My Thoughts on Things

Mental Disorder Therapy: Evidence for a Materialistic View?

This is a paper I wrote for my philosophy class din Spring 2001.�
If you're completely unfamiliar with philosophy of mind, what I'm trying to argue is that we are more than just our physical bodies.�
~ Some believe that everything is physical and everything we think we feel is merely due to chemical reactions in the brain. This is called Materialism.�
~ On the contrary, some believe that nothing physical exists and everything is merely an illusion. This is called Idealism.�
~ I believe in Dualism, which is the belief that we are comprised of both: physical and mental, physical brain and mental mind.

In this paper, I have attempted show that the argument of mental disorder therapy IS NOT evidence for a Materialistic view.

Mental Disorder Therapy: Evidence for a Materialistic View?

����� Any issue dealing with philosophy of mind is a difficult, but interesting topic. It�s difficult because it�s nearly impossible to prove, and yet, interesting for the same reason. Are our minds and brains separate or do we only have one? What is it that makes up who we are? Is everything we think and do merely because of chemical reactions in the brain? Are we not responsible for our own actions? Or are we merely the results of our environment? Or is the part of us that thinks and makes decisions separate from the physical brain? If so, how are the two connected? Where is the mind? Can the mind be real, even if it is not observable?

��� As I said, this is a very difficult topic. Philosophers have pondered this issue for many centuries. There are three typical classifications in which to separate our beliefs on this subject matter: materialism, dualism, and idealism. Materialism is the belief that we are made up of only physical components. This is the view that states that what we think we think is only due to different types of chemical reactions in the brain. Dualism is the belief that we are made up of both physical and mental components. This is the view that states that our thoughts, will and imagination come from a substance separate from our bodies we refer to as a mind. This view also states that we have a physical brain and that the mind and brain work closely, but separately. Idealism is the belief that we are made up of only mental or spiritual components. This is view that states that there is nothing physical, and all that we think is physical is an illusion our minds produce. Each of these views can be subdivided into smaller categories, but for the most part, these are the major classifications. But, which of these is true? Are any of them right?

��� In class, we discussed several evidences for both the materialistic and dualistic viewpoints. Several points were very convincing and several points were not as convincing. One line of reasoning seemingly in favor of the materialistic viewpoint was the fact that we take medication, which is physical and affects only the physical to heal our ailments. This fact was specifically significant when we discussed taking drugs in the case of mental disorder therapy. For, in theory, if mind is a separate thing from body, then taking physical medications should not be a factor in the healing process of the mind. For physical medications would only affect the physical brain and not the mental mind. However, prescribing drugs and is a common practice for the treatment of mental disorders. Is this a good argument for materialism?

��� This argument should, as it was meant to do, demonstrate a forte of the materialistic claim. However, I beg to differ. Upon further consideration of this matter, I do not believe this to be a very reliable argument for the case of materialism. If one searched only slightly deeper into the practice of prescribing drugs to mental patients, they would discover that medication is only ONE way of controlling these disorders. And then, medications are not used to "cure" the patient, at best, they can be used to control the disorder until other means can be taken toward healing.

��� To some this may sound strange. Are not mental disorders caused in the brain? Aren�t things like depression cause by a chemical imbalance? Yes and no. They can be, but they are not required to be. Understanding Depression, a website based on furthering the knowledge of what depression is, how it is caused and how it can be treated gives four reasons that lead to depression. Only one of which can be ascribed to a physical brain and not a mental mind. This is the case of "biological depression". This form of depression occurs when there is a biochemical imbalance of some sort. Usually this involves neurotransmitters, chemicals that help in communication of different parts of the brain. If these chemicals are low, then miscommunication between different areas of the brain may occur, leading to depression. In these cases, treatment usually includes exercise programs, diet changes, stress-management classes along with the help of medication. However, medication is usually used in this case as a way to jump-start treatment rather than the treatment itself.

��� Another cause of depression is stress. We live in a very fast paced world and often a person can feel overwhelmed by the demands of too-quick adjustments. Over time, this high level of stress can burden one until they are worn out. They begin to pull away from others and their energy decreases. Depression is the result.

��� Also, a cause of depression can be that some people learn to be depressed. Perhaps they grew up in an environment where others were depressed and they learned that such moods were normal. Or perhaps they grew up in a house where the parents were always busy and let their child quietly playing keep to themselves. The child may learn that his parents only pay attention when something is wrong, and therefore learns he must live in a state of depression and distress to get attention.

��� The last cause of depression this website gave was that of thinking. One can easily think themselves into depression. It can start with worry and then build to the belief that everything you do is wrong. "Develop a habit of negative thinking, always make things worse than they are, and you can lead yourself down the road to depression."

��� Another site, Managing Depression, also agrees that depression is not always caused by physical causes only. "Both genes and biochemistry play a role in its [depression] onset. However, most people overestimate the biological contributions when the evidence is stronger for depression having its origins in the way people think and respond to life experiences." This site also suggests the reason why depression is on the rise is because of the "industrialized world today, the dissolution of the nuclear family, the emphasis on material gain over close relationships, social isolation due to geographic mobility and the pas of life getting exhaustingly faster all combine to provide a backdrop primed for depressed people."

��� I�m choosing to look closely at depression specifically because it is the single most prevalent mood disorder in the U.S. today, affecting nearly 20 million Americans. However, depression is not the only mental disorder in which medication is not the only answer. From attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactive disorder to eating disorders, from phobias to personality disorders to schizophrenia, there is not a single mental disorder in which medication alone is prescribed as the ideal way of treatment. In many cases medication is recommended as a supplement to or as a precursor to therapy treatment. Medication can often help to reduce symptoms of mental disorder; however, it is universally agreed on the medication alone is not necessarily the best route to try.

��� The therapies that tend to work most effectively are those of "cognitive" (clear thinking) therapy, "behavioral" (effective behavior) therapy, and "interpersonal" (healthy relationships) therapy. The basic belief of these strategies is to change the thoughts, beliefs, assumptions and attitudes that are contributing to the patients� emotional or behavioral problems. These therapies, conveniently, are therapies geared toward working with the part of us generally thought of as mind.

��� I believe that through the use of therapy AND medication for the treatment of mental disorders, it can be deduced that both a physical brain and a mental mind must exist. There are indeed cases in which medication--a physical solution for a physical response--has cured people, therefore showing that the physical does indeed exist. And there are also cases in which simply to understand and set the mind on the right track through cognitive or behavioral therapy has cured a person, therefore showing that there must be a mind that exists. So, I conclude that, using the case of mental disorder therapy, both mind and brain exist and the theory of dualism is makes sense. Both the mind and the brain work very closely together and yet, they are separate.

��� However, it is also logical to conclude that though we appear to have a separate substance that contains our thoughts, will and imagination, it may only be our physical brain that has caused us to "think" we think this way. Our "thoughts" could only be a delusion. How do we know? I suppose we don�t. And I suppose we might never.

��� The history of philosophy teaches us that the debate over whether dualism or materialism is the most valid is still being argued. Because there are some with a strong desire to see dualism defeated, there has been a lot of contemporary work on the mind-body problem. Those who are against it have developed different types of behaviorism and materialism to show that a place can be found in the brain for thoughts, sensation, feelings, and other mental occurrences. However, even with these new theories, they have been unable to account for consciousness. In the end, we are left without a definite answer. For it appears that for as long as we are able to think thoughts, we will be able to either claim or disclaim the idea that "we" are the ones who are currently thinking. And yet, while we�re thinking and can sense only what our "mind" is telling us, is impossible to know whether it is indeed our minds, brains or both that that give us those thoughts.

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