[lbo-talk] let's argue about the cause of mental illness

[Miles Jackson]

shag carpet bomb wrote:
> At 10:02 AM 8/28/2009, Carrol Cox wrote:
>> Everyone tried to replace a non-question with some question that could
>> be (possibly) discussed.
>
>
> when I consulted the archives, *YOU* have answered my question at 
> least four times in the past explaining that yes, of course, the claim 
> that mental disorders are called by "chemical imbalances" is nonsense. 
> It is useful nonsense, in your view, but nonsense nonetheless. 
> Similarly, Miles has argued the same over the years, and repeated it 
> in this conversation. Both of you confirmed Petersen's claims, which 
> was what I was asking about: are the claims about mental illness 
> caused by "chemical disorders"unfounded?

I guess I should clarify my perspective on this.  I don't think that the 
"chemical imbalances cause mental illness" claim is complete nonsense.  
There are definitely examples of drug treatments that cause improvements 
in mental illness symptoms.  For instance, lithium carbonate 
significantly moderates the manic/depressive mood swings in most people 
with bipolar disorder.  Clearly lithium must cause some physiological 
changes that affect these psychological symptoms.   Could lithium affect 
neurotransmitter production?  Perhaps.  --But it gets even more 
complicated: lithium has many different physiological effects.  Which 
ones are the ones that cause the moderation in the mood swings?  Lithium 
may work by affecting physiological factors that have little to do with 
"chemical imbalances" in the brain.

So can drugs reduce symptoms of psychological disorders?  Yes, for a 
number of disorders.  Do Phamas exaggerate the effectiveness of the 
drugs and use simplistic claims to sell their products?  Definitely.

Miles