Real Cause Of Mental Illness?

[bobbybobbob]

In the modern industrialized world? It's lifestyle and secondarily diet. Sedentarism, insufficient sunlight, poor social interactions throughout the day, and a generally anti-human daily cultural programming.

I take Ted Kaczynski over Peat on this one. The vast majority of people simply aren't built to thrive under industrial civilization. The mind and physiology revolts under the way of life.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Having a SUPERB metabolism helps a person to be able to cope and adapt to their environment, even if it's less than ideal.

 

[bobbybobbob]

In the modern industrialized world? It's lifestyle and secondarily diet. Sedentarism, insufficient sunlight, poor social interactions throughout the day, and a generally anti-human daily cultural programming.

I take Ted Kaczynski over Peat on this one. The vast majority of people simply aren't built to thrive under industrial civilization. The mind and physiology revolts under the way of life.

washingtonpost.com: Unabomber Special Report

I don't know if "Industrial Society and Its Future" has been discussed here. I think it's an extremely important text.

On this forum and many like it there's a reflex to view everything under the lens of biochemistry and physiology. For most of the problems people have in the modern world I think it's the wrong lens.

For crying out loud, how much ink does Peat spill talking about the effluence of industry and corrupt food production practices as problems to health. Well, all that is inevitable in industrial society, and especially democracy.

 

[ATP]

In the modern industrialized world? It's lifestyle and secondarily diet. Sedentarism, insufficient sunlight, poor social interactions throughout the day, and a generally anti-human daily cultural programming.

I take Ted Kaczynski over Peat on this one. The vast majority of people simply aren't built to thrive under industrial civilization. The mind and physiology revolts under the way of life.

I'm sorry but I don't believe lifestyle is the cause in my case. With all the people I've grown up with and all the same foods we've eaten with the exact same "lifestyles" how can I be the only one that has been effected and suffering.

 

[haidut]

I'm sorry but I don't believe lifestyle is the cause in my case. With all the people I've grown up with and all the same foods we've eaten with the exact same "lifestyles" how can I be the only one that has been effected and suffering.

Did these people have the same family and the same parents and grandparents? Probably not, so it is not just food and lifestyle. Remember, your blueprint for life at birth is basically a weighted average of the bluprints of the last 3 generations of your ancestors. So, it would help to know what life was like for your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. And then as you live, the environment continuously modifies this blueprint for better or worse and you pass it on to your children and grandchildren, etc.
If you believe in genetics then ask your doctor to inform of of what gene causes your conditions and what drug suppresses that mutated gene. More than 60 years of effort sin trying to find such gene(s) have failed, and no gene silencing/activating drug for any disease has been approved by FDA so far (AFAIK).

 

[ken]

Haidut, in the other thread about Vraylar I posted an article from DavidHealy.com about the tortured clinical trials that were used to get Vraylar approved. I wondered if you had any comment about the issues raised. It would be wonderful if there were an anti-psychotic that was effective at restoring physiological balance.

 

[bobbybobbob]

Anxiety and mental illness have dramatically shot up over the last century and especially just the last 20 years. Neither epigenetics nor diet can explain the trends we're seeing in a lot of measures of anxiety.

This is about the scale and complexity of modern society overwhelming the human mind. It's the late stage of the Calhoun rat experiment, where many of the rats went crazy. They had plenty of good food; rat "society" had just gone off the rails and over-populated.

 

[ATP]

Did these people have the same family and the same parents and grandparents? Probably not, so it is not just food and lifestyle. Remember, your blueprint for life at birth is basically a weighted average of the bluprints of the last 3 generations of your ancestors. So, it would help to know what life was like for your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. And then as you live, the environment continuously modifies this blueprint for better or worse and you pass it on to your children and grandchildren, etc.
If you believe in genetics then ask your doctor to inform of of what gene causes your conditions and what drug suppresses that mutated gene. More than 60 years of effort sin trying to find such gene(s) have failed, and no gene silencing/activating drug for any disease has been approved by FDA so far (AFAIK).

