In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
This may be perfectly true for Romeo, but not quite as applicable when it comes to diagnostic labels psychiatrists give to their patients.
Read on for my fable on flowers and names and mental illness.
Have a lovely week!
What's in a Name?
A Rose by Any Other Name . . .
May not smell as sweet
Once upon a time, a nursery was short-staffed from a pandemic, so the manager hired a young man who knew very little about plants. Though ignorant and inexperienced, he exuded confidence and enthusiasm and was soon hired.
As spring approached, the nursery received a shipment of plants he was asked to label. Given his lack of experience, he labeled each plant based on its outward appearance. The ones with spiny, leafless stems were labeled as cactuses, repotted in cactus mix, and displayed with other succulents in the store.
Customers from all over the village bought them, placed them under bright sunlight, and dribbled some water on them once a month. Unfortunately, the plants began to shrivel and turn brown.
The customers went online for expertise on how to care for their plants, reading articles like, "The 1000 Golden Rules for Watering a Cactus." However, the more they followed the advice online, the faster the plants withered.
One by one, the customers returned to the nursery with their brown and withered cactuses wanting a refund. They complained to the manager that their cactus was finicky and difficult to grow.
The manager took one look and instantly knew how to help both the plants and her customers. She assured them that if they would just give her a month, their plants would be returned to them thriving and beautiful. So, the customers left them in her care.
After they left, the manager gingerly removed the spiny plants and repotted them in rich loam, placed them in the sun, and watered them generously twice per week.
Soon each plant flourished and sprouted tender green leaves. In a few weeks, buds appeared and soon bloomed into colorful, fragrant roses.
The customers were ecstatic with their beautiful plants upon their return and happily went home with their properly labeled roses.
What happened to the young man who mislabeled them? He found another job better suited for his innate skills: sales.
In short, just as a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet if given the wrong treatment, the same thing occurs when we mislabel human beings with mental health issues.
The current diagnostic system in psychiatry only describes the outward appearance of the problem, lacking a true understanding of its nature. Blaming patients for being difficult "chronic cases" comes from mislabeling and the resulting mistreatment.
Next week's podcast will feature Caroline, who got her energy back with a few supplements and some energy medicine. Before she flourished under a holistic paradigm, however, she had been placed on a carousel of medications.
In fact, she listed 15 medications that began in 1998 until she began treatment with me in October 2021. That means that she had been treated by psychiatrists, without improvement, for 23 years.
During those years, she struggled with anxiety and depression that interfered with her ability to complete medical school. She lost much of her self-confidence and direction in life.
Just as a rose being mislabeled as a cactus can't thrive in cactus potting soil, Caroline did not thrive under traditional psychiatric treatment.
Why?
Traditional psychiatric treatment perpetually focuses on neurotransmitter function and believes that mental illness is either mental or neurological. That's like saying if roses have spines, then they must be cactuses.
I believe that mental illness is a metabolic condition with manydifferent underlying causes. The neurological system is involved in order to provide the proper message: "Ouch! I don't feel well. Help!"
Silencing the messenger system isn't the same as healing the problem, no matter how many years a psychiatrist studies the equivalent of "The 1000 Golden Rules for Watering a Cactus."
It's not a cactus. Stop treating it like one.
Have a great week!
The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast (Ep. 58):
The Art, Science, and Practice of Creative Freedom
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What is more important and essential to life than even happiness? Creative Freedom. In this podcast, I reflect on how to develop creative freedom at all levels of being: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. What types of issues may block our way to freedom?
How do we protect and create ways to enhance our ability to live authentic, fulfilling lives? Listen for important insights that help us towards true happiness.
Click here to listen to all of The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast episodes.
For more about Dr. Lee, please visit:
YouTube: The Holistic Psychiatrist
To schedule consultations or appointments, call her office at 240-437-7600