The first one to be eliminated...

       If the man upstairs came to earth and told me that I must have one disorder from the DSM and I could choose, schizophrenia is one that I would definitely not choose.  As schizophrenia is defined as the loss of touch with reality and the 'disease' most commonly associated with the concept of madness.  I am the type of person who likes to be in control of everything, as in situations, feelings, thoughts, reactions, expressions, you name it.  I cannot imagine not being able to control something so vital to everyday life.  There are many theories/explanations as to the development of schizophrenia, including psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural, and biological.  Most research has been toward the biological view of schizophrenia, nonetheless, in my opinion all of the theories play a role in the development.  As to the treatment, drugs are the most used and most effective treatment for schizophrenia.

             In my view not a lot of people are well educated about schizophrenia, the label is so tainted, I cannot even tell if it is better or just as bad as when David Rosenhan conducted his experiment.  (For those of you who have never heard of this experiment I have posted a video below that summarizes, it is very interesting and is known as the most infamous psychological experiments of all time).  I had a friend who was a paranoid schizophrenic, and I have a cousin who is schizophrenic as the result of substance abuse and people seemed to think everything they say is crazy, and when my friend would become upset, people would become terrified.  In my experience schizophrenic people are not violent, and they are actually very smart, that is not to say this is the norm per say, but it is a good thing that so much research is being conducted, and hopefully the other views are explored further.   

ADHD is a psychiatric disorder!

         Roman comic dramatist Titus Maccius Plautus once said, “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble”.   However, what if the trouble is patience itself?  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized as a constant pattern of impulsiveness, inattention, and lack of patience. 

It seems to me as if more and more children are getting diagnosed with this disorder.  Which really interests me, (at times it makes me wonder if it could have anything at all to do with the way parenting styles have evolved).  For example the symptoms on criteria A in the DSM IV fails to give close attention to details, for instance, difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities, does not seem to listen, does not follow through or not completes tasks, difficulty organizing tasks, loses things, easily distracted, forgetful, fidgets, difficulty remaining seated, and talks excessively.  I know I am not the only one who can agree that as a child all my parents had to do was give me the look, and any of that behavior would disappear (haha).    

            Nonetheless, for most this is a true diagnosis (there are even brain scanning images, like the one below, that show how ADHD affects the prefrontal cortex).  Upon diagnosing the best approach to cope is a combination of medication and therapy.  This of course will take patience, not only from the patient but from family and friends.   “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble” - Titus Maccius Plautus.                

Voluntary Control of Facial Expression

"Control your emotion or it will control you" -Anonymous  

            It is universal knowledge that most can exercise voluntary control over facial muscles, thus, making it possible to inhibit true facial expressions and to replace those true facial expressions with phony ones.  Although this was not new found information it was a realization, something that I had not readily thought about before.  Now I find myself thinking, "what if we did not have voluntary control over our facial expressions".  

           Would we save more time and money? (By not having to go through a court process, we would know if a crime was committed just by asking and seeing the expression).  Would we find true love more easily and not waste time with unfaithful/lying spouses? (After all, we would know if they were lying, and if they truly loved us by their true facial expression).  There are so many possibilities to not being able to hide true feelings through facial expression.    Although I admit that there are positive reasons to choose to put on a false expression, such as a fake smile to comfort an upset friend, the negative reasons to put on a fake expression outweigh the positive reasons (such as, but not limited to, the examples above).     

            I cannot speak for everyone, but I am a very reserved person, therefore, I do not like to show emotion, whether the emotion be negative or positive.  I suppose it makes me feel vulnerable, and invites people to inquire about my thoughts, feelings, views...etc.  So I suppose it is a good thing that we can mask emotions, although I am sure I have some of you thinking about the possibilities haha. 

       Check out this cool video to learn about some of the possibilities... =)