sharing my fb post from this am- it is time to move past the idea of "mental illness"

[mopinko]

5. we are starting to find the differences.

i saw one article recently, today maybe?, about imaging brain differences in depression. i couldnt find it, but did find this.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016164358

we really need to focus more research on this issue. we like to say that mental illness is no different from diabetes, but that is not how it is looked at by shrinks. they are stuck on the idea that the mind and the brain are not the same thing. imho, that is just ridiculous.

and on the topic of childhood trauma, i am aware of very little research looking at the link between tbi, a frequent result of domestic violence, and "mental illness". this strikes me as the lowest of low hanging fruit. esp as it relates to growing brains. how many kids are getting med after useless med for depression, when the problem could be discreet legions on the brain? there are several just in my circle of friends.
cook county has started taking this on, getting brain studies on kids in their juvenile detention facilities. they are finding many violent, brain damaged kids.

obviously this is as complex as the human animal. and there are ways to treat the mind that dont involve addressing the brain "directly", but i suspect that some day we will understand how they affect the brain indirectly. this can only make such approaches more effective in the future.