Mental Health Digest

There are five reasons why this book is unique and needs to be celebrated: 1. Lyrical beauty of the prose. I have lost count of the number of paragraphs I highlighted. "We don’t have children to fulfill our dreams. Children allow us to let go of the dreams we were never meant to fulfill." "When she’s absorbed in her work, and isn’t leaning against him, he feels off-balance, unstable....

The Covenant of Water There are five reasons why this book is unique and needs to be celebrated: 1. Lyrical beauty of the prose. I have lost count of the number of paragraphs I highlighted. “We don’t have children…

കുറച്ച്കാലം മുൻപ് ബ്രാഡ് പിറ്റ് തനിക്ക് പ്രൊസപഗ്നോസിയ (prosopagnosia) എന്നൊരു വൈകല്യം ഉണ്ടെന്നും അത് മൂലം താൻ വളരെയധികം തെറ്റിദ്ധരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നും പറയുകയുണ്ടായി. പ്രൊസപഗ്നോസിയക്ക് മറ്റൊരു പേര് കൂടിയുണ്ട്: face blindness. അതായത്, മുഖങ്ങൾ തിരിച്ചറിയാനുള്ള കഴിവ് ഇല്ലാതിരിക്കുക. ഇങ്ങനെയുള്ളവർക്ക് പരിചയം ഉള്ള മുഖങ്ങൾ, പരിചയം ഇല്ലാത്ത മുഖങ്ങൾ എന്നൊന്നും ഇല്ല; എല്ലാം അപരിചിത മുഖങ്ങൾ മാത്രം. സ്വന്തക്കാരെയും കൂട്ടുകാരെയും പോലും തിരിച്ചറിയാൻ പാടായിരിക്കും (ചിലർക്ക് സ്വന്തം മുഖം പോലും കണ്ണാടിയിൽ തിരിച്ചറിയാൻ കഴിയില്ല). പലപ്പോഴും വേണ്ടപ്പെട്ടവരുടെ സ്വരം, ഹെയർസ്റ്റൈൽ, നടക്കുന്ന രീതി ഒക്കെ കൂട്ടിവായിച്ചാണ് പ്രൊസപഗ്നോസിയ ഉള്ളവർ സ്വന്തക്കാരെ തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നത്....

Super recogniser കുറച്ച്കാലം മുൻപ് ബ്രാഡ് പിറ്റ് തനിക്ക് പ്രൊസപഗ്നോസിയ (prosopagnosia) എന്നൊരു വൈകല്യം ഉണ്ടെന്നും അത് മൂലം താൻ വളരെയധിക.....

A body is discovered in mysterious circumstances in one part of London. And a police officer decides to investigate what has happened. Decades later, the same thing happens, and another police officer is assigned to the case. This repeats two more times. Interestingly, while the identity and gender of the investigating officers keep changing, it's the same person's body, found in the exact location, decades apart....

Bodies A body is discovered in mysterious circumstances in one part of London. And a police officer decides to investigate what has happened. Decades later, the same thing happens, and another police offi…

Barbara O'Brien narrates the experience of living with Schizophrenia in her book 'Operators and Things: The Inner Life of a Schizophrenic'. Excerpts:

"Let us say that when you awake tomorrow, you find standing at your bedside a man with purple scale-skin who tells you that he has just arrived from Mars, that he is studying the human species, and that he has selected your mind for the kind of on-the-spot examination he wants to make.

While you are catching your breath he walks casually to your best chair, drapes his tail over it, and informs you that he will be visible and audible only to you. Fixing his three eyes sternly upon you, he warns you not to reveal his presence; if you attempt to do so, he threatens, he will kill you instantly.

You may wonder, perhaps, if you are sane. But the Man From Mars is standing before you, clear and colorful, and his voice is loud and distinct. On the basis of what you can so clearly see and hear, you accept the fact, astounding as it is, that the stranger is what he says he is.

If your temperament were such that you would not be able to accept the fact that a Man From Mars might just pop into your room, the vision appearing before you would not be a Man From Mars. It might be, instead, the awesome figure of God. Or the terrifying figure of the devil. Or it might be a much less conventional figure. In all probability the figure, regardless of the form it took, would have three characteristics: it would represent authority; it would have superhuman powers; and its weirdness would, in some way, seem plausible and acceptable to you.

Let us say that you are faced with the Man From Mars and that prior unresolved speculations concerning flying saucers give the figure a certain plausibility. You are rattled but you attempt to go through your normal activities, keeping your tremendous secret to yourself. You converse with your friends, perform your job, and eat your meals, even while the figure stands at your side. The Man From Mars advises you that it is not necessary to answer his questions, that you need only to think your answers, for he will be able to read your mind. You find this is no idle boast; the Man proceeds to demonstrate his ability to do just that.

