Posted by linkadge on August 29, 2007, at 21:06:26
In reply to To the people who don't believe in biological dep., posted by Enigma on August 29, 2007, at 9:26:52
>These took me all of 5 minutes to find on the >web:
You can find a lot of biased information in a very short period of time.
Again, I never said that depression may not be of a purely biological origin for some individuals, but there is little proof that the majority of depression is biological.
>Whatever its cause, depression is not just a >state of mind. It is related to physical changes >in the brain, and connected to an imbalance of a >type of chemical that carries signals in your >brain and nerves. These chemicals are called >neurotransmitters.Petting a dog will increase your serotonin levels.
>This is what we DO know about bipolar disorder:
>* Special chemicals in the brain may be >involved. If the levels of these chemicals are >out of balance, it may be harder for brain cells >to work as they should.They can only really say "may".
>* Also, certain parts of the brain may have a >different size or shape in people with bipolar >disorder. The changes could be a cause or >symptom of the illness.
Again, they can only say "may". They also say that brain changes could be a *cause* or a *result* of bipolar disorder.
>Myth: Bipolar symptoms are always triggered by >some event.
>Fact: Symptoms of bipolar disorder are often >triggered by a stressful event, but not always. >Sometimes mood swings happen without any obvious >triggers.Again, they are not discounting environmental influences.
>I did find 2 other sites that tried to say >depression and such was NOT caused by chemical >imbalances.. BUT, GUESS WHAT? They were SELLING >SOMETHING. Yep, propaganda so they could sell >their books and audio tape sets. The sites I >listed aren't selling a thing.
To be blunt, everbody is trying to sell something. There is a profession called psychiatry, whereby the livelyhood of the professional is directly proportional to the number of ill patients he or she has.
>I have bipolar disorder. Like it may or may not >say above, it's LIFELONG illness. So, tree >hugging, going to live with monks for a year, >isn't going to cure me of anything.
Why do people go from one extreme to the other?? (Besides being bipolar?). Its notnecessarily about tree hugging, or joing a church, or getting exercised, or living with monks, etc. Recognizing the environmental factors that influences the disease can help a patient to make the best recovery.
I may still take my medication, but if I recognize that too much stress in school is making my depression worse, for example, then I will try and cut back. Nobody lives in a vaccume.
>I was fine Sunday, and in bed Monday and >Tuesday. I hope people talking about MY disorder >actually SUFFER from my disorder before they >spew their BS opinions about it. Having a >different opinion is one thing. Having to listen >to BS is another.
Its not just one opinion. Some of the most respected molecular biologists who are currently working on reasearch into the etiology of bipolar admit that the recognition of environemental factors is crutial to recover. Dr. Manjii, for instance, is currently trying to uncover the molecular action of the mood stabilizers essentially says how important it is for bipolars to reduce stress on acount of the way that stress can increase PKC, cortisol, glutamate, etc. He considers bipolar disorder to be a disorder of loss of cellular resilliance, whereby there is a reduced cellular tollerance for environmental stress. So, yes there are genetic influences, and there are environmental influences.
>I'm gonna go hug a tree now, and maybe do deep >breathing exercises in the woods, and I'm sure >that will clear me right up. Yeah, that's >sarcasm.
To close your mind to the possable ways that environmental factors can influence your illness may lead to a worse outcome. This isn't about "tree hugging", this is about knowing how to go about your day in a way that keeps yourself sane. Its stuff you're likely doing already.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:775476
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070824/msgs/779622.html