Psychiatry, psychology, mental, mind matters

Unfortunately my dog died a few weeks backs and like the author was the most wonderful med I have ever had in my life, in fact I think it may have been you who commented on my 'loss of a pet' thread I recently started.

That's why I shared the doggy book here :)

Look up Marion Janner though - she's really active in the media and inspiring and she would probably help give you some ideas for reading materials. It might also help you feel less alone with it all, and perhaps a sense of community.

Thanks

I don't think it is very positive to troll the internet looking for facts especially about mental health. That said, I have found the community over on the crazymeds forums to be really helpful and supportive. Since everyone is so different it is nice to get some feedback on other people's experiences. The mods there do great work keeping things positive and dangerous advice minimal. The blogs there are nice to just blast out whatever is going on with you.

Everybody on there is in the "Mentally Interesting" category including the guy who runs the site so there is a bit of gallows humor but overall it was helpful to me to try and understand what was going on with me.
http://www.crazymeds.us/CrazyTalk/

The main site is great as well for detailed explanation of the drugs you may or may not be getting. (Not a paid advertiser but I just found that stuff really helpful :-)

Thank you everybody x

Researchers develop first blood test to diagnose major adult depression:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/researchers-develop-first-blood-test-to-diagnose-adult-depression-1.2009150#ixzz3DbC0pfET

I initially balked at the idea of something so finite as a blood test result diagnosing such a varied, complex condition, one which often overlaps with others, and wondered what purpose it served in practice. However, if it can also help determine who will respond to cognitive behavioral therapy, and also show whether the therapy worked, perhaps it is clinically useful?

Sample group was tiny. Needs to be repeated with much larger groups and by other researchers. The researchers also making some worryingly bold claims about data which might just as well show flaws in their data or in their selection of test subjects. 3 of the 9 "markers" don't change after therapy - so obviously we've discovered a way to detect a predisposition to depression. Um, the first (and most honest) reaction should be to wonder if their small group all share some other factor which created this common characteristic. After all, they had all been through at least some psychiatric evaluation and treatment in the past. In fact, not only were they all from the same small geographical area and all patients of the same company's clinics, they had all been subjects in a previous study - the same study, not various different ones - by the same company. So they share a lot of significant common history. And the selection process for this study stinks.

One to file away until there's some more serious work done on it.

Excellent points @itsbruce. It did strike me as a somewhat Daily Mail standard piece of research.

The selection process is dubious, and it's important to note that only some patients would have stepped forward and agreed to do it.

I'd love to see this book get published: http://unbound.co.uk/books/pure

Some really interesting books on that crowdfunding site...

Nice thread @Miss_Mouse. Will have a proper read tomorrow.

Aww cheers. I just planted the seed...

Best wishes for a great spreading.

Better late than not at all...

Today (10/10/14) is World Mental Health Day. The focus this year is on schizophrenia. I've seen loads of good campaigns this week and love how social media really comes in to its own with such things - celebs/professional bodies/MPs/nobodies like me, all raising awareness and attempting to destigmatise and demystify mental health issues. (Norman Lamb writes passionately - urging top companies to change their attitudes: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/norman-lamb/mental-health-day_b_5959552.html?utm_hp_ref=tw)

Nick Clegg’s recent call to put mental health at the top of the political agenda is also to be welcomed, even if his party is rapidly losing : let's hope the rest of Westminster agree and take action.

As I'm sure many of us are aware, mental health services currently receive woefully inadequate funding, and the problem is increasing. The sooner it stops being seen as less important and a separate entity from physical health as integral to a person’s overall functioning, the better.

I've read that many healthcare systems in other countries see ill health as being caused by a number of factors, including diet, environment, living conditions, families etc. It would be great for our health services to adopt a more integrated approach, as standard. I dare say it would cost our struggling NHS a lot less too.

OK, jumping off my soapbox now. Sign the pledge! http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/pledgewall

If Nick Clegg say so, it surely deserve a signature, he did so good and so much for the all of us that we surely cannot ignore a send him a massive fuck off and etc.

