Pocket Guide To Interpersonal Neurobiology Summary

C:Health emerges from a balanced and coordinated brain, empathetic and connected relationships, and a coherent and resilient mind.

P:Mental well-being is based upon the brain’s ability to regulate and coordinate information and energy, which allows the person to create empathetic and connected relationships. This contributes to the development of a rational and healthy mind as well as a sense of willpower.

R:One’s mental well-being can be a very subjective matter. What might be considered mentally healthy for one individual, might be different for another. Our sense of self dictates how we interact with our environment and our environment influences our sense of self. This is why diagnosing mental disorders should be approached subjectively and not a one size fits all method.

There are some core principles that make up the basis of psychological health. In Daniel J. Siegel’s book “Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology” he talks about mental well being consists of the relationship between the mind, brain and relationships. The mind entails the regulatory processes of monitoring and altering the flow of energy and information. The relationship component is the sharing of energy and information between two or more people and the brain is the biological mechanism that the mind and relationships pass through.

If a problem arises in one of these components, it affects the whole triangle which is when mental disorders can occur. By studying these disruptions of harmony, scientists have made numerous advances in understanding the disorder of the mind. A product of these advances is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is hailed as the bible of diagnostic psychiatry. It has been a tremendous tool for the field of psychiatry even though a big portion of it I question the validity of it, but that is a rant for another