"Mental Disorders, What Is The Cause? What Can I Do About It?"

Copyright © 2007 © Terri L Wood

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September 13, 1848 was a day like any other day for everyone except a man by the name of Phineas P. Gage, a well respected, 25 year old railroad construction foreman for Rutland and Burlington railroad. The routine was well established: drill a long hole into the rock, fill it partially with sand. A tamping iron was used to pound down on the sand, consolidating the charge. Finally, a fuse would be lit to detonate the explosion. On that day everything was going as planned, until a glitch was discovered. Gage was standing at the hole unaware that no sand was covering the explosive charge. The unwitting Gage began tamping directly over the powder. Apparently the rod generated a spark as it grazed a stone inside the hole. The uncovered powder ignited and set off a powerful explosion. The 13 lb tamping iron, about 1” thick and 3 feet long, was hurled directly at him. With the force of a missile, the iron went under his left cheekbone, behind his left eye, through his brain, and then out again. You would assume that the dramatic explosion ended Phineas’ young life, but it did not. Briefly stunned, but within a short time he regained full consciousness and was able to talk and even walk with the assistance of his workers. The only physical traces that remained were his loss of vision in the left eye, a scar under his left cheekbone where the iron entered and a scar on the top of his head where the iron exited. There was just one problem, Phineas was no longer Phineas. Before the accident Phineas was a well respected, loved, responsible, an intelligent worker and husband. He was known as a person with high morals and was described according to one account as “a pious and reverent church goer”. He was even lauded as “the most efficient and capable foreman” After the accident his moral decline was quickly evident. He became very emotional about things and would get angry quickly. He lost interest in church and spiritual things. He became irreverent, and prone to excessive profanity. He lost all respect for social customs and became totally irresponsible. He ended up leaving his wife and family, joining the circus and dieing 13 years later.

What happened? The frontal lobe of his brain was severely damaged. The frontal lobe is where a person’s judgment and personal will take place.

Physical assault is not the only way the frontal lobe can be damaged. Diet and lifestyle play a significant roll in the functioning of the brain and most especially the frontal lobe.

In the old days, one way of treating mental disorders was to perform a frontal lobotomy and that was to disable the frontal lobe of the brain, thus quieting down a disturbed patient. Take away a persons judgment and will and what do you have left?

Effects of surgical removal of frontal lobe: Before lobotomy: Extremely efficient operating room nurse, very fond of books and belonged to the nurses’ literary circle.
After lobotomy: Lost much of her ambition, lost interest in her work, and lost sympathy with her patients, could only perform subordinate work. Her attitude: “I do not care if I make a mistake; it will turn out all right in the end.” She lost interest in books.

Are we a walking brain dead society and we don’t even know it?

Results of frontal lobe damage of a child

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  Temper outbursts when frustrated
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  Verbally and physically assaultive in an abrupt, unpredictable, and short-lived manner
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  Sexually promiscuous from early teens
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  No sustained friendships
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  Intermittent heavy user of alcohol and marijuana
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  Impulsively attempted suicide twice
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  Compromised frontal lobe
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  Memory impairment (especially of recent events)
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  Distractibility and restlessness
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  Flight of ideas (fantasies, emotional instability)
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  Apathy (lack of initiative)
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  Indifference to one’s condition (happy go lucky)

Frontal lobe diseases

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  Mania
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  Obsessive compulsive disorder
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  Appetite increase
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  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
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  Depression

Does it make much sense to have a brain disorder in the frontal lobe and then make matters worse, add more brain altering drugs? Are we creating a society of zombies?

"I used anti-depressants for a few years. I tried to get off of them every which way I could. Every time I tried, I found myself right back in my depressed angry setting. That was until someone told me the connection between caffeine and depression. I loved my diet coke, but I wanted my sanity back with out the drugs more. As soon as I got rid of the caffeine, within 30 days I was off the anti-depressant medication and I haven't been back. That was about 8 years ago."

Drugs that damage our frontal lobes

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  Asthma medications – Beta agonists, blood pressure medications – beta blockers, calcium channel blockers
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  Centrally acting agents ( Clonidine, Methyldopa, etc.)
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  Tranquilizers and sleeping pills—benzodiazepines, antidepressants (Note: tricyclic antidepressants are also used for headaches, insomnia, etc.)
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  Anti-ulcer pills—H2-blockers (Tagamet, Zantac)
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  Anti-inflamitory drugs—NSAIDS—ie: Ibuprophine
  Pain relievers, narcotics, cold and allergy medications—antihistamines (also used for insomnia, etc.)
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  Decongestants (especially in children; e.g., pseudoephedrine as in Actifed)

Are we performing lobotomies on ourselves unknowingly by the lifestyle choices that we make everyday? How many Phineas’ do you know or should I say, you don’t recognize anymore?

Lifestyle in contrast to drug treatment – “Many are living in violation of the laws of health, and are ignorant of the relation that their habits of eating, drinking, and working, have on their health. They are not aware of their condition until disease occurs. If, at this point, the individual would make the appropriate lifestyle changes: “…the patient will generally recover without being debilitated.” However, instead of changing lifestyle, medications are generally employed. “The liver, heart, and brain, are frequently affected by drugs, and often all these organs are burdened with disease.”

In Part II of "Mental Disorders, What Is The Cause? What Can I Do About It" I will continue exposing the factors in our daily lives that harm and even destroy our ability to make wise judgments and think rationally. I will also share how to make better, simple choices that can give your brain what it needs to regenerate itself so you can stop the endless and senseless cycle.