In reading Stephen's message I find myself thinking of how physicians can sometimes induce iatrogenic conditions, complications caused by the doctor's treatments. As we know, the organization itself can cause mental disease by virtue of what it stands for.
I think one important point is the difference between the JW idea of counsel and the literal meaning of the word. All counsel means is to consult right? But really the counsel from the elders is supposed to be regarded as authoritative, it hardly carries the same meaning.
Another thing is the approach that professional counselors take toward those in need of help. Frankly, they don't TELL YOU what to do! (in terms of running your life) Aside from the medical aspect of psychiatry, the individual seeking therapy often plays some kind of active role. I think it's important for the one seeking therapy to understand that they need to take steps to take back their life. Medication and therapy may help, but nobody can do it FOR you.
As I've mentioned in another post, the thing that made me stop going to meetings was my attempt at sharing a bit of psychological counsel with an elder's wife. I saw an attitude of "learned helplessness" among the witnesses in terms of physical illness, the attitude being "Oh some things just won't be fixed until the new system!" The thing is, they weren't even trying or looking to see what can help. So I shared some research done by Martin(?) Seligman which involved experiments with dogs. Well, the elder was rather upset at being compared with dogs, asking me not to share such information in the future - completely missing the point.
So I guess I just want to emphasize the individual's role in their own recovery. While I understand that depression can be severe, (been there myself, chemical crutch (not pharmaceuticals, but that's my choice) and not having energy for anything) you don't want to put your faith in others for recovery. It doesn't matter if they are qualified professionals, but the fact is we need to do our own part, as I'm sure any good professional will tell you.