If you are sufficiently controlled you may carry your secret around with you for some time before anyone suspects that something unusual has happened to you. A friend may notice that you seem somewhat distraught and suggest that you unburden your troubles. You ignore his advice. Obviously, such an action would result only in the instant death of you and your confidant. Instead, you become more careful of your behavior, hold onto yourself with everything you’ve got, and pray desperately for the Man From Mars to complete his research and depart.

It is possible that the Man From Mars may actually disappear within a few days or a few weeks. There is about a .05 per cent chance of this happening. You are physically exhausted after the Man has gone back to Mars, and your mind, which had been racing like a jet plane while the Man was with you, slows down and almost refuses to function at all. But as the days pass, you gradually revert to normalcy. In time, you may discuss your experience with some one and you may even discover, at this point, what was really happening to you while the Man From Mars was with you.

There is a 99.55 per cent chance, however, if something like the Man From Mars appears in your life, that he is still in your life after a few months. By that time it is very probable that you are in a mental institution, undergoing periodic electric or insulin shock treatment. There is a chance of the Man’s disappearing after a few shock treatments.

There is a much better chance that the Man is still with you after the hundredth dose of shock. By that time you may become so demoralized that you don’t care whether the Man kills you or not; or the doctors may inject drugs which induce you to talk. You find yourself eagerly telling the doctors and anyone else whose ear you can capture about your visitor and his purpose in haunting you.

They don’t believe you. This doesn’t altogether surprise you. After all, other people can’t see and hear the Man; he’s not tuned in on them. The Man may get nasty after your revelation of his presence and you may get angry enough to take a few punches at him—and feel jubilant about doing just this. While you are glorying in this first release of your months-old tension, you find that you are being fitted snugly into a restraining jacket and that strong tranquilizing drugs are being stuffed down your throat, or that the shock treatments have been increased to reduce your aggressiveness.

The tranquilizers or the shock therapy have the desired effect and your impulse to challenge the Man disappears. You review your situation despondently and finally resign yourself to the inevitable, realizing that there isn’t a thing any human being in the world can do for you. You wait wearily for the Man to go back to Mars. You might be in the institution for the rest of your life and the Man From Mars might be there with you.

You have a common variety of the mental disease, schizophrenia, a mental disorder more prevalent in America than it is anywhere else and one which is mounting in rate of increase with each year. Your mind is “split,”and a subconscious portion of it, no longer under your conscious control, is staging a private show for your benefit. The kind of show it stages will depend upon the kind of stuff that is in it and upon the relationship that existed between your conscious and unconscious while your mind was whole. It may, with each passing day, tear you to smaller and smaller pieces. It may, on the other hand, patiently stitch together the segments of you that have split apart.

One thing is certain: when you sit on your ward bench, staring at the wall, studying your apparition and despondently concluding that no other human being in the world can help you, your deduction will be a sane and reasonable one. If you develop schizophrenia which cannot be arrested by a few doses of shock therapy or tranquilizers, then there is no other human being in the world who can help you. The only thing that can help you at that point is the demon in control, your own unconscious mind."

P.S. A lot has changed since this book was published in 1958. Current mainstream understanding of Schizophrenia favours the 'biological' explanation involving receptors and neurotransmitters and has more or less shunned the conscious/subconscious/unconscious model. The shock therapy and tranquilisers of the 50s have given way to Dopamine receptor blockers. Yet even in the 2020s, less than 50% of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia make satisfying recoveries. For the rest, it's still grim.

"Derry Girls" is an absolute gem of a sitcom, and I've never laughed so hard while watching one in a long time. It brilliantly captures the coming-of-age story of a bunch of teenagers set in Northern Ireland during the 90s, while the region is going through a turbulent period known as The Troubles. What sets this show apart is its ability to juxtapose the political turmoil of the region with the carefree lives of the teenagers....

Derry Girls “Derry Girls” is an absolute gem of a sitcom, and I’ve never laughed so hard while watching one in a long time. It brilliantly captures the coming-of-age story of a bunch of teena…

'Kannur Squad' was a massive let-down. There is nothing here that is enjoyable if you have already watched cinematic gems like 'Nayattu', 'Unda' and 'Kuttavum Shikshayum'. As a police procedural alone, 'Thankam' released earlier this year was far better. Yet among all these movies, that 'Kannur Squad' is the biggest money-spinner tells you more about the audience than about the movie....

Kannur Squad ‘Kannur Squad’ was a massive let-down. There is nothing here that is enjoyable if you have already watched cinematic gems like ‘Nayattu’, ‘Unda’ and ‘Kutta…

This much I knew beforehand: 'Dick Johnson is Dead' is going to be about dementia and death. This is a documentary created by a daughter starring her father, who in real-life was dealing with the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. While still in the early stages of his dementia, she had proposed - and he had agreed - to stage his (fake) death multiple times till he (really) died, and film all of it....

