I'm spot reading an interesting book called "50 Signs of Mental Illness" by James Whitney Hicks. I've read about 20% of it so far which I figure entitles me to analyse all my friends and offer sound advice about how they can improve themselves. I, of course, am completely normal.The first illness I wanted to read about was the flagship mental illness, the one that Tony Perkins had in "Psycho", the King of the Jungle, the magisterial Mount Everest of craziness...schizophrenia. I was shocked to discover that this illness didn't even rate a chapter of its own. It was a minor subheading embedded in the middle of a chapter on psychosis. What the heck happened?
What happened was that schizophrenia has been demoted in recent years. It doesn't even indicate dual personalities anymore. That's called "multiple personality disorder." Now schizophrenia means pretty much the same as psychosis, and psychosis has something to do with taking delusions and hallucinations seriously. The really scary thing is that psychosis has no known cure. Almost every psychotic can be moderately improved by drugs but only moderately. Well, maybe there's a partial cure for a few people. The book says that a third of them can helped to a greater degree if the medication starts early, after the first episode, but how often does that happen?
I thought the downgrading of schizophrenia would be the only shock, but it wasn't. There was the upgrading off something called "oddness." 
Gee, thumbing through this book reminds me how of how much I miss Freud. That's his couch and chair in the picture above. Taken individually a lot of what Freud's ideas don't hold water. Taken collectively they constitute a marvelously imaginative and thought provoking body of work. Psychology was more fun in the Freudian era.
I thought the downgrading of schizophrenia would be the only shock, but it wasn't. There was the upgrading off something called "oddness." Asberger's Disorder is one of the most prevalent types of oddness. That's where you have difficulty with social situations. You don't pick up on social cues or the intentions, discomforts and needs of others. In other words you behave like a chronic nerd. Nerdism is now considered a serious disorder! Nerdism has no cure but sometimes anti-depressants or anti-psychotic medication help. Some nerds can be taught to pretend they're normal.
Gee, thumbing through this book reminds me how of how much I miss Freud. That's his couch and chair in the picture above. Taken individually a lot of what Freud's ideas don't hold water. Taken collectively they constitute a marvelously imaginative and thought provoking body of work. Psychology was more fun in the Freudian era.
Aspergers is a weird one, because of its creative, verbal genius nerd aspect, its boundaries as to what it actually is, according to DSM-IV, is getting smeared all over the place, by people CLAIMING it for themselves, whether they have it or not. Check out wikipedia. But I think it is probably more correctly used in the same mode as Williams syndrome is, towards autiism, savant or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSchizophrenia has not been related to dual personalities almost EVER, or at least since the fifties, by the professionals in the white coats. Sybil, Eve Black/White, were tagged with multiple personality disorder. Schizophrenia is just so general that it gets tagged to almost all diagnoses in one way or another, but the SPLIT is really about the split in the brain and reality, or split of functions of the mind as they interrelate, rather than exhibition of distinct personalities.
Well, except where it hung around in the pop culture. Norman Bates wasn't schizo because he was dressing up like mom, he was dressing up like mom because he was schizo, if you get my drift.
So shrinks these days, don't toss the term around nearly as much, except for it still being a very common genral diagnosis for the seriously mentally ill. They take care to typify it, and whatever problem, more distinctly.
I believe there are also 4 different kinds of schizophrenia...at least, that's what I remember from school!
ReplyDeleteHey Eddie!! If you like reading about weird brain problems and stuff, you should read "The Sociopath Next Door." I just finished it, and I really liked it! It's really scary though. I'm really into all that stuff, but I never have anyone to talk to about it. Boo hoo!
By the way, thanks for the plug! I'm gonna try to do the ebay thigg tomorrow.
I have Asberger's Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteSome of what's been said here is true. I should point out that Asberger not only means social struggles, but also a tendency to hyper-focus on certain things. Over the years, I have become more aware of these traits in my life and my mind. I don't believe there is a cure for it, but I have no shame in what makes me stand out from other people.
I read this blog, because I study animation, and have a tremendous amount to learn. I have yet to figure out where autism works its way into animation.
Hey Emmett, judging from what I've heard, Asberger's has already somewhat worked it's way into animation! There are also loads of people with OCD and various anxiety problems in this kind of work.
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me, I once heard that at a certain bigshot cartoon studio, the new hires have to watch a video teaching them how to "deal" with all the "creative types" and their various weird habits. I'd give anything to see that video, wouldn't you??
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to see that too. Where did you hear that?
I once wrote a story for a creative writing class from the point of view of a schizophrenic...my teacher hated it, cuz it didn't make sense. Oh well, it'd make a better cartoon anyway.
ReplyDeleteWho did those great drawings?
ReplyDeleteCharlie: Drawings by James Flora.
ReplyDeleteOddness. Y'know, I've been getting this funny feeling that psychology is going overboard lately. It's great. Members of my family, and someday me, couldn't keep their cheese on their cracker if it wasn't for head shrinkers and general practitioners. But kids are getting it too.
ReplyDeleteNormal active kids get medicated sometimes. My Brother, and lots of others I've come across, were just kids and they got zapped for something. Is it first time parents? I dunno.
But children are weird creatures and should be given more of a chance to grow up at a natural pace. Unless the set fires and nail cats to the wall, of course.
