Descartes’ mind-body dualism might sound antiquated, but it is still surprisingly prevalent within medicine. But, neuroscientist Camilla Nord argues, treating mental and physical health as separate domains is a mistake. Recent medical evidence shows that poor mental health and poor physical health often share a common underlying cause, highlighting the need for a fundamental shift in how we understand the connection between mental and physical health.

We all know that our bodily states can sometimes alter our mental experiences. Think to the last time you felt irritable, but later realised you were just hungry—or felt depressed the morning after a sleepless night. But for the most part, medicine still treats mental and physical health as though they were completely independent of one another. This mind-body dualism is not only misguided, but can be dangerous when informing the treatments doctors provide (or fail to provide) for mental and physical ailments alike.