Mental Health Update

Perhaps I am a victim of Attention Deficit Disorder, there are so many in the symptoms list that are applicable to me, especially dominant the lack of focus, great start but poor ending, disorganized life, and easily bored.

We know exactly where one cow with ’mad cow disease’ is located among the millions of cows in America but we haven’t got a clue as where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

There is a fundamental, archetypal type of brain architecture that results in swings between poles in relation to moods, personality traits and capabilities. Someone with this architecture is a “polarite”. Brain polarity has something to do with erratic function of NMDA receptors. Polarity underlies some “mental illnesses” like bipolar disorder, hyperfocus/hypofocus in ADD, etc, which are usually polarity subject to stress.

I see somebody agrees with my position that the USDA and the big meat packers are in bed together.

She screams out my name once and since it took me more then a nano second to reply she screamed it again this time up about 4 octaves. I go out into the living room mumbling “yes mommie dearest”. She starts the inquisition on way in gods green earth would I dare to park in HER parking space, what an ungrateful daughter I am, yada yada yada…I rolled my eyes and tell her that I was bringing in the groceries that she requested I get and it was easier for me to bring them in from that side. She just glares at me and stomps away. And I’m the one on antidepressants….

Yes, I’m so young and so bitter. And angry. And aggressive. And potentially suffering from borderline personality disorder. Oh, I forgot sensitive and emotional. And stupid when it comes to competitive sports. For example, the one you’re so coyly playing right now. I’m sorry, I never really excelled in sports. Also, I never saw the point in competing for anything.

Clozapine (brand name Clozaril) is used “second-line” to treat schizophrenia and requires monitoring of blood cell counts. This is an atypical anti-psychotic drug that is used after a patient failed to respond to standard schizophrenia treatment (the standard treatment is called “first-line” treatment).

I think about the definition of Schizophrenia and whether or not it should apply to me, I know that Drue also thinks this.

Sen has a brilliant hidden reference to The Exorcist, the classic horror movie. In Sen’s movie, Meethi urinates on the carpet exactly the same way as the possessed girl does in the classic. More than a coincidence, this action seems to be a comment on exorcism and other forms of belief in the supernatural, which are the results of the human fear of the unknown. Schizophrenia falls into the category of things we have to live with, but which we can’t cure or understand. In many ways, movies add to the popular clichés that exist in society about madness. This is one movie that seeks to be honest and objective about the issue.

It’s ironic that we can post our thoughts, our dreams, our problems online where everyone can read them, yet we all seem to stay self-conscious of our appearance. We really might as well walk around naked, but our bodies have stayed something to blush about while we talk openly about drug addictions, eating disorders, family problems, sexual preferences…. Nothing has stayed as sacred as our bodies, yet it seems like our bodies should have been sacrificed to media a long time before our minds were.

I’ve been trying to get my thoughts straight on this here topic ever since I so brazenly included it in the title of my blog. I think what I mean by it is that things exist in my nature and personality that often others view as being mutually exclusive. Examples….let’s see. I’m in a serious, academic graduate program, with all intents of persuing a second degree, but at the same time, when asked what I want to be when I grow up, the answer my heart gives is “a mom and a wife,” even as my brain answers “a university professor.” Others? I watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Sex and the City with the same veracity. Another example? I am a person who follows God, a Christian, but I am also a person with a chemical imbalance. I’ve been told frequently that depression, anxiety, etc. are signs of weak faith, that they need to be adressed through prayer, that if we believe more, we’ll be set free. I don’t believe that that’s true. I framed my thoughts about it this way on the blog of a woman I admire earlier this week:

I know a lot of what I write about my mother here may seem pretty harsh. Well, it is harsh, but it’s true, and this is the only place I have to vent my frustrations. Dealing with a loved one who suffers from bipolar disorder, or any mental illness for that matter, is most difficult. So please, as you read posts about my mother, understand that I do love her very much and I do appreciate the good things she has tried to do for me and my brothers in our lives. In the spirit of this post, allow me to tell you a few of the good any amusing things about my mother.

Military studies already indicate that nearly one-fifth of returning soldiers struggle with depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Many veterans suspect the numbers are much higher. Military officials said they were especially concerned about National Guard soldiers and reservists who, according to a recent Army Medical Department study, have higher rates of post-deployment stress.

In the opening scene, Mother Crumb says about her discharge: "I could go home on Thursday, but the schizophrenics* are performing Grease. There's only two of them, but they do all the parts. I couldn't miss it."

Researchers have found a gene that correlates with bipolar disorder. When I first heard, I thought I’d have to rant about neurovariant genocide / eugenics, but then I read further. (Can’t find the original anywhere so I’m piecing it together from different articles - all of which are appalling. The SMH was actually better than New Scientist.)

After the four-year relationship preceding my marriage ended, my analyst told me to read On Death And Dying by the late psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. This seminal work on the subject of grief introduced the five stages of grief: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. While at first blush, it may seem odd to read a book about a psychiatrist’s interactions with terminally ill patients when coping with something like the end of a relationship, but when I read it back in 2000, I could see the parallels in my grieving process.

From what I’ve read in the school’s paper on Monday is that he had been suffering from depression (I don’t think I had heard that until then). You know what that means? His death could have been prevented. Not necessarily easily, mind you, but a little bit effort by the people around him could have saved him. Whether or not his friends (I don’t know if he had family in the area, but even if he did and he’s like any other 18+ year old, he probably didn’t see them too often) and the people around him noticed it may not be fully known. Let’s face it, if any of us had known a friend of ours had been suffering from depression and we didn’t try and step in and they killed themselves, would we come out and say “Yeah, I could have done something but I didn’t”? Probably not, right?

A woman who appears to do some sort of graphic design (I didn't look too closely) was recently asked to remove this picture from her work due to the potential that it could cause discomfort to those with eating disorders. I am wondering how far this will eventually spread. Will naturalists (PC for nudists) eventually be able to get billboards to feature nude models since the "clothes" they are often wearing are offensive to those who have an aversion to clothes. I'm not stating that being a naturalist is a disorder, but rather it is a sad state of affairs with the whole Politcal Correctness movement.

I wonder if my gran is getting Alzheimer's disease...you know, the one that ruins your brain cells until you reach the point where it no longer sends messages to the rest of your body causing organ failure and other disastorous things? The one where you forget your name, age, address, the fact that you have children, etc etc?

Keep in mind that certain medications can greatly increase susceptibility to sunburn. The most common offenders are tetracycline and sulfa antibiotics. Certain blood pressure medications, antihistamines, anti-inflammatory agents, and a few of the antidepressants can also have this effect. If in doubt, or if you're prescribed a new medication, ask your doctor (or other health care professional or pharmacist) if a particular medication may have this effect. Some topical agents also promote sunburn, some quite dramatically. This is called "photosensitivity" and the worst offender is retin-A (used for acne and anti-wrinkling). Again, ask your health care provider if in doubt.

The basic point of disagreement we have is whether depression or manic depression are illnesses. Maybe I’m overlooking something but I didn’t notice where you said they were not that you were able to support that Biblically or otherwise to my satisfaction. It’s basically your opinion which you can have but which I can also disagree with.