6. Psychology and psychiatry aren’t “real sciences.” They’re supported only by fuzzy research and contradictory findings.
Research into mental illness tries to understand where it comes from and what treatments are most effective in helping people cope. Psychological research dates back more than a century, starting around the same time that modern research began in medicine and our better understanding the human body. Its rich history and scientific methods are far more complex than the simple, popular image of Sigmund Freud sitting in his office listening to patients as they lie on a couch.
Some who argue this point come from different scientific backgrounds and use different yardsticks from those fields to try and “measure” psychology, psychiatry and the neurosciences by. Unfortunately, that’s like comparing apples to oranges and then coming away upset that because they taste so different from one another, these two couldn’t possibly both be fruits. Psychology and its related sciences are indeed “real science,” using well-accepted scientific methods and methodologies that have been time-tested and that produce real, verifiable, and actionable results.
7. Mental illness is a myth, based upon arbitrary societal definitions designed only to sell you drugs or psychotherapy.
This is one of the most difficult myths to challenge because there is some truth to it. Much of how we define mental illness today is based upon definitions we humans created while observing sets of symptoms that seemed to cluster together when people presented with certain concerns. People’s suffering is no myth, but arriving at how we understand that suffering and then helping the person through it is open to a wide range of interpretations and options.
The most common method in science is to identify similar groupings of symptoms, give them a label, and then discover what kinds of interventions work best in helping a person feel relieved of those symptoms. Some of this is steeped in rigorous scientific method, but some of it feels (and perhaps is) more arbitrary and political. Mental illness is no myth, but some of our definitions could be a lot better and more discrete. And, for the record, defining mental illness came long before the practical, modern profession of psychotherapy and pharmaceutical companies.
8. Children can’t have serious mental disorders.
There is a whole category in the official diagnostic manual of mental disorders for children’s mental disorders, some of which are well-known, diagnosed, and treated, such as attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and autism. But in the past decade or so, some researchers and professionals are suggesting that many adult mental disorders are also possibly found (and perhaps even widespread) in children.
The jury is still out whether it’s legitimate to diagnose a 3- or 4-year old child with adult bipolar disorder (how one discriminates mood swings typical of normal childhood at this age versus a disorder is beyond me), but it’s a possibility. The debate centers around scientifically distinguishing expected, normal childhood behaviors (even when they span a wide continuum) from serious adult-like mental disorders that need their own specific treatment plan. More research is needed before a conclusion can be made.
9. Doctor/patient confidentiality is absolute and always protected.
Just as in a lawyer/client relationship, confidentiality between a doctor and his or her patient, or a therapist and his or her client, is not absolute. While it is a legally protected relationship much like a lawyer/client relationship, there are times when in most states a therapist can be compelled by a court to testify about something said in session or about a client’s background. These exceptions are extremely limited, however, to specific circumstances, usually involving the health or safety of a child.
There are other times when a therapist may need to violate the confidentiality of a relationship as well. Most therapists go through these circumstances with their clients at the start of the therapy relationship. Instances of such disclosures might include if the client is in imminent harm to themselves or others, or if the therapist becomes aware of child or elder abuse. Outside of these exceptions, however, confidentiality is always maintained by a professional.
10. Mental illness is no longer stigmatized in society.
I wish this were a myth, but sadly, it is not yet. Mental illness in most societies throughout the world is still badly stigmatized and looked down upon. In some societies, even admitting to a possible mental health concern can make you ostracized from your family, coworkers, and the rest of society.
In the U.S., we’ve come a long way in the past two decades with significantly more research, and increased understanding and acceptance of mental illness. While still not as accepted as having a common medical condition like diabetes, most people view common mental illnesses such as depression or ADHD as just another one of those concerns of modern life. Someday, I hope this is true in the rest of the world as well.
34 comments
Mental illness is not a “brain disease” analogous to other medical ailments? Do you believe that something other than the brain is responsible for controlling our behavior and thoughts? Ultimately, most brain researchers believe that the mind *is* the brain, and that when someone responds to stressors in their environment with a psychotic break or a major depressive episode, ultimately something in their brain is awry. Schizophrenia is not the “normal” human condition — 99 other people could experience the same events as the one unlucky person and *not* have a psychotic break.
You said “Furthermore, of the hundreds of research studies done on the brain and the brain’s neurochemistry, not a single one has implicated a single source or cause of any mental disorder.” Yes, psychiatric disorders are multifactorial. One could say nearly the same thing about cancer, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a disease (or set of diseases).
While no reasonable biological psychiatrist or neuroscientist would deny that social and environmental influences affect an individual’s mental health (and brain), one’s psychological makeup and personality emerge from neural activity. My view is that denying mental illnesses the same status as other medical conditions stigmatizes the former.
