Why Psychiatric Disorders Are Not the Same as Physical Diseases
A great deal of effort has gone into persuading the general population that psychiatric conditions are just like any others: colds, arthritis, and so forth. I have never found this convincing; psychiatric disorders, including organic ones, are precisely what it is that makes us most ourselves. No one boasts that his symptoms are of psychological origin, though any of us may suffer such symptoms.
In 1982, the neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks wrote a book A Leg to Stand On, in which he described an accident while walking in Norway. He injured the tendon of one of his thigh muscles which was repaired by operation; but afterwards he found that he could not walk because he could not move his leg. He had “forgotten” how to do so. In addition, he no longer experienced his leg as part of himself, but as a completely alien object.
In his book, he rejected the hypothesis that his paralysis was hysterical, that is to say by unconscious mental conflict. Rather he preferred to believe that his peripheral nerve and muscle injuries had somehow affected his brain, and therefore his inability to move his leg was not psychological but physical.
In the latest edition of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, three neuroscientists, including a neurologist and a psychiatrist, reinterpret Sacks’ symptoms and say that they were indeed psychogenic, or what used to be called hysterical. They say that his pattern of symptoms was incompatible with a purely neurological explanation, indeed that they were typical of hysterical paralysis, though they emphasize that this does not mean in the least that they were “fake” or “imaginary.” As a 19th century doctor put it of female patients with hysterical paralyses (most patients with such paralyses were female): “She says, as all such patients do, ‘I cannot’; it looks like ‘I will not’; but it is ‘I cannot will.’’’
Sacks was given the right of reply to the authors and he sticks by his original contention that the paralysis from which he suffered was not psychological in origin. One has the impression that he does not merely disagree with this idea, but finds it uncomfortable and does not like it. Even if hysterical paralysis existed, it would be confined to others.
A third paper in the same journal by the Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital Anthony David has an interpretation that might not have pleased Dr Sacks:
Is it not one of the mechanisms whereby a minor injury can lead to major disability that it sows the seeds of what it might be like to be disabled and hence to be looked after, pitied, lionised? None of us is immune to this but like Sacks perhaps, most having glimpsed what life might be like on the “other side” returns with haste to the land of the healthy.
We have two attitudes to psychological vulnerability: either we assume it to an extraordinary degree to demonstrate our superior sensitivity, or we deny it altogether, believing ourselves to be completely invulnerable.
I tend to the latter; but once learned differently when I was in a distant land famed for its inefficient bureaucracy. There was a problem with my ticket home and it took days to sort out. During those days I suffered from severe and almost incapacitating backache that I did not connect to the problem with my ticket. The backache, which was severe, disappeared, however, within minutes of the problem having been sorted out. As Dr. Chasuble put it in The Importance of Being Ernest:
Charity, my dear Miss Prism, charity! None of us are perfect. I myself am peculiarly susceptible to draughts.
****
Related at PJ Lifestyle:
I fail to understand what point you are after here.
If Sachs had a hysterical reaction, and there was nonetheless a physical basis for it somewhere, then … what?
Of course it is highly ironic that Dr. Sachs should have a hysterical reaction at all, or by all accounts be that mistaken about it. Could it not be some other physical cause, in his leg? And just because consensus calls something hysterical, I will not jump 100% to believing that it is, but that’s yet another story.
Of course all of our behaviors are at some level physically based, by most (but I suppose not all) modern scientific standards, but if you’re drunk, is that not a physical and yet (temporary) psychiatric disability that we have the technology to clean up?
“If Sachs had a hysterical reaction, and there was nonetheless a physical basis for it somewhere, then … what?”
Professor Anthony David answered that question: “Is it not one of the mechanisms whereby a minor injury can lead to major disability that it sows the seeds of what it might be like to be disabled and hence to be looked after, pitied, lionised?” Hysterical reactions after minor injury, or after the normal psychological stresses of life, sometimes end up diagnosed as a “psychological disability.” This is a huge self-serving social scam – money for the physician making the diagnosis – and a monthly income and/or medical benefits for the person (“victim”) involved. If we are going to reduce the massive waste in our social programs, and thereby reduce our national debt, and thereby return to prosperity, we’ll have to re-visit the whole idea of disability, because most of these people with “psychological disabilities” are in fact able to perform some useful work. If these able-bodied people with “psychological disability” actually became hungry they would be out there eagerly looking for work.
