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Topic: Chemical imbalance theory

	Chemical imbalance theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Chemical imbalance is a simplification of the language sometimes used by drug companies [1] in the United States in advertising and consumer literature for psychoactive drugs after deregulation of pharmaceutical advertising.
		Chemical imbalance theory is not a scientific theory, but refers to the lay conception of an idea generated by the use of the term 'chemical imbalance'.
		Moreover, critics assert, the psychiatric establishment merely assumes patients who are diagnosed with a given mental illness always have a chemical imbalance in their brains, even though behavioral checklists, and not actual chemical measurements, are used to reach a diagnosis.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Chemical_imbalance_theory (1806 words)

	Biochemical Imbalance
		Patients having been diagnosed with "chemical imbalances" despite the fact that no test exists to support such a claim, and that there is no real conception of what a correct chemical balance would look like." Additionally, Kaiser points out that "modern psychiatry has yet to convincingly prove the genetic/biologic cause of any single mental illness.
		In psychology and psychiatry there is a phenomenon called ‘theory begging’ which can explain the notion of ‘chemical imbalances.’ Theory begging is the reporting of a scientific theory as ‘fact’ so often that it becomes accepted as fact within the profession despite having never been proven.
		The ‘chemical imbalance’ is taken for granted, not actually found and verified by medical test.
	members.fortunecity.com /siriusw/Biochemical-Imbalance.htm (1832 words)

	Biological psychiatry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		References to biological psychiatry are used specifically by critics to denote the biological model of mental health, which they believe places undue emphasis upon biological theories and psychiatric drug treatment, rather than objective diagnosis of medical pathologies and psychological counseling.
		Two of the most lucrative markets for psychotropic drugs are based on biological theories of mental illness, namely the dopamine theory of schizophrenia and the serotonin-norepinephrine theory of depression, according to many critics.
		Although not a scientific theory, per se, such biologically based hypotheses for the cause of mental illness are also referred to collectively as the chemical imbalance theory.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Biological_psychiatry (443 words)

	Chemical Imbalance - What is Chemical Imbalance, What Causes It, How to Cope (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Though the exact mechanisms linking chemical imbalances and common disorders like anxiety, depression and ADHD are not completely understood, clinical studies and medical observations have been able to identify a number of chemical inconsistencies that occur in individuals who report experiencing symptoms related to these disorders.
		And, though the effects of chemical imbalance may lead to undue stress, nervousness and worry, they are an important part of being human.
		Chemical imbalances, or fluctuations, cannot be avoided because we are supposed to interpret and react to situations, whether they are stressful or joyful; this is simply human nature.
	www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com /articles/chemicalimbalance.htm (1666 words)

	Chemical Imbalance (Paxil Zoloft Prozac Celexa Effexor Xanax)
		This chemical imbalance theory implies that our minds have fixed amounts of these chemicals which have well-defined normal levels.
		The only scientific evidence supporting the "chemical imbalance" theory are the clinical trials of these drugs (which are only slightly more effective than placebo).
		Critique of Chemical Imbalance theory - Simon Sobo, M.D. There is no evidence that any psychiatric or psychologial disorder is caused by a biochemical imbalance.
	www.deep-trance.com /treatment/chemical-imbalance.html (980 words)

	The Spike Milligan Tribute Site (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Throw out those old theories of genetic recidivism, the tales of influenza during the first trimester of pregnancy, being conceived at the wrong time of the year, and the rest.
		However, the big pharmaceutical companies like the "chemical imbalance" theory, because it means they can keep proffering patented products that might or might not be mood-altering.
		Chemicals and genetics are the sensible attempts at an explanation of why I am as I am.
	www.spikemilligan.co.uk /88701/258482.html?sessionidkey=sessionidval (945 words)

	Psych Drug Truth. The chemical imbalance myth? Chemical imbalance seems to mean different things to different people as ...
		Chemical imbalance seems to mean different things to different people as well as physicians.
		But it is not a chemical imbalance as being described by the drug manufactures and or psychiatry.
		Based on this false theory, millions of people have fallen prey to psychiatric treatment: stimulants and antidepressants have induced teenagers to go on murderous shooting sprees (8 out of 13 school shootings, such as the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, were committed by teens on psychiatric drugs).
	www.prozactruth.com /Chemical_Imbalance.htm (2020 words)

	MindFreedom International - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		According to MindFreedom, scientific evidence does not support the contention that mental illness results from chemical imbalances in the brain.
		In 2005, debate over the chemical imbalance theory of psychiatry was sparked by Tom Cruise's criticism of the theory as pseudoscience (viewable here along with a response by the president of the American Psychiatric Association).
		Speaking against the marketing of medicines using what many consider to be unscientific claims about chemical imbalances, Oaks added, "Pfizer, Inc. does not explain the following important indisputable fact: There is no scientific evidence for such a chemical imbalance.
	www.wikipedia.org /wiki/Support_Coalition_International (907 words)