I’m glad to see, however, that you busted myth #6 (and at least addressed #7 and #8)…
I agree with the first post I read. It is beyond ridiculous that anyone in this day and age should say that MI is not a medical problem with the brain! Give me a break! You are moving the science of MI back hundreds of years, buddy. I have researched this subject to assist my friends with MI challenges. This is irresponsible, and once again, puts the onus on the person who is suffering the most. Again, they are blamed for circumstances beyond their control. Read my colleague’s book, “Lies in Silence,” SJ Hart; available on Amazon.
Hello, John.
Congratulations for your blog. It presents a lot of good information that I oftenly use.
I live in Brazil, and I can tell you the myths you described are the same I see here. Worst than that, some students think these myths are true.
Bye.
Robson.
Hi Neurocritic,
Well, mental illness is certainly not a disease of the kidneys, if that’s what you mean. But whether it’s a “disease” process at all remains unknown. Disease is pretty well defined and every attempt to hunt down any disease process within the brain associated with mental illness has led to less than clear results.
The point was that to suggest that it is a brain disease is to also indirectly suggest it is not a psychological or social disease, which is simply not the case (based upon our existing knowledge). When people peg mental illness as a brain disease, they are intrinsically making this argument (although I’m not sure most people realize it). So my point in saying it is not merely a brain disease is to allude to mental illness’s infinite complexity and unknown qualities at present.
I’d add another myth – 11. Mental illness is caused by sin or evil spirits. There still exist people who believe it’s a punishment from a deity. There are exorcisms, beatings, and telling people to atone for their guilty sins and other cruelly ineffective things in an attempt to cure the sufferer. It’s a pity. Most of us in modern times know better.
Note to Neurocritic and John – you two really have the same position, you’re just emphasizing different aspects. Most educated people know it’s a combination of psychosocial and biological factors, and that the most effective treatments deal with both.
Please forgive me if I find several things almost funny.
I see that Neurocritic, though not real clear, seems to say that the mind is the brain (metioning “most researchers”). I don’t happen to subscribe to that closed box view. One reason is that I often encounter many anomalies in my private practice that point in opposite directions. If we want to use researchers, then how about those researchers challenging the standard dogma such as Dr. Pearsall who wrote about heart transplant patients and has connected with other researchers finding that the heart has a “brain” also. This is evidenced in the receiver “seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing” things that can only be transplanted memories via that organ.
With all due respect to Ms. Kiume, I have seen plenty of non-schizophrenic manifestations of patients as we hit trauma memories and a set of different voices (from patient) start to ask me, “What do you want with him/her? He/she belongs to us!” Modern psychiatry/psychology has no answers to this phenomena. This is where the non-linear world comes in. You cannot test that world via the linear instruments we possess. Never will. It has to be experienced to understand it. Much like love. Can’t put it in a test tube but it exists.
By the way, when interventions are done to effectively deal with these “voices” the person for the first time, experiences total healing from drug, sexual, alcohol abuse, etc. This is after having seen a plethora of psychologists/psychotherapists/psychiatrists that have no idea or have standard presuppositions about this kind of phenomena.
This would be a myth unless you’ve seen it firsthand and worked with it.
Good discussion.
Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Ph.D.
http://www.DrSam.tv
I agree with much of what you’ve written. I have MS and when my brain short circuits I experience many common mental issues.
I don’t think mental disease is understood at all, even by doctors. Depression is seen as something akin to a self-inflicted wound. Even with MS, where you can see the lesion.
You know most insurances don’t even cover psychiatrist or psychologist. It all comes out of my pocket. I laugh a little when well-meaning friends and relatives strongly suggest a cure with: Bolivian berry juice, acupuncture, faith healing, colloidal silver, Eckhart Tolle, bee stings, ear candles, herbal colonic cleansing, crystals, high-dose vitamins.
I can’t imagine how hard it would be for a bipolar or schizophrenic to filter out all of the voodoo, witchdoctor stuff enough to trust an authoritative doctor, who really has no easy solution.
We are really not that far removed from burning out the evil spirits, which I had suggested to me by a local preacher. Gives a whole new meaning to the song, “Devil Inside”.
I think I was fortunate to have a good neurologist, who first opened a discussion about my fears and expectations. It took my focus from getting back to normal to finding meaning with who I had become.
“If you think you can or you think you can’t, you will ALWAYS be right.” — Henry Ford
Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Ph.D.
http://www.DrSam.tv
The mind is a non-linear arrangement of multi-sensory records of successive moments of now.
The brain houses and supplies the data, real or imagined to the mind.
