The chemical component to genes being activated that have previously been dormant. Note that I am not a psychiatrist so I legally can’t claim that I know anything about this subject…yada, yada, yada. But, I can do research and I heard my psychiatrist speak about it. What I agreed with was that I had a mental breakdown but what I didn’t agree with was the method of masking the symptom when I would have preferred him to try to address the root of the problem.
This led me on a quest to figure this all out on my own. It took over 2 years to make some good progress and really have a fresh perspective in my own thinking.
So, in layman’s terms, what is a gene and how is it linked to mental health and mental breakdowns? I’ll describe it as best I understand it. When you have dormant gene like a “mania” gene or a “bipolar ii” gene or whatever it is formally called, it means that there is a possibility that some mental health issue could be genetically attached to your psyche.
When you have a manic episode, for example, you have an abnormal chemical reaction that triggers the gene to go from dormant to active…and as a result it starts to play tricks on your brain where you can’t decipher the difference between reality and non-reality. At least, this is how I understand it, it honestly might be wrong. But I’ve been listening and researching for a while and I believe this is how my previous doctor would have described it.
I say previous because I am no longer with that doctor who simply saw me for 10 minutes and prescribed me medication. I have since moved to a holistic doctor, at least, I have at the present time that I am writing this article.
The problem I have with the word “you have a gene” is the closely associated link to “you are your gene” as in, it influences your identity and this bipolar ii becomes a defining factor of your life. In the words of Jesus to Peter, “Get behind me Satan”. That is nothing close to the truth.
The problem is when you have a psychiatrist who simply tells you to take medication and that you might not be able to get off of it ever which increases your dependency on the brain altering drug that makes you feel like a vegetable. That is a problem, a big problem.
I mean, I might understand it if in your mental episodes you caused harm to other people or considered causing physical harm to yourself. But, even in these instances, there should be hope.
If your gene becomes active it can also become in-active again. How do we work toward this? Well, as the Bible says, you learn to “take your thoughts captive”.
Now, now, I know what you are thinking. That’s too simple to be true, right Scott? Well, it is simple, but it’s not easy.
But there are a few things that I’ve done to work toward better thinking. If you’ve heard the term “stinkin thinkin” that’s a lot of what is happening in anyone with mental illnesses that can’t be link to physical issues (or as I like to call it, evidence).
Let us always remember that a mood disorder is different than a disease. The main difference between a disorder and a disease is, at least according to Google, that a disease has a known cause, while a disorder usually doesn’t.
So, therefore, the gene is this “mystical” thing that feels more like a euphemism than a reality. And, in reality, you can overcome your “stinkin thinkin”, as some people have been known to say before.
So, I’m on a quest to improve my stinking thinking. I’m going to write an article on my new habits that I’ve created to improve my bad thinking and to learn the practice of submitting them to the Lord, even the sort of subconcious ones. You know, the ones that you don’t really realize that have control over your thinking. Those ones.
So, what is a gene? I’d like to think of it more like a booger. You need to treat it like it’s inferior in your body and needs to be gone. But the trick is that you can’t actually remove your genes, but you can totally remove your stinkin thinkin.