I have a hard time understanding why some people can't believe mental illness is something you can be born with. I have a pretty decent IQ but it was nothing I earned it came naturally. Intelligence is part of my mental make up that I was born with. Some people are born with learning disabilities. Some people are missing a chromosome and have Down's syndrome. Why is it such a stretch to think mood and emotional regulation doesn't have a biological basis. Genetics and environment affect each other both ways. Some things environment may never change like the color of my eyes or Down's syndrome. And other things such as mood regulation environment may very well change both ways or sometimes not. That is what is meant in the simplistic example of diabetes. Diabetes could be caused by a genetically whacked pancreas or by life style.

I understand heated debate about what to do about it. This is also similar to diabetes. You could sit on the couch all day and eat twinkies and shoot insulin or you could change your diet and exercise and take insulin or glucophage.

Isn't a holistic approach to mental illness including medicine and biology the best one.

Christian scientist believe that all dis-ease is a spiritual malady and needs spiritual healing and changes in thinking. That's a little extreme. Try it on your pancreas that no longer produces insulin. Many in AA believe the twelve steps will cure any mental illness. Well I tried for many years on my depression and it didn't dent it.

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