Posted by Eric on March 27, 2001, at 9:17:11
In reply to Re: New theories of mental disorders needed (long), posted by SLS on March 26, 2001, at 15:23:37
> Dear Eric,
>
> I think psychiatry may be a bit further along than how you describe it.
>
> The following publications by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the federal government, reflect the current state of psychiatry world-wide.
>
>
> 1. Depression Research at the National Institute of Mental Health
> http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depresfact.cfm
>
>
> 2. Bipolar Disorder Research at the National Institute of Mental Health
> http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolarresfact.cfm
>
>
> 3. Genetics and Mental Disorders:
> Report of the National Institute of Mental Health's Genetics Workgroup
> http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/genetics.htm
>
>
> I am not sure it is reasonable to conclude for ourselves what causes depression when scientists cannot even determine what does not. From what I have seen written, most scientists are indeed continuing to look with objectivity for new data and new hypotheses in a truly intense effort to understand the causes of, establish remedies for, and prevent mental illness. New and valid ideas can come from anywhere, even from Psycho-Babble. However, I would not place my bets against neuroscience and psychiatry to come up with a few themselves.
>
> Just my perspective.
>
>
> - ScottScott, the amount of money being spent on mental health research is about the equivalent of one high tech Air Force bomber plane. In other words not very much money considering the pain and suffering severe mental illnesses cause. We need mental health research on par with AIDS drug research if these diseases are to be truly managed. Just look at this message board as a hard concrete example of what I am talking about. Look at how many depressives and manic depressives come to this board who are "treatment resistant" and have been thru the full gamut of current existing psychiatric treatment and still cannot get out of the hole completely.
I am sorry but I dont share your enthusiasm that current existing research for mental illness is good enough. The NIMH budget is piddly if you ask me. Like I said before, look at the AIDS research as an example of a "war on a disease" and how to do it right. By contrast, look at mental illness research as the example of how things are done extremely slowly and how footdragging occurs in scientific research.
Mental illness research is a joke. Sure, big headway has been made in the past fifteen years or so but much is left to be desired. Again, just look at the existence of this message board as hard concrete evidence of that. Look at how many treatment resistant folks are out there! Very little research is going on to target the treatment resistant community.
It seems half the people on this board are "treatment resistant." That should tell you a lot about the current status of psychiatry's ability to combat severe mental illness.
Compare AIDS research, cardio disease research, cancer research. Then compare what goes on in those areas to what goes on in mental illness research. No contest. Who gets priority? Who is being given lipservice status? Hell, there is probably more interest in this country in the development of more Viagra type drugs to enhance sexual function than there is interest in combatting severe mental illness. Its all very sad and a big joke.
We the mentally ill are the red headed step children of the medical world. Half the problem is that a lot of people refuse to really admit our kinds of problems are in fact "real" and are actually real medical diseases. We dont have priority.
Eric
poster:Eric
thread:57508
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010327/msgs/57663.html