Genome-wide analysis of insomnia in 1,331,010 individuals identifies new risk loci and functional pathways, 2019, Jansen et al.

[Jonathan Edwards]

I think insomnia is better described as primarily a sleep disorder. Perhaps with mental health implications. Or something like that.

But doesn't that pander to the myth that 'mental' means 'psychological'?

 

[dave30th]

But doesn't that pander to the myth that 'mental' means 'psychological'?

But that's how the word is generally used--at least in my general understanding and reading and talking to people in U.S. Why is that a "myth" if that's what the word generally means to people? If "mental" is defined as just any old activity in the brain without any regard to psychological issues, then sure. But that seems like an extremely broad definition, since pretty much everything involves brain activity.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

But that's how the word is generally used--at least in my general understanding and reading and talking to people in U.S. Why is that a "myth" if that's what the word generally means to people? If "mental" is defined as just any old activity in the brain without any regard to psychological issues, then sure. But that seems like an extremely broad definition, since pretty much everything involves brain activity.

I disagree. The problem is that people use these terms without being explicit what they mean and they mean various different things in different contexts. I suspect that most of the time people are not clear in their own minds what they mean. 'Psychological' strictly speaking means 'explainable by a psychology theory - it is time people realised that psychological theories are garbage. Popper pointed it out fifty years ago but people still have not got the message.

And, no, I am not defining mental as any old brain activity. Temperature control by the hypothalamus is not mental, nor is fine control of movement by the cerebellum. I am using mental to cover events that lead to, derive rom or constitute conscious experience. Sleep is a turning off of the mental in that sense, so inability to sleep comes logically under mental disorder.

And what are these 'psychological issues" anyway. Processes that we believe underlie emotions and beliefs maybe? But the reality is we have no clue about these things, at least when they go wrong. They are described in bullshit terms by psychologists. We have an intuitive understanding about basic things like an ice cream producing pleasure or a death producing grief but as soon as you get psychologising you end up with make-believe as far as i can see.

 

[dave30th]

Well, there's "mental" on its own, and "mental health" or "mental health disorder" or some similar phrase. I agree "mental" alone would apply more broadly. In the terms as I understand them as used in US generally, "psychological disorder" and "mental health disorder" would be interchangeable. This is all apart from any discussion of whether psychological theories are or are not garbage. I tend to agree that mostly no one has much of a clue about what's going on up there.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

In the terms as I understand them as used in US generally, "psychological disorder" and "mental health disorder" would be interchangeable.

But that just reflects the fact that people have not thought through what they mean by the terms, surely. Maybe most people in the USA think that the mind can influence the brain in the way the BPS people do. If so that is, surely, a big problem. If one sees a better use of terms than you hear on the street that to me is progress, not something to be objected to.

As a physician I have never used the term 'psychological disorder'. It makes no sense to me.