Hi Joe,
I have come to classify all mental illness "emotional illness" as that is really the case. Some dreadful trauma has occurred that has been too much for the person, together with poor nutrition. Sometimes it's just the poor nutrition.
In any event, prescribing drugs to cover up the problem is not the answer. For total healing, in anything really, one must go to the source. Today's drugs are much more effective and render a person functional. Yet, they have side effects and there is a price to pay (loss of libido, insomnia, change in eating habits, weight gain, and so many more). Nutrition alone can make a world of difference, provided one is willing to say goodbye to the convenient and comforting foods. And then one must deal with the past, accept it, and go forward. Of course, all this depends on the person. We are all different. I read an article just today that stated that the majority of our emotional problems are because we look for love on the "outside" when all the time we just had to look within. Once we learn how to do this, we learn to accept, forgive, and move on.
For those on medication now, I would never tell them to go off, as they are very addicting and could cause untold harm. Yet, I do tell them to merely use it as a tool and the day will come when they will be able to wean themselves off whatever medication they are on. All that is necessary is attacking the problem from its source, together with education.
This is a much more prevalent problem than people realize, now more easily treated with Paxil, Zoloft, and other state of the art drugs.
Well, I could go into an entire dissertation on how these drugs also rob you of your emotions and put you into a robotic state, but, I will leave it at that.
Hugs,
Luella