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Jun 18, 2013, 2:59pm

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Topic: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions (Read 758 times)

Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P
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Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Thread Started on Jul 4, 2011, 3:12pm »

In my opinion the poor success rate of conventional therapy for mood disorder - and remember I myself was a victim of drugs and/or psychotherapy model of treatment for many years - is mainly due to the fact that popular opinion and shared by many so-called professionals in the mental health industry (dependent on the sale of drugs and lucrative talk therapies) are "deluded" into believing that the symptoms of mood disorders are the causes of mood disorders. Hence confusing symptoms for causes. Thus having a low self-esteem is the cause of depression, "the traumatic event" is the cause of PTSD, "spiders" and "lifts" cause me to have a phobia.

Why are discussion board on mental illness so popular?
Answer: "Because conventional therapy fail miserably in helping people overcome their illness and people are looking for alternatives!!!" The professions in society expected to deal with these problems are simply not there. Hence people flock together is support forums to help one another. This may trigger another delusion that mutual empathy and support alone will cure the disease.

But the tragedy of these discussion boards is that these delusions are reinforced by other members of boards convincing their fellow victims of the disease, that their symptoms are due to unfortunate childhood experiences (parents are to blame), faulty and illogical thinking RCBT and DBT (Patients are to blame in Dialectic Behavior Therapy), or due to economic/political/ social environments (society is to blame) or in the case of PTSD a traumatic event. Hence many discussion boards on mental health are in fact "spreading" the very delusions and diseases, that they are trying to treat!!

When we look at a definition of "delusion" one dictionary defines it as:

"an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder ".

It becomes obvious that is a symptom - not a cause - of many mood disorders. If it is a delusion, then there is no way of changing the mind of those clients by any logical arguments. One has to accept it as a symptom and not a cause of irrational thinking. The only way of treating this delusion is by way of treating the underlying stress hormones that is ultimately responsible for the misinterpretation of mood disorders. See also discussion of "delusions" here. It may also explain the reason why talk-therapy is often ineffective.
It may be time for psychologists to recognize that non-psychotic delusions and misinterpretations of symptoms form an integral part in many forms (not all) of mood disorders not classed a psychotic.

From a psychological point of view much about our tendency to misinterpret our feelings in terms of environmental events - past or present - is explained in "Psychological Projection.

In the typical self-help discussion forum A may complain of depression and B comes along and suggest that to defeat this depression you "should learn to think in positive terms" by such or such a method. This is in fact reinforcing the notion that "depression is caused by negative thinking" in both A and B. Here, we have an example of how two persons in a "helping" relationship at a discussion forum can reinforce their own depression, when in fact that depression could be caused by a purely physiological or medical mechanism.

In some self-help forums, the idea that therapy always must address the cognitive aspects of "mental illness" - the "psychological" model - may be an unquestionable axiom in the group's psychology. The idea that talk-therapy may indeed be harmful if the underlying biochemical aspect of a mood disorder is not dealt with FIRST, becomes so offensive as to be in breach of the "culture" of that discussion forum. Any such person claiming this will be banned immediately from further participating in the forum.

The usual signs of resistance to alternative ways of looking at problems are ad hominem arguments, attacking or concentrating on the motives of an author, instead of discussing the idea itself. The author now becomes the center of attention. The writer of such strange ideas must have an ulterior motive. Galileo became a devil for suggestion that the sun goes around the earth. That the earth is not flat. Psychologists call this "Cognitive Dissonance" triggering an anger reaction to its source.

This is what happened to me in such forums as PTSD.org Social Support Network and other discussion boards on mental health where I was banned for suggesting that PTSD may be a sign of an underlying metabolic disorder and not so much a disorder of the "mind".

Thus social support forums for mood disorders could be perpetuating the very illnesses, they trying to treat.

Victims of delusions become convinced that their false impressions are a reality with a religious enthusiasm. The term "mental illness" itself helps to reinforce delusions, because by definition (and by force of neurolinguistic programming) a mental illness is an "illness of the mind", which is a paramount assumption in the usual psychological model. This suggests that the problem lies "in the mind" instead of the body!! Of course, the idea that the problem lies in the mind makes treatment so simple and attractive - all you have to do is change your mind!!!!

