Sunday, September 10, 2017
Matthew Mcconaughey
"...at the end of your life, all the things you thought were periods, they turn out to be commas. There was never a full stop to any of it," Matthew Mcconaughey (1969)
American actor, voice actor, director, producer, and writer. He
first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming-of-age comedy
Dazed and Confused.
Stranger Than Fiction: Breakthrough in OCD Treatment
In the film, "Stranger than Fiction", he hears an author's (Emma Thompson) voice in his head as she narrates every move he makes and thoughts. He soon discovers that he is in fact the ill-fated protagonist of her latest piece of work. While a book-company employee (Queen Latifah) tries to cure the author's case of writer's block, the auditor and a professor (Dustin Hoffman) set out to find the woman and make her change her story.
In a small, preliminary clinical study, the experimental drug rapastinel rapidly reduced symptoms of OCD, although the effect was not long-lasting. The drug was well tolerated, causing none of the dissociative side effects associated with ketamine.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Research has shown that most people have unwanted “intrusive
thoughts” from time to time, but in the context of OCD, these intrusive
thoughts come frequently and trigger extreme anxiety that gets
in the way of day-to-day functioning. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a
mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and
occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of both obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive
thoughts, images, or impulses that occur in a continuous loop causing the
individual to experience intensified feelings of distress and overall a lack of
control. These obsessions are then followed with feelings of fear, disgust,
doubt, and the strong urge to do things the ‘just right’ way.
Subsequently, these behaviors, and thoughts interfere if not
consume a majority of these individuals lives. They are aware that these
thoughts do not make sense but the psychological disorder determines if a
person has OCD or simply an obsessive personality trait. The words “obsessing”
or “being obsessed” are causally used in the day-to-day life to describe
someone who is pre-occupied with a topic, idea, or person. However, being “obsessed”
with something does not interfere with living a normal functional life and
often times people find pleasure in it. An example would be if a new song came on the radio and you describe yourself to be "obsessed" with it to friends and family, however you continue to function despite this "obsession".
*Individuals with OCD have a hard time hearing this usage of
“obsession” as it feels as though it diminishes their struggle with OCD
symptoms*
Compulsions, the
second part of obsessive compulsive disorder, are the repetitive behaviors or
thoughts a person uses to neutralize, counteract, or make their obsessions
disappear. People with OCD realize that their compulsions are only a temporary
solution to cope with the distress they feel and rely on the compulsions as a
temporary escape. Compulsions can also include avoiding situations that
trigger obsessions.
Not all repetitive behaviors or 'rituals' are compulsions.
It is important to look at the function and context of this behavior. [For
example, bedtime routines, religious practices, and learning a new skill all
involve some level of repeating an activity over and over but are positive and
functional part of daily life.] Behaviors depend on the context. Arranging and
ordering books for eight hours a day isn’t a compulsion if the person works in
a library. Compulsions are time consuming and get in the way of important
activities the person values.
Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive
behaviors at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have
“some OCD.” People tend to have 'compulsive' behaviors, where this type of
'compulsive' refers to a personality trait that a person enjoys whereas
individuals with OCD feel driven to engage in compulsive behavior and would
rather not have to do these time consuming and many times
torturous acts.
In OCD, compulsive behavior is done with the intention of
trying to escape or reduce anxiety or the presence of obsessions. To be
diagnosed with OCD, the cycle of obsessions and compulsions has to be so extreme
that it consumes a lot of time and gets in the way of important activities that
the person values. [A]
RESEARCH:
Rapastinel, an experimental drug currently being evaluated
for the treatment for major depression and may relieve the symptoms in
individuals who struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder [aka: OCD] quickly
and with few side effects allowing for an overall effective viable treatment
option/ manner.
NARSAD 2009 and Young Investigator, Carolyn I. Rodriguez,
M.D., Ph.D., (2014) from Stanford University School of Medicine reported in
‘The American Journal of Psychiatry’ in December of 2016 their observations in
their small proof-of-concept study. A Young Investigator, Helen Simpson, M.D.,
Ph.D., and Independent Investigator 2010 from Columbia University College of
Physicians and Surgeons, was also members of the research team.
