Mental Illness is a MYTH : Witchcraft and Power Politics in Medicine

originally posted by: Realtruth
It's funny how we coin mental illness these days, because just a few decades back a man that wanted to become a woman, and being praise for it worldwide, would have been call a mental illness.

Or a child that has the right to decide it's gender, regardless of parental support would have been madness, but today it's almost a right.

Its the same with a lot of things.

Homosexuality was outlawed, a man could beat his wife, a white man could keep black slaves...... and so it goes on.

As humanity advances things change, sure in a few years time we could learn something that profoundly changes our understanding of mental illness however that is only speculation. The best we can do is go on the facts that we have now and what we know, not what we might know hypothetically in the future.

As it stands in 2017 there is nothing that backs up the OPs claims that mental illness is a myth.

Could that change one day in the future? I doubt it but I can never say with certainty what the future holds.

originally posted by: Realtruth
It's funny how we coin mental illness these days, because just a few decades back a man that wanted to become a woman, and being praise for it worldwide, would have been call a mental illness.

Or a child that has the right to decide it's gender, regardless of parental support would have been madness, but today it's almost a right.

Well yeah... That's just a symptom of science evolving and updating its outlook with new information. Why is it surprising that science has become more comprehensive over time?

a reply to: Hecate666

The reason that their brain chemicals are "out of balance" is because the brain is a computer.

If I sit around and focus on how depressing everything is all day, I'll get into a habit of it and possibly even chemically addicted to continually wanting to do that.

This theoretically will show up in scans given sufficient time to flood my brain with whichever chemical such focus is associated with.

Your argument is that people have no control over their own minds.
My argument is that given ample support, education, and coping mechanisms - they will regain control over their minds and defeat the 'chemical imbalance' naturally without having to take a single medication or needing a single electroshock.

I am supporting the naturopathy approach here.

End of the day through as any truly mad magician will tell you "it's turtles all the way down".

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Incidentally, I think that's pretty much what they actually used to say around the time of WWI, when soldiers came home shell-shocked. The future may well condemn us for some of the ways we treat the mentally ill today, but it it looks like we've been going in the right direction at least.

a reply to: muzzleflash

The reason that their brain chemicals are "out of balance" is because the brain is a computer.

Then why don't I have a usb jack on the back of my head!

Honestly by that argument you could say diabetes is a myth because the pancreases is just a computer

a reply to: Krazysh0t

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin



Both of you guys seriously need to read these books by Carl Sagan:

Broca's Brain
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
The Dragons of Eden
Demon Haunted World

With those 4 books under your belt, you will quickly begin to realize exactly where my thread concept came from and WHY I am making these arguments.

The brain is a computer. So long as there is no significant brain damage - it will operate PERFECTLY.
However the problem here is the Operating System will have bugs, and the applications it runs will be buggy. The "Information" put into the brain is what causes all of the mishaps.

Modern psychiatry as we know it is charlatanism and a scam. I am attempting to make you aware of the extreme depths that this con has been played to.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Then why don't I have a usb jack on the back of my head!

Wait. You don’t?

Have you upgraded to body v4.12 and brain v2.1 yet?

a reply to: muzzleflash

As someone who has experienced issues personally and in those around me, I have to say that various types of mental states do correlate strongly with illness.

In my case, I was depressed (and still am on occasion). This was upsetting to me as I know my mental capability and the negative ideation was unrealistic and directly disadvantaging my quality of life.

Now occasional depression could be argued to be within the normal spectrum of human experience but what happened subsequently was not.

My doctor prescribed anti-depressants but I tolerated them poorly, suffering from insomnia and feelings of mental 'fuzziness'. We tried several different meds but in the process, I started to have ultra vivid dreams which became increasingly disturbing. Thinking that it may be a temporary effect (also suggested by the doctor) I persisted in taking them for a further two weeks. In this time, the boundaries between my nightmares and my waking life began to blur frighteningly.

I have since desisted in taking any anti-depressants at all (I stopped cold, without any titration) and have analysed why I had such a reaction. The physical symptoms were similar to Seratonin syndrome and I have come to believe that I have naturally elevated levels. The anti-depressants are supposed to work by elevating Serotonin and therefore this caused an over-abundance of the neurotransmitter and therefore toxicity.

