[OneMoreTime]

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.

[OneMoreTime]

Definitions of Mental health on the Web:


The noun mental health has one meaning:
Meaning #1: the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment
Antonym: mental illness (meaning #1)

• mental health

• noun
  1. A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.
  2. A branch of medicine that deals with the achievement and maintenance of psychological well-being.
  3. A person's overall emotional and psychological condition: Since witnessing the accident, his mental health has been poor.
  
  http://.www.answers.com/topic/mental-health (more)
  
  
  
• the successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity; from early childhood until late life, mental health is the springboard of thinking and communications skills, learning, emotional growth, resilience and self-esteem. i
  www.fountainhouse.org/moxie/resources/resources_glossary/index.shtml
  
  
  
• How a person thinks, feels, and acts when faced with life's situations. Mental health is how people look at themselves, their lives, and the other people in their lives; evaluate their challenges and problems; and explore choices. This includes handling stress, relating to other people, and making decisions.
  www.dphilpotlaw.com/html/glossary.html
  
  
  
• A relatively enduring state of being in which an individual is reasonably satisfying to self, as reflected in his/her zest for living and feeling of self-realization. It also implies a large degree of adjustment to the social environment, as indicated by the satisfaction derived from interpersonal relationships, as well as achievements.
  www.cmpmhmr.cog.pa.us/glossary.htm
  
  
  
• The capacity of an individual to form harmonious relations with his/her social and physical environment, and to achieve a balanced satisfaction of his/her own drives.
  www.dph.state.ct.us/OPPE/sha99/glossary.htm
  
  
  
• Describes an appropriate balance between the individual, their social group, and the larger environment. These three components combine to promote psychological and social harmony, a sense of well being, self-actualization, and environmental mastery.
  schizophrenia.atspace.org/glossary/
  
  
  
• the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
  
  
  
• Mental health, mental hygiene and mental wellness are all terms used to describe the absence of mental illness. By this definition, mental status has two possibilities: either health or illness.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health

[OneMoreTime]

Definitions of Mental illness on the Web:

• mental illness
  noun 1. Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease; Also called mental disorder.
  2. Serious mental illness or disorder impairing a person's capacity to function normally and safely
  3. Any of various disorders characterized chiefly by abnormal behavior or an inability to function socially, including diseases of the mind and personality and certain diseases of the brain. Also called mental disease, mental disorder.
  Synonym: mental disease
  Antonym: mental health
  http://www.answers.com/topic/mental-illness (more)
  
  
• the term that refers collectively to all mental disorders. Mental disorders are health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.
  www.fountainhouse.org/moxie/resources/resources_glossary/index.shtml
  
  
• A state of being in which an individual has difficulty in handling situations and feelings of an everyday nature. In certain instances, conditions are characterized by impairment of intellectual functions, the experience of shallow and unstable emotions, and difficulty in adapting to one's environment.
  www.cmpmhmr.cog.pa.us/glossary.htm
  
  
• A broad range of disorders with psychological or behavioral symptoms and/or impairment in functioning due to a social, psychological, genetic, physical/chemical or biological disturbance.(return to top)
  www.longislandpsych.org/PatientRes/ImptTerms/ImptTerms.html
  
  
• Mental illness refers collectively to all diagnosable mental health problems that become “clinical,” that is where a degree of professional intervention and treatment is required. Generally, the term refers to more serious problems, rather than, for example, a mild episode of depression or anxiety requiring temporary help.
  www.wfmh.org/wmhday/sec3_pt3_4_glossary.html
  

• Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, and mental disorder. [Heritage]
  

• www.antiquusmorbus.com/English/EnglishM.htm
  
  
• means an underlying pathological infirmity of the mind, whether of long or short duration and whether permanent or temporary, but does not include a condition that results from the reaction of a healthy mind to extraordinary stimuli.
  scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/2/3037/0/PA000080.htm
  
  
• A pathological state of mind producing clinically significant psychological or physiological symptoms (distress) together with impairment in one or more major areas of functioning (disability) wherein improvement can reasonably be anticipated with therapy.
  www.bcbsneprovider.com/ProviderLibrary/Glossary/M.asp
  

• Behavioral or psychological syndromes or patterns which cause painful symptoms and interference with normal functioning in important areas (relationships, school, work, etc.)
  

• www.mhacv.org/Glossary/mental_health_glossary.htm
  
  
• any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

[firemonkey]

Is it psychological or biological

[DocJohn]

The fact remains, however, that our understanding of how the brain works is about where medicine was at the turn of the century, 100 years ago. Researchers still don't understand the most basic mechanisms of how things like electrical impulses and neurochemical changes work to affect changes. It's like when doctors observed that cleaning out a wound will help your survival rate, but not understanding anything about infection or how infection causes harm.

So these distinctions -- "neurological vs. something else" -- are, I would argue, arbitrary and not really helpful at this stage. You can't get a blood test that shows you have "depression," and, in fact, all mental illnesses are diagnosed still through behavioral symptoms -- you tell me what's wrong, and I see what category that best fits into.

That's not to say it will always be this way. A decade or two from now, who knows?

And remember -- everything you do affects your brain chemistry. When you're happy, I can you show you PET scans of how your happiness lights up parts of your brain. When you're sad, same thing. When you're bored, same thing. When you're having a heated argument, or playing a video game, same thing. So the fact that we can show some brains light up differently than others is a good start, but it doesn't help us at all to establish ontology.

John