From Bipolar Recovery, the post Chemical imbalance lies
At the age of 32 my skepticism and indignation overcame my fears and I asked my GP if I could take the chemical imbalance tests. I wanted to see on paper if I still had a chemical imbalance. Asking her to order the bloodwork and testing for depression and bipolar entailed telling her my long secret psychiatric history. I had no fear of the results. I knew I was cured of Bipolar. I just wanted proof. I wanted to be undiagnosed.
My wonderful doctor returned my call and she informed me there were no lab tests for depression or bipolar. I was flabbergasted and righteously upset. How the hell did the pdocs and my treatment team determine I had had imbalanced chemicals all those years ago?
A related article from Furious Seasons: New York Times Accepts Biological Basis Of Depression, Other Mental Disorders
I hate to step through this stuff once more, so here’s the short version: the science on the serotonin hypothesis of depression is very mixed. Sometimes, serotonin is connected, other times it’s not and the general theory that a lack of the brain chemical causes depression has not been replicated in research. At best, it’s a weak explanation for causality.
Indirectly related, I listened to most of this broadcast yesterday morning. MPR Audio: Med students’ stress leads to burnout, and sometimes worse
A recent study shows that nearly half of the medical students surveyed reported burnout, and more than 10 percent say they have considered suicide in the past year. Some wonder if there is a link between medical school burnout and high rates of suicide among physicians.
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