is the paradigm shifting?

Question

I am trying to track any noticeable changes in the way psychiatric/psychological/therapy services are being delivered today... is there a movement towards strengths-based services (the notion that people with mental illness can and do recover and can come through extreme situations and live productive and healthy lives) as opposed to the deficit-based services (where folks are considered to be permanently disabled and in need of services and/or medication for the rest of their lives)... are people starting to feel empowered and able to retake control of their lives?

Answer 1

The keyword you used is 'empowered'... that it is a "potential" paradigm shift is the most disheartening of facts. Empowerment - REAL empowerment, is NOT really practiced nowadays... if it were, much of social & psychological pathologies would become nearly non-existent. Oh, there is a lot of "lip service" given, but in terms of truly equiping the mind to heal itself - using & internalizing the paradigmatic tools necessary is an extensive and even intensive process, but it IS possible to provide the initial guidance for a mind to ultimately free itself from the bonds of baggage & "old tapes" gathered over the "formative years." Unfortunately, the money is not to be had by quick and effective remediation, but through flawed therapies that never quite "fix" the root problems and instead simply administer "band-aid" treatments to the confused, disenfranchized, depressed, conflicted, and weakened psyches that pervade our sickened and somatically numb society. The advances in the cognitive sciences alone could well quell many of the pathologies - social & psychological, were they taught in our schools.

Metacognition is perhaps the most under-rated & misunderstood of the human mental capabilities... and sadly under-utilized. If we could get student to habitually think on this level alone... transcending their difficulties would be a veritible 'cinch.' My group has pursued the mapping of the collective human intellect over the past twoo decades. Our findings are now melded into a comprehensive & "accu-rated" model that could potentially & truly empower the human mind or working intellect, if the process of internalization were to be realized. We have temporarily suspended the entries in our blog until we have managed to create some "word of mouth" out there... so I invite you to visit our outreach blog at blogspot.com:

http://collectiveintellect.blogspot.com

For the healing of the human mind to ensue, it is simply a matter of making the connections & achieving "critical mass" for those leaps of enlightenment to occur. Hope this helps...

Answer 2

I personally think that a lot of people in this country (USA) are completely over medicated. Almost every person I know is on SOME kind of drug for depression or anxiety. I don't know if that is what you're asking but I just felt the need to say that. I have been given lots of meds by doctors. I never even get the prescription filled though.