Recognising that mind and body are not separate opens door for new treatments

As a trial for a radical schizophrenia treatment begins, the link between biological factors and some mental illnesses is becoming clearer than everDescartes ’s notion of dualism – that the mind and body are separate entities – is wrong, but has proved surprisingly persistent, and until recently dominated attempts to understand mental illness. When the brain stopped working properly, a psychological origin was sought.Undoubtedly, life ’s experiences and our personalities shape the way our brains function. But there is now a compelling body of evidence that brain disorders can also originate from things going awry in our basic biology.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Schizophrenia Immunology Science Mental health Society Medical research Source Type: news