If You're Depressed and Despondent Get Some Help!

[Dora]

The ideal situation is to find Christian-based therapy.

There are many Christ-centered psychiatric professional out there these days. Denying that there is a medical cause for mental ailments is just plain ignorance.

Our bodies are INCREDIBLE chemical factories. Our bodies are composed of and process Oxygen, Hydrogen, Calcium, Carbon, Sodium, Nitrogen, Potassium, Chlorine, Iron, etc. In God's perfect plan, we have glands and organs and brain matter that produce hormones to regulate the "balance" of these chemicals in the body.

Sometimes the "balance" gets out of whack (love that technical term). The regulatory system of the body can over or under stimulate the release of regulatory hormones and neurotransmitters. If you deny that this anomaly can exist in the human body, then you must also conclude that diabetes and muscular sclerosis are just figments of the imagination.

Tell that to Mary Tyler Moore and Neil Cavuto...Maam, Sir! Your illness is just a "spiritual" problem. If you pray hard enough your symptoms will be relieved.

I believe God is able to heal. I believe in miracles! I've seen miracles happen before my very eyes! But God also gave men and women the gift of healing through in-depth study of His creation.

I'm so thankful for medical professionals who conduct their practice with great skill and for the many who use their knowledge to help the suffering.

Ever heard of medical missionaries who go to third world countries and do surgery on children with cleft palates enabling them to eat and smile and speak for the first time in their little lives??? AMAZING ministry!

Yes! God can heal them and many times He chooses to use human beings to be His hands and feet in this world to minister healing to His people.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Dora

The ideal situation is to find Christian-based therapy.

There are many Christ-centered psychiatric professional out there these days. Denying that there is a medical cause for mental ailments is just plain ignorance.

Our bodies are INCREDIBLE chemical factories. Our bodies are composed of and process Oxygen, Hydrogen, Calcium, Carbon, Sodium, Nitrogen, Potassium, Chlorine, Iron, etc. In God's perfect plan, we have glands and organs and brain matter that produce hormones to regulate the "balance" of these chemicals in the body.

Sometimes the "balance" gets out of whack (love that technical term). The regulatory system of the body can over or under stimulate the release of regulatory hormones and neurotransmitters. If you deny that this anomaly can exist in the human body, then you must also conclude that diabetes and muscular sclerosis are just figments of the imagination.

Tell that to Mary Tyler Moore and Neil Cavuto...Maam, Sir! Your illness is just a "spiritual" problem. If you pray hard enough your symptoms will be relieved.

I believe God is able to heal. I believe in miracles! I've seen miracles happen before my very eyes! But God also gave men and women the gift of healing through in-depth study of His creation.

I'm so thankful for medical professionals who conduct their practice with great skill and for the many who use their knowledge to help the suffering.

Ever heard of medical missionaries who go to third world countries and do surgery on children with cleft palates enabling them to eat and smile and speak for the first time in their little lives??? AMAZING ministry!

Yes! God can heal them and many times He chooses to use human beings to be His hands and feet in this world to minister healing to His people.

Sister, I think you will enjoy Dr Thomas Szasz's writings:

http://www.szasz.com/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4664008/th...Mental-Illness

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by rgcraig

Dora,

Some people don't get it.

Thank God!!!

[rwdeese]

Originally Posted by Dora

The ideal situation is to find Christian-based therapy.

Actually, the ideal situation is to find Bible Centered Counseling.

http://www.biblical-counsel.org/bcs-02.htm

www.nanc.org

"Roots of 'Christian Psychology'" (http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/pheresy.html)

The roots, labeled "Secular & Humanistic Pioneers," include Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Abraham Maslow, B. F. Skinner, and Virginia Satir, all of whom opposed Christianity, with at least the first three involved in blatant occult practices. Each of these "roots" had strong metaphysical beliefs that comprised their unbiblical, anti-Christian belief systems (religions). While promoted as science, these theories and teachings are religions rather than science.

What kind of tree is this, with occult and secular humanistic religious roots? It is clear that the roots are ungodly. Is this a tree from which Christians should eat? Or, does it more resemble "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9)? Jesus said:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 7:15-19).

[rwdeese]

Originally Posted by Dora

There are many Christ-centered psychiatric professional out there these days.

There may be well intentioned Christians who are psychiatric professionals, however, they have bought into the lies of the philosophies of man. The word psychiatry, was first used by Johann Christian Reil in 1808 AD, and by definition means "doctoring the soul".

Through God, prayer and His Word are our souls truly healed.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

Thank God!!!

[rwdeese]

Originally Posted by Dora

Denying that there is a medical cause for mental ailments is just plain ignorance.

Or is it studying the facts:

"MYTH: That depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

...................................

