N. PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS AND RE-EVALUATION COUNSELING
N.1. Psychiatric Drugs and RC Community Members
All RC Community members are encouraged to discharge on and question the use of psychiatric drugs and the concept of “mental illness.”[173] They are encouraged to challenge assumptions that psychiatric drugs support emotional well-being.
All RC Community members are asked to discharge any distress that interferes with thinking well about people who may have used or are using psychiatric drugs.
SUMMARY OF REASON
(The full reason is lengthy and has been moved to the Appendix: Lengthy Reasons [print version page 106].)
RC uses a natural emotional healing process rather than psychiatric drugs that affect thought processes. Mainstream psychiatry, the pharmaceutical industry, and some other practices support the use of these drugs for attaining emotional well being. It is our experience that mind-altering drugs, including psychiatric and other drugs, interfere with thought processes, and also interfere with the natural healing process. Furthermore, whereas psychiatric drugs imply that the problem to be fixed resides entirely within the individual, RC theory includes the idea that many emotional hurts result from oppression and harmful social and environmental circumstances. These drugs are not designed to address these root causes.
RC’s perspectives on institutions, policies, and practices related to mainstream psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry are not criticisms of individuals’ choices related to psychiatric drugs. RC encourages Co-Counselors to discharge and determine for themselves whether or not to use psychiatric drugs.
[173] RC uses quotation marks around the word “mental illness” to indicate that RC has a different frame of reference and perspective on emotional healing from hurts, oppression, and distress, and disagrees with the use of the term “mental illness.”