In Which I Discuss Schizophrenia

Welcome back! Did you miss me? Of course you did, and I don't blame you.

The hot topic this week is schizophrenia! That's interesting, right? "Why, yes! It is!" you shout with excitement and anticipation.

I want to start off by tackling some common misconceptions about schizophrenia. For one, when people think of the schizophrenia, many tend to associate it with having multiple personalities. This is not the case. Multiple personalities are a symptom of a different condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or (more fittingly), Multiple Personality Disorder.

Another misconception is that people with schizophrenia are violent and dangerous to be around. This is also false. There is no evidence that a person with schizophrenia is any more dangerous than someone who doesn't have it. Many people with schizophrenia are perfectly capable of living productive lives. In fact, it's possible that you may have met someone with the disorder and not known it.

With that out of the way, you's probably like to know what, exactly, schizophrenia is, if it's not what you've seen on TV.

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects about 1% the U.S. population (about 3,115,919ish people). Like many of the other things I've talked about in my blog, schizophrenia affects different people in different ways. Some people with the disorder may experience auditory hallucinations or delusional thinking. Incoherent speech and odd behavior are also common. A lot of people who suffer from schizophrenia aren't able to care for themselves without assistance, while many others can go on to lead fulfilling lives. It's hard for me to tell you what life is like for people with schizophrenia, especially since I don't know anyone who has it, so I found a video of a woman talking about living with the disorder:

As far as the causes of schizophrenia go, it's been determined that it's likely a mix of both genetic and environmental factors. Family has a lot to do with it, of course. As you probably know, we inherent genes from our parents, so it makes sense that 10% of people with schizophrenic parents will also develop the disorder. However, the people with the highest risk of developing schizophrenia are those who have identical twins with the disorder. For these people, there is a 40-65% chance of developing it. Environmental factors include things that a person is exposed to before and just after birth. These may include prenatal infections, head injuries as an infant, and other things that may have an effect on neurological development.

Before I wrap this up, I have a question for you. If you had to have schizophrenia, what point in time would you choose to have it? If your answer was any time other than now, you're wrong and you should feel bad. Now is arguably the best time to be schizophrenic (not that there's ever been a particularly good time), simply because new developments in treating schizophrenia are being made every day. There are two major forms of medications: typical/conventional and atypical. Conventional medications have been around since the 1950's while atypical ones are pretty new, having been developed in the 90's. These medications work to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia and usually have noticeable results within a few days. For many people, these medications allow them to live normal lives. Of course, there are side effects. People taking atypical medications may experience tremors, muscle spasms, rigidity, or restlessness. Honestly, though, I think I'd rather have a few sleepless nights than listen to angry voices yell at me.

Schizophrenia is a really complex condition and I could probably write dozens of entries about it. If you're just dying to know more, though, you can visit the National Institute of Mental Health's website. They have tons of information about all kinds of things.

Say goodnight, Gracie.

'Tis the Season

I never ceases to amaze me how, after 23 years (my birthday was yesterday, make me feel special), I'm still learning about stuff that's been common knowledge for a while. I had one of those moments recently when I learned about Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that affects about 6% of the US population (that's about 19 million people), and I didn't even know it was a thing until a couple of weeks ago.

People with SAD see their depression recur around the same time every year, usually during a particular season. Most people begin experiencing symptoms in the fall and they continue through the winter, but some people may experience symptoms during spring and summer months. Because most people experience symptoms during the winter, SAD is more common near the poles because of long winter nights. It's much less common in areas with moderate climates. Interestingly, the symptoms people experience can differ depending on when they begin experiencing SAD.

Winter symptoms include:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Heavy, "leaden" feeling in the arms or legs
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating

Whereas summer symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Trouble sleeping
• Irritability
• Agitation
• Weight loss
• Poor appetite
• Increased sex drive

While there's no specific cause for SAD, there do seem to be a few things that come into play. Among these are circadian rhythm, serotonin levels, and melatonin levels. It's thought that the lower levels of sunlight in the winter may disrupt the body's "biological clock", causing a person's body to become conflicted as to whether it should be asleep or awake. This, in turn, can trigger feelings of depression. Additionally, the reduced sunlight may also cause a drop in serotonin levels that can cause depression. Finally, seasonal changes may disrupt the body's balance of melatonin, which can affect mood and sleep patterns.