Investigating rapastinel
has been a primary focus of their studies because it was previously discovered
that some OCD patients received rapid relief from their symptoms when they were
treated with Ketamine (an anesthetic used to rapidly reduce symptoms of
depression). Like other drugs, it has its own side effects which for Ketamine a
feeling of detachment from one’s self or patients have reported having an
‘out-of-body’ experience. This brings challenges for use in the general clinics
and the board spectrum of psychiatric disorders.
Rapastinel functions in a similar way that ketamine does
in that the drug modulates the action of NMDA receptors found in the brain. By
docking the ports for the neurotransmitter glutamate (an important region that
allows for humans to learn, contain memories, in addition to keeping the
synaptic plasticity) has been thought to play a large role in OCD. However,
there is a difference between rapastinel and ketamine’s modes of function in
that rapastinel was discovered to have a lower risk of dissociative side
effects.
It is no surprise that Rodriguez and her colleagues
turned to rapastinel in the hopes of finding more effective and fast acting
treatment in reducing patients’ obsessions and compulsions without dissociative
side effects.
RESULTS:
Each participant was given a single dose of the drug
rapastinel. The drug was well tolerated as none of the patients reported
dissociative side effects and within hours of treatment the severity of
patients’ symptoms declined significantly.
Results of the team’s initial clinical study included 7
participants who have OCD, revealed much promise as the drug reduced
obsessions, compulsions, as well as the anxiety and depression that is often
paired with OCD patients. Although the effects on these symptoms were
fast-acting, they did not last for long periods of time.
Links:
*Please note! These images are not
mine. They were found on various tumblr, pinterest, google image sites! If any
are yours please let me know so that I can give you credit for them! Also the
people in the images have no relation to the diseases, illnesses, or cancers I
write about. Thanks so much & enjoy~
Saturday, September 9, 2017
G. K. Chesterton
"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten," G. K. Chesterton.
(1874-1936)Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG, was an English writer, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, lay theologian, biographer, and literary and art critic.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Tom Waits
"Don't plant your bad days. They grow into weeks. The weeks grow into months. Before you know it, you got yourself a bad year. Take it from me. Choke those little bad days. Choke 'em down to nothin'. They're your days. Choke 'em!" Tom Waits (1949-present) American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor.
Waits is also known for his distinctive voice.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
2017 Summer Reading List
When Character was King- Peggy Noonan
[No one has ever captured Ronald Reagan like Peggy Noonan. In When Character Was King, Noonan brings her own reflections on Reagan to bear as well as new stories—from Presidents George W. Bush and his father, George H. W. Bush, his Secret Service men and White House colleagues, his wife, his daughter Patti Davis, and his close friends—to reveal the true nature of a man even his opponents now view as a maker of big history. Marked by incisive wit and elegant prose, When Character Was King will both enlighten and move readers. It may well be the last word on Ronald Reagan, not only as a leader but as a man. (Published, 2001; Author, Peggy Noonan).]
The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
[In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. (Published 1890; Author: Oscar Wilde)].
When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
[When Breath Becomes Air is a non-fiction autobiographical book written by Paul Kalanithi. It is a memoir about his life and illness, battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It was posthumously published by Random House on January 12, 2016.]
The Better Angels of our Nature (Why Violence has Declined) - Steven Pinker
[The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, in which he argues that violence in the world has declined both in the long run and in the short run and suggests explanations as to why this has occurred.]
Art that Changed the World
[Art That Changed the World tells the story of every major art style, movement by movement, giving art lovers a visual timeline showing key paintings that sparked each transition and explaining major events that shaped their evolution. Each section features a lavish double-page image of an influential painting that defines each artistic style. Seminal works of genius are portrayed in their historical context, with attention paid to the culture of the time and the lives of their creators. (Published: 2013; Authors: Ian CHilyers, Iain Zaczek, Jude Welton, Caroline Bugler, Lorrie Mack).]
Withering Heights - Emilie Bronte
[Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's only novel. Written between October 1845 and June 1846, Wuthering Heights was published in 1847 under the pseudonym "Ellis Bell"; Brontë died the following year, aged 30.]
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