the MIND, and the VOICES

*caution: the following is really a PSY thing :)

on the very first day of semester 8, i went to the library to borrow some ophthalmology books. suddenly i remembered a book 1 of our psychiatry lecturers suggested us to read; The Day The Voices Stopped. when i was back in sem7, i wanted to borrow that book but then i was too busy with the EOS7, i decided not to read it until i am really ready for it. yeah, the time has come! i thought minor posting would be such a great time to read a novel *big grin*. hence, i borrowed the book. unfortunately minor postings are not that relaxing, so i took about 2 weeks to finish reading the book (which usually will only takes a few days to finish it).

then, after reading the book, i watched a film also recommended by our lecturer; A Beautiful Mind. it took me ages to start watching it since i already have the video looong time ago. (just need a right time to watch it la).

here are the summaries of the movie and the book. yeah, u can call me a geek! i dun mind, ahaqs!

A Beautiful Mind

this is a movie on John Forbes Nash Jr. , a mathematics genius who struggled with schizophrenia since young (i think). despite the illness, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy and finally recieved the Nobel prize in Economics. *claps*

my opinion: wawawa.. tipah tertipu dek cerita ini! arghh tidak!!! (i shud have knew it!) i luv the part where Nash said: i am terrified, mortified, petrified, stupified, by u when asked by his collegue to play a game. cute isn't it? hehe.. it is worthwhile to watch this movie, the twist is so unexpected. this movie was nominated for 8 categories in Academy awards and won 4 of them.

THE DAY THE VOICES STOPPED- A memoir of madness and hope

this is a story of Ken Steele who 1st heard the voices when he was 14. he was then diagnosed with schizophrenia about 2 years after that. with multiple hospital admissions in many places in the US, he had attemped many suicides (as demanded by the voices) but failed. he also had tried many drugs but again the side effects were very bad and none has helped. then one day, he seek help at the Park Slope Center for Mental Health, and received not only counselling, but also Risperdal. the voices stopped!

my opinion: this book is very inspiring! it's so interesting that what i actually studied during our Psy posting became so real. the best quote is (at least it sounds like this, i forgot the exact words): although they are not heart disease, diabetes mellitus or cancer, mental illnessess are just as real. yeah, sometimes i do think how can these ppl heard voices that normal ppl do not hear. pelik kan? but that's it! they heard it! only God knows how and why..

a bit on this illness-

SCHIZOPHRENIA

it is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a constellation of abnormalities in thinking, emotion, and behaviour. there is no single symptom that is pathognomonic, and it can produce a broad spectrum of clinical pictures. it is usually chronic and debilitating. approximately 1% of all population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime.

their world: distorted perceptions of reality, hallucinations, illusions, and delusions, disordered thinking (concrete understanding), blunted affect/emotion, disorganized speech and behaviour, social withdrawal.

the very first sign often appear confusing or even shocking changes in behaviour. it can be very difficult to cope with the symptoms of schizophrenia especially for family members who remember how involved or vivacious a person was before they becoming ill. family support and family education is very crucial in helping schizophrenic patient, apart from medications, rehabilitation, psychotherapy and self-help gropus.

medications: typical and atypical anti-psychotics. *Risperidone (Risperdal) is an atypical anti-psychotic. its side effects are mild as compared to other anti-psychotics.

for further info: go here

~ my Psy posting wl b in nx 3 months la. currently in A&E posting and i'm loving it!