dave bird

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In article<20040411230922.21065.00000250@mb-m28.aol.com>, NewzForYou
<newzforyou@aol.com> writes:

I'm puzzled why anyone thinks this statement extraordinary or
important.

ALL IN ALL I reckon most mental illnesses (a) have mainly
environmental causes [hence genetic predisposition would
be a lesser contribution at most], and (b) proceed through
organ dysfunction [hence they may not operate through the
appearance of damage or lesions]. For example, if someone
has hyperprolactaemia, more often there is not any actual
traumatic damage or induced lesions on the pituitary to
make it dysfunctional... so the remedy is often giving
a hormonal drug rather than cutting damaged bits out.

Now having said that the genetic component is LESS important,
it is clearly false that no genetic markers linked with
susceptibility to mental illness have been found.
The obvious one is the finding that individuals with the
long variant of the 5HTT (serotonin transporter) gene are
much more susceptible to depression.


"... It is unfortunate that in the face of this
remarkable scientific and clinical progress, a
small number of individuals and groups persist in
questioning the reality and clinical legitimacy of
disorders that affect the mind, brain, and
behavior. One recent challenge contended that the
lack of a diagnostic laboratory test capable of
confirming the presence of a mental disorder
constituted evidence that these disorders are not
medically valid conditions. ..."

The APA promised it would not be "distracted"....

"[The APA] will not be distracted by those who
would deny that serious mental disorders are real
medical conditions that can be diagnosed
accurately and treated effectively."

Here are a few of the quotes from the APA
statement today that appear to agree with the
underlying points of the hunger strikers:
"[b]rain science has not advanced to the point
where scientists or clinicians can point to
readily discernible pathologic lesions or genetic
abnormalities that in and of themselves serve as
reliable or predictive biomarkers of a given
mental disorder or mental disorders as a group.

Now it seems to me that the authors of the press release are just
of remarkably low intelligence or reading comprehension if they
can't see why the points they cite do NOT support their position:

"Ultimately, no gross anatomical lesion such as a
tumor may ever be found; rather, mental disorders
will likely be proven to represent disorders of
intercellular communication; or of disrupted
neural circuitry. ...

It is probably not gross tissue damage, it is these other
mechanisms specified. So?

"In the absence of one or more biological markers
for mental disorders, these conditions are defined
by a variety of concepts. ...

There aren't obvious tissue or genetic measures
but we can detect it in these specific ways. So?

"As noted in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, which is published by
the APA, the lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic
test is not unique to mental and behavioural
disorders. ...

There are other things clearly accepted as disease but not specifiable
by a laboratory test. (Are there lab tests for Parkinsonism?).

"The mapping of the human genome already is
spurring the search for genes and gene variants
that singly or in combination may confer risk for
the onset of a mental disorder....

We are on the brink of finding precursor genes: in fact,
in the long and short variants of 5HTT we've clearly found one.

"Thus, mental disorders may well be shown
to be emergent properties of multiple systems
that have gone subtly awry. ...

I understand that. Do the writers of the press release?

"The lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic test
for mental disorders does not diminish the
irrefutable evidence that mental and behavioural
disorders exact devastating emotional and
financial tolls on individuals, families,
communities, and our Nation. ... "

I agree.

P.S. http://www.whozoo.org/mac/Music/5HTT.htm


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
5-HTT (Serotonin Transporter/SERT)

The serotonin transport protein 5-HTT (another name for serotonin is
5-hydroxy- tryptamine) has been implicated in depression and some other
human mental disorders. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter --
one of the short-range signaling molecules with which one neuron
communicates with another. Serotonin seems to be involved in reducing
the level of stress hormones in stress-provoking situations. The job of
5-HTT is to transport serotonin back into the cell after its message has
been delivered. (This is sort of like hanging up the telephone, so that
somebody else can call you.) 5-HTT also appears to be a target of
stimulants like "ecstasy" and cocaine, and of antidepressants. The
protein is a large membrane protein with 12 transmembrane domains.

In a long-range study that followed a single group of people from the
age of 3 to 26 years, investigators observed that people who had
inherited one of two forms of the 5-HTT gene seemed to be more
susceptible to depression following stressful conditions like changes in
their relationships, jobs, or financial situations. However, the
difference is not in the part of the gene that encodes the structure of
the protein, which is the same in both forms of the gene. The difference
lies in the structure of the promoter -- the regulatory region that
turns the gene on and off. One promoter region is longer than the other.
The gene is less active in individuals with shorter promoter.

The 5-HTT gene is located on the long arm of human chromosome 17
(17q11.2). The short allele is found in about half of Caucasians. Even a
single copy of the shortened 5-HTT gene seems to make its carriers more
likely to experience stress-induced depression. The short form of the
disease does not directly cause depression, but lower levels of the
transporter may lead to less efficient management of stress-related
hormone levels. The possible role of the gene in other disorders, like
alcoholism, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and sudden-infant-
death-syndrome has also been studied.

--
FUCK THE SKULL OF HUBBARD, AND BUGGER THE DWARF HE RODE IN ON!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8====3 (O 0) GROETEN --- PRINTZ XEMU EXTRAWL no real OT has
|n| (COMMANDER, FIFTH INVADER FORCE) ever existed
.................................................. ...............
A society without a religion is like a maniac without a chainsaw.