Biological psychiatry

Biological psychiatry, sometimes referred to as bio-psychiatry, is a term used mainly by critics of mainstream mental health practice to describe what opponents of psychiatry believe are unproven and subjective diagnostic and treatment practices in modern psychiatry. References to biological psychiatry are used specifically by critics to denote the biological model of mental health, which they believe places undue emphasis upon biological theories and psychiatric drug treatment, rather than objective diagnosis of medical pathologies and psychological counseling.

Biological psychiatry marketing
Two of the most lucrative markets for psychotropic drugs are based on biological theories of mental illness, namely the dopamine theory of schizophrenia and the serotonin-norepinephrine theory of depression, according to many critics. Much the same can be said about the markets for ADHD drugs, which have expanded rapidly in many Western nations on the strength of marketing campaigns that generally utilize biological psychiatry theories as a basic selling point. Although not a scientific theory, per se, such biologically based hypotheses for the cause of mental illness are also referred to collectively as the chemical imbalance theory.

Criticism
Much of the criticism attributed to biological psychiatry centers on the fact objectively defined pathological conditions have been found for only a select few mental illnesses, such as Alzheimer's. And even in the case of these exceptions, critics point out, the underlying pathology that triggers the mental illness still has not been adequately explained.

Criticisms of mental health marketing practices and pharmaceutical treatments have seemingly had little impact on the growing solidarity between the pharmaceutical industry and the mental health professions. Instead, the influence of 'biological psychiatry' appears to actually be strengthening, as evidenced by the growing political and economic clout of the industry.

Dr. Peter Breggin, a leading critic of biological psychiatry, has written several books in which he attempts to demonstrate the brain-damaging effects of "anti-psychotic medication," and the generally iatrogenic effects of subjecting children and adolescents to psychiatric drugs.

Biological Psychiatry is also the name of a scientific journal