I don't think it's particular to the tech crowd, and I think it's a stumbling block even for psychiatry.
The problem is that psychiatry as practiced is an attempt to solve people, and people can't be solved; or if they can, it is unique (as you say) to the individual.
And really you're no different: you're giving out advice to people on how to manage their mental health. Your advice is harmless from a societal perspective in that it's literally what psychiatrists want you to be saying.
That doesn't mean you're not one of the misinformed internet commenters. It's not universally applicable. Most people don't have the time and money to shop around, even if the actual problems of their mental state allow them to seek help.
You can't come up with the words that are going to make people better. Nor should you be expected to!
Recognizing that psychiatrists are the ones we pay to be expected to act to make people better and they are themselves human and subject to human failures: this, I think, is why criticism of psychiatry emerges in topics like these.
I'm not disagreeing with your general advice, just criticizing your smugness and certainty in your opening lines. You're not better at this than we are just because you're giving the generic safe advice.
I think the real issue is that whether they are psychologists or psychiatrists, there seems to be no accountability in the field (outside of extremes like malpractice) in terms of whether or not they actually provide any value to the patient. If someone goes to a psychologist for 20 years and at the end of it they're still just as bad as when they started, there's no, "I'd like my money back from the last 20 years". Sometimes a professional might not know if they can help, but even if it becomes obvious to them that this is someone they can't help, they don't say, "I'm unable to help you. Stop being a customer." They just continue down the path. This isn't to say that most mental health professionals are taking people's money without actually doing anything (I have no idea if that's the case), but rather it's difficult for the patient to know if they are actually getting any help, it is difficult for the patient to hold the person accountable if they don't get the help they expected, and it is difficult for the patient to even know if they're right or wrong about the matter (since they are not the expert). This makes it easy for the patient to doubt and blame the mental health professional or the entire field, there's just so much grey area.
The problem is that psychiatry as practiced is an attempt to solve people, and people can't be solved; or if they can, it is unique (as you say) to the individual.
And really you're no different: you're giving out advice to people on how to manage their mental health. Your advice is harmless from a societal perspective in that it's literally what psychiatrists want you to be saying.
That doesn't mean you're not one of the misinformed internet commenters. It's not universally applicable. Most people don't have the time and money to shop around, even if the actual problems of their mental state allow them to seek help.
You can't come up with the words that are going to make people better. Nor should you be expected to!
Recognizing that psychiatrists are the ones we pay to be expected to act to make people better and they are themselves human and subject to human failures: this, I think, is why criticism of psychiatry emerges in topics like these.
I'm not disagreeing with your general advice, just criticizing your smugness and certainty in your opening lines. You're not better at this than we are just because you're giving the generic safe advice.