Luckily, SAD has a reasonably quick and inexpensive treatment called light therapy. People undergoing light therapy sit or work a few feet away from a box (basically a lamp) that gives off a bright light, mimicking outdoor light. Despite not having a lot of research behind it, light therapy seems to be a pretty effective way of treating people with SAD. For those who don't get any benefit from light therapy, there's always medication and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of videos on YouTube featuring people sitting next to lamps for extended periods of time, but I did find this video from DailyWebTV where some lady interviews some other lady about light therapy:

At 3:28, they make a great point about not using just any old lamp for light therapy. If you have SAD, it's best to consult a doctor before buying a light therapy box to make sure you're not just getting a piece of glowing junk.

I think that about does it. As always, I hope you've learned something, because I'd be really sad if you didn't. Oh, and before I go, isn't SAD the most appropriate acronym for anything ever?

Y'all come back now, y'hear?

PTSD: I'll Think of a Better Title Later

I think it's safe to say that most people have experienced or will experience an event which they consider traumatic at some point in their lives. These events can include car accidents, assaults, natural disasters, or even just witnessing something like this happen to someone else. After everything's over, plenty of people can recover and move on with their lives. Unfortunately for some, however, it's not so simple.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that some people develop as a response to these events. PTSD isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing either; it comes in a variety of flavors, none of which I'd want to try. The symptoms fall into three categories: re-living, avoidance, and increased arousal. The CDC made a handy list that highlights some of the symptoms in each category:


• Symptoms of re-living include flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme emotional
and physical reactions to reminders of the event. Emotional reactions can include
feeling guilty, extreme fear of harm, and numbing of emotions. Physical reactions
can include uncontrollable shaking, chills or heart palpitations, and tension
headaches.

• Symptoms of avoidance include staying away from activities, places, thoughts, or
feelings related to the trauma or feeling detached or estranged from others.

• Symptoms of increased arousal include being overly alert or easily startled,
difficulty sleeping, irritability or outbursts of anger, and lack of concentration.

Much like its symptoms, the disorder itself affects people in various ways. People can be diagnosed with acute PTSD if their symptoms last less than three months after the traumatic experience. Other people may be diagnosed with chronic PTSD, which means that their symptoms last longer than three months after the event. Finally, some may experience PTSD with a delayed onset. They may feel like they've recovered from the event, but after six months, they may begin experiencing the symptoms of PTSD.

You already know how people begin experiencing the disorder, but you may be are absolutely wondering why some people get it and others don't. In a study of 218 people who had been hospitalized after severe car wrecks, it was found that 1/6 of them later developed PTSD. Despite every person demonstrating similar stress levels, only some developed the disorder. The study also found that those who did develop PTSD weren't necessarily in worse accidents than those who didn't. So what could it be? Well, one study found that people with PTSD tend to have a smaller hippocampus than average and low levels of cortisol. What this suggests is that these people aren't as well-suited as others to handle extreme levels of stress, making them more prone to developing PTSD.

No one has come up with a decisive way to prevent PTSD from occurring; after all, its effects can vary wildly from person to person. Some recent studies suggest making people play Tetris or exposing them to the traumatic event again, but those are a little new-agey for some. One tried and sometimes-true method is good old-fashioned cognitive therapy. Studies have found that providing preventative therapy to people who have experienced something traumatic may help to lower the chances of PTSD occurring. With that in mind, I hope nothing traumatic ever happens to you...whoever you are. If it does, get some help.

So long for now and spaceman's luck to all of you.

Something About Sleep Apnea

I had this whole thing planned out about REM and I was going to make a bunch of jokes related to the band, but then I got bored. You should have seen it. There were puns everywhere. It was great. Okay, I'm lying. Anyway, this one is about sleep apnea, and I think it's quite a bit more interesting than anything I would have to say about REM.

So, sleep apnea is a type of insomnia characterized by the impaired ability to breathe while sleeping. Imagine if you were sound asleep and, all of a sudden, you just sat up and started gasping for breath. That's something normal for people with this condition. Sometimes people remember these instances and sometimes they don't, so if you're one of these people, it probably happens to you a lot more than you think.

