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OP is not telling you to "feel better" - he is saying he was only able to tackle his depression after taking a more holistic approach to monitoring and changing

OP is not telling you to "feel better" - he is saying he was only able to tackle his depression after taking a more holistic approach to monitoring and changing his brain operation. Emotions are, quite literally, certain chemical states in animals with nervous systems of at least a certain complexity. That's where the "chemical imbalance" mantra falls apart - at best, it adds no information, and even worse, its used to peddle drugs which are developed without coherent and predictable models of the neurology involved in the symptoms/diseases they're supposed to treat. Medical doctors get at least one objective measure of your blood pressure before prescribing blood pressure medicine. When was the least time you heard of a psychiatrist only prescribing meds after performing an MRI?

kolinko 9y ago
What new information would current state fMRI give them? If I'm not mistaken, a person that is depressed due to environment will have similar fMRI as a person who has messed up biology (not just neurotransmitters btw). Also, even with acute depression, antidepressants may help to get the patient on track.
- pharrington 9y ago
  https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/brain-scan-may-predict-best-depression-treatment https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/brain-s... The objective outcomes differ with different treatments even in cases of subjective success. The specific neurology (protein levels, chemical ratios, etc) should determine how exactly you intend to alter it.
pw 9y ago
Psychiatrists (well, ER doctors, usually) do, in fact, perform MRI's before prescribing meds. This happened to me when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I assumed it's not an uncommon practice. It's easy to think of psychiatry being wishy-washy when all you're considering is mild to moderate depression and the like, but it becomes much harder when you consider the entire spectrum of mental illness. Full-blown mania, psychotic depression, or untreated schizophrenia scream illness in a way that is hardly subjective.

kolinko 9y ago

What new information would current state fMRI give them? If I'm not mistaken, a person that is depressed due to environment will have similar fMRI as a person who has messed up biology (not just neurotransmitters btw). Also, even with acute depression, antidepressants may help to get the patient on track.

pharrington 9y ago
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/brain-scan-may-predict-best-depression-treatment https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/brain-s... The objective outcomes differ with different treatments even in cases of subjective success. The specific neurology (protein levels, chemical ratios, etc) should determine how exactly you intend to alter it.

pw 9y ago

Psychiatrists (well, ER doctors, usually) do, in fact, perform MRI's before prescribing meds. This happened to me when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I assumed it's not an uncommon practice. It's easy to think of psychiatry being wishy-washy when all you're considering is mild to moderate depression and the like, but it becomes much harder when you consider the entire spectrum of mental illness. Full-blown mania, psychotic depression, or untreated schizophrenia scream illness in a way that is hardly subjective.