Maybe I'm not crazy after all!

I am currently reading "Care of the Soul" by Thomas Moore, a book that questions our society's need to 'fix' everything. Psychologists are trained to erradicate unwanted feelings and behaviour, and to replace them with more positive, productive ones. "Think positive"- that's a good one! Moore suggests that these 'shadow' sides to our personality may, in fact, be very necessary to our growth as individuals. How can we ever develop fully as thinking, feeling human beings if we deny ourselves the feelings of loss; pain; fear; depression; etc.
It is difficult in our busy, everyday lives to remember that we are here for a reason, and it might have more to do with self-discovery than career paths or investment portfolios. Maybe we need to experience these feelings of sadness in order to grow and deepen our spirituality. Yet the multi-nationals make a fortune selling drugs that surpress these feelings! Maybe it's natural to feel depressed or anxious for a few years, or to want to withdraw from life for a while. Perhaps what we term "mental illness" is closer to a hibernation of sorts, where we take time out in order to take stock, rest, regroup and heal. One could go even further and suggest that forcing someone out of this hibernation prematurely could be detrimental to this process and result in a soul that is only half-cooked! I know that when 'the professionals' tried to coax me into 'healthy' behaviour before I felt ready, I reacted like a bit of a bear with a sore head!