To Heal or Manage Symptoms
What is the core purpose of medicine?
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The core of psychological research should be on the applied side, where we take a case study, do a deep dive into one person’s experiences, and then learn enormous amounts about human nature, the human mind under stress, and where psychological ailments even come from.
Even in regular medicine, such as autoimmune diseases, doctors treat the apparent symptoms rather than the underlying cause, even after understanding its mechanism. This is because the big pharmaceutical companies market the drugs in which they already have a significant market share. Those drugs usually treat symptoms since that is where the research money went before. After all, those drugs are the ones that make the pharmaceutical companies money, and they silence treatments and medications that treat the cause. Capitalism isn’t meant to be an ethical system — it’s free for all, free markets, so the richer ones get richer.
I believe we should heal diseases from the root cause instead of just treating symptoms to avoid the discomfort these diseases cause. For bipolar disorder, it’s long been heard that therapy is helpful — but how does therapy even progress? Therapists cannot help as much as the patient chooses to divulge and clarify insights themselves, and a patient can be immensely intellectual and sharp, yet they might have blind spots. Since therapists cannot give direct advice, they must guide the patient to seek the best solutions. Sometimes these solutions also involve treating the symptoms of the mental ailment or coping. It’s much more difficult to pinpoint the underlying cause or why the symptoms are recurring.
I have always been a huge proponent of healing and making my life easier to live, happier, and more efficient so I can use my energy toward what I care about, and am passionate about, which gives my life meaning. This involves thinking deeply about and healing internal turmoil, trauma, and harmful core beliefs that make normal living difficult and thwart my ability to communicate effectively with others. We can avoid immense suffering if we aim to change our thoughts because much of our pain and uneasiness comes from our thinking.
Diagnosed with bipolar I disorder at 20, I knew innately why I went insane. It was something dear to…
