A Jungian Approach to Mental Illness

[morebremrs]

All of us suffer from some form of emotional distress at some stage. Some forms of distress can last longer than they should and may significantly impair our everyday functioning. If this persists, we may be suffering from a mental illness or mental disorder (like depression, or anxiety). We can better understand this by comparing a mental illness such as depression, with a case of the flu ? it pervades our daily life with painful symptoms.

The traditional medical approach to mental disorder is that the symptoms need to be eliminated as soon as possible, then the neurochemistry of the brain needs to be altered to stop the mental illness. Well that sounds reasonable enough doesn't it? The problem is that traditional medicine does not seem to be able to deal with the wide variety of mental issues we face, nor are they able to keep people symptom-free. There seems to be something more to this problem.

The Jungian approach to mental disorders is quite different to traditional medicine. Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology, believed that when we suffer a mental disorder, the psyche (the mind and the body) are trying to work through some issue. The nature and symptoms of the mental disorder tell us a great deal about the nature of the suffering. What distinguishes the Jungian approach to this problem is that Jung felt that the elimination of the symptoms prevents insight into the reason for the illness in the first place ? i.e. the mental disorder is purposive, functional and wellness-oriented ? the psyche is trying to heal itself through this illness.

Let's think about flu again ? the symptoms of flu are unpleasant but they are purposive and functional. The body raises its temperature (a fever) when it detects the flu virus in an attempt to kill it (viruses can't stand high body temperature). The runny nose and headache are also attempts at eliminating the virus. We feel tired because our body is involved in emergency work, using energy over and above our normal needs. The symptoms are clearly functional and an attempt at healing. Why not view mental disorders in the same way?

Let's take depression ? we feel tired, don't want to speak to anyone, shut ourselves away in a dark room, switch off the TV, stop working and feel hopeless. These are all terrible symptoms, but what are the symptoms making us do? They make us think about ourselves and examine issues in our lives that we may be ignoring (say for example a difficult time in childhood). When we address these issues, we often find that the symptoms reduce. This is by no means a complete overview of mental disorders or of the Jungian approach, but it does give you a sense that sometime a long-lasting emotional upheaval has a purpose. Ideally, we should contact a Jungian Analyst and talk through some of these issues and make up our own minds.

[liza123]

"Let's take depression ? we feel tired, don't want to speak to anyone, shut ourselves away in a dark room, switch off the TV, stop working and feel hopeless. These are all terrible symptoms, but what are the symptoms making us do? They make us think about ourselves and examine issues in our lives that we may be ignoring (say for example a difficult time in childhood). When we address these issues, we often find that the symptoms reduce. This is by no means a complete overview of mental disorders or of the Jungian approach, but it does give you a sense that sometime a long-lasting emotional upheaval has a purpose"

Yes, this is what happens in some cases. People end up reviewing their lives, examine their issues, etc.

[Stressed_Out]

Yes, I like the idea. Much better than be labeled bi-polar just to make therapist feel they know the answer. I mean why did my sister seek help and within the first few visits (maybe the first) they said she was bi-polar and gave her meds. Well she believed she was bi-polar since and really didn't have a point in returning. Don't therapist make more money with each visit? Doesn't each visit give them more perspective? It really doesn't make since to me... Does my sister seem better? She is still the same yet feels better because she has an excuse, I guess.

I like the Jungian Approach and don't know if I'm considered to have followed it. I feel I may have tried. There are a few issues that may arise. If the approach is only to use your mind then you may never know the "answer". The only benefit from not using other peoples insight is that it may avoid confusion and you may stick to one "answer".

Me being depressed for example, I've never talked to anybody, yet have searched through forums, studies, and basically the whole internet looking for answers. One website says something that makes complete sense to me and I start to look more into it and end up finding another site that makes complete sense yet contradicts the last place and so on.

But even so, say there is no internet, books, or other people to influence an answer in your mind, I feel the more you think the more lost and depressed you become. For as long as I can remember, I have always stayed up past what I should just uncontrollably thinking about my life, even awake, I think about creating a better person in me, the last few years have been more negative than positive although. All my thinking is probably the reason why I became depressed in the first place.

I have mixed reviews for this Jungian Approach but probably favor it because I feel I used this approach to some extent. I really don't understand depression though so... I think it has a lot to do with self-value. I mean if you value yourself you would never have to doubt or look down upon yourself. I would blame the parents for not raising the kid to love and value himself. You may find a lot of results in google that say to find self value but you will also find a lot that say you may have a disorder and need meds. There are too many answers and you have to filter through which ones are just excuses.

Some people I think choose to be depressed and there is no getting through to them. They have no will power. They say, nothing can help me and then wonder why people avoid them. These people are depressed because they are selfish and spoiled, they seek attention IMO.