I spent most of late last week and the weekend attending a fantastic conference on the topic of psychiatry and mental health.  Nothing like being surrounded by about 2,000 ‘shrinks’!

Great people, by the way.  I met folks from all over the world as well as neighbors/colleagues I didn’t know I had!  It’s really funny how that works.  The world is truly a small place. 

The conference took place at a resort-style hotel in Orlando.  You know psychiatrists – they work hard and play hard!  I do know we sure ate well!

At the risk of over-simplifying (which is truly impossible to avoid, but I’ll do my best), I’d like to share with you some of the most memorable information I learned during this ‘cutting edge’ conference:

• The field of medicine is coming to understand that depression is a ‘whole body’ illness (versus a condition that is ‘all in your head’).  What this means is that the body and brain are somehow closely involved in creating depression and/or creating or exacerbating traditional ‘physical’ illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.
• The field of medicine is also coming to respect the so-called ‘psychosomatic’ illness of fibromyalgia as a serious medical diagnosis.
• Talk therapies and exercise, not just medications, can work together (and sometimes on their own) to improve mood and save or grow cell volume in important areas of the brain.
• Un- or under-treated depression can lead to the death of brain cells in key areas of the brain (leading to problems in cognition, memory, the ability to organize/plan, make sound decisions, etc.).
• Great strides are being made in the treatment of bipolar disorder (while bipolar, mixed continues to be the hardest to treat) as well as schizophrenia.
• There is a ‘revolution’ growing amongst physicians who are starting to stand up to the negative impact managed care is having on the doctor-patient relationship.

In addition to all of this technical stuff, one of the most well attended lectures was one given by a psychiatrist whose specialty is love!  I was very intrigued by his presentation and plan to explore his work as it might help me enhance my abilities in working with singles and couples.

Speaking of which, the last idea I want to share with you that was discussed during the conference was the topic of personality change over one’s lifetime.

Yes, all of us have ‘personalities’ that make you ‘you’ and me ‘me’.  However, this ‘unique-ness’  does change for most of us over the course of our lifetimes.  Would I recognize you at 70 if I hadn’t spent any time with you since you were 20?  Great question, isn’t it?

I do know this:  if I accepted every theory about personality that emphasized immutability over adaption and evolution, I probably wouldn’t have chosen coaching as a career.  I tend to minimize theories that look at my personality as fixed.  For example:  if I accepted the theory that people who are shy can’t become less so, you probably wouldn’t have met me because I’d be in a much less visible profession!

I look at most personality tests or assessments as a ‘starting point’, meaning, here is how you look at ‘you’ right now.  But, that doesn’t mean that’s it.  The problem with these sorts of tests and theories starts when we LIMIT ourselves based on our scores.

The problem with personality tests, theories and ‘results’/'scores’, in my opinion, occurs when individuals take them as the gospel truth and start to live their lives IN REACTION TO them or as a SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY!  I don’t know about you but I don’t believe I’m merely reduceable to a number, label or technical phrase. 

In addition, when we start using a personality score as an excuse to stop engaging as fully as we can with life, I think we are in trouble.

Where do we draw the lines?  At what point are medications actually detrimental, as well?  The answers aren’t always clear cut and I don’t think Thomas Szasz, the guy who debunks most psychology, is completely nuts!  There is some truth to the thought that labelling someone immediately puts a distance between you and them and/or reduces them to a ‘case’ instead of a person.

I look at humans as much less ‘determined’ than most personality theories would suggest.  Given the right kind and amount of support, most humans can blossom in incredible ways.  And, we now know that the brain doesn’t stop growing once we become adults.  So, I don’t buy anyone’s excuse not to try because they are ‘too old to change’!  We just need to figure out someone’s passion and help them create change in a way that impassions them to do so!

Lastly, personality ‘traits’ and sexual orientation are two different things.  Sexual orientation, on the whole, is not chosen, while personality (or, behavior) is more malleable.  I know some folks will disagree with me however, that is my sense of things at this point, given the research.

Tags: Authentic Living, Changing Your Life, coming out, Commitment, Goal Setting, Happiness, Health and Wellness, Life Purpose, Living with Passion, Relationships, Self Esteem, Women’s Emotional Health

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Be Ready for Love. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.