Editorial Martie 2011 - Profesor Dr. Aurel ROMILA

                                         I D E A L U L  de E U

     Stim din teoria psihiatriei ca orice persoana se dezvolta avind mai mult sau mai putin constient un eu ideal. Fiecare ar vrea sa devina cineva si ceva. Si daca nu ajunge ramine cu un regret toata viata ca n-a reusit, sau si-a gresit cariera sau a ratat-o. Cei mai multi se consoleaza cu "n-au fost conditii " sau asta e situatia! Asta este o frustrare majora. Asta poate motiva la unii derapajul in alcoolism sau droguri. Sunt si cazuri cind o boala psihica este un obstacol la devenirea sociala si subiectul se multumeste cu o supravietuire sau cu denigrarea celor care au reusit cite ceva.
     Idealul de eu este insa altceva. A nu se confunda cu eul ideal, psihanalitic. Idealul de eu se refera nu la ce vrei tu sa devii ci la orizontul cultural pe care ti l-ai format, cunoscind valorile care te-au precedat. Ce ai retinut din mitologii? Pe Apolo sau pe Dionisos?
Dar din religii? este Hristos idealul absolut? Dar din filozofie : Platon, Aristotel sau Plotin, Sf.Augustin? Este o caracteristica a tinarului in formare sa fie pe rind influentat de ultimul citit. Pe care il preferi, pe Descartes,Spinoza sau Kant, Hegel sau Schopenhauer, Nietzsche?
Fenomenologie sau existentialism? Dar ce spui de Shakespeare sau Eminescu, Racine sau Ionesco?
      Ca psihiatru am preferat pe Pinel si Esquirol lui Griesinger, dar Kraepelin, Bleuler, Kurt Schneider, Jaspers. Apoi Freud, Adler, Jung,
Lacan, Frankl. Pe deasupra tuturor virfurilor (cum spune poezia lui Goethe) sta Henry Ey. Secoll 21-22 va fi al lui sau...
     Dar panteonul rominesc? Soutzu, Obregia, Pamfil, Brinzei, G.Constatinescu, Belciugateanu.
Astea sunt doar citeva stele si nu idolii de TV.
     Deaceia pe linga bucuria care o ofera Plesu - Liiceanu am si regretul ca la talia care o au in cultura romina ar fi obligati  sa atace idealul de eu si criza lui actuala, pentruca in definitiv Noica nu mai e, dar el ar putea sa mai fie daca s-ar cultiva idealul de eu.
     Asaca eul ideal ridica nivelul unei persoane insa idealul de eu poate influenta calitatatea vietii unei natiuni si poate decide viitorul umanitatii. Asta este bacalaureatul!                       Prof.Romila

Advances in bone imaging techniques have...

* osteoporoza

Ito M – Advances in bone imaging techniques have provided tools for analyzing bone structure at the macro–, micro– and nano–level. Quantitative assessment of macrostructure can be achieved using dual X–ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT), particularly volumetric quantitative CT (vQCT).

Medscape Psychiatry

Antipsychotics: In Search of the Holy Grail
Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health, 2011-01-20

Most Emailed Articles on Medscape
1. Propoxyphene Withdrawn From US Market Medscape Medical News
2. A Matter of Respect and Dignity: Bullying in the Nursing Profession Medscape Nurses
3. The 2010 AHA Guidelines: The 4 Cs of Cardiac Arrest Care Medscape Emergency Medicine
4. Vitamin D Supplementation: An Update US Pharmacist
5. Autism and MMR Vaccine Study an 'Elaborate Fraud,' Charges BMJ Medscape Medical News

 

 

 

Antidepressant Linked to Significant Reduction in Menopausal Hot Flashes
Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, 2011-01-26

Most Emailed Articles on Medscape
1. 2010 AHA Guidelines: The ABCs of CPR Rearranged to "CAB" Medscape Education
2. IDSA Issues First Guidelines for Treatment of MRSA Medscape Education
3. The Last Hours of Living: Practical Advice for Clinicians MedscapeCME Nurses
4. New Guidelines for Exercise in Type 2 Diabetes Medscape Education
5. New Guidelines on Primary Stroke Prevention From AHA/ASA Medscape Education

 

 

 

 

The British Journal of Psychiatry - New Articles

A new future TOC for The British Journal of Psychiatry is available online for the issue:

April 2011; Vol. 198, No. 4

This Future Table of Contents is available online at: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/future/198.4.shtml


Editorials


Clozapine: dangerous orphan or neglected friend?