Love the pictures! I don't know how relevant this is anymore... A friend of the family worked with the mentally ill in an asylum. He claimed to be able to look at a picture and spot clues towards possible diagnoses. One instance was while looking at a drawing made by a child. "If that fence post were up higher he'd probably be schizophrenic."
I know they use art and expressive art forms to guide them in the mindsets of patients. Like I said I don't know how they do it now.
I'll tell you what happened to schizophrenia, Eddie! Woo! Woo! Woo! *bounces off into the background*
ReplyDeleteAnon: Fascinating!!! Thanks much for posting that!
ReplyDeleteKatie: "The Sociopath Next Door"? LOL! Thanks for the tip! I'll read it! Good luck on eBay!
Emmett: It sounds like you benefit from the increased focus. It's great that you can talk openly about Asbergers. Everybody seems to have some mental or physical problem but most people try to hide it.
I may post more about Asbergers soon. It's on my mind!
Micah: I'm dying to know where psychotherapy stands now. The book I'm reading is probably a good indicator but I'd like to know what opinions didn't make it into the book.
I have Asperger's Syndrome. I was not aware of it until just recently when I made a trip to the mental hospital to treat my depression. It is a mild, subtle form of Autism. Doesn't mean you are retarded - you're just different. And that difference leads to ostracism from general society. I'm always the odd one out.
ReplyDeleteLots of artistic ppl probably have AS, they just aren't aware of it. It was not really a diagnosable syndrome until just recently. So, a lot more ppl have it and grew up with it but don't know it.
It can mean that because of the OCD tendencies - the person (like myself) can be a unique savant type at the field they are interested in. They can have an extraordinary amount of talent and skill at their chosen field. But because of the social inabilities they (like me) are shunned from society and others. Even by others whom might share a like mind and skill-set. It's a very lonely existence and leads to much frustration. My doctor told me Einstein was an AS type personality, as with many other famous ppl.
And yes - my AS does affect my artwork and animation. But I try to make it affect it in a good way be learning as much as I can from the Pros and everything around me. And applying my gain knowladge into my artwork and animation. Focusing that OCD tendency into my work and being like them - more or less. Even If I am shunned by the Pros because of my ... heh, loud mouth and social ineptitude.
It's not a disability unless you choose to make it a disability. However it did help to make me extremely depressed. To the point of going to the funny farm for a week to get cured. I will say I am on the better track. I talked briefly about my experience with learning I am AS on my blog recently.
The schizo lobby got together and had their affliction removed from psychology texts as a defined mental illness. This allowed them to head major corporations in greater numbers than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if this group were behind branding nerds as mentally ill, either.
ReplyDeleteThe upshot is that undiagnosed schizophreniac corporate heads today make two billion times the compensation of lowly nerds. As Mammy from "Gone With the Wind" would say, "T'aint fittin'!"
ReplyDeleteIt's AsPergers!
ReplyDeletei'm pretty sure i have some kind of weirdness, but i don't know which one. I've been to a psychologist and maybe she should have detected it, but i think i managed to trick her into believing i'm normal. Well, not that i'm normal, but I think i managed to justify all my antisocial habits to the point she just accepted that i want to be this way and there's no need to change. And maybe she's right, it really doesn't annoy me that much. At least not often. I like solitude.
ReplyDeleteEverything is a disorder nowadays. Everything is a syndrome nowadays. Everything is an unfortunate, though oh-thank-god-junior-we-have people-that-can-take-care-of-you treatable, abnormality.
ReplyDeleteI've known a few bipolar people, including my grandmother-in-law and an ex-girlfriend, and can say this new reformed modern definition of bipolar disorder is evil. Whoever defines these things has no conception of normal or what our bodies are naturally, 'cuz everyone has moods like the tides, two up and two down, and it seems everything needs suppression and 'treatment' now. It started when I was a kid and it's...well, ironically...a societal illness nowadays.
I've tested for both, and am technically autistic & technically a genius but know I am neither.
We need to be careful with our language when dealing with this shit. Confusion over the sychological order of 'things' has prolonged three years of my brother's life into an uncertain, shifting nothingness- where his piercing loneliness that makes him afraid and still, where he is not living but simply not dying has not been cured but kept in static stasis. It has taken a family tragedy to wake him up.
Eddie, what you said about Freud was right- individually very flawed, but as applied to humanity in general(kept unspecific perhaps?) it is very insightful, even past its usefulness.
Tibby, William, Gabriel: Thanks a million for the great comments! I'm too sleepy to answer but you convinced me that it's worth returning to this subject as soon as I can. Tnanks!
ReplyDeleteBTW, true multiple personality disorder is very, very rare. It is too often misdiagnosed by psychologists who haven't racked up enough years of the right kind of study. Psychiatrists lead the suicide parade among medical professionals, followed closely by dentists. This provides plenty of work for the concrete and funeral lobbies, so God bless America!
ReplyDeleteRoses are red
ReplyDeleteViolets are blue
I'm a schizophrenic
and so am I
From "What about Bob", starring Bill Murray
They say autism is an epideminc now, but really, what they now call autism they used to call retardation.
ReplyDeleteRod Scribner was schizophrenic but it didn't make his cartooning any less brilliant. Maybe it even helped him.
Does anyone know of any other cartoonists who had real medical mental problems?
And, no, Basil Wolverton's Christianity doesn't count, wsie guys!
ReplyDelete