Heads Up!

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