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The Neuronal Excitability Spectrum: A New Paradigm in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Illness and Its Relation to Chronic Disease

Received: 27 October 2021    Accepted: 15 November 2021    Published: 24 November 2021
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Abstract

Short of a clear understanding of the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, treatment continues to be symptom-based rather than pathology-based. In an effort to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment, a variety of symptom-based diagnostic classification systems have been utilized and numerous others have been proposed, but none have been able to satisfactorily compensate for the lack of a clearly-defined biological target for treatment. Based on the first comprehensive neurophysiological hypothesis of psychiatric disorders and mounting evidence that a subtle elevation in resting vital signs is predictive of a wide range of psychiatric and general medical conditions, this article will present an entirely new way of diagnosing and treating mental illness. It will also discuss how these vital-sign elevations increase one’s vulnerability to developing any of a wide range of general medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and dementia. The shared pathophysiological trait, known as “neuronal hyperexcitability,” combines with life stressors to fuel a plethora of psychiatric, metabolic, and immunologic disturbances that have both immediate and long-term mental, emotional, and physical consequences. The identification of a single diathesis that unifies seemingly diverse mental and physical illnesses has enormous implications for healthcare. First, it revolutionizes the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Second, it unifies mental and physical illnesses, thereby reducing the long-held stigma of mental illness. Third, it provides an easy-to-measure, objective way to assess one’s vulnerability to developing any illness, whether mental or physical. Fourth, it guides the use of a number of different natural and pharmacological methods of reducing one’s risk of illness long before any clinical signs or symptoms appear. Fifth, it encourages patient participation by allowing those at risk to assess their own vulnerability to illness. Never could these insights be more timely than in an era in which the number of persons committing suicide is steadily increasing; the number of persons claiming disability is dramatically rising; and healthcare costs are spinning out of control.

Published in American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Volume 9, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12
Page(s) 187-203
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders, Bipolar Switching, Paradoxical Effects of Antidepressants, Mood Stabilizers, Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Disorders, Neuronal Hyperexcitability, Biomarkers, Neuroregulators

References
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    Michael Raymond Binder. (2021). The Neuronal Excitability Spectrum: A New Paradigm in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Illness and Its Relation to Chronic Disease. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 9(6), 187-203. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12

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    ACS Style

    Michael Raymond Binder. The Neuronal Excitability Spectrum: A New Paradigm in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Illness and Its Relation to Chronic Disease. Am. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 2021, 9(6), 187-203. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12

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    AMA Style

    Michael Raymond Binder. The Neuronal Excitability Spectrum: A New Paradigm in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Illness and Its Relation to Chronic Disease. Am J Clin Exp Med. 2021;9(6):187-203. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12,
      author = {Michael Raymond Binder},
      title = {The Neuronal Excitability Spectrum: A New Paradigm in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Illness and Its Relation to Chronic Disease},
      journal = {American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine},
      volume = {9},
      number = {6},
      pages = {187-203},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20210906.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcem.20210906.12},
      abstract = {Short of a clear understanding of the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, treatment continues to be symptom-based rather than pathology-based. In an effort to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment, a variety of symptom-based diagnostic classification systems have been utilized and numerous others have been proposed, but none have been able to satisfactorily compensate for the lack of a clearly-defined biological target for treatment. Based on the first comprehensive neurophysiological hypothesis of psychiatric disorders and mounting evidence that a subtle elevation in resting vital signs is predictive of a wide range of psychiatric and general medical conditions, this article will present an entirely new way of diagnosing and treating mental illness. It will also discuss how these vital-sign elevations increase one’s vulnerability to developing any of a wide range of general medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and dementia. The shared pathophysiological trait, known as “neuronal hyperexcitability,” combines with life stressors to fuel a plethora of psychiatric, metabolic, and immunologic disturbances that have both immediate and long-term mental, emotional, and physical consequences. The identification of a single diathesis that unifies seemingly diverse mental and physical illnesses has enormous implications for healthcare. First, it revolutionizes the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Second, it unifies mental and physical illnesses, thereby reducing the long-held stigma of mental illness. Third, it provides an easy-to-measure, objective way to assess one’s vulnerability to developing any illness, whether mental or physical. Fourth, it guides the use of a number of different natural and pharmacological methods of reducing one’s risk of illness long before any clinical signs or symptoms appear. Fifth, it encourages patient participation by allowing those at risk to assess their own vulnerability to illness. Never could these insights be more timely than in an era in which the number of persons committing suicide is steadily increasing; the number of persons claiming disability is dramatically rising; and healthcare costs are spinning out of control.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Department of Psychiatry, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Highland Park, USA

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