studying Cognitive Science and Psychiatry

Tim Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Mon, 22 Feb 1999 17:35:59 +1100

Michael Bast said

>does anyone know of sources for
>studying Cognitive Science and Psychiatry?
psychiatry = get an MD from a med school of your choice. cog sci =get an undergrad psych qual and then seek out a good grad school, which you will be well aware of having gotten the undergrad degree.

>... I've noticed about very intelligent [people are] prone to
>self-sabotage. They've bought into believing that they're not 'worthy'
>of success, that being bright somehow makes them bad, etc.

Empirically, this is not the case. It is not intelligence that is making you and your friends depressed.

>My interest is in studying both how this comes about, and how to cure it.
SSRIs work well ;-) So does behavior therapy. About the same efficacy but Prozac is usually cheaper.

It may have come about because you are in a lower social status position than your ability suits you for. That is one evolutionary reason for the depressive response and one very good reason for not getting any "treatment" unless the depression makes you dysfunctional. At low levels, it drives ambition which you need to make it.

cheers
Dr Timothy Bates
Senior Lecturer in Individual Differences Dept Psychology
Macquarie University
Sydney NSW 2109
Australia