Mind Hacks

Having ‘uncontrollable’ angry outbursts meets the criteria for “intermittent explosive disorder” – a diagnosable mental illness. According to a recent study, 7.3% of Americans could be diagnosable within their lifetime – that’s 1 in 14 people.

The diagnosis just seems to describe people who have occasional and extreme angry outbursts that are out of proportion to the stresses they experience.

No wonder diagnostic manuals get a bad name when behaviour within the normal spectrum (even if it is only displayed by a minority of people) is pathologised as a ‘mental illness’.

I suspect this reflects an increasing attitude than unless something is defined as a ‘mental illness’ people can’t be offered help for their problem, or perhaps, won’t be willing to seek assistance.

Link to write-up from New Scientist.
Link to abstract of scientific study.

New Scientist has put an article online about drug-tampering – the practice of messing with prescription medication so it can be used to get a high or gives a stronger effect.

Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin are being crushed and snorted, and users on internet sites discuss how to take other drugs in similarly non-standard ways.

New Scientist suggests that this is a ‘growing health hazard’ but prescription drug-tampering is as old as prescription medication itself.

In fact, prescriptions were introduced in many countries to try and control the problem of medicines being used recreationally.

Benzedrine is the classic example. The nasal decongestant was widely abused as its main active ingredient was amphetamine.

It was so widely abused to become part of culture and featured in songs and literature as a result. Even clean-cut James Bond pops the occasional Benzedrine to keep him sharp in the original Ian Fleming novels.

The Addiction Research Unit at Buffalo University have collected many more examples of now prohibited drugs which were widely available over the counter, and similarly abused for their recreational kick.

Link to New Scientist article.
Link to Buffalo University online pre-prohibition drugs museum.

Delivery driver Gary Harris was suffering vomiting and headaches but was told he would have to wait 11 weeks for an NHS brain scan, so his workmates had a whip-round and collected enough money for a private scan – which saved his life.

The scan found a large tumour, and doctors say his life would have been in danger had it not been detected and removed.

Link to story from BBC News.

Petra also tells me that there’s a competition to promote participation in the free discussion forum for psychology and social science research.

£100 worth of books will be awarded to the most active and helpful member of this site between 5th of May and the 7th of July.

The forum is for anyone undertaking psychology or social science research to discuss their work and exchange ideas, with input from professional researchers and Petra herself.

Link to competition details.
Link to message board front page.

The London-based Dana Centre will be hosting a number of events on the science of sex over the coming month for those interested in gender, reproduction and passion.

Tuesday 6th of June sees a debate asking can pharmaceuticals improve your love life? and considers the increasing targetting of sexual behaviour by drug companies.

On the following day, there’s a discussion about the problems with defining gender and how gender is influenced by social and biological development.

And on Wednesday 14th June the Dana Centre tackles myths and misconceptions about sex and sexual behaviour in a panel discussion.

Psychologist, sex researcher and blogger Petra Boyton will be part of the discussion for the two debates on sex, and will be joined by professionals from the pharmaceutical industry and medical world.

Photos from yesterday’s Bonkersfest! have started to appear online.

It was a beautifully sunny, wonderfully anarchic day in Camberwell.

Congratulations to all involved and I’ll look forward to the next one.

The excellent ABC Radio National All in the Mind has a special this week on the social impact of psychiatric drugs.

During the 20th century, there was a revolution in the development of mind-altering drugs to the point where useful and viable medicines for mental distress became available.

The widespread prescription of such drugs meant that they became used for more than serious mental illness – they often became self-administered fixes for the stresses and strains of daily life.

All in the Mind discusses the history of the these drugs and how they have affected our ideas of cultural and personal distress.

mp3 or realaudio of programme.
Link to transcript.

The Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments blog has a thoughtful piece on the increasing trend for people with serious mental health concerns being chosen as participants in reality television shows.

Recently, several mental health charities have criticised the UK Big Brother after a contestant threatened to kill themselves on air, and left the show shortly after.

Participants with mental health difficulties have also featured on mainstream US shows, and the article argues that producers are more concerned with having dramatic ‘characters’ in their show than they are about the mental health of participants.

The article is an incisive analysis of mental illness on reality TV at a time when such concerns have become widely debated.

Link to article ‘Reality Corrupted’.