This also explains why patients find it hard to accept the science of psychonutritional therapy, because they fail to recognise that their misinterpretations are delusions just as in other more serious cases of mental illness marked by overt delusions and hallucinations. Science is in conflict with their delusions!

The first step in endogenous depression (anxieties, PTSD, OCD, BPD whatever) is to recognize the biological nature of the disease, treat this accordingly FIRST, preferably by nutritional means, and then use psychotherapy to re-learn social skills, which have been damaged by the illness. Therefore;

BIOCHEMISTRY BEFORE PSYCHOTHERAPY!!

See also: Depression by Julia Ross, a Youtube video

Read:

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder

and discuss with a Nutritional Doctor.

« Last Edit: May 13, 2013, 4:53pm by Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P »

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Jurriaan Plesman, BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
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dave1307
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #1 on Jul 4, 2011, 4:19pm »

Jul 4, 2011, 3:12pm, Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P wrote:

The term mental itself helps to reinforce delusions, because by definition (and by force of neurolinguistic programming) a mental illness is an illness of the mind, which is the paramount delusion.

I thought that was interesting what you said about NLP. I've never really thought of NLP that way before, I never got into it, but I read a book about it once. For me, it was just another thing to try that didn't help me feel any better, it was another method that says if you change the way you think you will feel better. The irony is that truly healthy people don't have too much inner dialogue, they are not going around thinking perfectively in a positive manner. They are not thinking at all because their body is functioning well.

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Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #2 on Jul 4, 2011, 6:02pm »

I have discussed Neurolinguistic Programming in my book here. It is another branch of RCBT or talk therapy.

But why change your thinking if you are happy the way you go?

« Last Edit: Jul 4, 2011, 6:08pm by Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P »

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Jurriaan Plesman, BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
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klynn
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #3 on Jul 7, 2011, 3:31am »

I have suffered from depression for over 20 years. I have tried a number of meds throughout the years, but I have to share that my best results have come from nutritional therapies (especially the use of certain amino acids added to my general nutritional regimen). I have seen nutrition do wonders for many people with many conditions. I am a firm supporter of nutritional therapy for mood disorders, etc. Everyone's body has it's own needs. We must support our body's needs and in turn our body will take care of us. I look forward to hearing the stories of other's and seeing this forum develop!

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dave1307
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #4 on Jul 8, 2011, 1:43am »

Jul 7, 2011, 3:31am, klynn wrote:

Great to see you here. I love the idea of this forum too.

I just watched the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" which was pretty good. I keep seeing signs of the growing real health revolution.

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Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #5 on Aug 17, 2011, 5:35pm »

I suggest you watch a video by:

Nutrition and Behavior by Dr Russell Blaylock

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Jurriaan Plesman, BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
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Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), P
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Re: Mental Illness: A Disease of Delusions
« Reply #6 on Aug 17, 2011, 5:58pm »

Jul 7, 2011, 3:31am, klynn wrote:

but I have to share that my best results have come from nutritional therapies (especially the use of certain amino acids added to my general nutritional regimen). I have seen nutrition do wonders for many people with many conditions. I am a firm supporter of nutritional therapy for mood disorders, etc. Everyone's body has it's own needs. We must support our body's needs and in turn our body will take care of us. I look forward to hearing the stories of other's and seeing this forum develop!

From experience I have found that most mood disorders are accompanied by a disease called hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is a prediabetic condition, characterised by Insulin Resistance, which means that the body is not producing sufficient biological energy to convert ingredients in food into feel good neurotransmitter and hormones.

Thus I see hypoglycemia as a major cause of mood disorders. This means that treatment can be easy in many cases by simply adopting the hypoglycemic diet.

Of course, not all forms of mood disorders are caused by hypoglycemia alone. Other silent diseases can be responsible for mood disorders.

Thus if the hypoglycemic diet alone does not result in improvements, it is time to consult a nutritional doctor, who can test you for other nutritional disorders that account for abnormal moods and feelings.

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Jurriaan Plesman, BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
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