S. Farooq and M. Taylor
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Circadian rhythms and cognition in schizophrenia

K. Wulff and E. Joyce
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

The Madrid Declaration: why we need a coordinated Europe-wide effort in mental health

J. L. Ayuso-Mateos, T. Wykes and C. Arango
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)


Review article


Initiatives to shorten duration of untreated psychosis: systematic review

B. Lloyd-Evans, M. Crosby, S. Stockton, S. Pilling, L. Hobbs, M. Hinton and S. Johnson
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)


Papers


Prevalence of autoimmune thyroid dysfunction in postpartum psychosis

V. Bergink, S. A. Kushner, V. Pop, H. Kuijpens, M. P. Lambregtse-van den Berg, R. C. Drexhage, W. Wiersinga, W. A. Nolen and H. A. Drexhage
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Sleep-wake cycles and cognitive functioning in schizophrenia

V. Bromundt, M. Koster, A. Georgiev-Kill, K. Opwis, A. Wirz-Justice, G. Stoppe and C. Cajochen
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Time course of regional brain activity accompanying auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia

R. E. Hoffman, B. Pittman, R. T. Constable, Z. Bhagwagar and M. Hampson
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Polygenic dissection of the bipolar phenotype

M. L. Hamshere, M. C. O'Donovan, I. R. Jones, L. Jones, G. Kirov, E. K. Green, V. Moskvina, D. Grozeva, N. Bass, A. McQuillin, H. Gurling, D. St Clair, A. H. Young, I. N. Ferrier, A. Farmer, P. McGuffin, P. Sklar, S. Purcell, P. A. Homans, M. J. Owen and N. Craddock
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Epilepsy in autism: features and correlates

P. F. Bolton, I. Carcani-Rathwell, J. Hutton, S. Goode, P. Howlin and M. Rutter
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Childhood eating disorders: British national surveillance study

D. E. Nicholls, R. Lynn and R. M. Vyner
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

State-dependent alteration in face emotion recognition in depression

I. M. Anderson, C. Shippen, G. Juhasz, D. Chase, E. Thomas, D. Downey, Z. G. Toth, K. Lloyd-Williams, R. Elliott and J. F. W. Deakin
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Postcards in Persia: randomised controlled trial to reduce suicidal behaviours 12 months after hospital-treated self-poisoning

H. Hassanian-Moghaddam, S. Sarjami, A.-A. Kolahi and G. L. Carter
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

Lack of perceived social support among immigrants after a disaster: comparative study

A. N. Drogendijk, P. G. van der Velden, B. P. R. Gersons and R. J. Kleber
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011 198 (4)

 

The British Journal of Psychiatry - Up to Date


Highlights of this issue Kimberlie Dean The British Journal of Psychiatry

2011;198 A5
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/A5 "4"><http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/A5?etoc "4">>

 

------------------------------

*EDITORIALS*

------------------------------

Assisted suicide: why psychiatrists should engage in the debate Matthew

Hotopf, William Lee, and Annabel Price The British Journal of Psychiatry

2011;198 83-84
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/83< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/83?etoc>

 

Questioning the neuroprotective hypothesis: does drug treatment prevent

brain damage in early psychosis or schizophrenia? Joanna Moncrieff The

British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 85-87
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/85< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/85?etoc>

 

The Movement for Global Mental Health Vikram Patel, Pamela Y. Collins, John

Copeland, Ritsuko Kakuma, Sylvester Katontoka, Jagannath Lamichhane, Smita

Naik, and Sarah Skeen The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 88-90 *Open

access article*
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/88< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/88?etoc>

 

Equity of access to psychological therapies David A. Richards and Peter

Bower The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 91-92
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/91< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/91?etoc>

 

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*REVIEW ARTICLES*

------------------------------

Efficacy of mood stabilisers in the treatment of impulsive or repetitive

aggression: systematic review and meta-analysis Roland M. Jones, James

Arlidge, Rebecca Gillham, Shuja Reagu, Marianne van den Bree, and Pamela J.

Taylor The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 93-98
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/93< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/93?etoc>

 

------------------------------

*PAPERS*

------------------------------

Policy initiative to improve access to psychological services for people

with affective and anxiety disorders: population-level analysis Meredith G.

Harris, Philip M. Burgess, Jane E. Pirkis, Tim N. Slade, and Harvey A.