I like to try and write about topics that have some sort of relevance in my life and sleep apnea is one of them. Now, I don't have it, but my girlfriend's mother does and I actually only found out what it was because of her. Apparently, she frequently wakes up gasping for air. She also has a snoring problem. A few years ago, she went to a sleep clinic where they hooked her up to a bunch of machines and monitored her sleeping. That's when she was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Now, she has this mask that helps her breathe at night, but it certainly doesn't magically fix her condition.

"What's the big deal?" you might be wondering, naively. Well, sleep apnea has symptoms that may be problems in there own regards. Symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Waking up with a very sore and/or dry throat
• Loud snoring
• Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
• Sleepiness or lack of energy during the day
• Sleepiness while driving
• Morning headaches
• Restless sleep
• Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex
• Recurrent awakenings or insomnia

You can see how some of these daytime symptoms might be troublesome for people with sleep apnea. If you or someone you know experiences some of the symptoms, it's probably a good idea to get checked out. Don't take my word for it, though. Take a look at what Shaq (yes, Kazaam himself) has to say about his experience with sleep apnea:

There are a few things that can cause sleep apnea. Some of these include genetics (you may have it if a family member does), hormones, old-age (as you get older, the mechanisms in your brain used to control breathing may deteriorate), and obesity (obese people may not be able to maintain a necessary rate of breathing while they sleep, causing them to wake up and gasp for air). Sleep apnea is generally treated depending on its cause, so some people may be encouraged to lose weight or avoid alcohol while others maybe need to wear a mask to sleep (like Shaq). In some cases, treatment of sleep apnea may require surgery.

Now you know all there is to know about sleep apnea. That's probably not true, but let's pretend it is. I'll see you next week. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Let's Talk About Sex...ual Behavior

A common question in popular culture is "Why do men cheat?" It's been asked for ages. People have written books about it, some have made movies about it. Heck, it's the first thing that pops up on Google when you type in the words "why do men". Some might even say it's something bordering on sexism. I can't say I disagree. Anyway, watch video from Good Morning America that tackles the question:

First off, the soundbites from the pedestrians at the beginning are pathetic, but that's not why I'm here. Steve Harvey makes a good point at 3:34. He says that there's something of a primal inhibition that makes us cheat because we're predators. While that's not exactly what I'm getting at, he's on the right track.

Let's think about cheating from an evolutionary standpoint. Imagine that you're a caveman in the Paleolithic era. At this point, people aren't a whole lot different from other animals. So, what does an animal in the wild do? They hunt and they breed. Let's not forget that people, despite our mastery of the opposable thumb, are still just animals. Think of a man's desire to cheat (if there is one) as the primal urge to spread his seed as much as possible for the survival of the species. So, that's that. Men cheat because they're animals. Women are far more evolved, right? Nope.

Women cheat too. All the time. I'll bet you're wondering what possible evolutionary purpose polygamy serves for women. Well, I'm sure you've had that one neighborhood cat that's always pregnant. Well, think of women who cheat as cats. They have multiple mates to ensure that someone's putting a bun in the oven. Additionally, having multiple partners gives cheating women a chance to compare their mates and choose the one who's better equipped to care for their offspring.

Now, this is all well and good, but this blog is about physiological psychology, not evolutionary psychology. I know you've been itching to find out what the physiological basis for this behavior is, so I'm going to tell you now: there is none. So far, there's no evidence to suggest that people are genetically predisposed to seeking multiple partners. As far as anyone's concerned, people just do it.

He was framed.

Before I wrap this up, I'd just like to clarify that, just because I listed some possible evolutionary explanations for why people cheat, it doesn't justify it in any way. People are vastly more intelligent now than we were in the stone age, so none of those explanations even apply anymore. Besides, there's an evolutionary explanation for monogamy too. So, you know...don't cheat. It's not nice and you'll hurt someone's feelings.

And that's one to grow on!

Pheromones: A (Slightly Gross) Love Story

Have you ever been strangely attracted to someone, but you couldn't understand why? Maybe it was the way they did their hair? Maybe it was their stylish fashion sense? Perhaps they just had a certain way of carrying themselves that just oozed confidence? Are you ready to read a sentence that doesn't end in a question mark? No? Well, what if I told you that your unexplainable attraction to this person was because you just really liked the smell of their armpits? "But, Stevan! That's disgusting," you say, secretly wondering if I'm telling the truth. Well, dear reader, I am...kind of.

