Maybe it is not about "treatment" when we are talking human psyche or... *gasp* the soul.
It was not "treatment" in the classical sense of word that saved Coelho... It was him realizing *he* is the one in power of his own destiny.

Also, as somebody who volunteered with refugees and is friends with people from former Yugoslavia, survivors of a genocidal war.... I prefer not to throw the term "suffering" around too much. Sure I been deep down in existential darkness... at many times I felt there is not point to life... but I would not dare to compare myself to those who experiences real (or external) traumas.

We get choice in our life, what to do with it. That I believe. It may be cynical of me, but it helps me to carry on.