	Etiology And Treatment of Schizophrenia (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		This theory contends that the risk of developing schizophrenic symptoms increases if one or both parents, and/or blood relatives have had schizophrenia based on studies of twins and adoption records.
		This theory contends that there is a higher rate of schizophrenia among children born roughly in the months of December through March.
		The basis of this theory is that there is a fetal brain neural development disruption probably due to a virus being present in the mother's blood stream and placenta during the second trimester.
	home.att.net /~zedknepplin/psyc205.html (2358 words)

	HaloScan.com - Comments
		Psychopharmacology merely mitigates their prescriptions (which can even include opiates and narcotics) by the theory that the supplement is "fixing" a condition, which when first advocated (such as for Ritalin in the 80's) did not have ANYTHING to do with an initial chemical imbalance to support it.
		Quite simply, to me, a "chemical imbalance" theory of a mental disorder, is one that posits a simply pathologic mechanism for the disorder, namely that too much or too little of a certain chemical is floating around in the brain.
		Because there is established theory that a child's conduct need to be in simile with an ideal, which is that any divergence of behavior from a norm is an abnormality that finds it's cause, a priori in theory, in the brain.
	www.haloscan.com /comments/raldanash/4114 (11729 words)

	What is Depression: A New Theory
		Chemical imbalances, such as those that occur in seasonal affective disorder, can cause feelings of depression; and drugs that counteract the chemical imbalance can help mitigate the symptoms.
		But a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters is no more a cause of real depression than an imbalance of arachidonic acid metabolites is the cause of a headache.
		Anger and happiness may also be described as a chemical imbalance, but this doesn't explain them and it ignores the psychological meaning of the emotion.
	entropy.brneurosci.org /depression.html (928 words)

	Logical Errors in Mental Health
		According to this theory, if a person is related to a schizophrenic, and (in the eyes of the researchers) appears to behave in a similarly strange way, even if he or she does notqualify for a diagnosis of schizophrenia, they are considered "inside the spectrum." and counted as a match.
		By analogy, psychiatrists declared schizophrenics suffering from a "chemical imbalance" of dopamine, simply because their psychosis resembled the drug induced symptoms of Parkinson's patients.
		Just as medicine rejects theories that postulate "energy imbalances" as causes of disease because it isn't measurable, likewise the "chemical imbalance" model should not be accepted until psychiatrists 1) define what a "chemical balance" is, and 2) specify at what level are the chemicals out of balance.
	www.stopshrinks.org /articles/ryley_logical.htm (2476 words)

	'Medical' Causes of Depression - chemical imbalance or not?
		Clinical Depression is often said to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and this is what most drug treatments are based on.
		Yet these chemical imbalances can be found on occasion in all of these situations.
		This is why depression is not caused by chemical imbalance in the vast majority of cases.
	www.clinical-depression.co.uk /Depression_Information/causes2.htm (1028 words)

	The Scandal of 'Kiddie Coke'; Freedom Magazine
		The answer was to establish in the minds of Americans the brain “chemical imbalance” theory of behavioral disorders.
		Interpreting this as “proving” that only a minute chemical balance separated the normal from the insane, they extrapolated, since they could create insanity with drugs, they could also “create” sanity by handling “chemical imbalances” with drugs.
		But seemingly unconcerned by the inherent and deadly flaws in their new unsubstantiated theory, psychiatrists and psychologists forged ahead with their plans for a future where lives would be controlled through drugs.
	www.freedommag.org /English/vol36i1/page13.htm (1125 words)

	Neuroscientist to Speak against Reliance on Drugs as Cure-All for Mental Illness
		Today, "it is widely believed by most authorities and the public alike that the cause (of mental disorders) is a chemical imbalance of the brain," wrote Elliot S. Valenstein, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan.
		However, biochemical theories, for all their current popularity, "are an unproven hypothesis, and probably a false one," Valenstein argues.
		Students take for granted the 'chemical imbalance' theory of mental illnesses as a result of being bombarded with advertisements from the drug companies who make billions of dollars on products that purport to 'correct' such imbalances.
	www.mtholyoke.edu /offices/comm/csj/041604/illness.shtml (752 words)

