A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research • Hacker News Board

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#21

Post by mathattack » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 5:02 PM UTC

yogabzzz wrote: post #17

I'm happy that they're putting money into developing better diagnostic methods for mental disorders, because, frankly, the existing tools are terrible. After 9 years of misdiagnoses by several different doctors, earlier this year one astute doctor was able to uncover that I had bipolar 2 and not unipolar depression or SAD. I had mixed feelings about it (ironic) but I was put on the correct medications and they have m…

I think there is a lot of basic research to be done. I hope this research amounts to real advances!

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#22

Post by throwaway2256 » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 5:07 PM UTC

I'm glad to see more money spent on these issues, hopefully we will have some breakthroughs soon.

While the current medications surely do help a lot of people, I've watched really smart friends devolve into zombies while on some of them. People I've known for 15 years who are definately not the same people they were when they started. They themselves don't notice the change, of course, because it happens slowly.

We really need better options with less severe personality change side-effects.

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#23

Post by prestadige » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 5:21 PM UTC

mathattack wrote: post #21

yogabzzz wrote: post #17

I'm happy that they're putting money into developing better diagnostic methods for mental disorders, because, frankly, the existing tools are terrible. After 9 years of misdiagnoses by several different doctors, earlier this year one astute doctor was able to uncover that I had bipolar 2 and not unipolar depression or SAD. I had mixed feelings about it (ironic) but I was put on the correct medications and they have m…

I think there is a lot of basic research to be done. I hope this research amounts to real advances!

Strangely enough it may be that our attempts to create artificial people (AGIs) will permit us to understand what mental disorders are all about.

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#24

Post by Fomite » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:04 PM UTC

JackFr wrote: post #11

davidf18 wrote: post #9

It is a wonderful donation, but I do wish that philanthropists would spend money on lobbying congress and The President to increase science budgets by the billions of dollars per year. Money could also be donated to those running in congress who are favorable to increasing the science budget of NIH, NSF.

Why do you prefer that model? In fact, I would say your model has it backwards -- as a philanthropist, rather than devote my money to a cause, I should coerce/influence politicians with money, so as to compel through force of law other peoples money to flow to that cause.

One could argue that increased government funding for science is more likely to fund basic science and other "non-sexy" but still important and likely to pay dividends research.

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#25

Post by mentalhealth » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:08 PM UTC

hliyan wrote: post #8

I was initially worried when the headline said "psychiatric" research, but was pleasantly surprised when I read the article and found out that what they really meant was neuro-biology and its genetic origins, not study of patient behavior. The "top-down" approach has failed psychiatry (or more accurately, psychology) for half a century. I'm glad to see the bottom-up approach (i.e. starting with genes and cells and th…

It's at least worth noting that it's only within the last decade that such an approach has become viable -- we're still entirely unable to establish any relationship between genetics and psychiatric illness via theory, so massive, inexpensive genetic analysis was a prerequisite to this sort of study (which still relies on correct diagnosis in order to find genetic correlates).

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#26

Post by JackFr » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:29 PM UTC

mathattack wrote: post #20

JackFr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you prefer that model? In fact, I would say your model has it backwards -- as a philanthropist, rather than devote my money to a cause, I should coerce/influence politicians with money, so as to compel through force of law other peoples money to flow to that cause.

I don't prefer that model from a moral point of view, but it is worthwhile from a practical point of view. Lobbying the government has a higher ROI than research for most companies. As such many companies lobby heavily for loopholes, benefits, etc all in explicit name of jobs. (And private benefit for execs and owners) Why concede that fight? If very long term basic science is of communal benefit and can't happen in…

Because in so doing, you're just getting into a shouting match saying "My handouts aren't really handouts. They're important." Which is precisely what everyone who is looking for government money does.

Rather than taking part in the K Street circus of perverse incentives, why not just spend the money on research?

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#27

Post by JackFr » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

prestadige wrote: post #23

mathattack wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there is a lot of basic research to be done. I hope this research amounts to real advances!

Strangely enough it may be that our attempts to create artificial people (AGIs) will permit us to understand what mental disorders are all about.

Strangely enough it may be ____________ will permit us to understand what mental disorders are all about.

( ) Hypnotism ( ) Psychoactive drugs ( ) Functional programming ( ) Meditation ( ) Phrenology

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#28

Post by mjt0229 » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

HNJohnC wrote: post #12

dublinben wrote: post #7

This is a great donation, that seems to be going to exactly the right place. However, it's a little unfortunate that Mr. Stanley only started donating to this cause after a member of his own family was affected.

I'm fairly certain you'd find that the vast majority of donations to any cause are from people who are personally affected in some way.

Agreed. And in this case, I think it's significant that the family member affected has controlled his illness long ago. The point of this donation is to help other people for whom such control is not yet possible.

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#29

Post by jghn » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 6:46 PM UTC

skosuri wrote: post #2

This is a huge donation for the Broad and probably equals all their previous fundraising. I think a lot will ask if it's too much to one institute or too little to solve the problem, but overall I'm very excited. Biology is changing very fast right now, and it's probably the right time for a big new push. Psychiatric disease and brain research is the next big frontier and private funding like this allows places to ta…

It doesn't equal, but it's close, if you include Stanley's previous donated money. He's now donated more than Eli Broad by about $150M

Re: A $650M Donation for Psychiatric Research

#30

Post by prestadige » Tue, Jul 22, 2014, 7:00 PM UTC

JackFr wrote: post #27

prestadige wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strangely enough it may be that our attempts to create artificial people (AGIs) will permit us to understand what mental disorders are all about.

Strangely enough it may be ____________ will permit us to understand what mental disorders are all about. ( ) Hypnotism ( ) Psychoactive drugs ( ) Functional programming ( ) Meditation ( ) Phrenology

None of your examples entail building a mind. Also there's a kind of irony in my example, since as a branch of computer science it is independently funded and seemingly unrelated to mental health.