Whiteford The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 99-108
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/99< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/99?etoc>

 

Neuropathological correlates of late-life depression in older people Christos

Tsopelas, Robert Stewart, George M. Savva, Carol Brayne, Paul Ince, Alan

Thomas, Fiona E. Matthews the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function

and Ageing Study The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 109-114
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/109< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/109?etoc>

 

Neuropsychological changes and treatment response in severe depression Katie

M. Douglas, Richard J. Porter, Robert G. Knight, and Paul Maruff The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 115-122
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/115< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/115?etoc>

 

Quantifying the effect of early retirement on the wealth of individuals with

depression or other mental illness Deborah J. Schofield, Rupendra N.

Shrestha, Richard Percival, Simon J. Kelly, Megan E. Passey, and Emily J.

Callander The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 123-128
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/123< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/123?etoc>

 

Life stress, 5-HTTLPR and mental disorder: findings from a 30-year

longitudinal study David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, Allison L. Miller,

and Martin A. Kennedy The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 129-135
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/129< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/129?etoc>

 

Coming home may hurt: risk factors for mental ill health in US reservists

after deployment in Iraq Lyndon A. Riviere, Athena Kendall-Robbins, Dennis

McGurk, Carl A. Castro, and Charles W. Hoge The British Journal of

Psychiatry 2011;198 136-142
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/136< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/136?etoc>

 

Mental health of the non-heterosexual population of England Apu Chakraborty,

Sally McManus, Terry S. Brugha, Paul Bebbington, and Michael King The

British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 143-148
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/143< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/143?etoc>

 

Overcrowding in psychiatric wards and physical assaults on staff:

data-linked longitudinal study Marianna Virtanen, Jussi Vahtera, G. David

Batty, Katinka Tuisku, Jaana Pentti, Tuula Oksanen, Paula Salo, Kirsi Ahola,

and Mika Kivimäki The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 149-155
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/149< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/198/2/149?etoc>

 

------------------------------

*Correspondence*

------------------------------

Continuing lack of evidence for the psychotic subtyping of PTSD Elisa

Brietzke, André Zugman, Elson Asevedo, Rodrigo Mansur, and Graccielle

Rodrigues da Cunham The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 156
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156?etoc>

 

Authors reply: Brandon A. Gaudiano and Mark Zimmerman The British Journal

of Psychiatry 2011;198 156
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156-a< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156-a?etoc>

 

Is transference-focused psychotherapy really efficacious for borderline

personality disorder? Nikolaus Kleindienst, Bertram Krumm, and Martin Bohus The

British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 156-157
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156-b< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/156-b?etoc>

 

Author s reply: Stephan Doering The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198

157
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/157 "4"><http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/157?etoc "4">>

 

Ziprasidone and the relative risk of diabetes Douglas Vanderburg, Denis

Keohane, Onur N. Karayal, and Elizabeth Pappadopulos The British Journal of

Psychiatry 2011;198 157-158
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/157-a< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/157-a?etoc>

 

Authors reply: Lars Vedel Kessing and Per Kragh Andersen The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 158
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/158< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/158?etoc>

 

------------------------------

*Correction*

------------------------------

Correction The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 159
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/159< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/159?etoc>

 

------------------------------

*Book reviews*

------------------------------

Contemporary Directions in Psychopathology: Scientific Foundations of the

DSM-V and ICD-11 David Goldberg The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198

160
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/160 "4"><http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/160?etoc "4">>

 

Psychotherapy Is Worth It: A Comprehensive Review of the

Cost-Effectiveness Frank

Margison The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 160-161
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/160-a< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/160-a?etoc>

 

Psychiatry: An Evidence-Based Text Floriana Coccia The British Journal of

Psychiatry 2011;198 161
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/161< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/161?etoc>

 

Chronotherapeutics for Affective Disorders: A Clinician s Manual for Light

and Wake Therapy John M. Eagles The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198

161-162
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/161-a "4">< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/161-a?etoc>

 

Oxford Textbook of Women and Mental Health Fiona L. Mason The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 162
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/162< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/162?etoc>

 

Schizophrenia: Who Cares? Leonard Fagin The British Journal of Psychiatry

2011;198 162-163
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/162-a< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/162-a?etoc>

 

Behavioural Activation for Depression: A Clinician s Guide Linda Gask The

British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 163
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/163< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/163?etoc>

 

Supportive Care for the Person with Dementia Jan R. Oyebode The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 163-164
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/163-a< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/163-a?etoc>

 

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*Extras*

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There used to be surgeons too . . . - extra Shabbir Amanullah The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 87
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/87< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/87?etoc>

 