Well, at least *I* did not mean that the physical basis for hysteria was the break in his leg, I meant it had to be that there was a chemical basis in his brain that accounted for the hysteria, and presumably whatever was physical in his leg was not 100% causal for the chemicals in his brain. Not 100%. Possibly some smaller number. So we’re talking percentages. That’s my point. I’m not sure what anyone else’s point is here. But the percentages are both obvious that there must be *some*, and mysterious in that we don’t know what comprises the rest. So if anyone wants to make a point of discussion, it helps to be super, duper, ultra clear about what it is you think is the issue.
Regarding the issue of disability, “some useful work” is not a criteria for most disability, federal, state & private alike. I have several friends with MS, only one cannot do some useful work. Of the others, 4 can do some useful work but cannot hold a full time job, so they’re on SSI, and are able to work part-time. (All have been either let go or pressured out of full time work that they do competently for 10+ years, which I suspect is a function of current economic conditions, but that’s another post.)
Rush would not speak the truth learned by many Americans who have experienced severe illness or disability: It’s a great life in the US if you don’t weaken.
We may be speaking at cross-purposes here with the phrase “some useful work.” You may be thinking some as in “quantity” and the OP may be thinking “some” as in a variety or type of work even though it may not be the job the “disabled” had in mind.
Psychiatry had/has become a “medical science” predicated on the notion that all abnormal behaviors were due to a physical cause. They nearly threw out any idea that value systems may play a part in a persons dysfunctionality. Hence, personal responsibility played no role in an individuals irrational choices. Thankfully that view is changing.
Well but here’s the thing, insofar as we have free will, and I agree that we do to some large extent, then when we adopt some moral or ethical (or pragmatic or other behavioral) pattern, we force physical effects to take place in our brains! Why not? We force physical effects in our muscles when we exercise, it is not an etherial, moral matter if we can hit the ball further, etc. At least not *just* such a matter.
So asserting a physical basis, need not exclude much of anything else.
I’m going to outline a theory I’ve been putting together. The more I think about human health, the more I think about 1) the body, and 2) the head, and the relationship between them which is based on survival.
If a person is under severe stress, the body will suffer various vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as a result of the release of stress hormones, and this release is governed by the brain/soul. The body suffers in deference to the brain so that the brain can have the resources to figure out a way to escape the life-threatening danger. That is my theory, anyway.
So the body will sacrifice in deference to the head, including the intelligence and the accumulated wisdom of the “soul,” so the head can figure out or resolve the problem that threatens the individual. The danger or stress could take the form of latent psychological injuries that at some point demand a resolution.
Maybe someone with a better background and resources could run with this idea.
I forgot to add to the above that the brain should be considered the most important part of the immune system when it comes to chronic degenerative diseases. When you feel happy and confident, general health is much more stable than when you are stressed and feel attacked by your environment. I base this on the hormones released by the brain.
read Dr. Sarno – healing back pain the mind body connection. Reading it, I learned that the pain in my neck and numbness down to my hand was just my body’s way of expressing stress. Wish I read the book before the $400 MRI and the countless hours of physical therapy! It still happens, but now that I know it is stres; I conquer it quickly – never lasts more than a day or two. I had back pain as a teenager…they said one leg was longer than the other. I bet not! I think my dad was an alcoholic and my family was a mess.
AZGeekMom, your post is very interesting. It goes to the heart of a particular subject which I explore at my blog, as well as in my op-ed contributions.
Much is written about the disease of alcoholism, but few get past the uncomfortable notion, at the end of the day, the alcoholic is inherently responsible for their behavior, regardless of the physically dependent component which develops over time.
And, the links within the following tell the tale of addiction & its aftermath -http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/09/29/alcohol-addiction-its-stranglehold-on-anyone-unfortunate-enough-to-succumb-to-its-lure-its-tentacle-like-effects-on-others-too-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/.
Nevertheless, there is NO doubt that mind over matter can have devastating results, often making someone sick to their stomach, and a whole lot worse. Regardless, the penchant to categorize bad behavior, and resultant life choices, as this or that disease, is decidedly unhelpful, least of all to the afflicted and the wreckage in their wake!
