Actually I have known people who have been helped by psychiatry - I think the problem is finding the "right" dr and the right medications. I know people who were suicidal, had horrible anxiety and were bipolar where a good dr and the right medication saved their life literally. I'm not making a blanket statement about psyschiatry, because as with any profession there are quacks out there, but I have witnessed it help several people. Some mental illnesses ie bipolar disorder have an organic cause where there is a chemical disorder which can be adjusted with medication. If you've ever seen someone with bipolar on their meds and then how they act off their meds you would see what i mean.