» mental illness

Medication

kevin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:12:50 +0000

There is no doubt that there are indeed expressions of mental illness that are diagnosable as organic problems that can only be treated with medication. Yet even in some severe cases, there seems to some room for cognitive intervention. I was reading a case study this morning about someone with severe anxiety disorder. It was so severe that the patient removed an IV twice during an attempt to treat her. The interesting comment made by the physician though was that “her sister calmed her down by talking to her and they were able to get the IV in the third time.” Do you see the paradox here?

Behavior or Illness?

kevin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:41:20 +0000

Our behavior is shaped by our experience. Our experience is a continuous series of events that we give meaning to through our perception. Our perception is based on our beliefs which, for the most part, are handed down to us through our family, friends and cultural environment. Our parents or primary caregivers are the biggest source of our beliefs and also a major source of our mental injuries. I postulate that mental injuries occur whenever we are made to feel worth-less than we truly are as people and therefore not lovable. This is important because we will adjust our behavior in all sorts of ways in order to gain the feeling and safety of being lovable.

This distortion of personality can manifest itself in many forms of what is described as mental illness and neurosis. But again, I italicize mental illness because, in absence of some organic brain disorder inherited at birth, many disorders are learned and therefore can be unlearned.

Mental Illness

kevin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:04:14 +0000

According to a May 25, 2009, story in the Los Angeles Times, some psychiatrists are urging classification of bitterness as a mental illness under the name “post-traumatic embitterment disorder.” The behavior was discussed before an enthusiastic audience at a May meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn. in San Francisco.

There are many conditions or disorders that are labeled as illnesses that show up in the DSM. There is some question in my mind as to the value of this, so I’m going to take some time to debate it here.

Certainly, there are some illnesses of the brain that cause a person to behave in a way that is anti-social, self-destructive or delusional that can only be helped through aggressive drug treatment, shock or even surgery. No question that these conditions are illnesses.

So many mental disorders though are the result of poor habits of thought or mental injuries that happened during childhood. Most of these can be overcome through Cognitive Behavior Therapies which is what causes my doubt. If someone can be taught to behave in a way that brings them and the people around them more happiness, are they ill, or just lacking in skills? That is what I will discuss in the next blog, but I welcome your comments in the meantime.