Certainly; but with the repeated use of the word "tiny" I expected some discussion of its actual size. The molecule in question may be smaller than others with similar effect, but it's more than a few atoms:
Posted on 06/09/2014 11:03:24 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Levels of a small molecule found in humans and other primates are lower in the brains of depressed individuals, according to researchers at McGill University.
In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, Dr. Gustavo Turecki, a professor at Montreal's McGill University, and his team discovered that the levels of a tiny molecule may provide a marker for depression and help detect individuals who are likely to respond to antidepressant treatment.
"Using samples from the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank, we examined brain tissues from individuals who were depressed and compared them with brain tissues from psychiatrically healthy individuals,"says Turecki, who is also director of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies.
The team says it conducted several experiments that showed that antidepressants change the levels of the molecule.
"In our clinical trials with depressed individuals treated with citalopram, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, we found lower levels in depressed individuals compared to the non-depressed individuals before treatment," Turecki said. "Clearly, microRNA miR-1202 increased as the treatment worked and individuals no longer felt depressed."
Turecki says the discovery may provide "a potential target for the development of new and more effective antidepressant treatments."
I wasn’t saying that drugs weren’t an effective intervention but rather than an effective intervention doesn’t mean you have identified the root cause of the disorder (e.g., autism - the most effective interventions are those based on behavior analysis but we still have no clear idea on the cause/s of autism).
As for faith, I too am Catholic. Our church teaches behavior resulting from psychiatric disorders can be something different than corruption by sin. That is, if the psychiatric illness precludes the person from understanding the sinfulness of the act and fully consenting to the act, then culpability is greatly diminished (there is a decent discussion here - https://www.osv.com/TheChurch/HumanDignityandSexuality/Article/TabId/658/ArtMID/13696/ArticleID/8366/Responsibility-for-sin.aspx).
Now, I may have misunderstood what you were saying. So if you were simply saying that we should include prayer and spiritual exercises in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, as long as they don’t preclude or interfere with other effective procedures (God has given us the intellect and skills to identify ways, beyond prayer, to help our fellow man and I would argue that they are therefore, in some ways, spiritual gifts from God), I agree wholeheartedly.
You gentlemen are both very kind. Thank you.
Everything is relative. Some molecules are especially tiny, consisting of only a few atoms; others by comparison are large and complicated.
I have no idea of your background with these kinds of disorders, and I can only speak from my direct experience with my mother’s issues.
Behavior in conjunction with blood work was always utilized in her diagnosis. It was never a one test or the other, and I suspect her treatment/diagnosis was not terribly different from others.
But I am not an MD, are you?
Not (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night). More seriously, again, measurement of something in no way implies it is the cause of the disorder. Major depressive disorder is diagnosed solely based on observation and self-report (see the DSM V and ICD 11). Most doctors will also screen for other disorders that could have similar effects (e.g., hormone imbalances). If the person has some other physical disorder then the doctor will likely treat that disorder. If the “signs and symptoms” then go away, by definition, the person did not have major depressive disorder.
All that said, a doctor can do whatever tests he or she wants but that doesn’t mean those tests are actually identifying a disorder.
Certainly; but with the repeated use of the word "tiny" I expected some discussion of its actual size. The molecule in question may be smaller than others with similar effect, but it's more than a few atoms:
Many popular-press science writers today don’t do the most exemplary job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.