Philosophy as Medicine

Feeling a little sick? Philosophy might just be the cure.

I have spoken many times to friends and colleagues concerned for their children. Often it has to do with their mental health. This is usually explained in terms of anxiety, depression or ADHD. A very common outcome is for someone to go to a general practitioner who then refers them to a psychiatrist who then prescribes psychoactive medication.

I am wary of this approach. Not because I don’t think that sometimes medication is needed. Not because I am a conspiracy theorist raging against Big Pharma. And not because I’m a redneck who thinks people should ‘get over it’ and tough it out.

I am wary because there are better options out there that are typically under-appreciated. There is one that I am particularly interested in. It has been used to heal our minds for thousands of years. And it is extremely low risk.

That option is philosophy.

When a young man starts to think that life is meaningless and he feels like he has no purpose, what do we do with him? Maybe we should refer him to Albert …