All of my cousins and my siblings are completely void of any mental illness but of course the other people I don't their family history.
My parents and grandparents have no history of mental illness either.

As for you referring to genetics. I am confused to what point you were trying to make? Of course there isn't a known specific gene linked to phycosis and the average doctor wouldn't even have a clue.

 

[ATP]

So basically you guys are saying that lifestyle is the cause of mental illness, then logically the treatment would be lifestyle change.
Then going on a long holiday would cure schizophrenia....

 

[aussiedownunder]

As someone who struggled with eating disorders on and off for a lot of my adult life, I would also attest to low metabolic rate and, therefore, brain function as being a root cause of at least psychotic behavior. People with eating disorders definitely tend to show psychotic behavior. I was very anti-social at times, could not control my emotions, would get extreme anxiety about things, and really just wasn't in a right frame of mind for many years - though it would come and go. Taking thyroid and progesterone were the first two really positive steps to flipping the switch in the opposite direction. As well, of course, getting adequate nutrition. Protein - while I still struggle to get enough - was a big factor in brain function. I didn't really eat much protein at all for 8 years and feel much better now and my cognitive abilities are much improved. I also noticed that when my husband was vegetarian for a year, he became less stress-resistant and had some issues which improved greatly when he began eating meat again (his planters warts went away, for instance).

I've also been on Paxil (briefly many years ago) and Zelnorm in the past, which in hindsight made me realize the negative effects of serotonin. It really makes you crazy. I think it has a natural place in biochemistry (like if your body is trying to rid itself of some poison in the gut, etc.), but subjecting people to drugs which raise serotonin is just flat out stupid and harmful, IMO.

Most people on this forum seem to be of the opinion that psychosis, delusional thinking, intrusive obsessive thoughts, hallucinations, etc are not caused by excess or overactive dopamine and are certainly not deficient in serotonin. Which is completely opposite to the main stream view of the cause. I also believe that it is not caused by too much dopamine.

So does anybody have a clue!? At least from a Peat perspective.

A few years ago I had a bone density scan( first mistake) which wasn't good. I was told to get a personal trainer who consequently put me on a strenuous aerobic exercise programme ( second mistake) Since my diet wasn't adequate I lost a lot of weight and developed psychosis and was hospitalised ( a psychiatric hospital ) where I was given Rispiridone ( an antipsychotic drug which has a side effect of osteoporosis) .So my bone density went from bad to worse. My hair fell out and the psychiatrist couldn't hear my diastolic blood pressure but increased the dose when I said I was still having intrusive thoughts) I am very thankful to have found this forum and to learn from everyone here. I first became ill from a root canal treatment ( bacteria and endotoxin) causing cardiac pain and recurrent UTI so the cardiologist sent me to the psychiatrist.(my first visit)So pleased to be off that medical treadmill! So I agree that metabolism and endotoxin contribute to psychosis( especially the gluten problem)

 

[thegiantess]

So basically you guys are saying that lifestyle is the cause of mental illness, then logically the treatment would be lifestyle change.
Then going on a long holiday would cure schizophrenia....

I don't get the sense that anyone is saying its that simple. To Haidut's point, you have to consider your innate immune system or your innate health. What was the environment in your mothers womb and in her mothers womb and hers... We are all born with a health status and some better than others. Those born to mothers
Who are healthier and have had healthy mothers themselves start out with more resistance to imperfect living.. Or with more room for error. So comparing yourself to your friends is specious.

 

[Drareg]

Anxiety and mental illness have dramatically shot up over the last century and especially just the last 20 years. Neither epigenetics nor diet can explain the trends we're seeing in a lot of measures of anxiety.

This is about the scale and complexity of modern society overwhelming the human mind. It's the late stage of the Calhoun rat experiment, where many of the rats went crazy. They had plenty of good food; rat "society" had just gone off the rails and over-populated.

They do explain it because everything you mention is one and the same. You can't separate biology from the environment.

