Do you agree that mental problems are same

[psychiatrist_in]

as Physical Problems ? Most of the physical problems can be seen, investigated and diagnosed. Their treating agents can be seen whether they are killing the enimies or not by several authentic process. But we do not see [can not see what is happening inside a mental sufferer]. We can see antibiotic killng bacteria, anti-asthematic improving ventilation, hypertensive meds lowering BP but in mental case nothing is seen. We are treating unseen problems with medicines of unknown mode of action .

[Pookeygirl]

Proper CT scans and pet scans can show by images of brain activity of many mental disorders. Problem here is the expense and the waiting time for people to get these tests. We wait long enough for tests for physical ailments. I do believe, if resources were in abundance, we would be able to investigate mental problems as well as physical ones.

[slobone]

Some mental problems have clear, visible physical causes. For example, if you have memory loss due to a stroke, that's easy to detect.And there are undoubtedly other mental problems that are always caused by the same physical defect, but that we don't yet have the knowledge or technology to detect. Hopefully this category will get smaller as we improve our knowledge of the brain.But you're right, most mental problems can only be detected by their effect on behavior. For many of these problems, there may be more than one physical cause, or no detectable physical cause at all.

[JMH]

Mental problems are most certainly physical problems. They originate in the brain which, last time I checked, was an organ made of the same “stuff” and having a life-sustaining purpose of its own different from but no less critical than the lungs, the heart and any other essential organs of the human body.The fact that many mental illnesses cannot be seen or measured, and their treatment cannot be tracked in the way other diseases can be, does not make these diseases any less physical. It simply means that the science of tracking and treating them is more challenging, and relies on more than one tangible input. Think of it this way: No one alive today witnessed the Big Bang. In this respect, it is argued as a theory. While we cannot "prove" it happened by direct physical observation of the event itself, do we therefore consider that theory to be nothing more than a mental construct? Of course not! The theory is based on hard, physical, observable and quantifiable, albeit indirect, evidence that the event actually physically took place. Mental illnesses exist in the physiological universe in just this fashion.The research that has been done on the brain in the past decade clearly establishes that there are various identifiable, measurable chemicals in the brain that are critical to proper brain functioning. An imbalance in these chemicals can be seen in fMRI imaging, and can be directly correlated with behavioral changes that indicate the presence of different mental illnesses.Brain research alone has radically altered the view that these diseases are undetectable and “all in one’s head,” meaning they do not need treatment or cannot be treated in the same way that, say, diabetes or heart disease can.Long-term recovery from mental illnesses is helped by understanding this chemistry better than we do, but it is also true that non-chemical (i.e., non-pharmaceutical) treatments - talk therapies such as CBT and DBT - are equally important aspects of the treatment regimen, and when combined improve the prospects of recovery significantly when compared to being used alone. Even here, psychiatrists are able to observe changes in brain chemistry associated with non-chemical therapeutic interventions.We can only hope that the days of Cartesian “mind-body” duality are behind us. This notion that what goes on in the brain is somehow not physical is based on ancient superstition and ignorance that modern science has convincingly dispelled. Clinging to these notions also subtly feeds stigma and discriminatory treatment of people with mental illness. Our reluctance to accept that we have one integrated, physically interdependent body that includes the brain and everything that goes on inside of it is the reason why health insurance companies and employers generally do not offer parity in mental health benefits alongside other traditional physical medical treatments. We need to correct this inequity.

[caspicks]

Mental problems are often linked to physical symptoms for example boils, blood pressure are linked to stress but i do not think that mental and psychological problems are the same!Physical problems are often easier to treat. The problem is investigated and medication given. With mental problems it is more difficult at every stage. It is difficult to find an original source. And even if it is found, it is often multifaceted. Furthermore, are the findings reliable? Often some kind of self report is used for example!Then, there is the treatment phase which can be aided by medication but to what effect? There are considerable doubts over long term benefits of ADHD medication for example.Moreover, there is the threat of relapse. When an arm is put in plaster and healed it will probably not return to its broken state. However if you have a psychological problem it is not uncommon to relapse into depression for example.Therefore i would say that physical and psychological problems are distinct, not completely independent but interdependent.