Don't Medicate the Soul to Fit a Broken System
A mother asks about Risperdal for her sensitive son. The answer: Adolescence is "High Light" in a fragile vessel. When a system replaces connection with pills, it is a sign of societal collapse, not t
“My teenage son has trouble regulating his emotions when he feels erased by authority. He was insulted by peers and ignored by staff, so he exploded. The doctor prescribed Risperdal (an antipsychotic) to ‘help with regulation,’ even though he isn’t psychotic. I am terrified of the side effects. Why give such heavy drugs to a child? Is this the only way?”
There is a stage in the development of the Soul, Especially in adolescence, Where there is no “Why” that needs to be solved, But a State that must be passed through.
The Ramchal explains that during the years of identity formation, the Soul is under a Load of Light that is greater than the Vessel’s ability to contain.
This is not pathology.
It is a Temporary Gap between Light and Vessel. The Vessel is still soft.
When strong Light meets unripe Vessels, it translates in this world as anger, outbursts, and lack of regulation—especially in the face of external authority that feels threatening or unjust.
Redefining the “Problem” What you describe is not necessarily a pathological regulation disorder. It is a Human-Soul Reaction to:
Accumulated insult.
Lack of protection from the system.
An external threat that activates a sense of erasure.
A child who was not treated when insulted again and again is not reacting only to the last event. He is reacting to the Accumulation. The Tanya calls this: “The awakening of the Animal Soul when the Divine Soul has received no protection.”
On Medication (The Secret Wisdom Perspective) Disclaimer: This is spiritual perspective, not medical advice.
According to the Torah of the Secret, medicines are neither “Bad” nor “Good” on their own. They are an intervention in the Vessel, not the Soul.
Sometimes they help lower the noise to allow listening.
But sometimes they Silence a Cry that needs an emotional-systemic response.
Therefore, the real question is not “Is the pill dangerous?” but: “Are we treating the Root, or just silencing the Symptom?”
The Warning of Baal HaSulam Baal HaSulam warns of a state where society rushes to “balance” strong Light instead of building a Vessel for it. If the child listens, understands, and learns to express anger—and if there is a supportive emotional process—one must be very careful about assigning an identity of a “Problem” through medication. Especially when there is no psychosis.
The Systemic Collapse The Education System has lost its educational essence and has become, in many cases, a Holding Mechanism, not a space of Connection, Value, and Breath.
Once, authority relied on Meaning.
The teacher stood behind the child as a Human Backbone.
Today, parents are exhausted, frameworks are worn out, and into this vacuum enter: Diagnoses, Pills, and Protocols as a substitute for Presence. This is not wickedness; it is Collapse.
The Parental Duty In such a situation, a parent can no longer afford to ask “What do we do?” He must wake up and choose. If a framework hurts the child’s soul—even if it is “Standard”—responsibility requires pulling him out. Even at the price of committees, changing tracks, or special education.
This is not rebellion against the system. It is Loyalty to the Child. Better temporary discomfort and upheaval than a “False Quiet” bought at the price of extinguishing the soul with pills and abusive treatment.
The Truth about Authority
A Teacher is not God.
A Framework is not God.
Education is not God.
Rules are not God.
And Pills are certainly not the Solution.
A teacher is a human. A framework is a tool. Education is a process. The moment we make gods out of them, we lose the truly Divine: The Human, the Heart, the Living Responsibility.
The Summary When authority disconnects from Presence, When the system replaces Connection with Procedures, And when human pain is treated with chemistry instead of listening— It is a sign not of the madness of children, But of the deep confusion of adults.
This is not Progress. It is a cursed exchange:
Instead of Parenting -> Procedure.
Instead of Education -> Industrial Silence.
Instead of Correction -> Blurring.
Simply put: Humanity has lost its Compass.
Reflect:
The Noise: Is your child’s behavior a “disorder,” or is it the only sane reaction to an insane environment?
The Pill: Are you medicating the child to help him, or to make him easier for the system to handle?
The Loyalty: Whose side are you on? The principal’s or your son’s? Be his backbone when the system has no spine.