Thursday 4 July 2024
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Wednesday 3 July 2024
PHYSICS FROM OUTSIDE AND EXPERIENCE FROM INSIDE - LOOKING AT REALITY
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Th ese are the basic contours of the debate, as ought to be considered uncontroversial. And once we are clear about these contours, a disparity immediately emerges in the argumentative tasks facing the idealist and materialist. Th e materialist has a mountain to climb but the idealist does not. Th is is because in the very act of stating the idealist position, it becomes clear how they can approach their task. Th eir claim is that our experiences implicate the physical world, and since to talk about ‘implication’ is to characterize our minds, the idealist’s candidate for ultimate reality provides the resources needed to fulfi l their argumentative task. Th e details may be diffi cult, but we are just talking about the basic argumentative situation. In the case of the materialist, however, the idea of building up reality from its basic physical parts sounds fi ne for physical objects, but completely inappropriate for experience. Th eir candidate for ultimate reality is clearly very promising for dealing with things like boots, but barring some incredible conceptual innovation, not for experiences
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Over a lifetime, about 1% of the population will develop psychosis and schizophrenia. The first symptoms tend to start in young adulthood, at a time when a person would usually make the transition to independent living, but can occur at any age. The symptoms and behaviour associated with psychosis and schizophrenia can have a distressing impact on the individual, family and friends.
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Psychosis and schizophrenia are associated with considerable stigma, fear and limited public understanding. The first few years after onset can be particularly upsetting and chaotic, and there is a higher risk of suicide. Once an acute episode is over, there are often other problems such as social exclusion, with reduced opportunities to get back to work or study, and problems forming new relationships.
Th ere is a physical world out there which exists independently of us. It obviously does, because things don’t disappear when you’re not experiencing them – they have a life of their own, as you notice when you accidentally bump into something. Science provides an incredibly accurate description of that independent world, and by breaking it down into its subatomic components, it has managed to get the whole thing within its description. Some philosophers and religious people think that in addition to all the physical stuff science describes, there are non- physical minds, souls, spirits, gods, etc. But this is obviously old- fashioned, superstitious nonsense: there aren’t any spooky, immaterial things fl oating around in the physical world. People only ever thought that way because, being afraid of death, they wanted to have eternal souls and because they didn’t know that our brains make our experiences. If experiences weren’t physical, paracetamol wouldn’t work!
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In the last decade, there has been a new emphasis on services for early detection and intervention, and a focus on long-term recovery and promoting people's choices about the management of their condition. There is evidence that most people will recover, although some will have persisting difficulties or remain vulnerable to future episodes. Not everyone will accept help from statutory services. In the longer term, most people will find ways to manage acute problems, and compensate for any remaining difficulties.
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Early intervention in psychosis services should be accessible to all people with a first episode or first presentation of psychosis, irrespective of the person's age or the duration of untreated psychosis. [2014]
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Assess for post-traumatic stress disorder and other reactions to trauma because people with psychosis or schizophrenia are likely to have experienced previous adverse events or trauma associated with the development of the psychosis or as a result of the psychosis itself. For people who show signs of post-traumatic stress, follow the recommendations in the NICE guideline on post-traumatic stress disorder. [2014]
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IT FROM BIT FROM CHIT
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Th e titan Prometheus defi ed the gods to give human beings the gift of fi re. It was a dangerous magic with the power to hurt, destroy and transform, which gave us warmth, light and comfort. Prometheus’s magic fascinated us and still does. In gratitude for his gift , we devised a philosophy in his honour named ‘materialism
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Typically there is a prodromal period, which precedes a first episode of psychosis and can last from a few days to around 18 months. The prodromal period is often characterised by some deterioration in personal functioning. Changes include the emergence of transient (of short duration) and/or attenuated (of lower intensity) psychotic symptoms, memory and concentration problems, unusual behaviour and ideas, disturbed communication and affect, and social withdrawal, apathy and reduced interest in daily activities. The prodromal period is usually followed by an acute episode marked by hallucinations, delusions and behavioural disturbances, usually accompanied by agitation and distress. Following resolution of the acute episode, usually after pharmacological, psychological and other interventions, symptoms diminish and often disappear for many people, although sometimes a number of negative symptoms remain. This phase, which can last for many years, may be interrupted by recurrent acute episodes that may need additional pharmacological, psychological and other interventions, as in previous episodes.
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Although this is a common pattern, the course of schizophrenia varies considerably. Some people may have positive symptoms very briefly; others may experience them for many years. Others have no prodromal period, the disorder beginning suddenly with an acute episode
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Everything the human experiences is within the mind only.
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- Collected >2,800 thermal facial images and developed ThermoFace aging clock models
- •ThermoFace is related to metabolic indicators, DNA repair, ATPase, and lipolysis
- •ThermoFace aging rate increases with metabolic diseases and decreases with adequate sleep
- •ThermoFace can rapidly assess aging and metabolic diseases and intervention
Psychosis can also be triggered by:
- a traumatic experience
- stress
- drug misuse
- alcohol misuse
- side effects of prescribed medicine
- a physical condition, such as a brain tumour or dementia
- head injury
- childbirth
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Treating psychosis
Treatment for psychosis can depend on the cause, but usually involves a combination of
- antipsychotic medicine – which can help relieve the symptoms of psychosis
- talking therapies – the 1-to-1 talking therapy cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and family interventions (a form of therapy that may involve partners, family members and close friends) can be helpful
- social support – support with social needs, such as education, employment or accommodation
DTR PND SCZ CRSS X SMT X SMD
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People with schizophrenia commonly struggle to tell what's real and what isn't.
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Causes of psychosis
It's sometimes possible to identify the cause of psychosis as a specific mental health condition, such as:
- schizophrenia – a condition that causes a range of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions
- bipolar disorder – a mental health condition that affects mood; a person with bipolar disorder can have episodes of low mood (depression) and highs or elated mood (mania)
- severe depression – some people with depression also have symptoms of psychosis when they're very depressed
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Tuesday 2 July 2024
Monday 1 July 2024
Unknown Unknowns: The Problem of Hypocognition
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In 1806, entrepreneur Frederic Tudor sailed to the island of Martinique with a precious cargo. He had harvested ice from frozen Massachusetts rivers and expected to make a tidy profit selling it to tropical customers. There was only one problem: the islanders had never seen ice. They had never experienced a cold drink, never tasted a pint of ice cream. Refrigeration was not a celebrated innovation, but an unknown concept. In their eyes, there was no value in Tudor’s cargo. His sizable investment melted away unappreciated and unsold in the Caribbean heat.
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In financial dealings, almost two-thirds of Americans are hypocognitive of compound interest, unaware of how much saving money can benefit them and how quickly debt can crush them. In health, a full third of people suffering from type 2 diabetes remain hypocognitive of the illness. They fail to seek needed treatment—despite recognizing blurry vision, dry mouth, frequent urination—because they lack the underlying concept that would unify the disparate warning signals into a single alarm.
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Hypocognition is about the absence of things. It is hard to recognize precisely because it is invisible. To recognize hypocognition requires a departure from the reassuring familiarity of our own culture to gain a grasp of the unknown and the missing. After all, it is difficult to see the culture we inhabit from only within.
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