One of the things I
find fascinating about psychology is that it’s a field riddled with
controversy.
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| “If it’s quackery, why is it working for me?” |
The definition of
psychology is that it is the scientific study of the human mind and its
functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context.
However,
when you don’t have universal agreement on the definition of basic terms like normal and
healthy, then you’re going to have a lot of
fights over what’s proper.
As psychology is constantly
evolving, there are a lot of discredited theories. That’s okay because we’re
all learning. (Go the end of the article for a list - Freud is on it!)
To make it more
complicated, there are con artists working in the mental health field.
Mental health attracts
con artists for many reasons, including:
Scared=Easy Target: Desperate people don’t think clearly so they are easy to fool$$$ Fast Money: Desperate people will part with money quickly, hoping that paying over hard earned cash will magically help them find a ‘fix’Power Opportunity: It’s easy to influence frightened people. Cons and nuts find that being The Guru is an easy way to power.
From what I’m hearing,
many of the ones here in Malaysia call themselves ‘Dr’, talk a lot about the
unconscious, and the really cheeky ones run urine and blood tests - all at
extortionate prices.
I’ve blogged before
about how to avoid mental health con artists. Today I’m focusing on a sensible question I’ve been
asked, “If it’s quackery, why is it
working for me?”
The answer isn’t a
simple one but here are some points to consider.
#1 How much time do
you spend on your mental health?
If the answer is,
“Erm.... dunno. Minutes a month.” then you have to consider that spending a
whole hour every week on identifying your issues is helpful all by itself.
Sometimes, all you
need is to focus on what’s up and you can find the solution for yourself.
#2 Being upset
means you don’t think straight
For most of us,
thinking about a problem goes like, “Why am I feeling so
bad? This sucks. I hate this.” And on and on and on for hours.
This is not helpful.
Sometimes just sitting
down with a person who can help you focus on unraveling your thoughts is enough
to clear the fog.
#3 Empathy goes a
long way
When I said earlier
that psychology is full of controversy, Freud springs to mind. Some
of his theories were absolutely insane, yet he did some excellent work.
If you read his books
and papers, it’s very easy to see why he was effective: he was genuinely
interested in people and he was a kind, thoughtful man.
Sometimes, just having
an understanding ear is enough to help.
This of course begs
another question: “So if I see a quack who has good intentions, an
empathetic attitude, and I’m willing to spend the time, what’s the problem?
 |
| A wacko quack can cause real damage |
Just this: a wacko
quack can cause real damage.
Think about it in
terms of fixing a car. If you see blue smoke coming out of the engine, you can
take it to a cowboy mechanic and one of two things happens: you strike lucky
and it’s fixed, or you pay your money and you end up with a vehicle that blows up.
It’s the same with
mental health.
So, please look after yourself and avoid cons and quacks. Your mental health is too important to be in their hands.
PS
If you’re curious why
rubbish is increasingly popular, check out Prof Patrick Grim who's one my favourites, or throw the terms pseudoscience into Amazon to see a list of current publications. It’s an awesome field, and
worth taking a look at.
Curious what psychological theories
are considered nonsense by insiders? Here’s a paper you’ll love. (Skip straight to page 518
for the list.) Pseudosciences included:
o Jungian sand tray therapy for treatment of
adolescent and adult disorders
o Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for
treatment of mental/behavioral disorders
o Rage reduction therapy for depression
o Freudian dream analysis for treatment of
mental/behavioral disorders
