When the difficult situation has become the norm that you can't escape from... then you're no longer "treating,” but instead doping them

Idk with which forms of therapy you've made experiences with. I wouldn't call it "doping". Depending on the illness or disorder, helping patients to deal with their shit in a way that improves their well-being at least a little bit (and more in the long-term) is what it's about. This does not neccessarily include work-perfromance or something like that. In fact, this is often not even important for therapy.

and the "treatment" is never-ending

Depending on what you have on your plate, long-time treatment can of course be required. What do you expect?
Psychologists can do a lot, but they can't do miracles.
While for some short-term treatment is sufficient, it isn't for others.