Originally Posted by
Patler
What are my credentials? For this topic, absolutely nothing, just as I have absolutely no credentials for football. However, I do have certain backgrounds and experiences allowing me to form beliefs and opinions about many things that I am willing to discuss with anyone.
One of my first degrees was in chemistry, with an emphasis in organic & biochemistry. That was many, many years ago, and I never worked as a chemist of any type. However, all of my careers since then have been in technology fields. Even now, hardly a week goes by that I am not in a lab or in contact with engineers/researchers about projects they are engaged in. I've not worked directly in any medical field, but at one time I was regularly involved for years with several leading suppliers of medical implants, joint replacement structures, etc. I remain involved with a retired physician who developed several medical tools and is bringing to the market an over-the-counter treatment he has worked on for 10+ years (I have worked with him since the start).
I have spent my adult life reading and evaluating technical reports and studies about things I know quite well. While I don't pretend to know the chemistry involved at any high level at all, when I read reports about the differences in neurotransmitter levels for schizophrenics compared to others, I have a certain rudimentary understanding even if I am not equipped to evaluate the report. When I read about investigations of hereditary connections, I understand the arguments for and against. When I read about studies showing people with certain gene mutations having a much greater likelihood of developing schizophrenia, I understand the logic. Do I know how all of the tests are taken? No, I am willing to trust the data-taking ability of research institutions of good repute. The data for a patient or subject are facts for that patient. Whether or not they are facts for the condition are yet to be determined, but there appear to be strong connections, and it is that body of knowledge that we are scratching the surface of.
I know little about psychiatry, but I know enough about the sciences to understand, even expect the likelihood of physical connections for many conditions. Heredity, lifestyle, environmental influences, etc. are probably all involved to greater and lesser degrees depending on the condition and subject, just as they are with other conditions like heart disease, obesity, cancers, etc.
In the end, why should brain disorders be much different than heart disorders, liver disorders, etc? To dismiss out of hand any physical connection is, in my opinion, naive, and to assume that every suicide is merely the result of flawed character is worse than naive.