ADI PRESENTS: On mental health

[0:06]In analysis, we usually do not use the term mental health. We use the term of authentic or authentic ways of living which cause pathologies or symptoms. Mental health is a scientific term which we use when communication with insurances, with legal authorities, with official authorities. But in our therapeutic work, we don't consider mental health as something that we are selling or something which is deficient in our patient. We regard our fellow human beings in theirness with all their existence as a human being. This is much more than mental health. Being yourself means to be free, means to have authentic relationships. This just doesn't mean simply that you are healthy according to some criteria that maybe normal or not normal. You are healthy as soon as you manage to lead an authentic life. And this is probably more difficult than to find mental health. We do know all the concepts of mental health, we do know all the definitions of psychology and we do use the terms like neuroticism and depression and psychosis. But we do not approach a client by this diagnosis and we are not selling our patients health. Many patients are a little bit confused and looking just for mental health meaning getting rid of some symptoms. Probably getting rid of symptoms might be reached quicker and easier by another therapeutic modality. We are looking for the existential ground, for the existential explanation of each symptom. Which will ensure that you will also in the future be able to lead mostly if you remove one symptom another symptom will show up in the future. This is what we want to prevent and using mental health is something which might cause a relapse of symptoms. We believe that being in the world is a rather existential and authentic way of approaching a human being.