Psycho-Babble Medication | about biological treatments | Framed
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Simplified Theories and Philosophical Musings » LAURA777

Posted by fachad on February 8, 2003, at 19:37:40

In reply to Re: dysphoric hypomania? » fachad, posted by LAURA777 on February 8, 2003, at 6:24:25

Luara777,

I'm glad you did not take offence at my suggestion.

> My theory is that my brain or body converts all my dopamine very quickly into norepinephrine .. this is very simplistic and i need to look into it ..

My original theory from the cocaine experience was that my MAOI was just "overactive". I thought it broke down catecholamines too fast.

I cooked that one up based on my experience of coke wearing off so much faster for me than anyone else, and the feeling that the coke induced good mood was "melting" or "dissolving" right before my inner eyes.

In retrospect that seems really simplistic, but it did help me get a handle on my experiences. And that is real the purpose of theories - to make sense of experiences.

>i enjoy your posts by the way , and i see that you like philosophy , i do too .. can you tell me about the philosophy that you mentioned in previous posts ???

Yes, I have been thinking philosophically as long as I can remember. When I discovered philosophy as a formal discipline in high school, I was hooked. I completed a B.S in philosophy, with full intent of going to graduate school, but alas, the need to be gainfully employed got in the way.

Most of the posts I have done that have waxed philosophical have been on Psycho-Babble Faith, and have been a (civil, per Dr. Bob) statement of my rationalism and skepticism toward religious dogma and revealed religion.

There have been a few probes into epistemology in service of that end. Epistemology has always seemed to me to be the core concern in philosophy.

I've also done a few posts on philosophy of mind. I think that while there is much validity in the biochemical theory of mental disorders, it is very easy to take the implicit reductionism to extremes and end up with a view of human beings as merely so chemicals and cells.

I also think that the biochemical perspective can detract from the genuine need to focus on the behavioral, characteriological, and existential issues that factor into the human experience of emotional misery.

The need for medication in psychiatry could be compared to the need for cholesterol lowering drugs in primary care. Yes, there are some folks who have a strong genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, but there are others who just need to lay off the cheeseburgers. And the existence of a drug to lower cholesterol removes the motivation for some to observe a healthy diet. I think you can see where that analogy is going.

In addition to biological vs. behavioral etiologies of mental/emotional distress, I think there are also characterological and existential considerations. I think that biological treatments can go so far and no further; behavioral techniques and good behavioral hygiene can go so far; and beyond that there is a certain amount of emotional suffering that is just part of the human condition...


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poster:fachad thread:138954
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030208/msgs/140213.html