I think the opprobrium you are receiving here is unfair. You've been very careful to say that you're not trying to bring back the shame and the stigma. You're just asking a very important question: is the medical model really the most appropriate for problems of this kind?
I agree with you that it is ultimately not the most appropriate. However, for many people it is a big improvement over suffering alone and without help.
And in our world, the things that really can heal emotional problems -- psychotherapy, meditation, spiritual practice, hypnotherapy, therapeutic bodywork, breathwork, psychedelic therapy, etc. etc. etc. -- are much too "woo woo" for most people. They're too scary, or short of that, people's belief systems don't admit the possibility that such things can work.
Taking a drug, though, is something familiar to people. And the drugs do help people live with their problems, though not as well as the drug manufacturers would suggest. The unfortunate thing, though, is that people get the message that all they need to do is find the right drug and dosage. The drug can help them stabilize their lives, but then they need to start in on the emotional work. That's what can eventually get them to where they don't need the drug.
I agree with you that it is ultimately not the most appropriate. However, for many people it is a big improvement over suffering alone and without help.
And in our world, the things that really can heal emotional problems -- psychotherapy, meditation, spiritual practice, hypnotherapy, therapeutic bodywork, breathwork, psychedelic therapy, etc. etc. etc. -- are much too "woo woo" for most people. They're too scary, or short of that, people's belief systems don't admit the possibility that such things can work.
Taking a drug, though, is something familiar to people. And the drugs do help people live with their problems, though not as well as the drug manufacturers would suggest. The unfortunate thing, though, is that people get the message that all they need to do is find the right drug and dosage. The drug can help them stabilize their lives, but then they need to start in on the emotional work. That's what can eventually get them to where they don't need the drug.