<[Bill Leach 940718.21:03 EST(EDT)]
[Martin Taylor 940718 16:00]
Martin; while I feel that your post was good, I'm not sure what it has to
do with my posting (unless I was a clear as mud).
As I believe that I said (though maybe not so directly), treating
symptoms is a dangerous activity. I know that I provided several medical
examples as to why. I was trying to indicate that doing the same thing
in 'mental illness' is dangerous for exactly the same reasons... the same
symptom set may be produced by different causes (in the language of the
medical community).
Assuming that someone IS mentally ill or at least is seeking assistance
from a mental health care professional; then that professional must
attempt to determine the cause for the problem(s) that the patient is
concerned about. What I am maintaining (and believe that Tom maintains)
is that when such a professional is not operating based upon the theory
that people are closed loop control systems then there is a more than
even chance that what "therapy" they choose will be incorrect and could
even be damaging to to the patient.
I agree that "symptom" usually means a "bad thing" and that is indeed the
intent under which I was using the term. Symptom is a term used not only
by health care professionals but by patients themselves. Certainly most
people are as unaware of the control system nature of their own bodies as
are the health care professionals.
I'll take one of my "favorites" as an example. This one is particularly
good since the health care people are about as mystified about what it
might mean as anyone else and that is "clinical depression".
Depression is a defined condition with reasonably well defined symptoms.
Now then, in PCT we recognize that Depression is not only a symptom set
but that it is Behaviour.
[As an aside, the medical definition for depression is probably
complete from a PCT perspective. Since depression is a
behaviour, there is not much more that can be said about it in
general. I am not sure that there is any proof in the PCT
research to indicate that depression is or is not the behaviour
that would exist if a significant control loop is failing to
control (or if there exists an internal control conflict.]
From a very pure PCT point of view, depression is not "bad" but rather it
just is a behaviour controlling perceptions. IF you take the position
that continued "well being" of the patient is important, then PCT
indicates that sustained depression IS bad, but only if you do make such
a value judgement.
However, from the medical community's standpoint (and probably the
patient's as well), depression is a symptom of something wrong if for no
other reason than (at least medical community claims) to maintain that
the patient's well being is their first concern.
A PCT oriented health care professional would, in a non-judgemental
fashion, attempt to determine what perceptions the depressed person is
controlling for and in particular where they may be failing to achieve
control (easier said than done of course).
At issue here is the fact that 'external world' is not what is important
but only the perceptions of the patient. If one really realizes this
(and I believe that many do so in a rather 'intuitive' fashion) then one
knows that pep-talks, lecturing and referal to 'higher authority' are for
the most part a waste of time.
-bill