A new era and a new paradox for mental health

Until we have clear, delineated pathophysiology to treat, we will remain wed to our descriptive nosology. This nosology is flawed, at times ambiguous and overlapping, and now has become diluted to be more palatable to a national and consumer audience.  

So yes, let’s grab a chair at the national table, but let’s make sure we’re not just chairwarmers. It’s time we redouble our focus on unraveling the pathophysiology of psychiatric illnesses, and to focus on a new scientific nosology, as opposed to our current, almost colloquial and now diluted descriptors that may raise awareness but do little to advance a real understanding of mental illness.  A more holistic understanding of the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders may provide us with a more scientific nosology. Ultimately, we can hope for more effective, and perhaps even curative treatments. That, my colleagues, is what will give us not just a seat at the table, but maybe even a table of our own.