There has recently been some discussion about these parts about which mental illnesses are actually "neurological" and therefore will no longer have a home in the realm of mental illness. This made me realize that psychiatry is moving faster than most of the population realizes, and decided to create this thread to lay a little groundwork for questions and discussion.

The truth is that serious depression, PTSD, bipolar illness, various personality disorders, autism & Aspergers, schizophrenia, o-c spectrum disorders, ADHD/ADD, criminality and even psychopathic thinking, perceiving and behaving are either all due to changes in the brain and/or all CAUSE the changes in the brain. Actual differences in the physical structure of the brain, actual differences in blood flow to certain areas of the brain, changes in electrical activity in different areas of the brain, and changing chemical balances in the brain - chemicals responsible for the modulation of emotions.

Psychiatry is no longer the sole province of psychoanalysts and behavioralists. It is no longer believed that you can cure a woman of emotional distress by removing her uterus, we no longer think that we should wrap people -mummylike- in long sheets and immerse them in ice baths for hours to "cool them down". Nope. It is no longer believed that you can stop a person from being addicted by giving them electrical shocks when they see a picture of a bottle of alcohol. Or cure a man of pedophilia by giving him a shock when he views a picture of a nude little girl. Nope. It's now recognized to not be just the result of "wrong thinking".. or "having a negative attitude".. or "being shiftless and unmotivated".. or "just too scared to try".. Nope.


Now next two posts, two crucial definitions - of Mental Health. and of Mental Illness.