Heads Up!

Presents the views of several leaders in the field of psychology and psychiatry on health issues. Daniel B. Borenstein, president of the American Psychiatric Association; Judith A. Lewis, president of the American Counseling Association; Norine Johnson, president of the American Psychological Association.

By PT Staff, published on May 01, 2001

In our continuing quest to bring you the best information about mental healthand the behavioral sciences, we've asked leaders in various branches of the field to offer Psychology Today readers their thoughts and advice. For this issue, we sought comments on health, broadly defined. Here, four leaders share their views.

Daniel B. Borenstein, M.D.

"When reporting tragedies and disasters, news media routinely note, that `counselors have been sent to the scene.' But when I was in medical school, no one thought to consider the pain and lasting effects of psychological trauma resulting from disasters. I think that our current, more enlightened attitude reflects the gains in neuroscience research that document the interrelated nature of physical and psychological functioning. Just as physical trauma causes pain in other parts of the body, we now know that unmoderated psychological trauma can alter or damage the brain, leading to a range of painful reactions that can include psychiatric disorders. Brain and body are one, and when injured--whether by disease or disaster--each is as deserving of treatment as the other."

Judith A. Lewis, Ph.D.

"People grappling with difficult life situations are usually encouraged to locate the source of their problems within themselves. They're told that they'll be most successful if they focus only on what they can most easily control: their own behaviors.

That sounds logical, but is it always true? Sometimes people remain mired in unwarranted self-blame until they begin to notice the social, political, and economic factors that affect them. When this happens, the steps toward empowerment include first becoming aware of external barriers to healthy functioning, and then identifying the strengths, competencies and resources that can be mobilized to address them."

Norine Johnson, Ph.D.

"As a breast cancer survivor, I know firsthand the fear that sets in when you learn that you have cancer. I believe the reason I'm living a happy and productive life today, 19 years after my diagnosis, is because of several outstanding doctors, my family and friends and psychotherapy. As a psychologist, I believe research on both men and women with cancer clearly demonstrates that psychotherapeutic support after diagnosis can improve chances of survival, strengthen the immune system, appropriate compliance with medical treatment and reduce stress on the patient's family. Isn't it time that our nation's health-care system recognized that the mind and body work together, not separately? It seems clear that, in order for women and men to live healthy lives, the barriers between health care and mental health must be knocked down."

David Satcher, M.D.

"A person cannot be truly healthy overall without mental health. The brain is the integrator of thought, emotion, behavior and health. One of the foremost contributions of contemporary mental health research is the extent to which it has mended the destructive split between mental and physical health. We now realize that, just as things can go wrong with the heart, the lungs, the kidneys and the liver, things can also go wrong with the human brain. It's vital we usher in a healthy era of mind and body in this nation."

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): President of the American Psychiatric Association

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): President of the American Counseling Association

PHOTO (COLOR): President of the American Psychological Association

PHOTO (COLOR): U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health