Gérard de Nerval - the man who walked lobsters - fallen stars Raymond

Cavanaugh, Jr The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 108
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/108< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/108?etoc>

 

Morbid jealousy may have been recognised in the Old Testament - psychiatry

in the Old Testament George Stein The British Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198

142
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/142 "4"><http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/142?etoc "4">>

 

Versions of a poem by Hesse - poems by doctors Adam Polnay The British

Journal of Psychiatry 2011;198 155
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/155< "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/155?etoc>

 

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*From the Editor's desk*

------------------------------

From the Editor s desk Peter Tyrer The British Journal of Psychiatry

2011;198 166
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/166 "4"><http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/166?etoc "4">>

 

*BJP Online -- Highlights of the Current Issue*

February 2011; Vol. 198, No. 2

 

The complete Table of Contents for the current issue is available online at:
"http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/vol198/issue2/%3Chttp://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/vol198/issue2/?highlights"> "4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/vol198/issue2/<http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/vol198/issue2/?highlights>

 

The following content is available online at:
"4">http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/A5<http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/A5?highlights>

 

Highlights of this issue * Kimberlie Dean *

 

*Depression: neuropathology, neuropsychology and the impact of early

retirement*

 

In a community-derived sample of individuals without dementia as assessed

during life, Tsopelas *et al* (pp.

109-114<
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/109>

) examined the relationship between the presence of late-life depression and

a range of neuropathological correlates. Depression was associated with the

presence of subcortical Lewy bodies, neuronal loss in the hippocampus and

some subcortical regions, but not with cerebrovascular or Alzheimer

pathology. Douglas *et al* (pp.

115-122<
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/115>)

examined neuropsychological changes in relation to treatment response in a

sample of in-patients with severe depression and found that, despite

significant impairment at baseline, most measures failed to differentiate

treatment responders from non-responders at either 10-14 days or 6 weeks.

The only positive findings were for simple reaction time, verbal working

memory and recognition of angry facial expressions when measured at 6 weeks.

The authors concluded that their findings cannot support the hypothesis that

neuropsychological tasks identify early changes in individuals with severe

depression who will go on to respond to treatment. Schofield *et al* (pp.

123-128 <
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/123>) found that

individuals in Australia who retire early owing to depression or other

mental illness are disadvantaged in terms of wealth accumulation compared

with those of the same age, gender and education who remain within the

labour force without ill health. They also found that the former are more

likely to have wealth in the form of cash assets rather than high-growth

asset investments. The authors comment on the impact of such disadvantage

for future living standards, health status, quality of life and the

consequences for the state in terms of financial burden.

 

*The impact of stressful life events and conflict deployment on mental

health*

 

The role of the serotonin transporter gene in moderating the association

between stressful life events and risk of depression has recently been

called into question by the negative findings of two systematic reviews.

Fergusson *et al* (pp.

129-135<
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/129>

) utilised data from a 30-year New Zealand birth cohort, the Christchurch

Health and Development Study, to test the hypothesis again and found no

evidence to support a gene x environment interaction between the s alleles

of 5-HTTLPR and increased responsivity to life stressors, after

considering four

mental health outcomes observed at four ages using 13 measures of

life-course stress. Reservists deployed to both the Iraq and Afghanistan

conflicts have been found to be at greater risk for developing mental health

problems than their regular soldier counterparts. In a US study by Riviere *et

al* (pp. 136-142 <
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/136>),

unique post-deployment social and material concerns were found to be

associated with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For

example, job loss was associated with depression and PTSD at 12 months

post-deployment (at 3 months also for depression), and the negative effect

of employment absence on co-workers was found to be associated with PTSD at

both time points.

 

*Aggression: treatment with mood stabilisers and risk of assault on

in-patient staff*

 

In a systematic review and meta-analysis by Jones *et al* (pp.

93-98<
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/93>),

the pooled analysis indicated a significant reduction in the

frequency/severity of repetitive or impulsive aggressive behaviour among

those treated with mood stabilisers *v*. placebo in adults without

intellectual disability, organic brain disorder or psychosis. However, the

authors also found evidence of substantial heterogeneity among studies and

when the analysis included only those studies assessed as having a low risk

of bias, no significant effect on aggression was found. In a data-linked

longitudinal study of 13 acute psychiatric hospitals in Finland, Virtanen *et

al* (pp. 149-155 <
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/149>)

found that

ward overcrowding was associated with an increased risk of violence towards

staff but not of violence towards ward property. The authors also found a

high prevalence of overcrowding, with 46% of hospital staff working in wards

with a more than 10% excess bed occupancy rate.

