Posted by Pfinstegg on April 5, 2003, at 19:32:43
In reply to Re: cortisol is the consequence of my problems » Frog, posted by Edgefield on April 5, 2003, at 18:58:35
That way of thinking- that something is either organic or functional- really isn't useful in psychiatry. We all have mood disorders which began with a psychological cause, but over time, the effect on our brains is physical, with various disabling psychological symptoms- depression, anxiety, panic etc. When scientists begin to look closely, they find the physical abnormalities underlying these psychological symptoms- a small left hippocampus, decreased blood flow in the left frontal and hippocampal regions, an absence of new nerve cell formation in the hippocampus (as normally occurs throughout life), damaged receptors in the hippocampus, elevated 24-hour cortisols, and DST non-suppression.
However, the endocrinologists are probably making a distinction between the clinical picture I just described, which they consider "functional", and cortisol abnormalities brought on by something like adrenal cancer, which they would label "organic".
But from your point of view, you have an illness with psychological and physical components, both aspects of which should be treated.
Pfinstegg
poster:Pfinstegg
thread:216253
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030402/msgs/216530.html