Bmoz said, “The mind is a non-linear arrangement of multi-sensory records of successive moments of now.
The brain houses and supplies the data, real or imagined to the mind.”
Have you heard of the term “cellular memory”? How about the “mind” being all your neurological system?
Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Ph.D.
http://www.DrSam.tv
Dr. Lopez, as a student of clinical psychology I have wondered about the sub-disciplines of psychology that have manifested as a result of psychology’s separation of theories such as philosophy, demonology, and others alike. You mentioned in a previous post that “You cannot test that world via the linear instruments we possess. Never will. It has to be experienced to understand it.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you were substantiating the position that we cannot test the spiritual world of deities, therefore, they do not have any real potency in the scientific realm of psychology, unless experienced?
Why have we limited our understanding of this non-linear world with scientific research and left such explorations up to philosophers/demonologist or exorcists? There are many strange and implausible phenomenon’s that cannot be explained (like multiple personality disorder) and yet we try to give it a name and a category of symptoms to make it tangible or quantifiable, like we have given various mental illnesses names without any palpable source or origin.
You indirectly note that you have seen the existence of voices from patients that have uttered, “What do you want with him/her? He/she belongs to us!†Doesn’t that make you feel a bit unsure of our scientific knowledge or doubt what we psychologists claim to be just emotional situations that stem from prior experiences and thus leads to these changes in behavior?
I do agree that “modern psychiatry/psychology has no answers to this phenomena and that “we cannot test that world via the linear instruments we possess.” However, I’m just not all too sure we’ve given ourselves ample time to understand that world. Are we truly absolute healers if we cut off our understanding or exploration of such phenomenon’s because we cannot test them with our scientific research? It just seems so partial that we have limited ourselves to science so much so that we block out that which cannot be measured by it.
Just a few thoughts I’ve run into while growing as a psychologist.
Thanks
Tamra shared, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you were substantiating the position that we cannot test the spiritual world of deities, therefore, they do not have any real potency in the scientific realm of psychology, unless experienced?”
Dr.Sam response:
Tamra, I concur with you. The reason for this are varied. I personally believe that the realm of “reason” is about logical control and the ego is many times empowered by our ability to measure and replicate (almost like a god).
A higher realm would be the realm of love. For a person living in the realm of controlling their world through their intellectual prowess
it is threatening to surrender to the realm of the non-controllable and non-linear realm of love. For one, it is risky and the ego does not like not being in control. That is one big reason why these non-linear things make it into the DSM-IV [wink].
Tamra said, “Why have we limited our understanding of this non-linear world with scientific research and left such explorations up to philosophers/demonologist or exorcists? There are many strange and implausible phenomenon’s that cannot be explained (like multiple personality disorder) and yet we try to give it a name and a category of symptoms to make it tangible or quantifiable, like we have given various mental illnesses names without any palpable source or origin.”
Dr. Sam Response:
I once asked one of the very best psychologists in my city and also a very good friend of mine how he would deal with someone who suddenly manifested logical and coherent but a different “personality” speaking in a patient. He said he had no idea. Never mind that he was once viciously attacked by a patient who suddenly went through a change like that as the patient ripped his shirt to pieces and attempted to pounce him with a heavy desk object. He now packs a gun, has pepper spray, and professional hand cuffs, just in case.
Tamra said, “You indirectly note that you have seen the existence of voices from patients that have uttered, “What do you want with him/her? He/she belongs to us!†Doesn’t that make you feel a bit unsure of our scientific knowledge or doubt what we psychologists claim to be just emotional situations that stem from prior experiences and thus leads to these changes in behavior?”
Dr. Sam response:
You bet it makes me unsure knowing how little we know about this phenomenon from a professional standpoint. I know that Dr. Scott Peck wrote some on it.
Tamra… You have some very good thoughts. Thank you for your stimulating discussion!
Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Ph.D.
http://www.DrSam.tv
I’m sorry, I misunderstood your initial response to Kmuza. However, as I read it again I definitely could see that we hold similar concepts. I wish we had more individuals in the helping profession such as you and I who are open to these things. I absolutely agree that our ego is the seat of our foolishness when it comes to understanding that complex and mysterious organ we call the mind/brain, especially when there’s a twist (i.e., that non-linear world) to the disorders we’ve perhaps imprecisely compiled in the DSM-IV.
Thank you Dr. Sam for addressing this topic in great depth…very interesting! I hope to find other sources of professional and psychological/spiritual knowledge to increase from.
By the way, I often wondered if the realm of the existential/phenomenological perspective of mental health embraces the things we’ve discussed. Currently, I am focusing on a cognitive/behavioral model. However, I am more eclectic in my concepts and approaches to life than what my education permits but I am definitely open to these metaphysical types of perspectives because I believe in their significance, and I hope more will too.
