Posted by morganator on June 25, 2010, at 14:04:55
In reply to Re: yes, I think so... » morganator, posted by jade k on June 25, 2010, at 13:40:18
I do agree that there is a need for better understanding and better medication. Maybe I should not have used the word prevention. I think it may be more realistic to at least be able to reduce the risk of mental illness developing into a debilitating destructive force in many people's lives.
I don't blame you for thinking the way you do, but I think it can be somewhat counterproductive to progress. You do know that there is plenty of evidence that nurture may play just as large a role in mental illness as nature do you not? Many children that are predisposed to schizophrenia were neglected or abused in some way that lead to drug abuse in their early teens. There is evidence that drug abuse, especially early on in life, can trigger psychosis. Now how do you know for sure that psychosis is guaranteed to develop at some point just because someone is genetically predisposed?
One day we will be able to show that someone has the genetic predisposition for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Then will be able to prove that it is possible for some to go a life time without having a single episode and show that this was most likely due to an environment where there was plenty of love, nurture, and the right amount of protection.
I do believe that someone could for example have the genetic predisposition, come from a near perfect upbringing(including optimal diet and a toxic free environment), but then say go to war and as a result to begin to suffer from the genetically predisposed illness. So yes, at any point in one's life, regardless of nurture, the right amount or type of stress/trauma could trigger the illness into action.
I'm pretty sure if the right study was done we would find that the majority, if not all, of people suffering from mental illnesses such as bipolar and schizophrenia have something in their past that likely contributed to the illness rearing it's ugly head in such a horrible way.
poster:morganator
thread:951979
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100615/msgs/952157.html