I have noticed that if I think too much (which I usually do), I sometimes get a headache, especially if I am pondering over something that is difficult to understand. It has therefore since long been my suspicion that thinking too much can cause headaches. At the first glance, this does not seem possible, because our brain lacks pain perceptors. Instead, the pain experienced from headaches is sensed by nerves on the cranium around the brain or in the meninges (a protective layer of the brain on the inside of the cranium)
These pain perceptors can be activated due to tiny blood vessel damage or the dilation of blood vessels in the brain. The blood vessel dilation or damage can be caused by overactive neural activity (such as stress). Stressful thoughts, such as when your thoughts are racing, should therefore be able to cause headaches. There are of course many other factors that can influence headaches, such as drinking too much coffee, not drinking enough water, or using the computer too much. But it is recommended that we exercise some control over our thinking, such as meditational techniques. Headaches are becoming increasing common in children. One study showed that 56 % of boys and 74 % of girls aged between 12-17 years had experienced headaches the previous month. People suffering from depression report having more headaches than others. Little is currently known about headaches and the more severe types, such as migraines. Therefore this would be an important and interesting area for further study.
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In the course, I mainly teach you the basic approaches to treatment of psychological disorders. There are however several more modern and novel treatments that we do not cover. Here I will outline a few of them.
Internet therapy: This is an individual therapy that is becoming more and more common due to technological developments, such as videoconferencing. This technique is fairly effective for those with low or moderate levels of psychological illness and make therapy more accessible for people. Some people find it easier to be honest with the therapist when online. For people with severe mental illness (such as those with intentions of suicide or psychotic episodes), face-face-therapy is more appropriate. Virtual reality therapy: This is another individual therapy that can be used to treat anxiety disorders, such as phobias and post traumatic stress. It is usuallyt combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and provides an opportunity for the patient to deal experience a situation that is causing them problems without being in danger, so that they can learn to deal with the experience and become desensitized. Transcranial magnetic stimulation: This is a biological treatment. The technique sends electromagnetic waves to specific areas of the brain which alters the brain activity of that area on distance. It is currently being tested to use for major depression, strokes, hallucinations, parkinson's disease, and chronic pain. Some weaknesses of the treatment is that it in rare cases can cause seizures. A more common adverse effect is discomfort. Neurofeedback: This is a development of biofeedback, which is a commonly used method to learn to control stress. In biofeedback, technical instruments give signals if for example skin conductance or heart rate is too high. Through negative reinforcement and raising the awareness of body signals, the person can therefore learn to relax and calm down. Neurofeedback, uses brain scans, such as EEG or MRI. The individual can be informed about their brain activity in real time. Neurofeedback can be used on patients with autism or ADHD. The brain scans can detect the activity of the executive control processes in the brain (which is poor in those suffering from ADHD). Through feedback and training, the patients can then learn to improve their executive control functioning (in one experimental set up, the participants were allowed to play a computer game if they were able to increase their executive control functioning). Unlike those with ADHD, patients with Autism often have an overfocus which can also be regulated through neurofeedback. Brain implants/Deep brain stimulation: This is another biological treatment. For this treatment a kind of "brain pacemaker" is implanted into the brain. The pacemaker sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. It has shown to be effective for major depression, parkinson's disease, and chronic pain. Experiments with brain implants are on the rise. Scientists are developing techniques where you will be able to control technology on distance by mere thought. They have conducted many successful experiments on animals (and humans) in this area. Here are some interesting clips for this new technique. Robo rat – the brain/machine interface Mind control monkey moves robots in Japan An isolation tank is a soundproof tank in which the person floats weightlessly in salt water that has body temperature. It was originally developed by John C. Lily to investigate the effect of sensory deprivation on the brain. Lily hypothesized that the brain would be inactive if it was deprived from environmental stimuli. His experiments, however, did not support this original hypothesis. On the contrary, the brain activity of the subjects were high when they were in the tanks, despite the sensory deprivation.
