However in these days of technology and information it is only natural that Science, Psychology, will begin to provide some of this comfort and understanding.

Interestingly some of the newer religions combine the two quoting basic psychotherapy as the path to enlightenment.

There are chemical differences behind everything. How can you objectively say one thing is just a trait and another a disorder?

Psychiatry often says if something is normal for culture or society it is exempt. What makes society a priori correct? Societies throughout history have sanctioned slavery and genocide and repression. Remember “Drapetomania”. Slaves that wanted to be free were labeled “abnormal”. We didn’t have as much understanding of the material working of the mind back then, but I bet if we still had slaves it would be in the DSM and studies would be showing “differences” between “drapetomania sufferers” and ” ‘normal’ slaves”, because every thought in your head, every feeling is somewhere represented by chemical reactions. Simply choosing to believe in abolition would cause a change somewhere compared to believing one should remain a slave. Looking back if we were forced to say one group was disordered we’d say it was the slaves who didn’t want to be free. This shows just how subjective mental illness is.

I contend that psychiatry should continue, but it should drop this ridiculous presumption to determine how people ought to think and live their lives, and simply categorize mental subtypes and cognitive dimensions. If someone decides that in order to live a better life one of these must change then I’m all for them getting help with that. I’ll go further and say if someone whose functioning “normally” just wants to have an edge such as in love life or work they should be allowed to go for that too.

The driving force here is money, so they tell people who are fine that there is something objectively wrong with them to get them to buy pills.

Even when something is wrong many of these pills are approved in spite of problems like side effects or even when placebo studies show only a very small difference meaning a lot of people are “feeling better” because they expect the pill to work.

Religion only attempts to get your money.

Psychiatry is the study of understanding the functions of a human, and attempting to understanding our motivations and mind.

To a great degree religion attempts to do the same things, just without the scientific method.

So yes, I really think psychiatry is the religion of science. After all it deals so greatly with our choices and how our environment effects us. In essence is really is the POLAR opposite of religion–whilst explaining the same thing.

Very interesting point! Great article.