Inc wrote:Another peculiar (and albeit ridiculous) recommendation the psychologists on the site give is to seek out clergy for assistance in overcoming the "problem". Mormon clergy are perhaps the least qualified of all denominations to deal with any issue - they have no knowledge or experience. I mean these guys are plumbers, MLM's, real estate agents, podiatrists.. what the hell?
I think these Mormon psychologists primarilly recommend clergy over someone with a degree in mental health because the rest of the world views this subject from an entirely different perspective.
Inc, you make an excellent point. If someone has a problem with
any type of addiction, they should be receiving help from a licensed professional. Even if the Church offered more training in counseling, Bishops are much too stretched to take this on in addition to everything else they have on their plate. Like you said, Bishops and counselors come from all different walks of life as far as professions are concerned. Someone who has an additction problem needs the help of a professional specialist who is trained in that area of expertise.
As far as how the world views addiction, here is a viable definition from Wikipedia:
Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances (for example alcohol, tobacco, heroin and other drugs) which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.
Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it. Pleasure and enjoyment would have originally been sought; however, over a period of time involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal.[1] Some psychology professionals and many laymen now mean 'addiction' to include abnormal psychological dependency on such things as gambling, food, sex, pornography, computers, internet, work, exercise, idolizing, watching TV or certain types of non-pornographic videos, spiritual obsession, self-injury and shopping.[2][3][4][5]
(Bold emphasis mine)
People can be addicted to behaviors as well as substances, and this is recognized in general society. The key to an activity being classified as an addiction is:
1. Continuing the activity in spite of the clear negative consequences.
2. Where the activity was initially engaged in to feel pleasure, an addicted person engages in the activity merely to feel "normal".
Based on these findings, I am confident that licensed professionals would be able to guide truly addicted patients through the needed processes. And, the Church is wrong in not encouraging members to go through these professional channels.
