Psychology and psychiatry remain largely unsuccessful branches of medicine, regardless all the modern technologies and advancements we have today.
I have a feeling that we are not failing to treat people with mental illness because of the lack of advancement or lack of technologies as much it is a philosophical problem.
It is our general perception over mental illness and how we treat people with it. There are many approaches to the philosophies over which the therapies are based.
As psychology is technically philosophy applied to medicine, there are many philosophical teachings out there some of them quite contradicting each others. Because truth doesn't change regardless of time, place and circumstances someone must be wrong.
The therapies are simply exercises based on the philosophy behind it, if the philosophy is based on lies than the therapy is going to be ineffective or harmful. At best it is a waste of time at worst it is more abuse to be endured by someone that probably already suffered extensive abuse.
One of it is based on the Pavlov experiments with dogs, to help someone is like retraining a dog. You just have to introduce the right reward when positive behaviour is happening and punish or not reward the negative behavior. This philosophy completely disregard the fact that human have autonomy and free will.
Perhaps dogs are not too good of a comparison for humans, we are more like donkeys because we are incredibly stubborn. When you pursue someone to do something he or she dosen't want this will lead to two potential reactions.
If you manage to convince them they will resent you and your relationship with them is forever compromised, if you are not successful they will resist and rebel against you. The only way to help people is to help them accomplish what they already try to accomplish for as long as it is not immoral. Either way bypassing someones will it is to some degree harmfull.
Generally speaking all abuse is a strategy to bypass someone's free will, to force them to do something that it is in the advantage of the abuser in an unfair way. This could leave the victim with a lot of confusion which is going to lead to self-sabotage. To help someone rehabilitate in my opinion is not to force more decision or ideas in his head as much is to help restore free will. To the point that there are no more strong impulses that causes that person to self-sabotage.
Unfortunately most of the philosophies on which the therapies are based, involve to some degree an attack on your free will. Regardless we are talking of Freud, Jung or Humanistic Psychology, there might be some seeds of truth in there but that doesn't make the entire thing truthful or effective.
Psychology and psychiatry are not only branches of medicine, but they also unofficially serve as an extension of the justice system. That allows the authorities to punish people for things that inconvenient their agenda but they couldn't make illegal by law. Like for example during the Soviet Union, everybody that was caught disagreeing with the current regime was diagnosed with various mental illnesses and hold against their will in various asylums. I also could argue that there is not much difference between what the Soviets were doing and what are we doing to our kids today in school if they cant pay attention.