The current use of isolation tanks is for therapy. This type of flotation therapy has shown to be effective in reducing stress and pain. Not everyone, however, feel relaxed of sensory deprivation and long term sensory deprivation can even have serious consequences. Sensory deprivation is commonly used technique in torture. In the 1960s, Hebb did research on sensory deprivation, which some claim was funded by the CIA. In a controversial experiment, he investigated the psychological effects of isolation and sensory deprivation. Subjects were left alone on a bed in a sound isolated dark room. They were cuffed with a cotton gloves so that they could not feel little with their hands. In addition, they had dark goggles depriving them of vision and white noise played in their ears through a headset. Most subjects did not last for long in the isolated dark room and asked to quit the experiment early on. Many of them reported hallucinations. Here is an award winning documentary about the CIA:s use of sensory deprivation in torture: Taxi to the dark side BBC has recently reenacted Hebb's original experiment in this documentary: Total isolation At the beginning of the class yesterday I talked about dissociative identity disorder with some students. Dissociative identity disorder is formerly known as multiple personality disorder. I just want to share with you briefly what I know about the disorder.
Dissociative identity disorder is when an individual has two or more separate identities, that may, or may not be aware of each other. The disorder is controversial and not accepted worldwide. It is interesting that the majority of the cases occur in the United States, and these diagnoses started to grow after a lot of media attention for cases of the disorder. Dissociative identity disorder is therefore, to a certain extent, another example of a culture bound syndrome. If the disorder is valid, it is still not known what causes it. Some have claimed that the individuals claimed to suffer from it are merely acting to gain attention. Others suggest that the personalities have been induced by the therapists on the client, through hypnosis and medication. The patient has been suggested into believing that she has multiple personalities. It is however important to make clear that the hemispheres of the brain have somewhat different personalities, which may demonstrate itself if the neural pathway between the hemispheres is cut. The hemispheres for such patients can have different emotions and even conflicting behavior. Dr Frederick Schiffer has speculated that this conflict between hemispheres can be an underlying cause of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression (another biological etiology of depression). For therapeutic purposes, he has constructed special goggles that enable visual information to reach only one of the hemispheres. By using these goggles he can “communicate” with one of the hemispheres. During research with these goggles he has found that participant respond differently emotionally, depending on which hemisphere that is processing the visual information. More on Dr Schiffer’s goggles can be read here. New theories of depression focus on brain’s two sides And here is a clip of a patient who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Three faces of Eve Did you know that your behavior can be affected by parasites? Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite toxoplasma gondii. The main source for human infection is contact with raw/partly cooked meat or cat feces. One third of the world's population is believed to carry a toxoplasma infection. The level of infection varies across the world. In France, 88 % of the population is estimated to be infected, compared to 4.3 % in South Korea. Some researchers have even suggested that cultural differences in behavior can be accounted for by toxoplasmosis.
Studies have shown that toxoplasmosis is a contributory or even causative factor for various psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia (another biological cause of depression). Individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to have a clinical history of toxoplasmosis than those in the general population. The parasite is believed to produce an enzyme that alters the production of dopamine, which indirectly affects behavior such as attention, sociability, and sleeping patterns. Other studies suggest that men with toxoplasmosis have shorter attention spans, are more risk taking and have slower reaction times(they are more likely to be in car accidents), independent, anti-social, suspicious, jealous, morose, less interested in novelties and deemed less attractive by women. Female carriers are more outgoing, altruistic, friendly, promiscuous, and considered to be more attractive. This research is still very controversial. You might have heard about trepanation; an ancient method of treating mental disorder by drilling a whole in the skull of the person, to let the evil spirits out. It was used as early as during the neolithic times and continued to be used until modern time. And believe it or not, there still exist proponents (and practitioners) of trepanation.
The information in this article may be used when you are evaluating the learning outcome "concepts of normality and abnormality".