Dick Johnson is Dead This much I knew beforehand: ‘Dick Johnson is Dead’ is going to be about dementia and death. This is a documentary created by a daughter starring her father, who in real-life was dealin…

There was a phase in Sachin's career, I believe - after Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag etc had established themselves as regulars - when he consciously tried to mellow down. He began to bat 'maturely', curbing his natural flair and aggression. Somehow, he seemed to have developed a compelling need to play like a senior 'statesman'. While it always felt like a privilege to watch him bat live, his uninhibited strokeplay from the get-go seemed to die down, and with that a good share of the excitement of watching him, at least for me....

The Thump of Daud There was a phase in Sachin’s career, I believe – after Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag etc had established themselves as regulars – when he consciously tried to mellow down. He began to …

'Maaveeran' is an engaging movie that combines comedy, action and social commentary seamlessly. The film presents an unusual superhero origin story. The protagonist, Sathya, before he becomes a hero, is a coward who believes ordinary people like him should just uncomplainingly put up with the slights and injustices they come across on a daily basis.'Adjust and live' is his mantra....

Maaveeran ‘Maaveeran’ is an engaging movie that combines comedy, action and social commentary seamlessly. The film presents an unusual superhero origin story. The protagonist, Sathya, before he b…

'Digital Minimalism' by Cal Newport is a thought-provoking exploration of our digital age and its impact on our lives. Newport's 'Less is More' philosophy shines throughout the book, emphasizing the importance of decluttering our digital lives to find true meaning and purpose. One of the key takeaways is the recognition that time is our most valuable resource. Newport highlights how our constant digital distractions steal precious moments that could be better spent on meaningful activities and relationships....

Digital Minimalism ‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport is a thought-provoking exploration of our digital age and its impact on our lives. Newport’s ‘Less is More’ philosophy shines throu…

"Happy Valley" is an intense and gripping crime drama that delves deep into the complexities of human nature, set against the stunning backdrop of West Yorkshire. 18 one-hour episodes spread across three seasons explore a multitude of compelling themes and character arcs. At the heart of the show is the riveting recurring face-off between a resilient no-nonsense police sergeant named Catherine Cawood and a 'psychopath' Tommy Lee Royce, who happens to be the father of her grandson....

Happy Valley “Happy Valley” is an intense and gripping crime drama that delves deep into the complexities of human nature, set against the stunning backdrop of West Yorkshire. 18 one-hour episodes s…

A heart-warmer. A tear-jerker. An eye-opener.
A must-read.

There was a time when I used to consider homos*xuals as deviants, perverts, anomalies. They were wired differently and wrongly, just like psychopaths were wired differently and wrongly. They were surely not 'normal'. And anyone who is not 'normal' was 'abnormal'. And that included those with homos*xual orientation.

Over the years, and especially because I work in the field of mental health, my opinion has evolved. As part of my work, I have interacted closely with those with homos*xual orientation and also have had discussions with well-meaning and more-knowledgeable peers and seniors. I have since realised how bigoted my views were. I now understand that those with homos*xual orientation are no more 'abnormal' than a left-handed person is abnormal. Majority of the humans are right-handed. And only about 10% of the human population is left-handed. But that doesn't make them abnormal in any way. Okay, does handedness really matter? Are they at any particular advantage or disadvantage? Most likely No. They are just the way they are. The exact same goes for those with homos*xual orientation too.

Yet most of them are living in a mental hell. A hell into which society pushed them into. As said earlier, I could shed my parochial views only because of the nature of my work. For the rest of the majority, I heavily recommend Mohsin Zaidi's memoir 'A Dutiful Boy'. Why should you read it? Because who knows who in your circle is living in that mental hell, fearing your prejudices, battling their demons. Heavily recommended even if you don't have such people in your life. Heavily recommended because this book is also a reminder that you never know what someone is going through. So, be kind. Always.

“I’m not going to ask you what you were addicted to. Nor when, nor for how long. Only, whatever your addictive focus; what did it offer you? What did you like about it? What, in the short term, did it give you that you craved or liked so much?”

And universally, the answers are: “It helped me escape emotional pain; helped me deal with stress; gave me peace of mind, a sense of connection with others, a sense of control.”

Such responses illuminate that addiction is neither a choice nor primarily a disease. It originates in a human being’s desperate attempt to solve a problem: the problem of emotional pain, of overwhelming stress, of lost connection, of loss of control, of a deep discomfort with the self. In short, it is a forlorn attempt to solve the problem of human pain. All drugs—and all behaviours of addiction, substance-dependent or not, whether to gambling, s*x, the internet or cocaine—either soothe pain directly or distract from it. Hence my mantra: The first question is not “Why the addiction?” but “Why the pain?”

- Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close encounters with Addiction