Pheromones are chemicals released by animals that have an effect on the behavior of their own species, and it's usually sexual in nature. The gist of it is that animals use these pheromones to attract mates. For instance, when a dog or cat is in heat, every dog/cat in the neighborhood somehow knows and shows up, trying to get some action. If you weren't familiar with the concept of pheromones, you might have just thought that animals were psychic or something. In actuality, pheromone receptors in animals are really, really strong.

You're probably wondering what this has to do with you and Mr./Ms. Dreamy McDreamboat's sweaty pits. Well, I may have exaggerated a little lot. While humans do secrete pheromones through our skins (not just our armpits), they're not exactly useful as far as attracting the opposite sex. This is mostly because our pheromone receptors are pretty much leftover junk from our less civilized years and don't work. Don't fret, though, we do have olfactory receptors that resemble the pheromone receptors of other species. Unfortunately, unless you're trying to line up your menstrual cycle with your sorority sisters, human pheromones still aren't going to do a whole lot for you. Besides, who needs pheromones when you have boatloads of cash? Right?

If you're still hopeful, allow me to crush your dreams with this probably less-than-scientific experiment in which a woman has to choose between a man sprayed with pheromones, a man wearing aftershave, and a sweaty guy:

So, there you have it. Pheromones are nowhere near as effective as cheap aftershave when it comes to seducing attractive British women. Now you know...

And knowing is half the battle!

ne-m'oubliez-pas

First off, I'd like to say that I'm extremely fortunate to have never had to witness a loved one or acquaintance suffer from Alzheimer's. I know a lot of people who have lost family members to it and I'm thankful that it hasn't been an issue for my family. Unfortunately, not everyone can be as lucky as I am.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in older people (ages 60+).  When people think of Alzheimer's  they generally think of memory loss, but the symptoms go much deeper than that. The disease works by attacking the areas of the brain that control decision-making, cognitive processes, and memory. Ultimately, it cripple's a person's ability to live their life independently and it will likely result in death. If you're curious as to what other symptoms victims of Alzheimer's experience, the National Institute on Aging has listed the following:

• Has difficulty with new learning and making new memories.
• Has trouble finding words - may substitute or make up words that sound like or mean something like the forgotten word.
• Loses spark or zest for life - does not start anything.
• Loses recent memory without a change in appearance or casual conversation.
• Loses judgment about money.
• Has shorter attention span and less motivation to stay with an activity.
• Easily loses way going to familiar places.
• Resists change or new things.
• Has trouble organizing and thinking logically.
• Asks repetitive questions.
• Withdraws, loses interest, is irritable and not as sensitive to others' feelings, is uncharacteristically angry when frustrated or tired.
• Takes longer to do routine chores and becomes upset if rushed or if something unexpected happens.

Now, obviously, just because someone displays a few of these symptoms, that doesn't mean they have Alzheimer's. Trust me; I have plenty of friends that meet several of these. However, it is something to think about. To give a better perspective, I found the following video on YouTube that features an elderly man with Alzheimer's. The whole things is kind of sad, yet lighthearted at the same time, although I will admit that the obnoxiously overlayed music by The Plain White T's didn't do much for me.

If you think that's sad, it gets even sadder when you look at the numbers. According to the CDC, as many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's. That's a lot of people (obviously). Chances are, you probably know someone who has it. To put even more emphasis on numbers, it's estimated that 5% of all people aged 65-74 have it, and the numbers shoot up as people get older, with nearly half of all people 85 and older being victims.

As far as causes, we don't completely understand how people get Alzheimer's.There are, however, two things that we know are definitely contributors: age and family history. As far as other things go, it's speculated that Alzheimer's may correlate with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If you'd like to NOT have Alzheimer's, there are a variety of things that professionals suggest doing. These include things like maintaining a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, engaging in stimulating social and intellectual activities, and more. The main goal, of course, is to take care of your brain. Remember: you only get one. If you'd like more details on Alzheimer's prevention, alz.org is the place for you.

Hopefully, I've provided you with something useful. I've always been scared of getting Alzheimer's when I'm older. It just doesn't seem like a nice thing to have. Luckily, it doesn't run in my family, but I know that's not a get-out-of-jail-free pass. I really hope I have something less depressing to write about next week. I'm gonna go be sad now.

Goodnight, John Boy.