INTRODUCTION

While taking into consideration the notion of “Pushing the Limits of the Human Body,” the mental component is not the first aspect that comes to mind.  However, this is one area that currently being viewed with increasing importance and is developing rapidly.  Psychological disorders and treatments, as well as over-the-counter supplements and drugs are commonly abused in today’s American society.  The number of individuals that abuse such substances, such as the ones presented on this site, is staggering.

We approach this section by looking at common psychological disorders and the drugs used to treat them, as well as looking at other substances and supplements that people take in order to enhance their mental state or performance. This section is broken into 5 parts including: brain physiology, prescribed treatments, natural treatments, self-prescribed treatments, and ethics.  The section on brain physiology describes the neurochemical processes and malfunctions that occur in the brain to cause the disease, as well as the neurochemical processes of the drugs that yield the desired “enhanced” mood or mental state.  In the section on prescribed treatments, an overview of common psychological disorders is given as well as general information on the drugs commonly prescribed to treat these   disorders. The natural treatments section covers several different types of supplements used to enhance one's mental state or performance such as Ginko biloba, St. John’s Wort, and Holy Basil.  The section covering self-prescribed treatments exposes unconventional ways we try to enhance or mask our mental state be it through alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, exercise, or religion.  Finally, the concluding section raises ethical issues related to the information presented on the site, such as over prescription and prescription of drugs to children. Further ethical questions include: who or what is responsible for our culture's desire to "quick fix" every definable problem with some type of drug is it prescribed, non-prescribed, or self-prescribed.  

Questions or Comments, email Dr. Verna Case

This website was created as part of a Davidson College biology course.