Do people rely on "improper brain chemicals" to explain away our problems of a lack of effort?

Question

Are people just lazy and have no real work ethics?
Do people really have brain chemical imbalances or are people just not motivated to do anything?

Answer 1

Some people are just lazy and have no work ethic.



Some people have disabilities that interfere with their ability to work. Very often they too get labeled lazy and told they have no work ethic.



There are some people with ADHD that are very motivated, but have to deal with a lot of frustration since they have trouble focusing and concentrating.



Some people really do have biological disorders that make it difficult for them to function, we think that some of those problems are caused by the chemical mechanisms of the brain not working properly, what we call "chemical imbalances". We don't really understand all about how our brains work. For now, chemical imbalances seems to be a useful theory, and some medications do help some people.



Nobody labels people with heart disease lazy because they take time off work for a heart attack. But people with ADHD and other difficult to see or diagnose disorders often are.

Answer 2

chemical imbalances are real, when you cant stay in a normal mood and feel like each day could be the end. It's not cause your lazy, it's cause your mind doesn't allow you to keep having normal thoughts. Otherwise they wouldn't have medications to correct them, or they would never work.

Answer 3

Unfortunately laziness has crept into society, its pretty bad when the government is thinking about paying people to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work, I suppose at least they are thinking of the environment, so come on people, get out and walk, even if its only for 5 minutes, you are helping your health and the environment at the same time :)

Answer 4

I don't know about YOUR problems of a lack of effort, but I do know that you must have been hiding under a rock these past 30 years to think that "improper brain chemicals" cause a lack of effort.



First of all, these "improper brain chemicals" are a misnomer created by your underactive imagination. Called "neurotransmitters," a lack of serotonin, norepinephrin, and dopamine profoundly affects mood for the worse. What it causes is a major depressive episode or bipolar disorder (manic depression). The brain is a biochemical and electrical organ, and is aided by these neurotransmitters to function.



These are medically diagnosable disorders, with distinct symptoms that are common the world over. Moreover, these illnesses are not new, but have been documented in history going back thousands of years. Depression and Bipolar Disorder are thought to be hereditary, often activated by a trigger, and a person with say, bipolar disorder, can often trace various mood disorders and other mental illnesses in their families. Suicide, depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, substance abuse, other addictions, multiple divorces, crime, "eccentric" or reclusive behavior, schizophrenia, delusions, and psychotic behavior are often found in the family tree. Many psychiatrists use a family "genogram" along with personal history and talking to diagnose a mental illness.



Depression and bipolar disorder also share many common traits or symptoms: fatigue, a change in eating and sleeping habits, loss of interest in everyday activities, loss of interest in sex (mania tends to cause an increased sex drive), feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, profound sadness, thoughts of suicide, self-medication (alcohol, drugs). These feelings have to have persisted for at least two weeks for the majority of each day, and can be documented by a professional. There are also tests designed to test the degree of depression, one being Beck's Depression Inventory. Another is the MMPI (Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory).



If you know anything about epidemiology, a disease or disorder can be ascertained because people from widely disparate places, ages, ethnic groups, income levels, educational backgrounds all have the SAME symptoms. I have had bipolar disorder for 30+ years, and can easily identify with someone with bipolar who is from Istanbul or Ottawa.



Your question is obtuse and degrading to those with mental illnesses. We are not suffering from the black pit of hell that is depression just to get out of work. Why don't you try your question out in the Cancer section, since you seem to like to rile the chronically ill?



Here's what "a lack of effort" has caused me and my family. My father had bipolar disorder and died by suicide at age 45. My cousin Mike died of suicide in March of 2007. My sister died of suicide in October of 2007. Her death caused my mother to die 2 days later of shock. My niece and nephew, 11 and 15, are on antidepressants. Their mother (my cousin) Diane is on antidepressants. I take seven medications daily for my bipolar disorder costing about $2,000.00 per month. I can't get life insurance or health insurance. One in five people with bipolar disorder die by suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, just behind accidents.



The pain of depression goes beyond words. It is as if the floor has dropped out from under you. Your life is so painful that you lose your will to live. Thoughts get distorted. Self-esteem is nonexistent. Death seems the only way out. Other than medication, there really is no relief for profound depression.



Eighty-five percent of teens with depression never seek help, in part because of the stigma of mental illness and troglodytes with opinions like yours.



Type in "Depression and neurotransmitters" or "depression and suicide" in the internet in order to enlighten yourself.



I'm glad you wrote in. Maybe there will be one less opinionated and ignorant fool out there. I hope you treat the mentally ill with a modicum of compassion from now on.

Answer 5

some people will be that way inclined.and lots will be lazy