“If alcoholism is a disease, it’s the only disease you can get yelled at for having. ‘Damn it, Otto, you’re an alcoholic!’ ‘Damn it, Otto, you have lupus!’ One of those two doesn’t sound right.” — Mitch Hedberg
I have had back p[ain for years. I’m going to try to think positively about it and hope to improve. I once had an acupunxcture treatment which hit just the right spot and it improved
Same here. Constant headaches in grade school and high school, both the result of the stress of being an unpopular, shy kid with bully problems and no social skills. Gone when I went to college and had more control over my education and social life. Bad back spasms that happened to coincide with my brief career in commissioned sales. Gone when I left sales to work in marketing…haven’t taken a Vicodin in nearly a year.
As for the mental disorders, medications have their place, but so does examining root causes. Instead we drug someone to make them feel good, because the culture has forced us the idea that no one should feel bad.
I went to Dr. Sarno 25 years ago after constant back pain and a diagnosis of bulgng disk and spinal degeneration. After 2 sessions with r. Sarno, I have never had that kind of back pain again. I have referred several people on the cusp of back surgery to him as well and both forwent the surgery.
I was once married to a woman who (after reading of a disease on the internet) could manifest the symtoms of NEARLY ANY disease. With the help of her enabling doctor she could then get access to nearly any perscription drug on the market.At one point she was not only taking Methadone pills (which she washed down with Crown Velvet) but also (at the same time) Fentanyl patches (which she would put on her upper arm THEN HEAT WITH A HAIR DRYER to make them take effect faster) after which she would walk around just like a normal human being. This would probably have killed most people. I always thought her doctor should be shot but that’s just MY opinion. After we divorced I told her if she ever wanted to be healthy she should just quit reading the medical crap on the internet and she would be miraculously cured. She told me that I was a drug addict because I smoked pot but because all of her drugs were “perscription” she COULDN’T be an addict.
She wouldn’t be the first person to be stoned all day long on prescription pain killers or psychotropic drugs and then look down their nose at “drug addicts”. I see it with booze hounds too. They need to rationalize away their own addiction by making it not nearly as bad as a “true” addiction. Some of the biggest opponents of weed I know are alcoholic or hooked on prescription meds.
Excellent but one has to be wise with this info based on my story of my first Christmas I celebrated without my family seeking spiritual increase in 1987 and break free from what I considered my negative chains. The heated pool I had for myself with all the christmas around me. Each time I went under water I could stay much longer and then I saw rapid body changes to my hair and my face as if I was becoming another person and meeting people they look to me for help but then it happen when a father and a mother type walked in and their greeting was out of this world as if they were my real father and mother but her face began to change when she played with these beautiful balls she said represented worlds I was meant to be in control of and she told me to walk over to my heated pool where two woman were waiting for me and when i saw them it was like seeing my two wives for the first time their smiles I missed for what feels like forever but i remember the deceptive angel of light a few years before on Sept21 and as I walked back to the Mother she saw I had changed and rejected what she was offering before I could speak words and she said : ” I will destroy you.”( i called her the mother of Babylon-hopefully peace has been sealed as i sought my independence from the past)
And they quickly left. Not long after my breath became smoke and I felt like i was breathing fire and all my Christian training of deliverence from the demons failed me and I was brought to the land of fire-breathing dragons with rivers of oil and rivers on fire and i was the smallest dragon of them all on this dragon mountain and I escape there but it got worse and only my flesh human family could save me yet my eyes continued to see things not meant to be seen unless one is a top gun figure of speech spiritual warrior obeying only the True God
our emotions are far more powerful then ye can ever imagine….today.
Dafuqijustread?
Once you have passed through the Narcissus gate you will SEE the Horns. The next step is the lion ,to defeat the Lion or make peace with the lion or become the lion that holds the Sun in his hands we see in old art to have as a tool for serving The true God
Fakes are always projecting Narcisissus, horns or lion as enemy because they have psychological problems in the performance department to turn action into something other then words that fail
of course this is a spiritual war-the human flesh events and stories of great glory(the bull from the Sea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bull_from_the_Sea
are behind us so we can open up the spirit feast pouring down and the Christian use this to defeat the poop of the demons in his or her life
Get a life, man.
