From a visiting exchange student to the latest member of the King’s harem in just a few short hours. All thanks to her quick conversation into a Bunslave.
“A brainwashing machine? Really? And how does it work?”
Well, actually the machine is just for show. The tricky part is getting you to put on the Suit. It’s made of special Pearlyhose material with nanofiber technology that stimulates your nervous system and cognitive functions. Allowing us direct access to your mind…
“And you expect me to believe that…weirdo science fiction stuff?”
No, we expect you to just…relax…and why not just try on these headphones…?
What are antidepressants? How do antidepressants work? Do I need antidepressants? Antidepressants or therapy? Well if you’ve ever had any of these questions, then you should watch this video. In this video I’m talking you through what antidepressants are, how antidepressants work with the brain, and when you may need antidepressants versus just therapy. I’m lucky enough to be joined by my friend and neuroscientist Ben Rein, Ph.D. from Stanford University, because as you know, I am not a neuroscientist!
ADHD symptoms persist for most young children despite treatment
Nine out of 10 young children with moderate to severe attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continue to experience serious, often severe symptoms and impairment long after their original diagnoses and, in many cases, despite treatment, according to a federally funded multi-center study led by investigators at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
The study, published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, is the largest long-term analysis to date of preschoolers with ADHD, the investigators say, and sheds much-needed light on the natural course of a condition that is being diagnosed at an increasingly earlier age.
“ADHD is becoming a more common diagnosis in early childhood, so understanding how the disorder progresses in this age group is critical,” says lead investigator Mark Riddle, M.D., a pediatric psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. “We found that ADHD in preschoolers is a chronic and rather persistent condition, one that requires better long-term behavioral and pharmacological treatments than we currently have.”
The study shows that nearly 90 percent of the 186 youngsters followed continued to struggle with ADHD symptoms six years after diagnosis. Children taking ADHD medication had just as severe symptoms as those who were medication-free, the study found.
Children with ADHD, ages 3 to 5, were enrolled in the study, treated for several months, after which they were referred to community pediatricians for ongoing care. Over the next six years, the researchers used detailed reports from parents and teachers to track the children’s behavior, school performance and the frequency and severity of three of ADHD’s hallmark symptoms—inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The children also had full diagnostic workups by the study’s clinicians at the beginning, halfway through and at the end of the research.
Symptom severity scores did not differ significantly between the more than two-thirds of children on medication and those off medication, the study showed. Specifically, 62 percent of children taking anti-ADHD drugs had clinically significant hyperactivity and impulsivity, compared with 58 percent of those not taking medicines. And 65 percent of children on medication had clinically significant inattention, compared with 62 percent of their medication-free counterparts. The investigators caution that it remains unclear whether the lack of medication effectiveness was due to suboptimal drug choice or dosage, poor adherence, medication ineffectiveness per se or some other reason.
“Our study was not designed to answer these questions, but whatever the reason may be, it is worrisome that children with ADHD, even when treated with medication, continue to experience symptoms, and what we need to find out is why that is and how we can do better,” Riddle says.
Children who had oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder in addition to ADHD were 30 percent more likely to experience persistent ADHD symptoms six years after diagnosis, compared with children whose sole diagnosis was ADHD.
ADHD is considered a neurobehavioral condition and is marked by inability to concentrate, restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. It can have profound and long-lasting effects on a child’s intellectual and emotional development, Riddle says. It can impair learning, academic performance, peer and family relationships and even physical safety. Past research has found that children with ADHD are at higher risk for injuries and hospitalizations.
More than 7 percent of U.S. children are currently treated for ADHD, the investigators say. The annual economic burden of the condition is estimated to be between $36 billion and $52 billion, according to researchers.
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Other Johns Hopkins investigators on the research included Elizabeth Kastelic, M.D., and Gayane Yenokyan, Ph.D.
“If only he had been nicer growing up instead of a stupid jerk… I just couldn’t help myself from giving her all the information that would actually make my brother’s circumcision as miserable as possible“
If you are located in the United Kingdom, The Beat UK is here to support people who have or are worried they have an eating disorder. You can find all of the support services they provided by clicking here.
If you are located anywhere in the European Union, you can find support resources in your area at Mental Health Europe.
If you need some inspiration and comfort on your dashboard, follow Post It Forward on Tumblr.
