Mental Health Update

When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder Mr. MFBA and I were equally ill-equipped to handle the new world that would become our lives. I painfully watched as he went through the stages of grief: denial, inward anger, outward anger, depression, and acceptance.

After the presentation, a woman came up to me, wanting to share a story. She told me about her son, who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. School was a challenge. He was a bright boy, but every single report card and parent-teacher conference included the same refrain: “Tim is falling behind. He is simply unable to focus.”

The doctors diagnosed him as bipolar (he has ALL of the symptoms, believe me) and he refuses to take medicine. He and his wife think medication is a load of crap. I agree that doctors nowdays do tend to jump the gun and give out prescriptions for antidepressants like candy, but I truly think that the Mullet Head IS bipolar and would benefit greatly from meds. (He self medicates by smoking pot, but that’s obviously not working!)

While the western world is now wary of “overly thin” celebs like Nicole Ritchie, Keira Knightley & Mischa Barton, especially in light of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, it is sad how almost everyone here is celebrating Kareena’s weight loss. When questions did arise, she went on record to say she is “far from anorexic” and all her weight loss is due to “power yoga” and a “special diet”.

On January 30th the Humane Society released undercover video content of "downer" dairy cows - too sick or injured to be able to walk - being mistreated to get them onto their feet and into the Hallmark Meat Packing Co (Chino, CA) slaughterhouse. "Downer" cattle are at increased risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") and other foodborne pathogens, and so the USDA regulations prevent the slaughter for human consumption of crippled cows.

Despite the popular disgust for this treatment, ECT is still used in patients with psychiatric disorders that have not responded to other therapies, most commonly major depression and bipolar disorder.

On Friday, we mentioned the BBC production called “What on Earth is Wrong with Gravity.” Below is another video by the same producers called “Psychedelic Science,” which surveys the past and present of psychedelic drugs, and the new era of scientists exploring ways to use these drugs again for therapeutic purposes (i.e., the treatment of schizophrenia and addiction).