He is also handsome.

@marcom I hope you're not cynically suggesting that he's trying to claw back some integrity, respect and popularity in the (probably) final months of being Cameron's side-kick, by appealing to the quarter of the population that suffers with mental ill-health (and their carers)? I'm shocked that you think a politician could do such a thing.

;)

Interestingly enough my employer has noted that mental health issues are also health issues, and offers a free helpline/8 counseling sessions a year.

They're obviously not just doing this out of the goodness of their heart, but because sickness costs money. Interventions may actually save money, as you say, but it will take true leadership and an enforced basic package all NHS health trusts should offer.

A long, long term job for the truly dedicated. But if we the public shout hard enough perhaps, like companies, somebody will listen ^_^

Yes @JWestland - and when high profile people shout out about their experiences, things seem to happen for the better, faster.

Today I'm ill at home more than usual, on top of my mental illness list I got some throat issue flu thing which raise the fog around my brain, it worth to say that I didn't misuse my throaty though.
I can't talk and think properly but I can type, and while i type comes to me a spontaneous wondering about sex.

People from the Psychiatry etc thread, what do you think, know, imagine and do about sex sex sex in relation to mental distortion?
Please don't refer to sex with words like fuck fucking to be fucked who have you fucked how did he/she fuck you etc; so wrong usage of these words, bad association, bad almost as saying making love, because sex is not love and is not fucking!

So, having sex can help? What about compulsive masturbation? Promiscuity?

Or better to read a good book of psychiatry while you/he/they/I/everybody are ill?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=328wX2x_s5g
interesting lecture on empathy etc. Now I don't know enough to validate all his claims, but his disgust link was mentioned in New Scientist too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindle_neuron may be the link, sitting close to our "old" brain and informing us of disgust both in food and people. Anyways, listen and perhaps it can inspire.

It's known that sex biologically boost the immune system and releases pleasure hormones.

BUT and...there's the massive BUT: Like anything it can be a helpful thing (psychologically fulfilling, done safely if with another person) or the old crude stereotypes of it being a distraction leading to going to an unhelpful path can be true too.

Promiscuity involves another person (there's book on open relationships dealing with all the psychological pitfalls to be mindful of) so again it can be good for both, or lead to worse. It's difficult to say off the bat.

So, I fear you will have to use your own judgement. Like any tool...it can be used or abused.

Yes, I agree^. The very same is also what it can be said about psychology though, can be good can be bad, can be used or abused, in the end it's always and only up to you. It's vague enough to be not really useful.

Between the two psychology doesn't involve sex, while sex it may involve psychology, so I guess the latter seems more convenient and less confusing.

It's not quite true that psychology is not evidence based at all. Some factors on how we react to things are very universal. So I think it's worthwhile to inform yourself to help make a more informed decision.

I didn't say not evidence at all… We were talking about a 50/50ish… dependant from a long list of factors: the patient, the doctor, his/her lover, the moment, the actual life, the substances, childhood, culture, the weather, money, politicians that you vote, etc etc.
And and the various combinations too.

If we talk about neurology then it's different, even if often not really much can be done anyway.

I may have misunderstood as you said "It's so vague to be no use at all".
Not sure on that, as some patterns do emerge which are evidence based.

You are right things have to be seen in the light of culture/personal patterns etc. Perhaps the way forward is to teach how we can see how these influence us...then at least we can choose to keep, or choose to reject.

Neurology is more "hard-core" but the big question ATM is if we can correctly picture the "subjective experience". We can extract images by now, have a guess at moods, but as the orchestration of all that makes for the subjective experience we call us...

Perhaps teaching can involve some work to be done by whom can be quite subjective.
Especially when comes that time of deciding what to keep or reject in relation to ourself.
Perhaps if we know at least what we want, that would be helpful to our teachers in terms on what to give and what to retain. Choosing our teachers from "pictures" can be tricky and it can reflect our wishes of belonging to something or something else without really knowing what we're doing and how good we are at doing it.

So then it's again a 50/50ish dilemma.

C'est la vie can be a résumé of it.