I have been following the tragic story of a woman's son's deterioration over the past many installments of Up the Down Escalator and I am perplexed. What set the young man off was seeing inappropriate things. This led to consultations with psychologists, a social worker, and even medication and hospitalization.
But seeing inappropriate things is a spiritual problem! Out in the 'velt," seeing such things is not viewed as a problem! It would seem that the right person to consult about this would have been a rabbinic guide who could have provided a Torah perspective, direction in teshuva, and guidance in how to get back on track, spiritually.
Wishing all of us yeshuos,
To me, it sounds like asking for a loaf of bread in a hardware store, shoes in a grocery story. They may as well consult with a podiatrist; why a psychologist? These professionals were of no use and worse, the young man deteriorated under their care. It is painful to read how misdirected he was. They focused exclusively on his depression and other psychological symptoms and not on what got him in the mess in the first place.
This is not unique to the Jewish world; it's the same in the Christian world, lehavdil. The "mental health professional" has completely replaced the spiritual guide in modern society. Rabbis are viewed as unprofessional, "unlicensed" charlatans, while "therapy" from "mental health professionals" and pills are always the solution to personal issues, and their rulings are final, authoritative, and unappealable on life-and-death matters, e.g., on whether a couple should get divorced or on whether a parent is fit. Disagreeing with this model is modern-day heresy.
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