It has sometimes been claimed that there is a fine distinction between being a genius and being abnormal (e.g. the "deviation from the mean" definition of abnormality). The concept of latent inhibition may shed further light on this claim. Latent inhibition is a term that was originally used within classical conditioning. With this means that stimuli that have not been important in the past (have not produced a response in the past) are less likely to produce responses in the future, compared to new stimuli. For instance, if you no longer notice the air conditioner in the room or people talking, you have experienced latent inhibition. Latent inhibition prevents sensory and cognitive overload (basically so you won't become crazy because of having too much information in your mind) It has been suggested that people with high IQ and a low latent inhibition (meaning that they are able to process more information from the environment than the average person) are those people that we call geniuses. People with a low latent inhibition and at the same time a low IQ may be those that become insane. Geniuses may also lose their sanity if they allow themselves to be overloaded by stimuli from the environment. It is important to point out that IQ is not a fixed trait, but can be lowered by stress and traumas. One study, for instance, has found a link between attempted suicide and low IQ. People with a high latent inhibition may be viewed as "narrow minded" whereas people with a low latent inhibition can be highy sensitive persons. Their ability to process so much information from the environment, however, may make them highly creative. Dopamine is believed to lower latent inhibition (which may explain why patients with Schizophrenia have a low latent inhibition, which may affect their illness) Book sent me this youtube clip that pertains to the side effects of SSRI:s. You should know the side effects of SSRI:s when you are discussing the effectiveness of SSRI:s for biomedical treatment of depression.
I however want to clarify that the adverse effects mentioned by this person are very rare. As any drug, there are always side effects, but in most cases they are mild. In addition, the side effects disappear if you stop taking the drug and there are no known negative long term effects (as far as I know). Ex-pharmaceutical rep. talks about adverse effects from SSRI's Today a student asked me in class about some clarification of how SSRI:s (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - a type of antidepressant) work.
Basically, they increase the level of serotonin in the synapse by inhibiting the reuptake of the neurotransmitter into the presynaptic cell. As you know, during neurotransmission, the presynaptic cell is releasing the neurotransmitters into the synapse, which bind to receptors in the receiving cell. This cause an electric impulse in the receiving cell. After the neurotransmitters have bound to the receiving cell they return to the presynaptic cell. SSRI:s however, inhibit the presynaptic cell's reuptake of serotonin, prolonging the time serotonin stays in the synapse, therefore prolonging the effect of serotonin of the receiving cell. Please note that serotonin does not increase the level of serotonin in the brain, only the level of serotonin in the synapses. Patients suffering from depression or anorexia usually have an imbalance in the Serotonin system. It could be good to know that patients with depression have a decreased activity of Serotonin neurotransmission (about 30 neurotransmitters are related to depression). Patients suffering from anorexia have a more complex imbalance of the serotonin system. Areas with the 5HT1A receptor (One type of Serotonin molecule) show a heightened level of serotonin. These areas are related to anxiety, mood and impulse control. Areas related to the 5HT2A serotonin receptor show a decreased serotonin activity (these areas are related to regulation of feeding, mood, and anxiety) Low serotonin activity is also related to violent behavior, something to consider when you evaluate the sociocultural explanations of violence. The following movies are great to see in order to increase your understanding of psychology. (In most cases I am only linking to the movie trailers, you will have to find the movie yourself)
One flew over the cucko's nest A great movie that relates to ethical issues and reliability/validity issues of diagnosis. Girls interrupted A movie with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie about life in a mental institution A beautiful mind A movie based on the life of John Nash, a Noble Prize Winner who suffered from schizophrenia The Wave, part 1 A movie based on a true story that relates to social identity theory Die Welle A German remake of The Wave. Das Experiment A German movie based on the Zimbardo Prison Experiment The Experiment An American movie based on the Zimbardo Prison Experiment Memento A thriller about a man suffering from a similar type of amnesia as H.M. and Clive Wearing Rain Man A movie about a character who is based on Kim Peek, a savant with exceptional memory The three faces of Eve A movie based on a true story about a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder Sybil A TV series based on a true story about a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder I never promised you a rose garden A movie based on a true story about a woman suffering from Schizophrenia Mocking birds don't sing A movie based on the true story of Genie High anxiety A not so serious comedy by Mel Brooks about a murder in a mental institution Limitless A new movie that relates to the coming future of mind enhancing drugs Inception An action movie that relates to stages of consciousness and dreams Black Swan A thriller about a ballet dancer suffering from Schizophrenia Shutter island A thriller that relates to treatment of abnormality in the 1950s and An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge A short movie based on a short story by Ambrose Pierce that relates to consciousness Fisher king A movie that relates to depression, violence and schizophrenia. |
AuthorThis is my class blog for IB Psychology. Here I will publish reflections on psychology, reviews of psychology books, recommended links, lecture notes, and information on psychology topics that are not covered by the syllabus. You are free to add comments or ask me questions. Archives
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