Mind-Body Deceptions: The Psychosomatics of Everyday Life

In the psychosomatic theory espoused by Dubovsky in this often provocative report, all illness-medical and psychiatric-is the product of mind-body interactions. Major depression, in his view, occurs when a malfunction of cellular biology or genetic programming alters the brain's structure, deceiving the mind into negativism and creating a pathological feedback loop that can permanently distort character. Conversely, he cites research supporting a psychological dimension to heart disease, asthma, ulcers, colitis and other ailments. Separation, loss, anxiety, hopelessness and lack of social support, he emphasizes, leave one especially vulnerable to the immunosuppressive effects of stress, opening the door to infections, cancer, even AIDS. Dubovsky, a University of Colorado professor of psychiatry and medicine, finds that electroconvulsive therapy is generally effective and safe. This mostly balanced and cautious survey includes a consumer's guide to pharmacological and psychological treatments for depression, as well as sensible suggestions for reducing long-term risks for heart disease and cancer. (Mar.)