Many pschiatrists are quacks who look for problems that aren’t there. However, only a fool would deny the existence of actual mental disorders. Anxiety and depression are real things. So are bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. So are ADHD, ADD, PDD, PTSD, etc.
They are over-diagnosed and often mis-diagnosed or imagined by doctors who want money. This does not negate their reality.
I do aggree that spiritual counseling is crucial, but God also uses doctors to help those with mental illness.
You said: “Besides, have you ever known or heard of anyone who was ever actually CURED by these people? Have you ever met or spoken to a “psychiatric professional”? Most of them are more mental than their patients.”
However, some psychiatrists really are worth their salt. I have bipolar disorder, and I am living a normal healthy life thanks to a good doctor. Really, it is thanks to God for providing me with a good doctor. Medicine saved my life—God saved my life through medicine. I work hard, I am a productive member of society, my husband is a pastor, and we both esteem conservative values.
There are bad psychiatrists and there are people seeking to take advantage of the system, but there really are those of us who need psychiatric care. I am furious with the abuse of the psychiatric healthcare system because it minimalizes those who really need help. “Mental Illness for Fun and Profit” is a problem, but not because mental illnesses are just made-up things. I aggree that the APA is full of dumb liberals but that doesn’t make all psychiatrists bad.
So before you say that the pychiatric industry is a joke, consider that the industry has been hijacked by liberals, not that psychiatry itself is bad. Mental illnesses are real, caused by brain deformation and/or neurotransmitter imbalance. They are somatic and neurological as well as psychological.
I guess what I’m asking is that you drop your blanket accusations without knowing all of the details. In answer to your questions: I have been cured through the aid of a psychiatrist. Yes, I have spoken to psychiatric professionals: some of them are good, some of them are bad, some of them need the help that they claim to offer. Some do more harm than good. But a good psychiatrist is a gift from God Himself to those who truly suffer from these illnesses.