Here in the East, one of the most controversial illnesses, complete with a lot of stigma and misguided notions, is mental illness.
Mental illnesses are defined as “medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning”. Like any other medical disorder, it needs proper treatment from expert professionals.
Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.
The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible with proper treatment through a combination of supportive or intensive counseling, along with psychotropic medication that eliminates the major symptoms which cause the debilitation of the person’s daily functioning.
One thing for sure here in Asia, especially in the Philippines, psychotherapy treatment is still in its infancy in gaining the trust of the masses in terms of its effectiveness.
For the most part, the majority of the public in this country are not really used to the idea of psychotherapy’s merit as one of the few major tools or methods in treating mental illness.
Mental Illness is prevalent in any or most societies, but here in the Philippines, it is one of those illnesses that still carries a stigma of shame for the person and / or the family involved.
In Western culture, mental illness has been long-dispelled as something to be ashamed of, but is considered rather as a disease beyond anyone’s control. It is considered just like any other illness that requires proper treatment from medical or clinical experts.
As an important information for all of us to understand, let me just mention the obvious that some mental illnesses might be caused by genetic predisposition, while others are caused by chemical imbalance.
Still others are caused by severe trauma experiences at some point of the individual’s life or consecutive patterns of trauma being experienced, i.e. physical, mental and or sexual trauma.
The advancement of psychotherapy as a treatment along with improved psychothropic medication has been proven again and again by positive outcomes in treating people on a short or long term basis, thus, actually allowing patients to live active fulfilling lives.
The aim of the treatment is to prevent relapse and, more importantly, enable the person to function in life at their optimum healthy level back in society without endangering themselves or others.
In the scheme of things, understanding our behavior through the process of unlocking our unconscious is a complicated business.
It is indeed a challenge for psychotherapy treatment as a practice in this country to convince people there is nothing wrong in seeking psychotherapy.
The fact is that the most common dynamic in psychotherapy is geared more towards the patient being able to talk or express their feelings and thoughts to the professional therapist.
Unfortunately, talking to a therapist about our thoughts and feelings is not exactly the natural way in Filipino culture.
Rather, as part of our culture, we tend to prefer being told what to do, which often undermines our ability and our rights to make choices when it comes to our well being. Unless, of course, a professional expert has officially diagnosed us as not being of sound mind to make decisions, based on the symptoms that we manifest.
For as long as our judgment and rational ability are not impaired, we definitely need to take ownership of our rights to self-determination in making decisions for our well being.
Other kinds of so-called experts will tell you exactly how you should manage your life, or dictate the things they think you need to do.
There’s nothing wrong with getting advice from a healer or a spiritualist or even a minister or priest, who will tell us what to do with our lives, but at the end of the day, wouldn’t we prefer being able to make health decisions and other important choices on our own, through the assistance of an expert?
But again, it’s a matter of perspective whether we prefer to be told what to do, or to exercise self-determination in making choices for our well being.
We also need to consider the notion that even if we don’t have major symptoms of mental illness, I can honestly say as a professional clinician, getting psychotherapy treatment as a means to understanding ourselves by unlocking some of our unresolved conflicts or issues that restrain us from living a healthier life is a good thing to do, just as one of the ways to become a better and happier person, whom we all aspire to be.