Faith And Psychiatry

The Church of Scientology has been vehemently against all forms of psychiatry for decades. While their arguments easily descend into the realm of conspiracy theories (which only hurts their argument, IMHO), they also highlight a variety of abuses or potential abuses within the current system, as well as our sometimes almost blind acceptance of anything labeled "science."

Years ago I was treated for clinical depression, and I was shocked by what my (thankfully) honest doctor confessed: treatment was essentially educated guesswork. While depression is theoretically caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, there is no test involved in detecting such an imbalance. As such, medications were prescribed in hit-or-miss fashion: I'd take a new drug, and afterward the doctor would either adjust the dosage, discontinue the medication, or add additional medications depending on my reaction. A single dose of one such medication put me into a near psychotic frenzy.

Unlike the Scientologists, I don't view this incident as evidence of a conspiracy or foul play. But it did underscore for me the very rudimentary stage our understanding of the mind and how to treat it continues to be. In a hundred years people will probably joke about our understanding of mental illness the way people today joke about lobotomies, leeches, and other antiquated medical practices once considered mainstream treatments.

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