Here are a couple of Public Library of Science Articles for your consideration:

Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...77931#id831041

There Is No Such Thing as a Psychiatric Disorder/Disease/Chemical Imbalance (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=1518691)

...................................
Here is an interesting blog:

Psychiatric "Chemical Imbalance Fraud" confirmed by Three New England States (http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-b...06/06/29/p9076)

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by rwdeese

There may be well intentioned Christians who are psychiatric professionals, however, they have bought into the lies of the philosophies of man. The word psychiatry, was first used by Johann Christian Reil in 1808 AD, and by definition means "doctoring the soul".

Through God, prayer and His Word are our souls truly healed.

Without the Holy Ghost we are lost. No headshrinker is able to do anything for anyone. They never cure their clients. Jesus cures those He heals.

Sister Dora, I am all for making sure a child has all the attention needed in a crisis.

Psychiatry is not medicine, it is quackery.

In Jesus name

Brother Benincasa

www.OnTimeJournal.com

[rwdeese]

Originally Posted by Dora

Denying that there is a medical cause for mental ailments is just plain ignorance.

I guess I am in good company!

Some interesting quotes:

Another theory is that severe unhappiness ("depression") is caused by lowered levels or abnormal use of another brain chemical, serotonin. A panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment reported in 1992 that "Prominent hypotheses concerning depression have focused on altered function of the group of neurotransmitters called monoamines (i.e., norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, dopamine), particularly norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin. ... studies of the NE [norepinephrine] autoreceptor in depression have found no specific evidence of an abnormality to date. Currently, no clear evidence links abnormal serotonin receptor activity in the brain to depression. ... the data currently available do not provide consistent evidence either for altered neurotransmitter levels or for disruption of normal receptor activity" (The Biology of Mental Disorders, U.S. Gov't Printing Office, 1992, pp. 82 & 84).

Even if it was shown there is some biological change or abnormality "associated" with depression, the question would remain whether this is a cause or an effect of the "depression". At least one brain-scan study (using positron emission tomography or PET scans) found that simply asking normal people to imagine or recall a situation that would make them feel very sad resulted in significant changes in blood flow in the brain (Jose V. Pardo, M.D., Ph.D., et al., "Neural Correlates of Self-Induced Dysphoria", American Journal of Psychiatry, May 1993, p. 713). Other research will probably confirm it is emotions that cause biological changes in the brain rather than biological changes in the brain causing emotions.

A serotonin deficiency for depression has not been found. ... Still, patients are often given the impression that a definitive serotonin deficiency in depression is firmly established. ... The result is an undue inflation of the drug market, as well as an unfortunate downplaying of the need for psychological treatments for many patients." Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in his book Prozac Backlash (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2000), pages 197-198." - Lawrence Stevens, J.D

"There is no evidence that any psychiatric or psychological disorder is caused by a biochemical imbalance." - Peter Breggin M.D., in his book Reclaiming Our Children (Persues Books, Cambridge, Mass., 2000), page 139.

"First, no biological etiology has been proven for any psychiatric disorder (except Alzheimer's disease, which has a genetic component) in spite of decades of research. ... So don't accept the myth that we can make an 'accurate diagnosis.' ... Neither should you believe that your problems are due solely to a 'chemical imbalance.'" - Edward Drummond, M.D., Associate Medical Director at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in his book The Complete Guide to Psychiatric Drugs (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2000), pages 15-16.

"I am constantly amazed by how many patients who come to see me believe or want to believe that their difficulties are biologic and can be relieved by a pill. This is despite the fact that modern psychiatry has yet to convincingly prove the genetic/biologic cause of any single mental illness. However, this does not stop psychiatry from making essentially unproven claims that depression, bipolar illness, anxiety disorders, alcoholism and a host of other disorders are in fact primarily biologic and probably genetic in origin, and that it is only a matter of time until all this is proven. This kind of faith in science and progress is staggering, not to mention naive and perhaps delusional." - Dr. David Kaiser, M.D. Psychiatrist

"Contrary to what is often claimed, no biochemical, anatomical, or functional signs have been found that reliably distinguish the brains of mental patients." - Elliot S. Valenstien, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, in his book Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (The Free Press, New York, 1998), p. 125.

"...there are no external validating criteria for psychiatric diagnoses. There is neither a blood test nor specific anatomic lesions for any major psychiatric disorder." - From a letter dated December 4, 1998 by Loren R. Mosher, M.D., a psychiatrist, resigning from the American Psychiatric Association.

"We really do not know what causes any psychiatric illness." - Jack M. Gorman, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, in his book The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs - Third Edition (St. Martin's Press, New York, 1997), p. 314.

[rwdeese]

Originally Posted by Dora

Denying that there is a medical cause for mental ailments is just plain ignorance.

I have lots of good company! Here are some more:


"Patients have 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." - David Kaiser, "Commentary: Against Biologic Psychiatry," Psychiatric Times, December 1996.