 

*Population studies of mental health and access to services*

 

Using data from the UK Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007, Chakraborty

*et al* (pp. 143-148 <
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/143>)

found that those who self-identified as non-heterosexual were more likely to

report a range of mental health problems and were more likely to have had

primary or community care contact for mental health reasons during the

previous year. In addition, discrimination on the grounds of sexual

orientation was found to predict some neurotic disorder outcomes. Using data

from another population-based survey conducted in 2007, this time in

Australia, Harris *et al* (pp.

99-108<
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/198/2/99>)

examined the impact of the Better Access programme, a publicly funded

initiative designed to improve access to psychological services for

individuals with affective and anxiety disorders. In contrast to concerns

raised about the programme, the authors found no evidence that Better Access is

over-servicing individuals without need or contributing to social

inequalities in mental healthcare.
 

MDLinx - Up to Date

Metabolic Syndrome, Androgens, and Hypertension
Current Hypertension Reports, 02/03/11
Moulana M et al. – In men, obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with reductions in testosterone levels. In women, obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with increases in androgen levels. In men, reductions in androgen levels are associated with inflammation, and androgen supplements reduce inflammation.

 

 

 

 

 

Risperidone versus other atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia
Cochrane Reviews, 02/04/11
Komossa K et al. – Risperidone seems to produce somewhat more extrapyramidal side effects and clearly more prolactin increase than most other second–generation ("atypical") antipsychotics (SGAs). It differs from other compounds in the occurrence of other adverse effects such as weight gain, metabolic problems, cardiac effects, sedation and seizures.

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of Antidepressant Responses in Patients with Bipolar vs. Unipolar Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review
Pharmacopsychiatry, 02/03/11
Vazquez G et al. – Since there is considerable uncertainty about therapeutic responses to antidepressants among depressed patients diagnosed with bipolar (BP) vs. unipolar (UP) mood disorders. The findings suggest little difference in antidepressant responses by diagnostic type, sex, or other factors considered, but a substantial risk of mania and hypomania with BP disorders.

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation of Alzheimer's Australia Vic Memory Lane Cafes
International Psychogeriatrics, 01/31/11
Dow B et al. – Dementia is a serious health issue in Australia, with prevalence estimated at 6.5% of people over 65 years of age. Living with dementia has significant social and psychological ramifications, often negatively affecting quality of life. Social support groups can improve quality of life for people living with dementia.

 

 

 

 

 

The association between general psychological distress and delusional-like experiences: A large population-based study
Schizophrenia Research, 01/26/11
Saha S et al. – Delusional–like experiences (DLE) are prevalent in the community, and are associated with the both clinical and subclinical depression and anxiety. While DLE have traditionally been associated with psychotic disorders, they results suggest that they are associated with non–specific psychological distress in otherwise–well individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

Effectiveness of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of first-episode non-affective psychosis
Journal of Psychopharmacology, 02/15/11
Crespo–Facorro B et al. – Risperidone and olanzapine demonstrated higher effectiveness relative to haloperidol, but the three antipsychotics were equally effective in reducing the severity of psychopathology. Specific clinical programmes and the use of second–generation antipsychotics may enhance the effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments.

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence-based guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia: recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology
Journal of Psychopharmacology, 02/15/11
Barnes TRE et al. – These guidelines from the British Association for Psychopharmacology address the scope and targets of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenia. A consensus meeting, involving experts in schizophrenia and its treatment, reviewed key areas and considered the strength of evidence and clinical implications.

 

 

 

 

 


Beta-Blockers in Hypertension
The American Journal of Cardiology, 12/13/10
Ram CVS – Much of the unfavorable data revealed in the recent meta–analyses were gleaned from studies involving nonvasodilating, traditional (beta) blockers, such as atenolol. However, findings with traditional (beta) blockers may not be extrapolated to other members of the class, particularly those agents with vasodilatory activity. Vasodilatory (beta) blockers (i.e., carvedilol and nebivolol) reduce blood pressure in large part through reducing systemic vascular resistance rather than by decreasing cardiac output, as is observed with traditional (beta) blockers. It is time for a reexamination of the clinical evidence for the use of (beta) blockers in hypertension, recognizing that there are patients for whom (beta) blockers, particularly those with vasodilatory actions, are an appropriate treatment option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE BEGINNING IS LOVE - Educate Yourself For Tomorrow

IN THE BEGINNING IS LOVE

In the beginning is Love.


