Usually, I like to point out all of the positives of the self-help methods available to help an individual with a specific problem in life. Whether it be reading a self-help book about your relationship, or trying out a self-help program online to combat depression, I find such methods a good first step toward seeking help. Or getting better.
But sometimes such methods obscure the truth. For many — but not all — mental health concerns, the truth is that time alone will often heal a person — it just takes longer as you grapple with the concern. This doesn’t work for things like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but for an adjustment disorder or even a simple phobia, treatment is often unnecessary (adjustment disorders usually resolve on their own over time and simple phobias can usually be avoided).
So let’s turn our attention to a habit that many people have trouble kicking — smoking. We’ve been told over and over again that it’s difficult to quit because the nicotine in cigarettes is addicting. You know, like cocaine. Or caffeine. But what you’re rarely told is that it is the behaviors associated with smoking that are often the strongest reinforcers of smoking. Taking a smoke after eating? That has nothing to do with your addiction to nicotine, but has everything to do with the association you’ve built up between food and smoking.
Dr. Carlat: Well, we will. But it is a very, very slow incremental process. This reminds me of, when the campaign manager for President McKinley was asked what were the most important things in politics. And he said, “There are two important things in politics. The first one is money, and I forget what the other one is.” It works very similarly in the pharmaceutical marketing industry, and it really is all about the money.