The either/or formulation is a straw man arguement. Few doubt that the mind might influence bodily functions to the point of dysfunction, nor that bodily dysfunctions may be accompanied by mental perturbaton. The point of this essay is a bit vague.
That was a masterpiece of understatement!
Yes, but now I have a splitting headache and seem to he paralyzed from the waste down.
“paralyzed from the waste down”
Hilarious. Was that intentional, or is your spell checker editorializing? I have to admit, I believe our entire existence may be paralyzed from the waste down, though I have never put it so eloquently.
…that it sows the seeds of what it might be like to be disabled and hence to be looked after, pitied, lionised?
“lionized” in the same sentence as looked after & pitied ?
You rarely see those rather contradictory sentiments lumped together.
Without doubt, some seek attention and sympathy (sympathy is between sh!t and syphilis in the dictionary) by exaggerating infirmities, and this unfortunate trait is more prevalent among women.
I never assumed that physical problems are in any way in the same category of dis-ease as mental ones. The elaboration of ever increasing categories of mental dis-ease in the DSM seems to me insane, in and of itself. Now psychiatrists are considering including “internet addiction” in the next volume.
I better stop typing and go for a walk
You don’t understand how “lionized” fits in with “pitied”? Seriously?
How many BRAVE people have you seen who are right now struggling with a serious issue? Cancer patients, drug addicts, teen-and-single-mothers, MS, schizophrenics? I’ve heard all of these people described as “brave” for “facing this terrible X every day”.
Regressive Socialists and well-meaning dolts often lionize people who are simply surviving every day as “brave”. You see, I’m not brave, because all I face are the daily realities of life. I mean, those people are facing their own daily realities, but they do it in a hospital, or clinic, or social-worker’s office. So, clearly, they’re the brave ones.
How many thousands of mental health practitioners are now making very nice livings since somebody discovered that something like 1 in 80 little boys suffer from autism?
And how did humanity survive before these selfless practioners dedicated their quite comfortable lives to curing this plague? It’s almost a miracle that human life endured with such an affliction running rampant among so many little boys.
and they wonder why medical costs continue to rise even though many physical diseases were defeated years ago.
Blame the parents for trying to fix something that isn’t broken. Autism can’t be cured because it isn’t a disease, and I’m autistic and I’m saying this.
This is a fascinating topic.
About 25 years ago I took a neighborhood group including my 4-yr and 8-yr olds to an apple orchard. We were given baskets, etc. and we trudged up to the section open to picking by the public. Unbeknownst to me, one of my neighbor’s sons espied a heavy-duty commercial orchard ladder leaning against an apple tree. Anyway, he tried to move it, it teetered, fell over, and struck me on the back of the neck, bounced up, struck me again, after which both the ladder and I fell to the ground.
The short story is this was an unfortunate accident, though happily it didn’t break my neck. The long story is that my neck and every other joint became spasmodic. This went on for almost seven years. My physical strength and mobility declined gradually until I nearly resembled a cripple. .
One of the last referrals I received was to a rheumatologist, who suggested I had something called fibromyalgia. You cannot imagine the relief that it was “just” a physical problem. By this time I had come to suspect that my brain and nervous system were in a state of hysteria over which I had no control.
Anyway, this doc believed that I had a physical ailment which could be managed and possibly recovered from. He wanted me to try an old med which he believes helps smooth sleep cycles, but other than this, he said get moving! Our background educations were similar: he brought up biology. If you move, you will improve. If you stop everything will freeze. He said this to a woman who could not walk without swaying, could not bend down or get up without holding onto a chair, etc.
ANYWAY, I came b-a-a-a-c-k. It was slow and it took years to work away the stiffness, but I am nearly as mobile as I was before the ladder fell on me.
Does anyone know of a great writer or saint who described the joy of losing something and then getting it back? I know that joy.
But isn’t it interesting that it took a rheumatologist’s pep talk to “switch on” my optimism.
I understand that the our new health masters are developing medical ALGORTHMS for the treatment of Americans. Good luck with that. My rheumatologist gave me something they’ll never program into an algorithm: Confidence. I believe this is why doctors say they “practice” medicine. I hope they are permitted to continue to do so.