Love experiences itself as Light in the word.


The word that is light creates Life


Life expresses itself in matter as Law.


Law awakens in death to rebirth in freedom.


Freedom illuminates Wisdom through revelation.


Wisdom transforms itself into the creative activity of Human Love.

- Bernard J. Garber

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Andrew Flaxman - Director
Educate Yourself For Tomorrow
 

Zen Story



Daily Zen



On The Way          

      

    

     Dream Conversations

     On Buddhism and Zen

        Muso Kokushi

 
                                     

 Practical Application

According to Buddhist scripture, even if people are learned, as long as they do not put their learning into practice, they are no different from the ignorant.  This is also true of mundane activities; to understand the principles and talk about them may be quite easy, but actual performance is not so easy.

 

Many learned people only profess and do not actually refine their minds.  This is why they do not reach the attainments of the sages whose books they study.

 

When Confucius was alive he taught his students the principles of humaneness, justice, courtesy, intelligence, and truthfulness and had them  practice these principles.  When Confucius testified that so-and-so had learned humaneness, or so-in-son had learned justice, he was referring to people whose hearts were humane or just, not to people who had merely learned how to talk about humaneness and justice but had no humaneness or justice in their hearts.

 

Later students of Confucianism however, claimed to be masters of Confucian teaching as soon as they had learned definitions of humaneness and justice, without having cultivated humaneness or justice in their hearts.

 

The same was also true of Buddhism.  When Buddha was in the world, not all of his followers were geniuses who attained liberation promptly and became free, but even those of mediocre and lesser faculties who heeded Buddha’s instructions and put them into practice attained benefits according to their abilities.  Even after Buddha’s death, all those who practiced the teaching appropriately gained some benefit.  This was because they followed Buddhism only for liberation and for the salvation of all living beings, not for social status and material profit. 

 

In later times, many people, both laity and clergy, followed and studied Buddhism for the sake of reputation and material profit.  Therefore they did not advance in actual self-cultivation and refinement.  They thought it was enough to learn the doctrines of the various schools.  As a result, the more learned they were, the more conceited they became.

In consequence of all this, whereas ordinary people have just the usual personal ego, students of Buddhism added to that a religious ego.  Therefore even scholars of outstanding erudition might be no different from the most wretched miscreants in terms of their actual way of living and manner of being.

 

Zen teaching says that it is better to practice a little than to talk a lot.  Zen masters have therefore recommended that learned understanding be subordinated to study through personal experience.

 

The time nevertheless came when even Zen students were given to literary pursuits and became so proud of their erudition that they were not ashamed of having no real experience of enlightenment.

 No Set Track

 

Zen teaching has no set track or fixed pattern.  Sometimes it explains mundane principles, sometimes it expounds transmundane doctrines.  In any case, the purpose is to dissolve people’s sticking points and relieve them of their bondage.  Therefore there is no dogma or doctrinal orthodoxy; the only issue is what will effectively liberate and enlighten people.

 

According to an ancient Zen saying, “If you understand, you can use it on the road; if you do not understand, it becomes a mundane convention.”  Even if people are given mystic teachings for transcendence, if they do not understand them, the teachings become conventional doctrines.

 

On the other hand, if hearing explanation of worldly principles frees people from clinging and bondage, with the result that they unite directly with the fundamental, then these worldly principles are in that sense profound teachings.

 

Muso Kokushi (1275-1351)

 

Excerpted from Dream Conversations On Buddhism and Zen translated by Thomas Cleary 1994

Light and Union - Deepak Chopra

The Source of Light and Union

 

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 21, 2011 5:11 am

 

Separating illusion from reality doesn't usually happen all at once. What we experience as reality changes in different stages of consciousness. For those who decide to renounce the world completely, it's possible to leap directly toward the goal. But even then there is no guarantee that perception has actually shifted.

A person may enter a monastery because the Church deems that a holy life. But if old perceptions get dragged through the door, the monastery holds the same traps as the material world: Ego.

Jesus wanted his disciples to come into union with God. Any other life was steeped in illusion. Ego keeps that illusion strong because "I, me, and mine" is so rooted in worldly affairs. The most worthwhile life is spent discovering your spiritual core and building your existence on it. If you do that, you will be first in the eyes of God even if you are last in the eyes of the world.

If you can perceive the light within, you will gain its fullness. But if you are blind to it, you will have none. The reality you find yourself in depends on you. The light is God's reality, the dark is the absence of God.

