Over Diagnosed and Over Medicated

Last night I watched a CBC Doc Zone program from March 15 (the beauty of iPad's and "watch on demand!!) titled "The Age of Anxiety."

One of the main points that the program was suggesting is that drug companies are marketing normal human conditions as psychological disorders; and that the drug companies are doing this for profit reasons only.

Another point that the program was making is that many psychiatrists and family doctors are prescribing drugs as a first approach to treating patients who are describing anxiety like symptoms. This is being done instead of suggesting cognitive and spiritual approaches to dealing with stress and anxiety.

We are becoming an over diagnosed and over medicated culture.

An interesting comment made by one of the interviewed psychiatrists on this CBC program was that one of the reasons many people today are looking for a "pill" to help them deal with their stress and anxiety, is because of the loss of community and church in our society. In other words, it is because of the lack of connectedness with others and the lack of spiritual tools to deal with the ups and downs of normal and natural human life.

Supportive community and learning and practicing inner/spiritual disciplines is foundational to living a healthy and balanced human life.

The medicine that our culture needs most is church and spirituality.

It is time for our culture to come back to church.
It is time for us to come back to building and contributing to loving and supportive church communities.
It is time for us to come back to developing and living spiritual lives.
It is time for us to come back to the Good Shepherd who alone can lead us into abundant life.