Totally agree with this. After being hit by a drunk driver, the only thing that helped me recover was my own rigorous regime of exercise and lack of self-pity which annoyed my lawyer who wanted me to write daily journal notes of my ‘pain and agony’ which I thought was patently self-defeating and depressing and pathetic.
It took ten years to fully recover but now I feel about as good if not better than I did ten years prior to the drunk driver hitting me.
I think a point is made of the relationship of the psychomatic action of the human, obvious. Dr. Darlyample clearly points this out in his last paragraph. It doesn’t have to be original to be interesting. In any case, what is?
I came across an article on some experiments that the Japanese conducted on POW’s. They would covince them that they would be touched on their back with a hot iron. In some cases burn blisters would actually appear.
Just passing it along.
Just a thought. Perhaps the shrinks and/or the estimable Dr. Sachs are building a pyramid of surmise upon a foundation of ignorance? I tend to side w/ the Dr. as he is the component who had something done both to him and for him. I assume some type of anesthesia was used. He may have had a nerve referral issue. Who the hell would know? On the other side, Dr. Sachs has made a good living writing about odd brain/body phenomena. Why not squeeze out one more and pay for the trip and the surgery?!
This kind of thing has replaced real science in many areas that are considered “hard” science.
It’s partly the result of the “publish or perish” mentality. With very few REAL breakthroughs in the last many decades (despite what you may have been led to believe), scientists do a lot of speculating, and that speculation is often treated as fact, particularly when it becomes a popular speculation and is reported in the popular media.
For example, many people are now absolutely certain that there are other planets like ours which can support life like ours.
This despite the fact that we have ZERO evidence for this. All we have is the, “Well, it MUST be so!” argument.
But so powerful have speculations and rank conjecture become, that to point this out is considered heresy by many.
I’d love to take credit for this phrase. Several years ago I read one of Asimov’s early SF’s in hardback and one of his character’s used the “…pyramid of surmise…” quote. Obviously, it’s a gem.
Asimov? Something’s wrong! I should have remembered it!
There’s a fascinating TED video relating to what I think is the authors point, that our brains may be wired beyond our control to learn mental illness under certain conditions. Dr. Ramachandran describes a patient with phantom arm pain who was treated with a “mirror box”. He would watch his right arm appear as his left while giving both identical signals. In two weeks the brain learned to recognize that the left no longer existed and dismissed it along with the pain.
Forward to 11:00 minutes
http://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.html
I think (I’m sick), therefore I am.
I remember arguments with MD’s, interns, residents and practitioners for many years who described to me hypochondriasis or medical students’ disease. I countered that for perfectly healthy young people to ascribe pathology to normal bodily occurances cannot necessarily be applied to a patient who may be suffering supra-normal occurances therefore is fearful, then searches for an understanding. I had occurances of illness through my 20′s which lead me to search for understanding and treatment. I was affected by the seriousness of the symptoms, but understood that while I may have some of the symptoms fit an illness, the whole of my symptoms did not.
Surprisingly it was a psychiatrist who first diagnosed me with depression by changed it to Epstein-Barr virus when he saw my writings and identified perseverance. This lead me to examine the issue of free will.
This lead me to the writings of Henri Baruk and his book, “Tsedek…” and “People are Patients Like Us”. He was particularly critical of the separation of neurology, psychiatry and general medicine, stating that mental illness can only truly be understood by the practice of all three as all are involved. He was less convinced of the accepted understanding of catatonia as will-induced, as he had conducted experimental catatonia in animals induced by pharmacological agents, and patients who suffered from it and concluded that it is the suspension of free will. A cat could not move on its own, could be put into various positions by him which it held, but if pushed to the edge of a pedestal, it would jump to the next one when just before falling off. Action of movement did not occur before movement began to happen.
I must confess, it has been interesting revisiting hypochondria and functional illness. It is apparent that culture influences science (I remember a description of cultural differences in approaches in tropical forest canopy research where the Brits fumigate, Americans build towers, and the French waft romantically down in balloons and on nets.) American treatment of mental illnesses have always trended towards the extreme (EST, lobotomy, long-term use of neuroleptic medications).
