Compartmentalizing the Brain and the Stigma Attached to the Term Mental Illness    

I dislike the phrase mental illness. People are already trying to figure out what’s happening inside their own minds, and then we attach the word ‘mental’ — a word loaded with judgment and misunderstanding. It’s no wonder so many end up suffering in silence.

Compartmentalizing the Brain and the Stigma Attached to the Term Mental Illness invites you into the complexities of neurodiversity, challenging preconceived notions and reimagining our relationship with this magnificent organ—the brain!

Let’s abandon the societal belief that the brain is a rather lazy organ, leisurely sitting behind the eyebrows in a mental compartment. Indeed, the cranium holds it in protective custody, but it’s not the cellmate it appears to be.

The brain is a physical part of the body, about 60% fat, a bit portly, you might say. But the brain is not just a mysterious glob of fat sitting and twiddling its neurons.

Many embrace the ideation that the brain is unconnected from the rest of the body.

We have forgotten that the brain and body are not separate entities but rather two parts of a whole, each relying on the other to function at its best. Keeping this in mind as we age is even more critical.

Trillions of chemical reactions per second occur in the body, including on the top shelf, the brain. Not much leisure time there.

In fact, if something goes awry in the body, it affects this miraculous, complex organ—the brain. Likewise, if the brain experiences turbulence, the body does too.

And when an organ in the body becomes dysfunctional, it is termed a disease by the medical establishment.

A diagnosis might read that the patient has kidney disease, liver disease, or heart disease.

I’ve never heard anyone say, “heart illness, kidney illness, or liver illness.” Have you?

But when the brain becomes dysfunctional or diseased, we plaster it with a single label, “mental illness.”

Labeling a homeless drug addict and a person with depression with the same term, ‘mentally ill,’ is like comparing a thunderstorm to a misty day. Should someone with seasonal affective disorder or panic disorder wear the same label as a psychopath?

The term’ mental illness’ blankets the marked differences in severity, cause, and treatment, often contributing to stigma and misunderstanding.

That’s like trying to cover a rainforest with an umbrella.

Enter the Rainforest: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

When its first edition appeared in 1952, the manual was a slim, spiral-bound pamphlet that required just 32 pages to define all of its 106 diagnoses. Today’s DSM‑5‑TR (2022) spans well over a thousand pages in its full edition, reflecting how dramatically the number and complexity of diagnoses have grown.

Shedding the Gorilla: The Term Mental Illness

Most of us are aware of the stigma that the term mental illness carries.

And the humiliating cliches attached, like being a little off your rocker, a few screws loose, not playing with a full deck, or crazy.

That’s pretty heavy, like carrying around a gorilla on your back.

No wonder someone experiencing obsessive or intrusive thoughts is reluctant to seek help or dares to utter it aloud.

The sufferer doesn’t understand what’s happening but knows something is wrong.

So, they endure in silence. 

Their condition worsens.

Have you ever been in the same room with someone with a toothache or an earache? I am sure you have. Their cries burst out like thunder. 

So, where is the outcry when a vastly more complex organ needs attention? Where’s the storm?

Why do we live in excruciating pain?

The reality is this is where we live—in our brains. In our minds. If our brain is not working properly, how will our minds react?

We need to shed the gorilla!

The Brain’s Purposeful Design

Science indicates that the human brain contains about 86 billion neurons (nerve cells) and a roughly similar number of non-neuronal cells, such as glia, for a total of about 170 billion brain cells.

Each neuron typically forms thousands of synaptic connections with other neurons, yielding an estimated hundreds of trillions of synapses overall, which the brain uses to transmit chemical and electrical signals from one cell to another.

What is a Synapse?

A synapse is the tiny gap between brain cells called neurons. Neurons are the cells in your brain that help you think, feel, and do things. Neurons are remarkable because they can send messages to each other, but they rarely touch each other directly. That is where synapses come in.