“"In medicine, strict criteria exist for calling a condition a disease. In addition to a predictable cluster of symptoms, the cause of the symptoms or some understanding of their physiology must be established. ... Psychiatry is unique among medical specialties in that... We do not yet have proof either of the cause or the physiology for any psychiatric diagnosis. ... In recent decades, we have had no shortage of alleged biochemical imbalances for psychiatric conditions. Diligent though these attempts have been, not one has been proven. Quite the contrary. In every instance where such an imbalance was thought to have been found, it was later proven false. ... No claim of a gene for a psychiatric condition has stood the test of time, in spite of popular misinformation." - Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in his book Prozac Backlash (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2000), pages 192-193, page 196, and page 198

In May 2003, GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”), the maker of Paxil, an antidepressant in the same class as Zoloft, announced in Ireland (The Irish Times, Saturday May 10, 2003) that it was withdrawing claims contained in Paxil (called Seroxat in Ireland and the UK) brochures that the drug worked by normalizing the levels of serotonin. GSK was forced to acknowledge that the link between depression and serotonin levels is unproven and that its claims “were not consistent with the scientific literature.”

"The fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as a "chemical imbalance" diagnosed by psychiatrists; this was a market-place concept invented in 60's put forth at a Congressional hearing in 1970 and ever since, the stuff of a "big lie"…"chemical imbalances" for which to prescribe and sell "chemical balancers" …pills. What's more the FDA is a full partner in this. They know all drugs as foreign compounds are poisons who's benefits are to be carefully weighed against the risks of the disease to be treated. They at the FDA know there are no diseases/physical risk in the psychiatry risk vs. benefit analysis and yet, along with the psychopharm cartel they push the fraudulent notion of psychiatric "disease"/"chemical imbalance."

"All "biological psychiatry" that claiming every negative emotion and behavior is a "disease"/"chemical imbalance" needing--requiring "treatment" is no less a pseudoscience, its imposition by government, through the schools, hardly less totalitarian than the Nazi imposition of eugenics. 17% of the nations school children on psychiatric drugs, our children consume 90% of the world supply of schedule 2 stimulants. The Zoloft ad pictures the "chemical imbalance" and its re-balancing by Zoloft, the chemical balancer. This simple little twist of science, a total, 100% lie and abrogation of informed consent is behind every psychopharm prescription." - Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD Neurology & Child Neurology

"The simple fact is that there is absolutely no reliable test that accurately distinguishes between children that are supposed to have "ADHD" and those that are not. The simplest way to counter this statement is to ask for a medical test to prove that your child has "ADHD." Many physicians will respond to your request by saying that the test is too expensive. You must persevere and ask that your insurance company pay for those tests. You can also ask any professional to show you the article or articles in the scientific literature that proves the existence of a confirmatory physical or chemical abnormality that validates the existence of ADHD as a medical disease. The plain truth is that no such article exists. If someone gives you an article, please share and discuss it with someone who can critically analyze it." -

"The brain does have chemicals that help cells "talk" to each other that are called neurotransmitters. However, when a professional says that one of these chemicals, usually a variety of something called Dopamine, needs some kind of correction, and that they have just the right kind of medicine to do this, you are being misled. This idea assumes that nerves only "talk" to nerves that use the same chemicals. That is absolutely positively false. It is a lie at worst, a gross oversimplification at best. It is unethical for a medical professional to state or imply otherwise." Breeding, J. The Wildest Colts Make The Best Horses. Bright Books, 1996 & Breggin, P. Talking Back To Ritalin. Common Courage Press, 1998.

"Remember that no biochemical, neurological, or genetic markers have been found for attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, compulsive alcohol and drug abuse, overeating, gambling, or any other so-called mental illness, disease, or disorder." - Bruce Levine, Ph.D. (psychologist), Commonsense Rebellion: Debunking Psychiatry, Confronting Society (Continuum, New York 2001), p. 277.

"In The Broken Brain, University of Iowa psychiatry professor Nancy Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D also describes what she calls "the most widely accepted theory about the cause of depression...the `catecholamine hypothesis.'" She emphasizes that "the catecholamine hypothesis is theory rather than fact" (p. 231). She says "This hypothesis suggests that patients suffering from depression have a deficit of norepinephrine in the brain" (p. 183), norepinephrine being one of the "major catecholamine systems" in the brain (pp. 231-232). One way the catecholamine hypothesis is evaluated is by studying one of the breakdown products of norepinephrine, called MHPG, in urine. People with so-called depressive illness "tended to have lower MHPG" (p. 234). The problem with this theory, according to Dr. Andreasen, is that "not all patients with depression have low MHPG" (ibid). She accordingly concludes that this catecholamine hypothesis "has not yet explained the mechanism causing depression" (p. 184).