MetaFilter posts tagged with Brain and Psychiatry

Mental Illness Might Be Caused By Microbes

amyms — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:05:11 -0800

Are you batshitinsane? Viruses and/or bacteria may be the cause.

The Model of a Psychopharmacologist

homunculus — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:50:11 -0800

I Am the Very Model of a Psychopharmacologist. [Via Omni Brain.]

The Art of Psychiatry

Gyan — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 11:48:48 -0800

Dictionary of Disorder - shaping the DSM

Is Medicalization Aversion Disorder a real disease?

Gyan — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:54:35 -0800

Psychiatry by Prescription - Do psychotropic drugs blur the boundaries between illness and health?

Psychoactive Drugs for the Future

peacay — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 10:21:23 -0800

Psychoactive Drugs for the Future Could brain-boosting drugs become as common as coffee?
UK government group Foresight have just released their 'Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs Project' in which the aim was to evaluate:
"How can we manage the use of psychoactive substances in the future to best advantage for the individual, the community and society?"
The report can be viewed in its entirety from here. Direct link to the Executive Summary (.pdf) via

The Anorexia Debate: Biology v Culture

peacay — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 09:52:28 -0800

A recent study of 60 people with anorexia suggests that a biological mechanism may be a causative factor. It was found that there was a reduction in blood flow to a specific area in one of the temporal lobes in those with the eating disorder. The author of the study believes that sociocultural factors have been over emphasized. Not all agree. By way of contrast, another research group has just published findings which purport to show that "even small amounts of exposure to thin bodies can have a short-term negative effect on body image." And adult anorexia rates are said to be rising.
There's associated debate too, regarding the contributing role played by therapy that seeks to personify eating disorders. Flourishing underground online communities derive some thinspiration by referring to their 'lifestyle choices' as 'Ana' (for anorexia) and 'Mia' (for bulimia). Argentina is responding to the body image controversy by enacting a size law. previous mefi threads [via + via ]