Chemical Balance and Mental Health - Outdated Theory?
Mental health and mental illnesses used to be severely misunderstood, and very stigmatised. Many believed that having mental illness mean you are crazy, and should be admitted to the insane asylum for various, mostly ineffective and harmful, so-called treatments.
However, as the sciences and medical fields advanced and progressed, researchers began contemplating upon a biological basis for maladies. The doctors and scientists then concluded that mental health problems are the results of physiological disruptions, or “chemical imbalances”, in the brain. By saying that mental illness is caused disruptions in the neurotransmitters within the brain, mental illnesses became slowly normalised and destigmatised.
Today, current research paints a different picture. According to Thomas R. Insel, former Director of the U.S.’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the idea that chemical imbalances in the brain as the cause of mental disorders are beginning to seem antiquated. Many have assumed that mental health issues, such as depression, are caused by changes in brain chemistry, which are then corrected by medication. However, evidence is weak, as we have yet to know if such changes are the result of the depression or its cause.
''The chemical imbalance explanation is an oversimplification of a very complex picture,'' says Professor Michael Baigent, a psychiatrist and board director of Australia’s national depression agency, beyondblue.
Some opponents go further into their debunking of this theory. Psychologists like Dr. Todd B. Kashdan claims that patients who “buy in to a biomedical explanation” become less confident that they can manage and regulate negative moods that arise, while doubting that psychotherapy is a credible or useful strategy. However, it is also important to note that those currently taking medication, such as antidepressants, should not stop without seeking advice from their doctors.
Psychotherapist and author Gary Greenberg explains that the concept of chemical imbalance first took hold after World War II, where the discovery of drugs, such as Lithium, Thorazine, Tofranil, Librium and Valium, prompted scientists to search for the neurological roots of the drugs’ workings. The identification of neurotransmitters provided an appealing answer that allowed the pharmaceutical drugs to be marketed with scientific authority
So, what causes mental illness? While current research has no definite answer, it is becoming clear through research that many of these conditions are caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. As such, there are different treatment options as well. In many cases, a combination of treatments works best. Some of the more common ones are prescription medication, which does not help ‘cure’ mental illness, but help eases symptoms instead; and psychotherapy, where patients speak with trained professionals to look deeper into their problems and worries, and learn to deal with the stress they cause.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” Mental illness, despite its scary sounding name, is rather common, and you can recover, as long as you receive proper treatment. Do not hesitate to speak to your doctor and seek your options.
Do read:
1. Antidepressants Gave Me My Life Back And That's Not A Bad Thing by Robert Wheatley.
Note: Venus Views Issue 002 focuses on Mental Health and also a bumper issue with the Halloween Edition.
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