I think there is too much variation in mental disorders to collectively categorize them as either brain disorders or not brain disorders, and this has important implications for public policy. One of the biggest obstacles to good public policies that respect human rights--balancing the right to treatment with the right to free choice (e.g., involuntary/voluntary treatment, housing/homelessness, legal culpability/innocence) for persons with behaviors associated with mental disorders--is accepting that these are complex issues that require complex solutions. Jesus Ramirez-Bermudez commented on this toward the end of the YouTube video. As a society, we are too fond of simple policies that do not fit all conditions. As often emphasized on Psychiatry At The Margins, we need nuance and humility.
I think there is too much variation in mental disorders to collectively categorize them as either brain disorders or not brain disorders, and this has important implications for public policy. One of the biggest obstacles to good public policies that respect human rights--balancing the right to treatment with the right to free choice (e.g., involuntary/voluntary treatment, housing/homelessness, legal culpability/innocence) for persons with behaviors associated with mental disorders--is accepting that these are complex issues that require complex solutions. Jesus Ramirez-Bermudez commented on this toward the end of the YouTube video. As a society, we are too fond of simple policies that do not fit all conditions. As often emphasized on Psychiatry At The Margins, we need nuance and humility.