Jesus wanted to share the unity he experienced with God, and therefore he often used the phrase abide in me. The parable of the grapevine elaborates on the point. Jesus declares that being cut off from God is sterile and fruitless. The sap that nourishes the vine and causes it to bear fruit is God, the source of life. By implication, the only life that escapes death is one that connects back to its ultimate source.

Adapted from The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).

 

 

 

 

 Is it Free Will?

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 10, 2011 5:02 am

 

The question of free will versus determination is huge, of course. In the one reality, every pair of opposites is ultimately an illusion. We've already blurred the division between good and evil and life and death. Is free will going to turn out to be the same as determinism? A lot seems to ride on the answer. Free will is: Independence, Self-determination, Choice, Control over events, Future is open. Determinism is: Dependence on an outside will, Self determined by fate, No control over events, Choices made for you, Future is closed.

These phrases sketch in the common understanding of what's at stake. Everything in the free will list sounds attractive. We all want to be independent; we want to wake up with hope that the future is open and full of endless possibilities. On the other hand, nothing seems attractive in the determination list. Emotionally at least, the prospect of free will has already won the argument.

And at a certain level nobody has to delve any deeper. If you and I are marionettes operated by an invisible puppeteer–call him God, fate, or karma–then the strings he's pulling are also invisible. We have little proof that we aren't making free choices.

There is a reason to delve deeper, however, and it centers on the word Vasana. In Sanskrit, a Vasana is an unconscious cause. It's the software of the psyche, the driving force that makes you do something when you think you're doing it spontaneously.

Adapted from The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2004).

 

 

 

 

 The Spirit Of Romance
by Deepak Chopra


In our culture we are not taught to see falling in love as a spiritual event, yet for centuries that was the accepted interpretation.

When the question "Where does love come from?" was asked, the universal answer was God. The lives of saints of every religion have demonstrated love in its spiritual dimension; at the same time the humblest person who fell in love also realized he was treading on sacred ground. Over the centuries, particularly in the West, the divine connection was lost.

In spiritual terms falling in love is an opening, an opportunity to step into the timeless and stay there, to learn the ways of spirit and bring them down to earth.

All openings are temporary – this is not a limitation specific to falling in love. The real question is, What should we do with the opening? The highest spiritual qualities – those of truth, faith, trust, and compassion – grow from the tiniest seeds of daily experience. How can we tend this fragile opening of the heart, nurture it until it develops into more substantial stages of growth?

We must examine romance, the first stage in love's journey, as part of a timeless cycle that brings greater and greater knowledge of spiritual reality.

There are four distinct phases of romance: attraction, infatuation, courtship, and intimacy. Although not everyone can expect to experience them exactly the same way, all four naturally emerge once your feeling for someone else go beyond friendship to passionate attachment. These four phases of romance occur in a natural, linear sequence, but at the same time they come full circle.

Although it happens spontaneously, falling in love isn't accidental – there are no accidents in the spiritual life, only patterns we haven't yet recognized.

All love is based on the search for spirit.

Adapted from The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1997).

 

 

 

 

Seeking Your Own Essence

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 16, 2011 5:01 am

 

The soul is the highest form of the self. It doesn't unfold biologically like a child's brain and behavior. But in other respects there's an undeniable similarity: The soul works beneath the surface, and when its work comes to fruition, consciousness shifts.

Children have to participate in their own development, taking an active interest in exploring the world and finding out their own potential. In spiritual terms, the same holds true. The seeker must take an active interest in the soul's unfolding, or the result will be inert.

That's why I find myself reluctant to use the word seeker, because it denies the spontaneity of inner growth while at the same time implying that the goal is outside the self. Seekers seem like hunters on a safari to capture the soul. The spiritual path isn't like that. The goal is within and ever present. Better to say that one is trying to uncover the true essence of the self.

We have all loved at times, felt compassion, and risen to acts of selflessness. We know the difference between being awake and asleep, at least vaguely, and being awake feels better. It produces a better life.

Despite all these glimpses of a higher existence, what we lack is continuity. Episodes come and go without taking us to a final, definitive change. The frog and the prince inhabit the same body. The only way to find consistency is to keep pursuing your own essence.

You must keep in mind that the real you is love, is truth, is God.

Even if you could manage the Herculean task of imitating Jesus every moment of your life, unless you find your essence, the end result would be unreal. Fortunately, imitation isn't necessary. By removing the obstacles and resistances that hide your essence, you reveal yourself to yourself.

