Can Buddhism Cure Mental Illness?

By Rev Sumitta in Applied Buddhism 

"I am so overjoyed at the growing interest in Buddhism. As a practice, it has been proven over the past 2,600 years that the Buddha truly understood the nature of the world and his enlightened teachings have been the path for countless others to understand the nature of dukkha (discontentment) and how to reduce or eliminate that dukkha in our lives in order to be fully engaged with the world around us. Nevertheless, lately I have seen a marked increase in conversations of people who seek Buddhism to be a panacea solution for mental illness and this sometimes troubles me because it shows a misunderstanding of Buddhism and mental health.

While I am a Buddhist minister, I am also a licensed social worker with a specialty in mental health and drug and alcohol treatment. If you have thought of practicing Buddhism and you (or your friend) suffer from a mental health condition, I highly encourage you to read this article and understand more clearly what Buddhism can and cannot do for you..."  Read it all