As for learned mental illnesses, Dr Baruk described, “learned schizophrenia” In my case, I was diagnosed with, “Borderline Personality Disorder” but after some time and discussion with my psychiatrist, he believed I had a learned form and changed my diagnosis to an adjustment disorder (as well as E-B virus).
When I googled, “functional paralysis” I found this JNNP article on diagnostic criteria and procedures for it. I skimmed through it, it seems to critique neurologists approach to 1/3 of their patients, and how to go about it differently.
http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/76/suppl_1/i2.long
I’m confused. The latest issue of this journal is available online and I don’t find the article the author refers to anywhere.
The definitive work to read on this issue is Thomas Szasz “The Myth of Mental Illness”
Molecular biology and, by extension, neurobiology are legitimate scientific disciplines. Psychiatry, however, has yet to evolve into a legitimate scientific discipline. None of the so-called psychiatric conditions have any correlate with underlying molecular biology of the brain. As such, there is no correlate between diagnosed condition and etiology. Furthermore, you can take a patient into a mental clinic today and get one diagnosis. Then take them again six months later and get a totally different diagnosis.
Developments in neurobiology and bio-engineering should lead to a real science-based psychiatry by the middle of this century.
One of my favorite SF novels, “Queen of Angels” by Greg Bear, is a detective story that takes place in SoCal in 2047 in which psychiatry plays a major plot role.
More on my favorite SF novel treatment of psychiatry, “Queen of Angels” by Greg Bear.
There are several theories of psychiatry that postulate that the human personality is a system of sub-selves and that there really is no unified human consciousness. Rather, the human personality consists of several sub-selves acting in concert with each other. One of these theories is based on Eric Berne’s “Transactional Analysis”. Another one is Marvin Minsky’s “Society of Mind”. I know that there are others in addition to these two. Julian Jaynes “Bicameral Mind” theory is another version of this concept.
BTW, I consider the Bicameral Mind theory to be, BY FAR, the single best explanation for the origin of religious thought that I have ever encountered.
Anyways, Bear uses Marvin Minsky’s Society of Mind as the basis of psychology in his novel. In this novel, corrolates between the different psychological components (called agents, talents, and subroutines in the novel) and underlying neuro-structure and neuro-chemistry has been established. This, along with developments in nano-medicine, has resulting in effective nano-surgery that can correct aberrant and criminal behaviors. This nano-surgery is call “therapy” in the novel and has become a major influence in American society by 2047. Therapy is also used to improve cognitive performance as well.
I believe the notion of human personality being a system of sub-selves is correct. I believe this concept, along with developments in neuro-biology, will lead to a legitimate science based psychiatry at some point in the future. Unless most SF, I consider this novel to be very prophetic.
a pyramid of surmise upon a foundation of ignorance
Very apropos.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/y1535730288v1501/?MUD=MP
I missed the point of that essay. However, I think mental illness and the rights of the mentally ill have become far too politically correct.
I volunteered in a homeless shelter in which many of the inhabitawnts were mentally ill and had several mentally ill students in my classes. In the case of the students….parents must allow referral before anything can be done. Many parents will not allow this…..I think that may have been the situation in the case of the young man who shot the congresswoman in Tucson. Students in the very large school system in which aI taught had their school records “sanitized” when they went to middle school. Since parents can request seeing the school records, anything subjective is removed.
Many in the homeless shelter did not take their meds and could not be employed. Restrictions regarding guns are easily avoided and the rest of the world just has to cope
Dr. Dalrymple’s essay has generate more than the usual amount of uninformed responses.
Who discovered “hysterical paralysis” and its “secondary gain”? The estimable Sigmund Freud, particularly with his “analysis” of Anna O (IIRC). Kindly consider that he was not much of a neuro-anatomist, and his analysis and postulates preceded brain/spine MRI by a near-century. Oliver Sachs, a neurologist at least nominally, cannot apply neurologic thinking to himself.
Dr. Szacz did untold harm which persists to this day. His thinking generated the legions of hallucinating psychotics (now homeless) for whom chronic institutionalization (food, clothing, shelter) with nursing and MD care was abandoned
smug is fun because it makes you feel good about your self.
my kid has depression. took lots of pills. had a sleep study, got a cpap machine and is no longer depressed and works out.
so. mental condition had a physical cause. pills were a waste of time and actually made the kid fatter and therefor worse.
