Humans, the “social animals”

 […] In a statement released in June 2011, the British Psychological Society complained to the American Psychological Association that the sources of psychological suffering in the DSM-V were identified “as located within individuals” and overlooked the “undeniable social causation of many such problems”. […] ‘ 

‘ Mental illness is not at all like cancer: Humans are social animals, and mental problems involve not being able to get along with other people, not fitting in, not belonging, and in general not being able to get on the same wavelength. Everything about us — our brains, our minds, and our bodies — is geared toward collaboration in social systems. This is our most powerful survival strategy, the key to our success as a species, and it is precisely this that breaks down in most forms of mental suffering. […] the neural connections in the brain and body are vitally important for understanding human suffering, but it is important not to ignore the foundations of our humanity: relationships and interactions that shape our minds and brains when we are young and that give substance and meaning to our entire lives. ‘

{From Chapter 10 of the book “The body keeps the score” by Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D.}