The synapse is a specialized junction where these messages are passed along, like a tiny bridge between two neurons. When one neuron wants to send a message to another, it uses an electrical signal inside the neuron, which then triggers the release of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) across the synapse to the next neuron.

How Does This Communication Happen?

The neuron generates an electrical signal that travels down its axon, a long, tube-like structure. When this signal reaches the end of the axon, it triggers the release of tiny chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are like little information packages and are crucial to the whole process. These neurotransmitters are released into the synapse, the gap between two neurons. Once in the synapse, they must reach the next neuron to deliver the message.

To do this, the neurotransmitters bind to special receptors on the surface of the second neuron. Think of these receptors as tiny docking stations that recognize and grab the neurotransmitters. This binding is essential because it triggers the second neuron to receive and respond to the message.

Some neurotransmitters hang around in the synapse for a short time, while others get recycled. Particular proteins called transporters help gather neurotransmitters that are still in the synapse and return them to their original neuron. This recycling process is called ‘reuptake.’

This whole system is essential because it is how your brain communicates and works. Without neurotransmitters and synapses, your brain could not think, learn, regulate emotions, or control your body. Synapses and neurotransmitters are key messengers that allow your brain to function and let you be you.

Neurotransmitters Mission

Imagine the brain as your trusty mail carrier, delivering mail around the neighborhood so all the residents receive the information they need. In this analogy, the old faithful mailbag represents a brain cell’s message bag, filled with vital messages known as neurotransmitters.

The neurotransmitters are like letters or packages in the bag, each with a specific destination and precise information. That information has a target (a target cell). Imagine the target cell is a resident.

If letters or packages are delivered to the wrong addresses or go missing, the mail system becomes dysfunctional. The precise information never reaches the correct resident.

Havoc occurs. John receives a cancellation letter for an insurance policy that belongs to Charley down the block. On the other side of the street, Candace gets a 700 dollar refund check meant for Cathy across town. Phil thinks he has diabetes because he received the wrong lab values. And poor Arnold finds his electricity unexpectedly shut off.

You get the picture.

Just as the neighborhood residents need to receive vital information from their trusty mail carrier, neurotransmitters must deliver precise information to their target cells in the brain for a well-functioning brain and body.

Why did the mail system become dysfunctional? Was it poor diet, poor sleep, excessive stress, exhaustion, a physical illness like an infection, a disease, or toxic overload?

Whatever the cause, the letters did not reach their precise destinations, and hundreds were lost. Someone did not receive crucial information.

The result?

Lights out for Arnold, and no more pie for Phil!

How are Neurotransmitters Produced?

In his book Nutrient Power, William J. Walsh, Ph.D., explains that nutrients include the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other biochemicals we get from food that are needed for healthy brain chemistry. Nutrient Power is an older publication, but I love the way he explains what nutrients can do for the body and mind.

For those of you not familiar with the terminology, here are a few of the primary neurotransmitters and precursors essential to our well‑being:

• Tryptophan: An amino acid and the precursor for serotonin, often called a “happy” neurotransmitter. Most of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, mainly by specialized cells lining the intestines, and only a small portion is used in the brain.

• Tyrosine: An amino acid that serves as a precursor to dopamine, supporting sharp focus, learning, and motivation. Enzymes that make dopamine require specific nutrient cofactors, including vitamin B6 and minerals such as iron, while nutrients like other B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin D help support healthy overall neurotransmitter function.

• Gamma‑aminobutyric acid (GABA): A neurotransmitter made from glutamate. GABA’s job is to help regulate anxiety, stress, and fear by acting as a calming influence in the brain. A diet rich in a variety of vegetables—such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, leafy greens like spinach, and other whole foods—can help support the systems that maintain healthy GABA balance.

It all simmers down to what we ingest, how well we absorb it, and how effectively our bodies use those nutrients to build and balance neurotransmitters in that mental compartment—you know—the lazy fatso hiding behind the eyebrows.

