Mental Illnesses Are Physical Illnesses
By Gerald Vogt, PhD. in Pharmacology
and Researcher at Emory University

Mental illnesses really are physically based and not weaknesses of character. The brain has 50 billion cells; 10 billion of them are neurons—the biological wires through which electricity passes. Synapses are where the neurons connect by chemical reactions. Brain injuries mimic mental illness. Injury to the frontal lobe can cause lack of morality; injury to the left temporal lobe can cause schizophrenic behavior.
Seratonin is used all over the brain. Dopamine is concentrated in the limbic area—deep in the middle of the brain that can react instantly to danger. PET scans show where there is blood flow to parts of the brain, either hyper (excessive) or hypo (below normal) activity or function. Scans showed this:

 Major depression has hypofunction of the left frontal lobe.

Bipolar disorder has hyperactivity in both temporal lobes.

OCD has hyperactivity in the occipital and frontal lobe and over stimulation of the basal ganglia.

Schizophrenia has hypofunction in the frontal lobe.

Abnormalities occur in the cortex too. Dr. F. Benes at Harvard believes that during the second trimester of pregnancy, there is a lack of orderly migration to the outer layers of the cortex, resulting in schizophrenia.

Glial cells, which surround the neurons, support neural life by removing glutamate and recycling nutrients. Glutamate excites signals; GABA puts the brakes on things. Postmortem studies done on major depression and bipolar brains showed 40 to 90% of cortical glial cells are missing.

Ventricles are the empty spaces in the middle of the brain filled with spinal fluid. The larger these spaces are, the more severe the illness. Enlarged ventricles are seen on CT scans and MRIs in about half of those with schizophrenia. This is also seen in individuals with bipolar depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

All mental illnesses have genetic factors. Bipolar depression is the most genetically influenced. Environmental factors, such as viruses, bacteria, or stress hormones passing through the amniotic fluid during pregnancy are possible influences.