Addiction: WHY STUDY NEUROLOGY?
WHY STUDY NEUROLOGY?
The human brain is the most complex biological structure on earth. We
may know more about the human brain, its anatomy and physiology, than about any other biological structure. But that is partly because there is so much to know. It is also true that there is more that we don't know about the human brain, (or its influence on addiction), than about any other biological structure.
Understanding of almost any type of abnormal behavior is aided by
studying neurology. The relevance of neurology to abnormal psychology is
that the clinical phenomena dealt with by psychologists and neurologists
overlap substantially. This overlap occurs for three reasons. First, one might
think that one could divide syndromes in terms of the extent to which they
involve "mental" symptoms: neurology would handle the lower-level, behavioral,
non-mental problems like paralysis and loss of sensation, while
psychology and psychiatry would deal with mental phenomena like emotions
and memories.
But this division is false on both sides. Apparently low-level symptoms that
could be caused by damage to nerves or the spinal
cord may in fact have no known neural basis. Clinicians have a general bias
to accept a neurological explanation if one is available. If a patient is blind,
and one can detect defects in the retina or optic nerve, one is inclined to rest
with this explanation. But sometimes it is not possible to detect any damage
in people who claim to be blind or in those who report pain in a particular
limb or organ. On the other hand, definitely "mental" or psychological
symptoms such as periodic aggressive behavior are occasionally caused by
seizures or tumors in the brain, and serious acquired disorders in the use of
language are usually the result of brain lesions (the word "lesion" refers to a
localized pathological change).
A second overlap stems from the fact that we have so much to learn about
the nervous system. A particular disorder now classified as functional may
have a pathological basis in the nervous system that has not yet been discovered.
This was certainly true for general paresis (neurosyphilis), discussed in
Other of my materials. This disease has a variety of symptoms,
developing over years, including paralysis and delusions. We now know that these symptoms are
caused by the action of a micro-organism on the nervous system and that
the disease is appropriately treated with penicillin rather than psychotherapy.
In previous materials, we have discussed the possibility that other syndromes,
including depression and schizophrenia, may also have a
neurological basis.
A third overlap occurs because some syndromes may result from an interaction
of known pathology in the nervous system and psychological or
cultural (software) factors. For example, loss of the ability to read can result
from brain lesions. This is not considered pathology, however, unless it
occurs in a literate society in which ability to read is considered normal.
In short, the line between known pathology of the nervous system and its
absence is fuzzy. Clinicians are often forced, however, to make a determination
of organic (neurological) or functional (psychological) disorder.
This decision will have broad implications. It will determine the type of medical
psychological care one will get, as well as the insurance coverage. Most critically,
it will affect the way the patient views himself and the way others view
him. If episodes of uncontrollable anger are diagnosed as resulting from seizures
in a part of the brain, we are inclined to sympathize with the person,
and tolerate the behavior. This is less true if the anger is perceived as an
aspect of the individual's "personality."
For the Addiction Treatment I recommend click this link:
http://theliberatormethod.com
The human brain is the most complex biological structure on earth. We
may know more about the human brain, its anatomy and physiology, than about any other biological structure. But that is partly because there is so much to know. It is also true that there is more that we don't know about the human brain, (or its influence on addiction), than about any other biological structure.
Understanding of almost any type of abnormal behavior is aided by
studying neurology. The relevance of neurology to abnormal psychology is
that the clinical phenomena dealt with by psychologists and neurologists
overlap substantially. This overlap occurs for three reasons. First, one might
think that one could divide syndromes in terms of the extent to which they
involve "mental" symptoms: neurology would handle the lower-level, behavioral,
non-mental problems like paralysis and loss of sensation, while
psychology and psychiatry would deal with mental phenomena like emotions
and memories.
But this division is false on both sides. Apparently low-level symptoms that
could be caused by damage to nerves or the spinal
cord may in fact have no known neural basis. Clinicians have a general bias
to accept a neurological explanation if one is available. If a patient is blind,
and one can detect defects in the retina or optic nerve, one is inclined to rest
with this explanation. But sometimes it is not possible to detect any damage
in people who claim to be blind or in those who report pain in a particular
limb or organ. On the other hand, definitely "mental" or psychological
symptoms such as periodic aggressive behavior are occasionally caused by
seizures or tumors in the brain, and serious acquired disorders in the use of
language are usually the result of brain lesions (the word "lesion" refers to a
localized pathological change).
A second overlap stems from the fact that we have so much to learn about
the nervous system. A particular disorder now classified as functional may
have a pathological basis in the nervous system that has not yet been discovered.
This was certainly true for general paresis (neurosyphilis), discussed in
Other of my materials. This disease has a variety of symptoms,
developing over years, including paralysis and delusions. We now know that these symptoms are
caused by the action of a micro-organism on the nervous system and that
the disease is appropriately treated with penicillin rather than psychotherapy.
In previous materials, we have discussed the possibility that other syndromes,
including depression and schizophrenia, may also have a
neurological basis.
A third overlap occurs because some syndromes may result from an interaction
of known pathology in the nervous system and psychological or
cultural (software) factors. For example, loss of the ability to read can result
from brain lesions. This is not considered pathology, however, unless it
occurs in a literate society in which ability to read is considered normal.
In short, the line between known pathology of the nervous system and its
absence is fuzzy. Clinicians are often forced, however, to make a determination
of organic (neurological) or functional (psychological) disorder.
This decision will have broad implications. It will determine the type of medical
psychological care one will get, as well as the insurance coverage. Most critically,
it will affect the way the patient views himself and the way others view
him. If episodes of uncontrollable anger are diagnosed as resulting from seizures
in a part of the brain, we are inclined to sympathize with the person,
and tolerate the behavior. This is less true if the anger is perceived as an
aspect of the individual's "personality."
For the Addiction Treatment I recommend click this link:
http://theliberatormethod.com