Are We All A Little Mad?

Tuesday 27 September 2022, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Any replies to the organizer - thormay@yahoo.com

Venue: Zoom online

Focus Questions

1. Are some people less sane than others, without being insane? How would you define a sane person?

2. Do we make a distinction in social practice between someone 'having mental illness' and someone who is 'insane' or 'mad'?

3. Having any kind of power is a giddy responsibility which unbalances most people to some extent. At what point can we say that the misuse of power becomes some form of mental illness? Examples?

4. What kind of mental imbalances can or should lead the state to legally intervene to save an individual from themselves, or from interfering with others?

5. How does culture, religion and/or politics colour perceptions of who is mentally ill, or who is 'insane'? Examples?

6. Most officially recognized mental conditions occur across a spectrum from mild to severe, and also affect individuals ranging from very low IQs to 'high functioning'. What are examples of individuals operating mentally outside the range of 'normal' human behaviours but actually managing successful careers and life patterns?

7. Why is it that the incidence of certain types of mental distress such as 'anxiety' and 'depression', as well as extreme anti-social behaviour, is more common amongst the young than the old?

8. Maybe most of us go through periods of erratic or demoralized behaviour, sometimes for a very short time, in some cases for months or years .... then recover balance. This can test the tolerance of friends, employers and others. How should we 'others' handle a person who seems to have 'gone off the rails' for a while?

9. It is common in marriages for partners to grow in different directions over time. Sometimes this leads to pathological, damaging relationships which are nevertheless preserved by both parties. What are some common examples of mutually damaging but continuing types of marriages/relationships?

10. How often do individuals themselves recognize that they are mentally ill or 'mad', and how often does it take the intervention of outsiders to declare that an individual is mentally ill? Are the outcomes different for self-recognition and imposed judgement? Examples?

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Extra Reading

Sherryn Groch [July 24, 2022] "This neuroscientist accidentally discovered he was a psychopath. - How can you pick them? - People are often happy to diagnose their “psycho” boss or “sociopathic” in-laws but what do these conditions actually mean? How are they detected? And what’s it like to live with them?". The Age @ https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-neuroscientist-accidentally-discovered-he-was-a-psychopath-how-can-you-pick-them-20220608-p5asat.html [Thor, comment: This is one of the best explanations of psychopathology I've seen. ... and yes, they do nail Putin as a clinical psychopath]

Sonya Lipczynska (27 Apr 2015) “We all go a little mad sometimes”: the problematic depiction of psychotic and psychopathic disorders in cinema". Journal of Mental Health @ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/09638237.2015.1022252

Lucy Foulkes (30 Mar 2021) "What we're getting wrong in the conversation about mental health - Increased use of psychiatric language means ordinary distress is being medicalised, while the seriously ill are not being heard". The Guardian @ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/29/conversation-mental-health-psychiatric-language-seriously-ill

Patrick McGorry (8 August 2022) "About 40 per cent of young Australians have experienced mental illness — and it's high time we do something about it." ABC @ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-05/youth-mental-health-crisis-time-to-respond/101295194

Tory Shepherd (22 July 2022) "Almost half of young women in Australia report mental health disorder, study finds". The Guadian @ https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/22/almost-half-of-young-females-in-australia-report-mental-health-disorder-study-finds

Sirin Kale (12 Sep 2022) "The people making a difference: the mental health campaigner on the truth about personality disorders". The Guardian @ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/12/mental-health-campaigner-on-the-truth-about-personality-disorders

Massachusetts General Hospital (June 15, 2017) "Why do those with autism avoid eye contact? - Imaging studies reveal overactivation of subcortical brain structures in response to direct gaze". Science Daily @
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170615213252.htm

Hannah Jane Parkinson (27 December 2016) "Forget the gold bikini. For people with mental illness Carrie Fisher was a queen". The Guardian @ https://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2016/dec/27/carrie-fisher-video-obituary

Elizabeth Svoboda (September 2, 2013) "Kings and Queens of Chaos
Borderline personality disorder cuts a wide swath of destruction. Slowly, the condition is yielding to new understanding—provided patients get the correct diagnosis". Psychology Today @ https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201308/kings-and-queens-chaos

Jewel Topsfield (August 6, 2022) "The autism advantage - why businesses are hiring autistic people". The Age @ https://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace/the-autism-advantage-why-businesses-are-hiring-autistic-people-20220804-p5b767.html [Quote: "When Chris Varney was in Year 2 he presented his teacher with an incredibly detailed visual chart of the royal families of Europe from the 14th to the 19th century. “I just felt I had found a new way of seeing the last millennium. No wonder we have so many revolutions and conflict, these families were way too connected, small community, completely out of touch,” he quips during his TED talk Autism: How my unstoppable mother proved the experts wrong. Chris Varney believes there is a need for a positive rethink of autism. His teacher said: “Oh goodness, Chris, doesn’t this chart look interesting. But darling, our assignment is on winter.” Seven-year-old Varney thought: “I’ve just done a PhD on the whole last millennium. And you want me to draw clouds and rain?”"

Rachel Zimmerman (September 21, 2022) "In a first, US health panel calls for routine anxiety screening in adults - In a nod to the United States’ pressing mental health crisis, an influential group of medical experts for the first time is recommending that adults under age 65 get screened for anxiety. Anxiety disorders are often unrecognised and underdetected in primary care: One study cited by the task force found the median time for initiating treatment for anxiety is a staggering 23 years". The Age @ https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/in-a-first-us-health-panel-calls-for-routine-anxiety-screening-in-adults-20220921-p5bjop.html

Ashwini Padhi (Wed 21 Sep 2022) "Workplace trauma can affect anyone in any occupation. How can we deal with it?". The Guardian @ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/21/workplace-trauma-can-affect-anyone-in-any-occupation-how-can-we-deal-with-it

Mad in America website @ https://www.madinamerica.com/ [This is a professional website for psychiatrists and others. It deals with mental health issues]

Mary Ward (September 25, 2022) "What’s ADHD and why are more adults being diagnosed with it? - Being unable to focus can feel like a normal symptom of modern life. But ADHD is more than being distracted." Sydney Morning Herald @ https://www.smh.com.au/national/what-s-adhd-and-why-are-more-adults-being-diagnosed-with-it-20220825-p5bcod.html [Thor, comment: This is a pretty good background summary of Attention Deficit syndrome ]

Fan Yiying and Chen Jiangyi (September 09, 2022) "In 2022, China’s Students Are Struggling to Cope. So Are Their Teachers. China is growing increasingly concerned about a spike in mental health problems among students. But “zero-COVID” is taking a shocking toll on teachers, too". SixthTone website @ https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1011185/in-2022%2C-chinas-students-are-struggling-to-cope.-so-are-their-teachers.?source=channel_home

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