The construct “Mental Illness” is a categorical error or perhaps the fallacy of equivalence. It is the use of a term that is proper in one domain (the body) but not in another (thought, emotion and action).
Illness is perhaps useful in discussing faulty lungs, liver or brains. Illness is misused in describing behavior, emotions or mental processes. Those are different enough from the functioning of the physical body to require their own terminology.
Behavior, emotions, and mental processes should be described in frequency, strength, and duration. The construct of illness does not add anything but our disapproval and is needless clouding lens to look through.
this is the FAct! there are many many many worlds seeking to destroy you. how will you respond? become worthy seek glory and your reward you will taste the wine of the gods even their immortality even if it only lasts a half an hour and if it lasts long time your name will be remembered forever. Then came Rome and the stoics create order out of chaos though chaos be an inch a way from your nose this order can survive and chaos will not overthrow this order
From the underbelly of this Rome Monster came this:
2 peter 1
“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”
Then when new Christian Stephen was about to be stoned eternal heaven came to him so the chosen come to see they can become a lamb/ child and death can not steal the heaven God promises them
In the East in my heavenly sanctuaries I see the army of angels under the command the the Arch Angel Michael. In the west the Great Angel Raphael and all his great army of Angels. In the North the Great Angel Gabriel and all his army of angels and in the south there is the Great angel Uriel and his Great Army of angels
This helps me to enter my prayer closet have all my demon monsters cast out so I can become child/lamb and worship the Holy Holy Holy Hevenly Father and Mother in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord and now 9 of these heavens have come down to earth and still three more are on their way
What great riches wealth and great power children of God are given to protect them from the chaos lusting to devour them
Describing mental illness in terms of “disease” isn’t exacting, but it is a useful analogue when talking about parity in insurance policies.
Thankfully we have reached a point in our country where we require coverage of mental health issues on equal par with traditional care under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
Perhaps we would come closer to the truth on the thesis that mind-body cause and effect relationships are “the other side of the coin” from body-mind relationships. Selfhypnotic visualization can improve athletic performance extraordinarily, while in some cases, megadoses of multivitamins alleviated paranoia. Most of us do what we perceive we can do/have to do. If we must work to survive, we will almost always find a way to do so. If we are encouraged to feel sorry for ourselves and paid to drink beer and play computer games all day we may choose to label ourselves “disabled” and become Peter Pans.
Dr. William Glasser and his Reality Therapy have demonstrated these points for many years past. When those who say they cannot act as responsible adults are not provided with their “wants”, they soon learn how to behave responsibly. This kind of rehabilitation is opposed by politicians of both parties, as they can buy the votes of those who choose to be helpless irresponsibles.
Oct 08, 2012 Military suicide policy trying to take private guns
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/265535.html
Number of Protestant Americans is in Steep Decline study finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/us/study-finds-that-the-number-of-protestant-americans-is-declining.html?_r=1&hp
If Mormon Romney becomes President and he fails the atheist take over unite with China because that is the practical thing to do to create order out of chaos. What kind of life will we have?
If moslem Obama is re-elected he will fail and we will find ourselves under CFR “law”; Sharia in practice, and the few who survive will be enslaved to the grand caliph.
This is a doublebind situation for us. A mormon fascist or a moslem communist and an amoral electorate which deserves every bit of the devastation it will surely experience.
2Chron.7.14, folks! Repent or perish!
Organic diseases and mental ones differ in one fundamental domain, and it is the physicians that treat them. While your cardiologist or, even better, your pediatrician, is an obstinate, ill-tempered sore looser, your average psychiatrist does not give a damn when she/he loses a patient to suicide. Life goes on, they say. Maybe they got desensitized by never winning: no sufferer of a severe mental disorder such as schizophrenia has ever been cured.
The good doctor, a former psychiatrist himself, asserts that psychiatric disorders should not be treated in the same way as physical disorsers and for once he is correct. The problem is that he is attacking a straw man. Most medical professionals make a clear distinction between the two sets of conditions. Psychiatry is the only medical specialism with the power to coerce people into receiving treatment, forcible medication etc, with the full support of the law. Scary, huh?