IMHO self-regulation of the brain goes beyond its internal workings and includes the willingness and mindfulness to take your medications. I do not know if your distinction between treatment and diagnosis is all that important. Yes it is helpful to isolate specific mechanisms but many effective treatments can work without actually knowing how they work. Until recently no one knew how aspirin worked, much less lithium.
It seems to me that hybrid approaches work well. From what I understand, the combination of medication and talk therapy is more effective than either alone. For extreme cases with clear distinct symptoms Western medicine is by far the best. However, I would not discount Eastern medicine, particularly for more mild and diffuse symptoms. The brain is also part of the overall system of the body. While chemical balances in the brain are critical, a lack of balance in the rest of the bodily systems will undermine any attempt restore 'normal' brain function.
Even still, we must remember that the definition of normal is a cultural artifact. Normative behavior falls with a range found acceptable within typical social settings. In many royal courts the jesters included not only comedic midgets. Many had people with a variety of mental handicaps and were believed to speak the truths others dared not. In such cases the mentally unstable served a useful social function. Shamans are probably not the most sane of the crop. And how many social malcontents, unable to deal with civil society became explorers and traveling merchants. Even today, the lines between true depression, melancholy and thoughtful pensiveness are not very sharp.
It seems to me that hybrid approaches work well. From what I understand, the combination of medication and talk therapy is more effective than either alone. For extreme cases with clear distinct symptoms Western medicine is by far the best. However, I would not discount Eastern medicine, particularly for more mild and diffuse symptoms. The brain is also part of the overall system of the body. While chemical balances in the brain are critical, a lack of balance in the rest of the bodily systems will undermine any attempt restore 'normal' brain function.
Even still, we must remember that the definition of normal is a cultural artifact. Normative behavior falls with a range found acceptable within typical social settings. In many royal courts the jesters included not only comedic midgets. Many had people with a variety of mental handicaps and were believed to speak the truths others dared not. In such cases the mentally unstable served a useful social function. Shamans are probably not the most sane of the crop. And how many social malcontents, unable to deal with civil society became explorers and traveling merchants. Even today, the lines between true depression, melancholy and thoughtful pensiveness are not very sharp.