	Homosexuality and Population - Page 2 - The 420 Lounge (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		And, if it is a chemical imbalance, it should be able to be corrected, whereas homosexuality is "incurable" as in irreversible as in you can't be straight if you're gay.
		Regarding the theory, it is somewhat intruiging that it would be some sort of population control device that has evolved.
		although, technically, chemical imbalances cant be cured either, at least not at this point in medical developmen,t maybe never, but they can be treated, and i think many people wanted to try to treat homosexuality, and sometimes the treatment may work, but its still not a cure.
	420.marijuana.com /showthread.php?t=31796&page=2 (1635 words)

	Deviancy Puritanism
		It was then, and still is today, a big mistake to separate biology, and thereby all the natural sciences, from the social sciences.
		This was a real sign of progress because it helped move the treatment of the mentally ill away from strict moralism to a more scientific approach.
		Pinel developed a system of patient care, based on crude physiological theories, that became known as "moral treatment." Moral treatment involved handling the mentally ill with kindness and helpful care to improve the patient's psychology (Grob, 1973:41-42).
	www.vernonjohns.org /nonracists/dvpuritn.html (2787 words)

	EPI: What causes psychosis?
		Throughout the years, there have been many different theories about what causes psychosis, many of which have been rejected because they were found to be incorrect.
		Recently, it has become increasingly clear that many of the current theories, such as the "chemical imbalance theory", the "genetic vulnerability theory", the "complex disease theory" and the "stress & vulnerability theory" all share similar conclusions.
		When a mutation occurs in a gene that contains the instructions for a brain protein, like a neurotransmitter, it may contribute to a chemical imbalance in the brain, which is one of the factors in the development of psychosis.
	www.psychosissucks.ca /epi/index.cfm?action=whatcauses (2328 words)

	Neuroscientist To Speak
		Fifty years ago, the prevailing view was that a variety of disorders had their origins in early family experiences; treatment frequently involved years of work between therapist and patient to find the underlying causes.
		Today, "it is widely believed by most authorities and the public alike that the cause (of mental disorders) is a chemical imbalance of the brain," writes Elliot S. Valenstein, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan.
		Prozac and lithium are prescribed to combat depression, for instance, because they are thought to counter the chemical imbalance blamed for the condition.
	www.mtholyoke.edu /offices/comm/press/releases/Valenstein.shtml (758 words)

	YHBT - Chemical Imbalances
		Speaking only for myself, the reason I get bothered by the whole "chemical imbalance" theory is that it's basically an attempt to make those who use it sound like they know what they're doing and/or talking about when they really don't.
		Yes, it can be true that a "chemical imbalance" can have an affect on mood or thought, just as a frayed wire or noisy line can have an effect on phone or television reception.
		But if there is a chemical imbalance, the correct solution would be to balance the chemistry, not pour in a lot of additives to cover it up or bypass it.
	databind.mboffin.com /post.aspx?id=1790 (396 words)

	Ezine #25
		One other byproduct of the chemical imbalance model: its simplicity has led to a great deal of comfort, on the part of physicians other than psychiatrists, to dispense psychotropic medications.
		His Internet article, A Reevaluation of the Relationship between Psychiatric Diagnosis and Chemical Imbalances, is an expansion of a presentation given at Psychiatric Grand Rounds, November 15, 1999, at the University of Alabama Medical School.
		Eating disorders are known to sometimes occur in association with tumors involving the temporal cortex, in temporal lobe epilepsy, or in the advanced stage of degenerative diseases involving temporal structures.
	www.alternativementalhealth.com /ezine/Ezine25.htm (3836 words)

	Jamaica Gleaner - Imagined ugliness syndrome - Wednesday \| January 7, 2004
		The prevailing thought is that Body Dismorphic Disorder is associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain which may be genetic in origin.
		Patients seem to be responsive to medication that increases seratonin levels in the brain adding support to the chemical imbalance theory.
		Therapy involves the use of selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors to treat the chemical imbalance and psychotherapy involving cognitive behavioural therapy to help the person resist compulsive behaviour such as mirror checking or excessive grooming.
	www.jamaica-gleaner.com /gleaner/20040107/health/health4.html (573 words)

	MindFreedom Online: SCI News (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		While we know insulin can temporarily restore a chemical imbalance for a diabetic, we have no such scientific knowledge that any psychiatric drug restores a chemical imbalance for someone having emotional difficulties.
		We don't even have scientific proof that mental disorders are caused by chemical imbalances.
		In the history of psychiatric drugs, all are ultimately found to be either (a) highly addictive, as evidenced by withdrawal; (b) highly ineffective, compared to a proper placebo; (c) highly dangerous, in terms of short-term or long-term adverse effects; (d) all of the above.
	www.mindfreedom.org /mindfreedom/levine.shtml (1199 words)

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