I agree with the concept of “the road to whatever” and the ideology of therapeutic Darwinism as exhibited in the article. First, as social dynamics are regularly changing, adolescents are finding themselves in more social-instigated crises which are most times diagnosed as mental disorders requiring therapeutic interventions. The concept of “the road to whatever” describes a societal path of therapy with no regards for consequences but only the process. In most scenarios (and testimonies) in the article, the adolescents such as B.J. and Lacey find themselves trapped in a forced system of therapy which is misappropriated and non-progressive according to their individual opinions.
In the system, wrong-doers or those seeking help or assistance from psychologists and therapist are recruited in a class of responsibility. They are victimized and driven to own their responsibilities with limited information about the contexts and inadequate skills to handle their emotional, physical, psychological and behavioral aspects. In response to my field notes, I interviewed Albert, a 23-year-old student who was attending a drug rehabilitation program. I was determined to know his stand on the conditions in the facility, therapists and the overall rehab system and its success and credibility. His position was, “I am here to pass the time, and I do not follow the rules nor listen to them (therapists). I did not get what I sought”
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Modern therapeutic sessions are marred with unprofessionalism and misdiagnosis of disorders facilitated by unwilling to dig for the underlying causes, the inadequacy of resources, poor professional culture and parent collaboration in effecting pejorative assumptions ideology. To ensure proper accommodation of subjects and students in therapy sessions, professions must adopt ethical behaviors and involve professional strategies solving problems rather than using intimidator tactics such as public shaming and punitive interventions. Moreover, a common practice in these centers is obligatory obedience: every subject is bound by rules and expected to obey policies from behavior modification religiously. However, this results in secondary deviance, resistance, and program drop-outs, especially in specialty institutions and facilities.
“ I hate therapy; I hated it. You couldn’t criticize anything. You couldn’t say what you felt”, Lacey describes a common occurrence with adolescent therapists. Also, according to Albert, the best solutions to therapeutic problems are those generated in an integrated setting where both parties can listen and criticize processes, not the one-directional system. Environmental factors such as cultural settings and values are disregarded in concluding therapy leading to purported medical conditions requesting pharmaceutical interventions. Moreover, the pills, such as anti-depressants are overprescribed, as shown in the Virginia study, leading to critical policy violations and successive patient safety concerns.
Most tactical interventions are prescribed in the absence of context of behavior occurrence consideration leading to repetitive diagnosis. With limited follow-up procedures, i.e., concern for the patient’s welfare, their emotional and psychological suffering continues leading to therapy dysfunction. In worse scenarios, effects are accelerated, an example being Anna who finally believes that attending clinical therapy had aggravated by emotional and psychological suffering, “I felt empty and dead that it didn’t matter to me if I was sabotaging myself or not, you know, whatever the consequences were”, while describing her depression state and drug use.
I believe that poor professional skill level in a therapeutic setting is a significant hindrance to adolescent wellness. Activation of integration and patient-friendly interventions which are based on factual and relevant information is essential in delivering psychological assistance. I believe that elimination of responsibility mindset, strategies, and policies which are based on Darwinian inversion theory while accounting for cultural and environmental root problems to issues is the best system to adopt when solving social issues in adolescents.
