaws of modern psychology (and its offshoots such as psychiatry and psychotherapy) is that they all tend toward a solipsistic, individualist treatment of the self. Other than specialized fields like group psychology, psychologists really try to ignore the collectivist aspect to societies; they try to treat one person at a time while ignoring our families, our communities. When they do make efforts at integrating these larger groups in treatment, it&#x27;s an afterthought, and it&#x27;s never quite consensual, because, after all, in this world, to treat someone (especially to drug someone) you require their direct consent, and even in couples therapy, there is usually one less-than-willing partner who just accedes to keep things together.
Furthermore, it&#x27;s always through an attitude of &quot;here is one person who is ill and needs to heal, let&#x27;s rally around him for his treatment.&quot; That is not how it works. People develop mental illnesses oftentimes from traumas and abuse and decades of shame. Therefore, the entire family, the whole community, needs to make efforts at healing if they are to stop this vicious circle. It is not merely one man&#x27;s problem, it is not one man&#x27;s responsibility, and it is not one man&#x27;s shame.<p>Speaking personally, the genesis of my mental issues is clearly not &quot;chemical imbalance&quot; but rather my relationship to the world. What I heard and saw on TV, my experiences with Mom, Dad, and Sister, my formative years in school and church--with, you guessed it, other people.<p>I see a lot of pop-psychology YouTube clickbait that goes &quot;Heal your relationships! Here&#x27;s how!&quot; and I don&#x27;t doubt that people can take certain action with willing parties and heal certain relationships, but geez, guys, it took me 50 years to get to this point of isolation and alienation, and I alone will never heal relationships that have taken such a beating. It would take collective, cooperative will and action to do so.<p>Treating one person at a time with these methods is like trying to catch the ocean and dye it green, one drop at a time. It just doesn&#x27;t make sense. That&#x27;s only one of many reasons why there are poor outcomes, especially for psychiatry, where they just toss you in a looney bin with lots of other messed-up people, and now that&#x27;s your community and that&#x27;s your reality, deal with it.