Don’t feel pressured to spend money on alternative or experimental treatments for your chronic illness if you can’t afford to or don’t want to.
When all of your family and friends are telling you to try probiotics, yoga, special diets and lots of other treatments not covered by insurance, it’s easy to feel pressure to try them. Our health obsessed society subtly sends us the message that we don’t really want to get better if we’re not doing everything we conceivably can to improve our health, like trying every alternative treatment that holds the elusive promise of a cure.
But you don’t have to spend money on supplements and acupuncture unless you want to and believe it will help you. Ignoring the magazine headlines about the healing powers of turmeric and only following your doctor’s advice is more than ok. Don’t let our society or anyone in your life make you feel guilty about the treatment decisions that you make.
I wish healthy people understood that getting a diagnosis ≠ getting an effective treatment.
There are so many chronic illnesses for which there aren’t very effective medications or therapies. Even if your chronic illness has a few good treatments available, they might not work for you, or they might be out of your reach because your doctor won’t prescribe them or your insurance won’t cover them.
If you do find a medication or treatment that works for you, it might only alleviate some of your symptoms and restore part of your function. It might come with unpleasant side effects that interfere with your life in new ways.
Chronic illnesses are complex, and treating one is never as simple as getting a diagnosis and being prescribed a pill that fixes everything (or even helps).
Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, the traditional feast day before the start of Lent. Also known as Pancake Day, many people will have returned to traditional recipes or experimented with the myriad of options available for this versatile treat.
But you may not realise pancakes are helping to advance medicine. Here we revisit some interesting research
In a study that was published in Mathematics Today, researchers found that understanding the textures and patterns of pancakes helped improve surgical methods for treating glaucoma.
The appearance of pancakes depends on how water escapes the batter mix during the cooking process. This is impacted by the batter thickness. Understanding the physics of the process can help in producing the perfect pancake, but also provides insights into how flexible sheets, like those found in human eye, interact with flowing vapour and liquids.
Illustration of a healthy eye, glaucoma, cataract
The researchers at University College London (UCL), UK, compared recipes for 14 different types of pancake from across the world. For each pancake the team analysed and plotted the aspect ratio, i.e. the pancake diameter to the power of three in relation to the volume of batter. They also calculated the baker’s percentage, the ratio of liquid to flour in the batter.
Pancake batter
It was found that thick, almost spherical pancakes had the lowest aspect ratio at three, whereas large thin pancakes had a ratio of 300. The baker’s percentage did not vary as dramatically, ranging from 100 for thick mixtures to 175 for thinner mixtures.
Co-author Professor Sir Peng Khaw, Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology said; ‘We work on better surgical methods for treating glaucoma, which is a build-up of pressure in eyes caused by fluid. To treat this, surgeons create an escape route for the fluid by carefully cutting the flexible sheets of the sclera.’
‘We are improving this technique by working with engineers and mathematicians. It’s a wonderful example of how the science of everyday activities can help us with medicinal treatments of the future.’
Classic american pancakes
For more information on this topic, please click here.
Here’s a thought I had about how therapy & treatment works (vs how many people imagine it works). This is based on my experience with depression and chronic illness, but I hope it applies more broadly as well.
Imagine you have to take a road trip on a deserted road alone. Halfway through the trip your engine starts to splutter and the car breaks down. What do you do?
A lot of people imagine that therapy and treatment is like calling a mechanic to come and fix your car for you. You make the call, and then you just have to wait around until the mechanic has fixed the problem, and your car is good as new! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. There is no on-call mechanic. No-one is able to fix this car except for you.
Instead, it’s like you pull a toolbox out of the trunk, pop open the hood, and dial up the mechanic on the phone. You have to try and describe the problems as clearly as possible, and follow the advice they give you as well as you can.
Sometimes you won’t understand the advice, and you’ll need them to explain it again or suggest something else. Sometimes you’ll do what they say and the car still won’t run, and they won’t be able to explain why, only give you something new to try. Sometimes you’ll think you fixed the problem and start driving, and the car will break again two minutes down the road. No matter what happens, it’s going to be hard and messy and frustrating work.
But at the end of it, not only will your car be running again, but you’ll know how to fix it now. Which isn’t to say that you’ll never need another mechanic again, but next time you get stuck, it’ll be that little bit easier to handle.
So keep at it everyone, and good luck on your journeys!
