text: Dr. Amen has changed my life and the lives of several members of my family.  The stigma associated with mental illness is deep-seated and difficult to overcome. Understanding the root causes, particularly the genetic predisposition within families, is the indispensable first step in coming to grips with dealing with life-long problems.  These problems are often not adequately addressed via behavior modification or cognitive therapies because they get the cart before the horse:  they do not deal with the biological root causes.  Once those are dealt with, the learned behaviors and habitual patterns can be peeled away to create a whole new start on life.  However, without the understanding of the causes and types of underlying brain conditions, one is often doomed to the roll the rock up the same hill only to see it roll down again as we watch.  Take my advice.  If the brain pattern descriptions look all too familiar, get help as recommended.  You will become a new person, the one you were created to be.  And that is a wonderful thing
  