Appearances are deceiving because invisible changes are occurring beneath the surface, and when they come to fruition, you will consciously know that something has happened.

Adapted from The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).

 

 

 

Spiritual Transformation

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 4, 2011 5:00 am

 

The choice is to be conscious or not, which brings us to the possibility for transformation. No one disputes the fact that life consists of change. But can a person, simply by altering his or her consciousness, actually bring about a deep transformation and not just another superficial change?

Transformation and change are two different things. The key to true transformation is that nature doesn't move forward in step-by-step movements. It takes quantum leaps all the time, and when it does, old ingredients aren't simply recombined.

Something new appears in creation for the first time, an emergent property. For example, if you examine hydrogen and oxygen, they are light, gaseous, invisible, and dry. It took a transformation for those two elements to combine and create water, and when that happened, an entirely new set of possibilities emerged with it, the most important from our point of view being life itself.

Your body, which is bonding millions of molecules every second, depends on transformation. Breathing and digestion, to mention just two processes, harness transformation.

Food and air aren't just shuffled around, but, rather, undergo the exact chemical bonding needed to keep you alive. The sugar extracted from an orange travels to the brain and fuels a thought. The emergent property in this case is the newness of the thought: No molecules in the history of the universe ever combined to produce that result.

While still remaining who you are, you can bring about a quantum leap in your awareness, and the sign that the leap is real will be some emergent property you never experienced in the past.

Adapted from The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2004).

 

 

 

 

 

Create Present Reality

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 2, 2011 5:03 am

 

We all have a deep psychological drive to keep pace with the impulse of creation. There are needs that can and should be satisfied in the present…Among these is every human being's central need to express himself – to show himself to the world as he really is – in word, in gesture, in behavior, in every genuine utterance from the baby's cry to the artist's creation.

The key to this inspiring affirmation is that life needs to be satisfying in the present. It is not that easy to define "the present," however. From one perspective the present is the thinnest possible slice of time, the fleeting instant that allows the future to flip-flop into the past.

From the opposite perspective, the present is eternal, because it is ever-renewing, like a river that is never the same twice.

To create paradise could mean nothing more or less than living in the present, enjoying the happiness that is both now and forever – but who can manage that? The boundaries that the human mind lives within are invariably fashioned from the past.

It is yesterday's hurt that I am defending against today, last year's glory I want to relive, a bygone love I want to find again. The boundary-maker who wields such enormous power over us is the intellect, the part of the mind that judges and categorizes our experiences.

The number of questions that arise over the tiniest experience is awe inspiring. Once each decision is made, it gets filed away in memory, to serve as a reference point for future experience.

By endless interpreting the world in bits and pieces, we are losing it at every instant, allowing it to slip through our fingers like sand. To have reality that is whole and thus truly real, one must rise above the intellect, discarding its neat slices of experience. Like day-old bread, they only go stale anyway.

Adapted from Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams, by Deepak Chopra (A Bantam Book, 1991)

 

 

 

 

 

You Are In Two Places at Once

posted by Deepak Chopra Feb 3, 2011 5:03 am

 

Because we are both physical and quantum, human beings live multidimensional lives. At this moment you are in two places at once. One is the visible, sensual world, where your body is subject to all the forces of nature "out there." The wind chaps your skin and the sun burns it; you will freeze to death in winter without shelter; and the assault of germs and viruses makes your cells sick.

But you also occupy the quantum world, where all these things change. If you get into the bathtub, your consciousness doesn't get wet. The limitations of physical life count for much less in the quantum world, and often for nothing. The cold of winter doesn't freeze your memories; the heat of a July night doesn't make you sweat in your dreams.

Put together all the quantum events in your cells and the sum total is your quantum mechanical body, which operates according to its own unseen physiology. Your quantum mechanical body is awareness in motion and is part of the eternal field of awareness that exists at the source of creation.

The intelligence inside us radiates like light, crossing the border between the quantum world and the physical world, unifying the two in a constant subatomic dialogue. Your physical body and your quantum mechanical body can both be called home – they are like parallel universes that you travel between without even thinking about it.

Physical Body: A frozen anatomical sculpture – "I" sees itself as made of cells, tissues, and organs; confined in time and space; driven by biochemical processes (eating, breathing, digestion, etc.)

Quantum Mechanical Body: A river of intelligence constantly renewing itself – "I" sees itself as made of invisible impulses of intelligence; unbounded in time and space; driven by thoughts, feelings, wishes, memories, etc.

Adapted from Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1998).

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