zlacker

>>lcaff+(OP)
The fact is psychiatry today still lacks tests or any proof of its claims of "chemical imbalance", which remains unproven. No one had established a profile for what a "balanced brain chemistry"looks like, nor do they test for any brain chemistry imbalance.

Diagnosis is still left to the subjective assessment of the practitioner before prescribing powerful psychotropics that DO change brain chemistry in unpredictable ways, and cause a host of side effects often worse than the original symptoms.

So the argument today that psychiatry lacks any scientific basis and rigor for its practices is still very valid and legitimate.

>>imperi+p8
This seems overly pessimistic to me, there are drugs that significantly improve patients wellbeing and do so consistently and repeatably, despite the fact that we don't have a complete understanding of the complete mechanism of action.

If I do a study showing that handwashing in surgeons measurably reduces risk of infection, does the fact that I don't know about microbes make lacking in scientific rigor and remove its scientific basis?

>>Angost+N8
>> there are drugs that significantly improve patients wellbeing and do so consistently and repeatably,

No, there are not. A given drug may work consistently for some people, while having no effect, or detrimental effects on other people with the same diagnosis.

>>phkahl+d9
Either you misunderstand or you're being disingenuous here.

"Consistently and repeatedly" does not mean "this works 100.0% of the time."

Would you deny that exercise fails to consistently and repeatably help people lose weight? Would you say that existing treatments for heart attack victims fail to consistently and repeatably help victims? Would you say umbrellas fail to consistently and repeatably stop rain from falling on your head?

None of these things work 100% of the time, but they are frequently successful.

Psychiatry is a field still in its infancy due to the difficulty of studying the mind. We should hold it accountable for its failings and work to make sure it improves. But, it has successes as well.

It's not the only game in town when it comes to mental health, for sure, but it's also compatible with a lot of other things that can have great benefits for mental health. Meditation, lifestyle changes, exercise, therapy, environment... none are incompatible with psychiatry, which is not perfect but can be a valuable tool in the toolbox.