The gap between science and practice in psychiatry

   Doctors For Equal Rights For Physical And Mental Pain

        8409 Carlynn Dr. Bethesda, MD 20817               alensalerian@gmail.com

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       Founding members Siobhan Reynolds Kevin Byers Vanessa Mullin Alen J Salerian

Solange MacArthur

The Gap Between Science And Practice In Psychiatry

     The gap between scientific knowledge and common practice in psychiatry is huge.

     The victims of this gap are people with mental and physical pain. The examples are many and worthy of public attention:

    1.The classification of controlled substances is unscientific and accurate based upon archaic knowledge. Many medications with limited potential harm from overuse --such as several attention deficit disorder and pain medications-- are tightly controlled with burdensome regulations.

    2. Many common psychiatric disorders such as depression and substance abuse are complications of various primary brain disorders. Treating them as if they are primary independent disorders have greatly contributed to poor therapeutic outcome. For instance in general people with substance abuse problems  suffer from specific brain abnormalities  in orbitofrontal cortex function shown by functional MRI studies.

Science has made significant progress in finding answers for difficult mental problems. Sadly the same thing cannot be said about the politics of mental illness.