Question – Repeat after me:

storyseldomtold replied to your post: Do you have a medical background or scientific references to prove that mental illnesses are just “a state of mind” with no effects in the brain?

The biggest issue in your methodology of deriving conclusions is the use of first-hand experiences, which is by definition, subjective and biased. Alaos, babies and infants do have depression and deficits, in case you wanted to research that.

I think you’re being selective in what you read in my response. I said that my views are based on multiple things, including extensive research, views held by holistic healing alternatives, as well as personal experience. You can read more about my views and experiences on this subject by clicking here.

The argument about whether or not a baby has depression is as flawed as the approach to looking at the chemical make up to determine the state of mind of an adult or teenager. The problem with that approach is that it assumes that the premise that chemicals influence moods and not the other way around is in fact accurate. That is where I disagree with the approach to mental health according to modern interpretations of the supposed cause and effect.

The fact that I can actively influence my physical state proves that my thought patterns and resolve to act are primarily responsible for my physical condition. Ask a suicidal person why they’re suicidal (suicide relating to cultural practices excluded) and chances are you’ll find that they refuse to hope for something positive due to a massive disappointment or betrayal in their past. Our destructive behavioural patterns are almost always rooted in wanting to protect ourselves from a situation that gave rise to pain previously. However, we’re prone, as proven by this discussion, to focus on the symptoms, that’s why we tend to forget why we set down that path of self destruction to begin with. 

What makes it all seem more confusing is the fact that such negative pre-emptive action on our part is usually seen as inherently destructive rather than being seen as a means to prevent something from occurring. That ‘something’ is usually a situation that will bring us happiness or joy, and the reason we prevent ourselves from achieving such a state is because of the risk of betrayal or disappointment that could potentially result from such a situation based on past experiences. So instead of learning how to deal with the betrayal or abandonment more effectively, which usually requires a healthy self esteem, we focus on controlling what we can control, which is our ability to sabotage such situations so that the position of joy and happiness is never achieved. 

Only once we overcome the deep seated doubts relating to a poor self esteem are we able to see positivity where a negative outcome is always a possibility. Hence my view that the greatest gift any parent can give to their child is that of a healthy self esteem before anything else. Ever see someone with a healthy self esteem turn to drugs, or violence, or worse? Neither have I.