 

[lindsay]

So basically you guys are saying that lifestyle is the cause of mental illness, then logically the treatment would be lifestyle change.
Then going on a long holiday would cure schizophrenia....

Lifestyle is part of the equation, I would imagine. But then I think it goes WAY further to stress - both endogenous and exogenous. If you think of people who came back from wars with PTSD, a lot of them developed severe mental issues - including schizophrenia. So of course, part of it is relative to things we cannot control and how we relate to that - as well as genetic disposition. But I think it's rather silly to doom ourselves because our genetics. Better to be aware of the issues related to genetics than to be determined by them.

Eating disorders, for example (and since it's something I am well acquainted with), are thought to be about control when we cannot control our external circumstances/environment. It's a way of coping which can result in psychotic behavior. Of course some people are certainly more prone to it than others, but it can be a "flipped" switch mentally - or a series of events which causes the switches to flip - that lead to a downward spiral. I first developed eating issues during a time in life of a lot of change (and at an age where I didn't know how to handle that change) - which I felt like I couldn't control anything. Whenever I went through difficult times in life in later years, the eating issues would manifest again and develop new routes. You will find there are a lot of downward emotions/behaviors that begin for people through similar types of circumstances and usually at a volatile time in life. Most people slowly develop certain mental illnesses the older they get.

So really, I think there are many contributing factors to mental illness, but I would list stress (both environmental, internal, and dietary) & lifestyle as big causes - and two which can be changed. We can change our environment if necessary - it's not easy, but usually can result in a positive change. We would never tell someone in an abusive relationship to continue being abused - we'd tell them to get away from the abuser. Well, I think it's the same with someone who is mentally stressed. Some people can learn to cope through daily mental exercises (like meditation and yoga) and others need to remove themselves from their stressful environment temporarily or permanently - until they can function. Boredom can be a huge mental stressor as well.

Anyhow, all that to say that mental illnesses are very complicated things, but I think that a person can change with proper care and in an environment where they feel there is hope.

 

[Pointless]

Your thyroid seems OK, but your cortisol is high. The things that lower cortisol most powerfully for me are silicic acid, 7-keto DHEA, and Holy Basil. However, these things aren't the best to take long-term.

Haidut has a lot of great posts on cortisol. You can start here:

Search Results for Query: cortisol | Ray Peat Forum

 

[haidut]

All of my cousins and my siblings are completely void of any mental illness but of course the other people I don't their family history.
My parents and grandparents have no history of mental illness either.

As for you referring to genetics. I am confused to what point you were trying to make? Of course there isn't a known specific gene linked to phycosis and the average doctor wouldn't even have a clue.

You said that you don't believe lifestyle has caused your issues. By that, I took you meant environment as well. Is that not what you meant?

 

[lindsay]

They are all the main ones I think might be relevant. If there are any other numbers you want to know, let me know.

Are you male or female? I'm looking at your FSH, LH, Estradiol & Progesterone levels.

 

[ATP]

Are you male or female? I'm looking at your FSH, LH, Estradiol & Progesterone levels.

Male

 

[Regina]

A few years ago I had a bone density scan( first mistake) which wasn't good. I was told to get a personal trainer who consequently put me on a strenuous aerobic exercise programme ( second mistake) Since my diet wasn't adequate I lost a lot of weight and developed psychosis and was hospitalised ( a psychiatric hospital ) where I was given Rispiridone ( an antipsychotic drug which has a side effect of osteoporosis) .So my bone density went from bad to worse. My hair fell out and the psychiatrist couldn't hear my diastolic blood pressure but increased the dose when I said I was still having intrusive thoughts) I am very thankful to have found this forum and to learn from everyone here. I first became ill from a root canal treatment ( bacteria and endotoxin) causing cardiac pain and recurrent UTI so the cardiologist sent me to the psychiatrist.(my first visit)So pleased to be off that medical treadmill! So I agree that metabolism and endotoxin contribute to psychosis( especially the gluten problem)

Wow aussiedownunder, I am just reading this now. I hope you are better now.