Happiest:
Certainly, one can see differences on a brain scan. But the question is which is the cause and which is the result. Does the issue cause the chemicals or do the chemicals cause the issue?
They also point to the fact that medication helps. Yet, we all know that tylenol helps a headache, but would anyone say that headaches are caused by deficiency of tylenol? Besides, the medications don’t help quite as much as we are promised, do they?
As far as traumas- not every trauma is so big. In fact, the big ones (losing parent, abuse) people usually get support for. It is the little things (parent having inflexible expectations, showing disappointment for normal failures) that are the most likely to be harmful.
I am posting a link to a speech I listened to about this. I hope the mods will let it through. It was presented at a Nefesh conference by a leading frum psychologist, and is based all on research journals. It is the one called: Chemical Imbalance or Meaningful Behavior?. http://drsorotzkin.com/audiolectures.html