compsports Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I found this blog entry by a cardiologist regarding depression on Kevin MD. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/05/depressed.html And for obvious reasons, this exert greatly bothered me: Even a caring father like Jim may not realize that the same type of hormone deficiency that is found in diabetes is responsible for his beloved son’s mental illness. Physical is seen, mental hidden. Lo and behold, Dr. Steven Reidbord, a psychiatrist, provides a correction in his first comment. Dr. Emrani's well-intentioned plea to take depression seriously is marred by several misstatements. Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters, not hormones. It is categorically untrue that "the same type of hormone deficiency that is found in diabetes is responsible for his beloved son’s mental illness." Dr. Emrani, the blog author, responds by justifying that the article was not meant to be scientific and the wording was justified to lessen the stigma of mental illness. Hmm, a psychiatrist is trying to be truthful while a cardiologist is justifying the lying to the public. Kind of ironic since it is psychiatry that has justified this type of lying. Dr. Reidbord responds with these wonderful lines in his comment I understand that you meant well, and of course I share your wish to lift the shame of discussing and treating mental disorders. But when a physician describes the causes of illness, the public assumes his statements are based on science. I wonder how you'd feel if I blogged that atrial fibrillation was psychosomatic, or referred vaguely to it being genetic in origin. We psychiatrists are a little sensitive about this, as non-specialists rarely make public declarations about cardiology, endocrinology, or hand surgery, whereas everyone seems to have an opinion about psychiatry. In my opinion, the other comments seemed to sadly agree with Dr. Emrani and felt that Dr. Reidbord was being nitpicky. I say bah hum bug and offer kudos to him for correcting this lie. Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010 Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006 Finished taper on June 10, 2010 Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016 Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexjuice Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 For what's worth I sometimes use the word hormone to describe the neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters is a fancy word that sort that psychiatry hides behind to make their diagnoses seem scientific and unquestionable by lay people who are not conversant with the terms. "Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me. Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there Everybody's got to move somewhere Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interesting right about now." - Zimmerman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 29, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 29, 2014 They are neurohormones, a type of hormone. Dr. Reidbord is splitting hairs, but otherwise correct. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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