This high Serotonin level would also explain why I tolerate anti-depressants so poorly (most elevate Serotonin levels).

The fact that such imbalances of neurochemicals can occur (and elevated levels can occur naturally) indicates that the resultant mental effects can occur naturally at levels which induce illness.

Hence, mental illness can exist.

Denial of the existence of mental illness (such as in the case of the views of Scientology) has led to many cases of people being untreated and their conditions worsening. This has led to the misery and suicides of otherwise healthy people.

Modern mental health practitioners have many tools (other than drugs and invasive procedures) for restoring mental balance. The two most effective and 'gentle' methodologies are Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

a reply to: muzzleflash

you guys seriously need to read these books by Carl Sagan:

Unless Carl Sagan is the one who is telling you that mental illness is a myth then I think I will stick to reading your hilariously ignorant posts around mental illness.

I have asked you several questions you have not yet answered.

1. Do you quite literally mean that mental illness, all mental illness is a myth.

2. Do you honestly believe that only people who are uneducated are susceptible to mental illness.

3. What work experience and qualifications do you have that qualifies you to make these conclusions.

originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
no myth. i've suffered mental issues for the last 30+ years. would that it were a myth.

I didn't say problems or mental issues were a myth.

I said the belief that it is an "Illness or Disease" is a myth.

Saying that it is an illness is a cop out, it's you essentially saying "well I'm sick, I won't bother facing my issues and dealing with them productively anymore!".

And YES, even if you face your problems and deal with them today that is no guarantee that they won't resurface tomorrow. Overcoming our internal issues takes a long time sometimes. But eventually over time you will begin to gain ground and you will reach the mountain top.

I deal with mentally ill people every day and there is not one single person that cannot be helped with simple discussion and learning.

a reply to: muzzleflash

Mental illness is very very real and you are absolutely wrong that it doesn't exist. But I do agree that treatments over the years have been absolutely barbaric.

a reply to: muzzleflash

The brain is NOT a computer. It may function similarly to how computers function but that is no way NEAR an apt comparison.

Furthermore no two brains operate the same exact way or make the same connections. So saying that, minus any brain damage it would work fine is also incorrect. The brain works how the body's DNA dictates it should work. If the DNA creates a flawed brain then that brain will be flawed. The usually translates to mental illness.

It's like you understood exactly nothing about Carl Sagan's words. He'd probably slap you for trying to use his words to disprove the science of psychology.

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
a reply to: muzzleflash

You actually didn't make a single valid argument against my claims.

My argument is quite simply that you don't have a argument.

You are saying mental illness is a myth, yet have zero evidence of this. The arguments of Szsaz, which I think is what you have based your op on, come from the 1960's and do no fit with modern medicine. Its like you found that YouTube Video and figured you would just transcribe it into your own words and now claim to be such a expert on mental illness that you can now categorically claim it as a fact that mental illness is a myth.

Do you not see how stupid that line of thinking is?

out of intent where are you from, I only ask because I am quite well read on UK therapeutic jurisprudence and it would be applicable to the claims you have made in the OP.

You never actually addressed my argument and only relied primarily on denial, ad-hominems, strawmen, halftruths, ignorance, and unverifiable claims.

I have known a great many people with a great many mental illnesses.

The vast majority were helped significantly with their difficulties by modern medicine and modern psychotherapy.

Some were treatment resistant.

All of it was real.


Also, the 'modern pharma making big money' argument doesn't work. Because not all countries are the US, and not all patients are treated as cash-cows.

a reply to: muzzleflash

didn't say problems or mental issues were a myth.

I said the belief that it is an "Illness or Disease" is a myth.

So what is it then?

What is schizophrenia for example?

I deal with mentally ill people every day

God I hope not because you believe that their very illness is a myth that they got because they are uneducated.

a reply to: muzzleflash

You never actually addressed my argument and only relied primarily on denial, ad-hominems, strawmen, halftruths, ignorance, and unverifiable claims.

Those are just words, you know that right, unless they are true they don't mean anything.

Its like you saying that mental illness is a myth, just words, you can say it all you want but its not going to make it true.

Again.... still not answering my questions.