Abhidharma Buddhist Scholars identified 51 mental events and advised how to overcome the negative ones.
The American Psychiatric Association ( APA ) in it's reference book ' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders ' ( DSM ) lists 374 mental disorders. It seems almost any normal life event can now be diagnosed as a mental disorder and treated!
A brief history. In 1840 there was 1 mental illness, insanity. In 1880 the APA classified 7. In 1952 the APA created the aforementioned DSM which contained 112 disorders. In 1968 it contained 163. In 1980 it contained 224. In 1987 it contained 253 mental disorders. Finally in 1994 the world now had 374 mental illnesses to contend with. Unfortunately the routine prescription of drugs for many of these fraudulent mental conditions can and does create a real mental disorder.
Many of the relatively new childhood disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder ( ADD ) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) for which drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac are given could be addressed by a change of diet.A child consuming 6 to 8 soft drinks a day may be ingesting over 70 teaspoons of sugar or worse Aspartame.No wonder they would be hyperactive!
Many adult disorders could also be treated by dietary changes but it is not in the interests of the burgeoning Psychiatric profession to offer less harmful solutions.This is not to say that in some cases anti depressants can be appropriate but when you consider that 56 per cent of the American Psychiatrists who committed suicide had prescribed themselves drugs, questions need to be asked.
If you want to stay sane don't think Shrink. You may be prescribed something that could harm you.
Quite interesting. My degrees are in psychology and I find the field to be absolutely fascinating. I disagree with some of this (not all). Antidepressants counteract low serotonin...they are clinically proven to improve depressive symptoms in the vast majority of patients.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fascinating subject Keith. However with regard to serotonin levels there are several other and safer ways to raise serotonin, meditation for example. I am sure you are aware that Antidepressants have been implicated in suicide and gun rampages. That said I certainly don't have a closed mind on this subject as I know they can also be a life saver.However if you find the subject interesting a really good read is 'The Mind Game ' by Phillip Day.
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