see drug advertisements in magazines suggesting that the causes and
cures for mental disorders are known, and available in capsule form.
Please realize that you’re hearing only part of the story.
Prescribing medication, like everything else related to mental illness,
requires art as well as science. The effects of medications vary greatly from
one person to another, even to the point of being opposite. One drug may
not work at all, while another that is almost identical works beautifully.
Some medications stop working for no known reason. Others work well
for things they’re not supposed to affect at all. Then there are the side
effects. No matter how thorough their scientific training, doctors can only
make educated guesses about what will work, and why. Artists among
physicians are comfortable with the vast uncertainties of dealing with the
mind. Whatever happens, they work closely with their patients to achieve
a creative balance between feeling better and doing better.
Art without science to back it up can also cause problems. In health
food stores you may hear that certain herbs, vitamins, and supplements
affect the operation of neurotransmitters and thus affect the disorders that
the transmitters control. The evidence for this is considerably more spec-
ulative than the more creative promotions from drug companies, though in
some cases the chemicals involved are quite similar. Don’t be fooled
into believing that because something is derived from “natural sources”
it is better, safer, or has less side effects than medicines physicians prescribe.
Actual medicines are tested for purity and uniformity of content. The
people who prescribe and dispense them have a great deal of training
in their safe use. Also, the fact that prescribing and selling are done by
different professionals, physicians, and pharmacists is also a source of pro-
tection. Caveat emptor.
An Old Wonder Drug
If there is a wonder drug for explosive disorders that does not involve increas-
ing available serotonin, it is exercise. Actually, exercise probably does increase
serotonin, endorphins, and every other kind life-enhancing chemical, though
the research on this is not particularly rigorous. Who cares? Exercise is the
one thing that is good for whatever ails you. If there is a fearful, depressed,
or angry person in your life, the very best gift you can give is your company
in a daily program of aerobic exercise. And it will help you just as much.
Explosions into Fear ❧ 91