Thanks!
Tamra
Tamra,
The Cognitive-behavioral approach shows great results across the board – whether you want to attach words such as ‘disorder’ or ‘disease’ is moot. If you can actually *think*, on a conscious level, then you can develop yourself; I prefer to think of cog/behav more in terms as a development as opposed to a therapy; really, those who actively seek to develop are trying to approach a societal norm that will not be perceived at diseased.
I would think that one of the top myths is that the mentally ill are somehow stupid or incompetent.
Is psychotherapy/psychology really one of the worst-paying professions? Really? I pay $225 for 50 minutes. I know that also covers time my doctor spends analyzing my files without me, etc, but compared to, oh, teaching in a public school? Social work? Public defending? Do you mean one of the worst paying medical professions?
I agree with the thesis of your blog article. But you left out one item.
The “Disorders” of the DSM are real diseases? This is false.
The disorders are names given to observed behavior. There is no science involved.
VisionAndPsychosis.Net, a psychology project and investigation, proposes that mental illness is an altered mental state imposed by Subliminal Distraction exposure. (It’s more complicated than that simple explanation.)
Much of the mystery of mental illness is easily explained when schizophrenia is viewed this way. This phenomena explains why schizophrenia usually onsets in adolescence.
Subliminal Distraction was discovered by designers, and engineers not doctors. Therefore there is absolutely no knowledge of it in any area of mental health services.
The DSM starts with these behaviors and attempts to work backward to a cause. VisionAndPsychosis.Net starts with a known problem capable of causing mental events and works forward toward mental illness.
I wish more people were aware of how many of their beliefs about mental illness are not accurate. Thank you for doing your part to dispel these myths.
#10 is a myth I have yet to encounter.
Great information. Thanks for clearing up a lot of misconceptions about mental illness.
you are giving out false information. i am in the medical field and i have bipolor disease. mental illness has it’s cause in a biological beginning. the brain does not function as it should. the neurons in the brain are malfunctioning. there is a loss of vital messages and substnces that are needed to prevent mental illness.i resent you saying it is not a physical illness. is parkinson,multiple sclerosis, and alzheimers not from the malfunction of a persons brain? mental illness has had a stigma attached to it for years due to people like you. i am appaled that a site that is supposed to give truthful information state this as if it were factual.do you realize how much harm that will cause? i KNOW my diabetis is from a physical cause and i KNOW my mental illness is also from a physical cause. why make mentally ill persons feel ashamed because they are causing their own illness. i will cancel my use of your site and i hope others do not take your information as medical facts!! shame on you!!
Myth or Not
It is easy to throw a remedy over the fence if you don’t understand it or simply put, “it doesn’t relate to your present state of health!”
Dr. Linus Pauling, two time Nobel Laureate, said every disease and disorder could be traced to a deficiency of essential minerals. Of the 75 known trace minerals “…the human body requires at least 60 minerals to maintain a disease and ailment free state.” Gary Price Todd M.D.
Our farm land has been depleted of most of the trace minerals and each year the same 3 minerals are added for fast abundant growth. The other 72 minerals are ignored. As humans, our natural intake of minerals is by consuming plants that have taken the minerals from the soil and stored them for us in their plant tissue.
Our entire body works on a complex electrical system that needs proper minerals to “fire” correctly. As these nutrients are depleted from our system, the cell growth pattern is thrown off, our nervous system breaks down and we become a fertile ground for disease and infection.
Mental illness is a disease.
Colloidal silver is scoffed at by some but was the primary prescription for infection prior to penicillin being invented. The resistance now bred into bacteria because of the use of penicillin, now has pharmaceuticals scrambling. Silver is still used in hospitals today to KILL potential venereal virus in infants eyes at the moment of birth. Silver is also a trace mineral.
More essential trace minerals and less myth!
Read: “Choice Theory”
The surest way to living a more truthful life is improving your relationships. No science in that. Just experience.
Well what you are saying here comports well with what the late Thomas Szasz said about his own profession of Psychiatry. Except that instead of being a myth or merely an “analogy”, mental disease might be real.
Most of what Psychiatrists say about Psychologists is informed by business interests in competition with one another and the same holds in the reverse. Nothing has changed here and the axiom that “there is nothing new under the sun” applies here.
Both professions are devoid in their practices of science, the scientific method to validate anything done in practice as representative as real science, and only use the language of science to inform in their highly successful and hypnotic way that there is science or value of any kind to their bogus professions. The truth about this is what is lived every day in every way by hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Case closed.