Mental Health Research Bias

Bias in Mental Health Research

• Western medicine assumes that the cause and effect of mental disorders are objective entities, where identifying and addressing the cause will eliminate the symptoms.
• However, the complexities of human experience make it challenging to determine the cause of a mental disorder at the time of diagnosis.
• Despite this, Western medicine operates under the assumption that there is an objective causal element that can be identified and addressed to eliminate symptoms.

Limitations of Western Medicine

• The Western bias in mental health research has flawed consequences, which are discussed in Integrated CFDT, part of the Advanced CFDT series.
• Western medicine is slowly acknowledging that mental health arises from the interaction of multiple systems, rather than a single objective cause.

Systems-Based Approach

• Mental health and mental illness arise from the interaction of systems, rather than a single objective entity (Fried & Robinaugh, 2020).
• This perspective highlights the complexity of mental health and challenges the traditional Western approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Characteristics of Complex Systems

• Complex systems consist of a hierarchy of levels, including subsystems composed of subsystems, with interacting units.
• Emergent properties arise from the interaction of subsystems when environmental conditions are met, and these properties are on a larger scale than the scale of subsystem interactions.
• Coherent phenomena appear that do not depend on the subsystems or their interactions.
• Complex systems undergo transitions from one dynamic state to another, becoming self-ordered as they approach a transition.

Self-Organized States

• Self-organized states have far fewer variables than unorganized states, due to the "enslavement" of many variables to state variables.
• In CFD therapy, self-organized states relate to cognitive function profiles.
• The Process Cognitive Files (PCFs) serve as the state variables.

Implications for CFD Therapy

• We don't need to focus on specific neurons firing or moment-to-moment firing patterns.
• Instead, we concern ourselves with the PCFs in CFD therapy.

Complexity of Client Treatment

• We cannot identify a single "root cause" for clients seeking CFD therapy or specialist services due to the complex interactions of multiple systems and subsystems.

Limitations of Western Medicine

• Western medicine's philosophical bias can hinder client treatment by encouraging practitioners to focus on individual symptoms or problems rather than considering the larger context.

Importance of Focusing on the Future

• Focusing solely on a client's history, diagnoses, problems, or behaviors will not help them move forward effectively.
• Understanding a client's history and environment is important, but it is equally crucial to focus on their future trajectory and goals.
• CFD therapy should prioritize the client's desired future state, rather than solely relying on their past experiences.

Effective CFD Therapy

• CFD therapists and specialists should adopt a proactive approach, focusing on where the client wants to be and how they can help them achieve their goals.
• A balanced approach is necessary, considering both the client's history and their desired future state.