Mental disorders are an interesting topic. Some psychologists/psychiatrists argue that many children have been incorrectly diagnosed with mild mental disorders such as hyperactivity, ADD, and ADHD, because a lot of symptoms of those mental disorders can be attributed to the diet of the children. Increased amounts of sugars and caffeine in a child’s diet can create the same symptoms.
Addressing the article on the states with least healthy seniors, a lot of these health issue come from cultural lifestyle such as the type of food they eat, and activities they engage in among multiple other factors. Southern food tends to be filled with more sugars, carbs, and negative factors that decrease life expectancy.
To expand on your thought, what exactly is a mental disorder? How broadly can this be defined? If it means aberration from the norm, what is the norm? I think that there are many uncertainties in the cause and effect of mental “disorders”.
“Could as many as one in every five children have a mental disorder?”
I think psychology is a tricky field. Not to discredit the good it does and it’s complexity, but there is a fine line where it becomes less scientific and more sociological. There are plenty of “mental disorders” that are simply not backed by the hard sciences, such as the most obvious pertinent one in this case, neuroscience.
@JD:
I believe it is commonly defined by psychologist as a disturbance or malfunction in the normal process of the brain or body. So yes, they do define it as being a norm, and I completely agree that is definitely shaky ground in the diagnosis process, but I think the average psychologist would answer by claiming that the norm is the most commonly observed process of the brain based on psychological studies throughout the decades…and that’s all we have to work with.
“Richard Posner has an essay arguing that the influence of Milton Friedman is declining, partly because the recent crisis showed weaknesses in laissez-faire ideology.”
The idea that our economy is “laissez-faire” is laughable.
@Dewaine:
I think you might actually be on to something. Does hatred or prejudice increase stress and therefore decrease life expectancy? It’s possible some would say…
@Dewaine: Interesting comment. I think that’s more correlation than causality. Have a hard time thinking gay marriage actually causes senior citizens being healthier.
So, since extreme genius is an aberration from the norm, is it a mental disorder that needs to be treated? Maybe we can medicate Sheldon Cooper into a normal person. Would that even be desirable?
Mental disorders are an interesting topic. Some psychologists/psychiatrists argue that many children have been incorrectly diagnosed with mild mental disorders such as hyperactivity, ADD, and ADHD, because a lot of symptoms of those mental disorders can be attributed to the diet of the children. Increased amounts of sugars and caffeine in a child’s diet can create the same symptoms.
Addressing the article on the states with least healthy seniors, a lot of these health issue come from cultural lifestyle such as the type of food they eat, and activities they engage in among multiple other factors. Southern food tends to be filled with more sugars, carbs, and negative factors that decrease life expectancy.
@Nigel
To expand on your thought, what exactly is a mental disorder? How broadly can this be defined? If it means aberration from the norm, what is the norm? I think that there are many uncertainties in the cause and effect of mental “disorders”.
It is a sad day when people just now realize that what Milton wrote 30 years ago is still accurate.
The top five have all legalized gay marriage, the bottom five are staunchly opposed. Causality? Some say “maybe”.
“Could as many as one in every five children have a mental disorder?”
I think psychology is a tricky field. Not to discredit the good it does and it’s complexity, but there is a fine line where it becomes less scientific and more sociological. There are plenty of “mental disorders” that are simply not backed by the hard sciences, such as the most obvious pertinent one in this case, neuroscience.
@JD:
I believe it is commonly defined by psychologist as a disturbance or malfunction in the normal process of the brain or body. So yes, they do define it as being a norm, and I completely agree that is definitely shaky ground in the diagnosis process, but I think the average psychologist would answer by claiming that the norm is the most commonly observed process of the brain based on psychological studies throughout the decades…and that’s all we have to work with.
“Richard Posner has an essay arguing that the influence of Milton Friedman is declining, partly because the recent crisis showed weaknesses in laissez-faire ideology.”
The idea that our economy is “laissez-faire” is laughable.
@Dewaine:
I think you might actually be on to something. Does hatred or prejudice increase stress and therefore decrease life expectancy? It’s possible some would say…
@Dewaine: Interesting comment. I think that’s more correlation than causality. Have a hard time thinking gay marriage actually causes senior citizens being healthier.
@Nigel
So, since extreme genius is an aberration from the norm, is it a mental disorder that needs to be treated? Maybe we can medicate Sheldon Cooper into a normal person. Would that even be desirable?
“Could as many as one in every five children have a mental disorder?”
-Interesting article. I think misdiagnosing is as big a problem as diagnosing when it comes to children being checked for mental disorders.
@JD:
Extreme genius is not an abnormality in the brains functioning system, so no…It would not need to be medicated.
Are mental disorders really on the rise, or is everything considered a mental disorder? Especially when it comes to kids.