Mental Health in Carl Jungs Theories - Essay Example

Mental Health based on Carl Jung theories Introduction Jung’s view of mental health has really impacted the society in various ways. Carl Jung had a unique perception on mental health by arguing that living organism always have directed aims which they must always fulfill and that depression is an unconscious compensation whose content must be made conscious for its fulfillment. Absolutely everyone suffers from emotional distress at some point in life but some distress may actually last for long thus impairing our mental function. Traditionally, mental illness was initially dealt with by eliminating the signs before neurochemistry is changed to eradicate the ailment. Nonetheless, this kind of approach does not seem satisfactory; it does not deal with various matters related to mental illness. In that case, Jung decided to give it another approach by arguing that mental disorder is eminent when the psyche is trying to solve or work through a certain issue (Jung Web). He therefore does not support the issue of eliminating signs and symptoms as these results into eradication of reasons behind the illness. According to Carl Jung who is a popular Swiss psychiatrist, riddance of the symptoms is improper because mental illness is purposive, functional and work oriented hence the mind and body is just attempting to heal itself. Because everyone is affected either directly or indirectly by mental disorder, it remains a crucial issue to address. Jung could perhaps have done better than he did in mental health. Although Carl Jung was a psychiatrist, he did not very much handle the issue of mental health satisfactorily (Jung Web). Counter Argument Jung used depth psychology as a technique that depends on ascertaining the reasons behind mental challenges as the best way of treating mental illness. In this case, a therapist would always work towards revealing the source of a mental illness rather than considering the symptoms related to the condition (“Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences” Web). Jung believes that after the diagnosis and full identification of causes behind the disorder, the maladaptive objects would be changed thus resulting into positive and healthy conditions. Jung further used collective unconscious in his argument by asserting that it holds mental images which are not easy to explain historically or via experience although it exists as an evolutionary by-product (Pickard 84-94). Features of outer life such as sadness, reduced functioning, loss of interest or pleasure, sleep or psychomotor functioning are considered to be external qualities popularly referred to as symptoms of mental disorder. Actually it is out of these external qualities that are used in diagnosing mental disorders yet Carl does not agree with such kind of diagnosis. This is indeed ridiculous because symptoms of a disorder are the most important thing prioritized by the medical practitioners (Pickard 84-94). Jung’s argument seems to be going against medical practitioners or psychiatrists approach. In fact there are cases where a mental disorder patient cannot even talk and reason logically. In this case, the outer symptoms may be enough in determining the treatment of the patient. Jung being a psychiatrist he was expected to do exactly what was expected of him. He instead believed that relieving the patient’s suffering was more important and recognized mental disorder as one of the many unconscious compulsions (Pickard 84-94). Proper diagnosis is a universal requirement to the medical practitioners. Unless a proper diagnosis is done by a doctor or a psychiatrist, the patient may feel that the diagnosis was unsatisfactory. However, diagnosis must always begin from the physical appearances and actions of a mental disorder patient. Although the process of diagnosis for mental illness may not be easy since it is not achieved via simple mental blood test or just brain scan, it enables a practitioner to eradicate some causes such as stroke or thyroid (Jung Web). Cause and diagnosis of psychosis for mental illness through the use of symptoms may help ruling out other medical causes. Mental illness may greatly interfere with an individual’s thinking and reasoning ability of an individual which may reduce chances of talking to a patient. This may really hinder chances of getting the exact causes of a disorder thus making Jung’s argument inappropriate (Pickard 84-94). By considering the way psychiatrist handle mental illness, there are key features of the system that is highly valued by the practitioners. It is undeniable that most practitioners always look upon reimbursement and the general financial incentive. Because the current healthcare system is run by insurance companies that reimburse doctors based on their diagnosis and perhaps the rate in which the condition is treated. This actually turns the doctor’s perception and perspective towards healthcare provision. It is certain that focuses has been turned to the amount of money someone earns or may get from the diagnosis done (“Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences” Web). Insurance companies are certainly interested in money that is how much can they save from their policies. The companies are not interested on the patient’s quality of health or individual patient’s requirements but rather on reduction of their overhead costs and boosting their efficiency. It is therefore important to note that medical practitioners will only attempt to consider diagnosing patients based on their symptoms in order to do it quick and earn a lot of money (Jung Web). Actually money is a motivator and therefore you cannot blame a psychiatrist for working towards increasing their earnings. Perhaps the policy of the insurance companies is changed. If Jung’s argument may be used in this kind of situation, the insurance companies may benefit on one side because the speed of diagnosis may have been reduced thus leading to lowering of overhead costs. Efficiency may therefore feature when time is considered an essence hence making the system to suit the current world temperament (“Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences” Web). Additionally, self-analysis does not produce results; it makes the depressed even worse. This is the only motivation for every patient who strongly believes in their doctors in giving them better healthcare based on their qualifications and experience rather than patient’s self-analysis as argued by Jung. It sounds irrational to ask a mentally challenged patient to explain what happens with his or her brain. What should be initially understood by the practitioners is that the patients who come to them are already challenged mentally and therefore may not be able to express themselves. If perhaps the patient may be able to express himself or herself then the challenge would be how possible is it to understand what happens with him or her (“GoodTherapy.org” Web). Conclusion Although Jung attempted to introduce the concept of self-analysis. Mental health is a broad topic whose diagnosis involves several steps starting with an evaluation by psychiatrists. External symptoms are some of the significant things considered by medical practitioners and they represent the base of starting any form of medication. Despite lack of proper simple diagnosis tool used by healthcare providers, there are always alternative tests to reduce the causes of symptoms that are different from proposed self-analysis by Jung (“GoodTherapy.org” Web). Symptoms are widely used by psychiatrists and psychologists diagnose patients based on their report symptoms which may include social or challenges caused by the patient or the observable features of the patient. Jung’s theories seem very complex and would therefore not easy to apply within mainstream of psychology and mental health. Everyday experiences in mental health do not seem to agree with Jung’s arguments thus resulting into their unpopularity in the mental health sector. Plan of action Mental health professionals should apply the best technique possible within their professional requirements to diagnose a mental health patient. Diagnosing a patient based on physical symptoms as observed by the medical practitioner is indeed very crucial. Also, symptoms linked with the patient’s actions such as social problems caused by the patient still remain superior. Works Cited Jung, Carl Gustav. Infoplease, 2005.: Web. 13 Oct. 2013   “Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences.” Whole person learning in a Jungian Context, 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. ,http://jungiancenter.org/essay/example-how-jung-handled-mental-health-problem> “GoodTherapy.org.” Jungian Psychotherapy, 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Pickard, Hanna. The nature of mental illness: Mental illness is indeed a myth. 20 April 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Read More