Biological Psychology
The study of physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience
However, it is much more than just a field of study. It is a point of view.
Currently, most philosophers and neuroscientists reject the idea that the mind exists independently of the brain. I respectfully disagree. I understand that this course is Physiological Psychology, and I am certainly not rejecting the field. Every field in psychology fascinates me, and I am eager to learn every side, every position, and every angle of psychology.
Biological psychologists believe that your brain physiology is you. However, this fundamental belief is one of the very reasons why our mental health system is so broken today. It's been broken for more than fifty years, ever since our mental health system has been based under a strictly medical model -- more specifically, a drug based treatment paradigm.
These "miracle" drugs are designed to treat an underlying "illness", an underlying disease, (now called a disorder) despite the fact that many, if not all, of these so-called treatments were created (but more like stumbled upon) before any of these "diseases" existed. This flawed model is based on the assumption that you are your brain. The brain is part of the body; therefore you are your body. These “diseases of the brain” are biological, therefore treatable with drugs. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz in his article published in 1960 entitled "The Myth of Mental Illness" explains that mental illness is a double metaphor. A mental disorder is obviously not the same as a physiological illness.
The mind does not really exist. It is not your brain. It is not your body. It's not something you can see on an MRI scan. The mind is a concept, a metaphor actually. Complex human behavior should not be reduced to your brain. And the statement "You are your brain!" does just that.
More specifically, for example -- most people nowadays associate depression (and several other mental disorders) with a chemical imbalance within a neurotransmitter system. In more layman's terms, if your brain is “low” in serotonin, you are depressed. Because you are now clinically depressed, you will most likely receive chronic drug treatment (which is always more profitable for pharmaceutical companies.) Instead of a chemical imbalance, I'd lean more towards some experience, stress, or immediate environmental impact (social, cultural, financial, etc.) has caused this depression. These drugs can actually create a chemical imbalance, fueling dependence.
I could go on and on; however in conclusion, this failed medical model is much better than no model at all or attempting to start a new model from scratch. This model needs to be altered somehow.
You Are Mental Health Tomorrow, Join Us In Advancing The Paradigm Shift!
I had never thought about the model this way, but after reading your post it got me thinking. I have to agree with you and a revision should be made to the model, in order to move away from the drug treatment we currently use. How would you revise this model?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my post got you thinking and hopefully inspired you that change is long overdue! That's the big question -- How can we change this model without starting from scratch and completely collapsing our current mental health system (which would be devastating and make things much worse than they already are.) That's why this conference that I'm helping out with is important to me. It's one step closer to revolutionizing the mental health system into something better. I included a hyperlink to the main page of the conference on my post just in case you'd like to check it out.
DeleteHere's another link to further details of the conference:
http://www.mentalhealthtomorrow.com/About_Us.html
Hopefully, UTPA students may receive an even lower student discount -- but that's not yet set in stone; only time will tell!
Wow. That was a great blog. I have to agree with you that we have become prescription dependent nation. We need pills for every difficult situation that we get ourselves to. If a child is energetic, we label them ADHD. We then prescribe them Adderal or any other form of tranquilizer to have him sit down and act like a zombie for the rest of the day. I am convinced that our mental health system has to sit down and do some reevaluation of our current approach to this "illness". Great blog I really enjoyed reading every piece of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you enjoyed my blog, and I completely agree with how you say that nowadays our society needs pills for every difficult situation we get ourselves into. In Szasz's article that I linked in my blog, he'd like for our society to think of mental "illnesses" not as diseases at all but more as psychosocial problems in living.
DeleteActually, we prescribe children with Adderall or Ritalin or what ever stimulant, but what we're really giving them is a low-dose of speed. If ADHD is mainly thought of as a children's "disorder", then why do so many people continue to have it in adulthood? Why would adults with ADHD also be prescribed a stimulant if these low-doses of speed are only truly effective for a couple years? Once their efficacy wears off, people should then search for an alternative -- but most people do not do this.
I totally disagree with all the "disorders" that have been created to lead newer generations toward a drug-dependency. I am a firm believer of behavior modifications and suggest that instead of people becoming so dependent on prescribed medications for anxiety, depression, or other disorders other options should be considered. I understand there are certain disorders that may have no other treatments other than prescribed medications.
ReplyDelete