Keeping our diets in check is just one important path to a healthy brain.

The Impact of Stress, Relationships, Environment, Sleep, Toxins, Loneliness, and Purpose in Life

It’s a long subheading, but in short, it all tallies up.

What if our sleep is poor?

Then our brain is unable to repair cells and remove old, dying ones. When the dumpster fills up, things will clog, and the trash won’t be emptied!

And if we’re not careful, our brains might decompose while still in use and begin to stink. Let’s leave the living dead scenario to the filmmakers.

So, you see, the brain is a busy organ, a far stretch from lying leisurely behind the eyebrows. It is a workaholic, even when we sleep.

If we’re stressed, we cannot sleep. If we cannot sleep, our brains store the trash instead of clearing the way for new brain cell growth.

A lousy relationship, harsh environment, unhealthy food, and even loneliness and having no purpose in life all share one commonality—toxic overload. We must resolve these issues, especially as we enter our senior years—the earlier we start, the better.

Our brain is a masterful communication system that enables our thoughts, feelings, and actions. So, when we talk about “brain health,” we are talking about the well-being of this miraculous network of connections. The brain is top shelf. We should treat it that way. It’s not an organ full of disorders unconnected from our bodies!

By shifting our mindset from “mental illness” to “brain health,” we can shake off the gorilla and promote a better understanding of the complex workings of the brain.

So, let us ask two questions:

1. Is there really a one-size-fits-all label for the brain’s complex network?
2. Is there an umbrella broad enough to cover a rainforest?

Success Story: Mildred—It’s Never Too Late!

Excerpt from Dr. Christopher M. Palmer’s book, Brain Energy, page 253—Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Mildred had a horrible, abusive childhood. There is no doubt that she suffered from symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. At age seventeen, she was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. She began having daily hallucinations and delusions. She became chronically paranoid.

Over the ensuing decades, she tried different antipsychotic and mood-stabilizing medications, but her symptoms continued. She could no longer care for herself and was assigned a court-appointed guardian. She was miserable. She tried to kill herself numerous times, once drinking a bottle of cleaning fluid. On top of her mental symptoms, she was obese, weighing 330 pounds.

At age seventy, after fifty-three years of being tormented and disabled by her schizophrenia, her doctor encouraged her to go to a weight-loss clinic at Duke University. They were using the ketogenic diet as a weight-loss method. She decided to give it a try.

Within two weeks, not only did she begin to lose weight, she noticed significant improvement in her psychotic symptoms. She said that for the first time in years, she was able to hear the birds singing outside. The voices in her head were no longer drowning them out. Her mood was also improving, and she began to have hope.

She was able to taper off all her psychiatric medications. Her symptoms went into full remission. She also lost 150 pounds and has kept it off to this day.

Now, thirteen years later, she remains symptom-free, off medication, and doesn’t see any mental health professionals. Having learned to take care of herself, she got rid of the guardian, too.

When I last spoke with Mildred, she said she was happy and excited to be alive. She asked me to share her story with anyone and everyone willing to listen. She hopes that her story might help others escape the living hell that she had to endure for decades.

Stories like Mildred’s. . . just don’t happen in psychiatry. Even with the best traditional treatments that we have to offer, this is unheard of. Mildred’s story and the theory of brain energy say it is possible. It is a new day in the mental health field, one filled with hope for more stories like Mildred’s.

Final Thoughts

Take care of your brain. You only have one. Imagine it as your garden. To keep your garden healthy and growing, you can’t simply plant the seeds and expect good results. You must water and fertilize it and occasionally pluck the weeds. Your brain requires the same upkeep.

I dedicate this piece to my brother Ed, whose life and struggle inspired every word.

I am grateful for the opportunity to care for you in the last three years of your life. You are important! You matter! And you are sorely missed!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your qualified health professional before changing your health or wellness routine.