The Mind And The Brain
In everyday life, the brain reigns supreme. Most scientists, doctors and lecturers see the brain as the supply of our conscious experience, of our states of mind, our thoughts, emotions and sensations. The root to our consciousness.
Consciousness is commonly seen as the product of the brain, within the same approach that the pictures of a monitor are the results of the electrical circuitry and software within the pc. This can be the idea that underlies the ‘medical model’ of mental disease - that mental issues are caused by imbalances or dysfunctions within the brain, and may be ‘fixed’ by psychoactive medication.
Psychological States Affect Neurological Links
But it additionally applies to alternative aspects of our psychological experience. Mental phenomena like happiness, hope, love and ‘spiritual’ experiences may also be explained concerning the neurological activity. Significant changes to the brain like strokes, injuries or conditions like dementia will undoubtedly have an effect on and impair our psychological functioning.
And additional minor changes — like those caused by the intake of medicine — clearly have terribly marked psychological effects too. However, we've to recollect that this casual relationship works the opposite way around, which changes to psychological functioning cause neurological changes.
A Symbiotic Relationship
If depression is related to a low level of serotonin (although this link is by no means proven), this might be as a result of the state of being depressed generates a low level of serotonin, instead of a low level of serotonin inflicting depression. once depression is caused by existential or psychological factors — like lack of a sense of purpose and meaning, or negative thought patterns — it is simple to envision how the state of depression arises first as a mental state, that then has neurological effects
To treat psychological issues as medical issues is as misguided as using psychotherapy to treat injuries to the body. The brain and also the mind exist in a symbiotic relationship, within which they each have an effect on one another, however within which neither is entirely the opposite. As a result, to some extent, we've got to treat them as distinct phenomena.
