AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF MENTAL DISEASES IN THERAVADA BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

This dissertation is to analytically study the metal decease of man with the idea of mind in Theravada Buddhist philosophy by having three objectives: 1) to study the metal decease of man with the idea of mind in Theravada Buddhist philosophy, 2) to study the wholesome and unwholesome mind in Theravada Buddhist philosophy, and 3) to analytically study the metal decease of man with the idea of wholesome and unwholesome mind in Theravada Buddhist philosophy.
The study was found that:
1) The metal decease according to medical diagnostics is of the disorder of feeling, thought, emotion, or extreme behavior that outs of control, such as delusion, hallucination. These kinds of diseases once happened would cause extreme change and disorder in character, thought, and emotion, even when diagnosed but could not find any disorder. The mental decease one is the symptom of being abnormal in conscience, mostly, is of the symptom of error and changing from the normal one became abnormal, mad, crazy, neurotic, and mental ill, but once received proper treatment and support, the ill one has the chance to recover and be able to come back to live life as normal.
2) The mental decease according to Buddhism is the symptom of mental ill having distress due to physical and mental ill, fearing of losing the beloved one, disheartenment, desperation, and the symptom of not wanting to live that would result in stress and grieve. There are, in Theravada Buddhism, two kinds of deceases, namely, physical and mental decease. So what Buddhism has explained was that everyone gets mental decease, and Buddhism mentions these kinds of deceases aiming at letting one be aware and fix them.
3) The way to treat mental decease by medical treatment—there are many ways of treatments by the doctors, such as treatment by antipsychotic drugs, electricity, and taking care of them mentally and socially.
4) The way to treat mental decease in Buddhism—the Buddha had remedied the problems with mental and wisdom therapy through the doctrines, such as the six intrinsic natures of a person, sense-restraint, behavioral restraint, and livelihood-restraint, etc. The mental decease ones once received the correct treatment would be able to live their life as normal, and be able to develop their life till emancipating from the circle of birth and death.