Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Fluoxetine - tradenames Prozac, Sarafem, Ladose and Fontex,

Fluoxetine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fluoxetine (also known by the tradenames Prozac, Sarafem, Ladose and Fontex, among others) is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Fluoxetine was first documented in 1974 by scientists from Eli Lilly and Company.^[6] It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder in December 1987.^[7] The fluoxetine patent expired in August 2001.^[8]

Fluoxetine is approved in the US for the treatment of major depression (including pediatric depression), obsessive-compulsive disorder (in both adult and paediatric populations), bulimia nervosa, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.^[9] In addition, fluoxetine is used to treat trichotillomania if cognitive behaviour therapy has been unsuccessful.^[10] In combination with the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine it is known by a few brand names,^{[note 1]} including its US brand name Symbyax, which is approved for the treatment of depressive episodes as part of bipolar I disorder and in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression.

Despite the availability of newer agents, fluoxetine remains
extremely popular. In 2010, over 24.4 million prescriptions for generic
formulations of fluoxetine were filled in the United States alone,^[11] making it the third most prescribed antidepressant after sertraline (SSRI; became generic in 2006) and citalopram (SSRI; became generic in 2003).^[11] In 2011, 6 million prescriptions for fluoxetine were handed out in the UK.^[12]

Dysthymia ("melancholy"), also called neurotic depression, dysthymic disorder, or chronic depression,

Dysthymia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dysthymia (/dɪsˈθaɪmiə/ dis-THY-mee-ə, from Ancient Greek δυσθυμία, "melancholy"), sometimes also called neurotic depression, dysthymic disorder, or chronic depression, is a mood disorder consisting of the same cognitive and physical problems as in depression, with less severe but longer-lasting symptoms.^[1]^[2] The concept was coined by Dr. Robert Spitzer as a replacement for the term "depressive personality" in the late 1970s.^[3]

According to the diagnosis manual DSM-IV's
definition of dysthymia, it is a serious state of chronic depression,
which persists for at least 2 years (1 year for children and
adolescents); it is less acute and severe than major depressive
disorder.^[4]
As dysthymia is a chronic disorder, sufferers may experience symptoms
for many years before it is diagnosed, if diagnosis occurs at all. As a
result, they may believe that depression is a part of their character,
so they may not even discuss their symptoms with doctors, family
members, or friends.

Dysthymia often co-occurs with other mental disorders.
A "double depression" is the occurrence of episodes of major depression
in addition to dysthymia. Switching between periods of dysthymic moods
and periods of hypomanic moods is indicative of cyclothymia, which is a mild variant of bipolar disorder.

The DSM-5,
the 5th edition of the DSM, was released in May 2013 and includes a
number of changes. In this edition, dysthymia is replaced by persistent depressive disorder.
This new condition includes both chronic major depressive disorder and
the previous dysthymic disorder. The reason for this change is that
there was no evidence for meaningful differences between these two
conditions.^[5]

Saturday, 12 April 2014

Testosterone Fuels Both Competition and Protectiveness | Psychology Today

Testosterone Fuels Both Competition and Protectiveness

Testosterone can bolster either dominance or reciprocity.

Published on October 3, 2013 by Christopher Bergland in The Athlete's Way

Like many hormones, testosterone functions differently depending on social circumstances. A September 2013 study found that in the presence of competition
and a need for dominance, testosterone fuels stingy and antisocial
behavior. However, in the absence of threat or competition testosterone
creates fierce protectiveness, generosity and prosocial behavior. This makes sense in terms of our evolutionary psychology.

In recent years, there has been an onslaught of advertisements trying to convince men to take hormone replacement therapy to treat low levels of testosterone, or “low T.” The ads will ask things like: “Are you suffering from any of the following: depression, low energy, weight gain, fatigue, low sex drive?”

“Those
symptoms are true of everybody as they age, to a greater or lesser
extent,” says Glenn Braunstein, an endocrinologist and vice president of
clinical innovation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He says, "Low T is the latest trend in direct-to-consumer advertising,
promoting such products as AndroGel, Testim and Axiron that deliver the
male sex hormone through the skin — a more convenient and less painful
option than the injections that have been available for decades."

False
advertising may suggest that testosterone can alleviate depression,
improve mood, boost sexual performance, increase energy, help you lose
weight... Although these conditions can all be symptoms of too little
testosterone — they can also be treated by a wide range of healthier lifestyle choices. Hormone experts say that using testosterone as a quick fix for aging
may be misguided and in some cases unsafe. Any type of hormone
replacement therapy is going to have potentially dangerous side effects.

Testosterone’s Dual-Edged Sword

In a paper titled, “Testosterone Inhibits Trust but Promotes Reciprocity” researchers at the Rotterdam School of Management
report that testosterone is implicated in behaviors that help to foster
and maintain social relationships, indicating that its effects are more
nuanced than previously thought. The findings were published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Animal
studies have shown that testosterone plays a role in dominant social
behavior. In humans, previous studies have linked testosterone to
dominance and competitive success in mating when men battle one another
for a sexual partner. Interestingly, once the competition for a mate is
secure, testosterone seems to flip and boost a fierce need to
"tend-and-befriend," much like oxyt ocin.

In
terms of the evolutionary role of a dominant male in a group, Boksem
and colleagues reasoned that testosterone in humans would also increase a
drive for social status. If you imagine an alpha male in a group of
hunters and gatherers, one would expect the leadership role and
maintenance of high social status to include both fighting off
competition and protecting the group. The same would be true for any
person in a corporate management position or family.

"Testosterone
may mediate competitive and potentially antisocial behavior when social
challenges or threats need to be confronted and handled," explains lead
researcher Maarten Boksem of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus
University (RSM) in the Netherlands. "But it can also induce prosocial
behavior in the absence of these threats, when high status and good
reputation are best served by positive behavior. But we doubted that
this drive would automatically result in aggressive and antisocial behaviors,"
says Boksem. "We hypothesized that testosterone could perhaps also lead
to prosocial behavior if such behavior would be beneficial for
maintaining or obtaining social status."

To test this
hypothesis, the researchers had 54 female volunteers ingest a liquid
solution several hours before participating in an investing game. Some
volunteers were given a placebo solution while others received a solution with testosterone.

In
the investing game, participants were given about $30 and were
instructed that they could keep the amount they wanted and invest
whatever remained with a trustee (another participant). The invested
portion would be tripled and split by the trustee, who would keep
whatever portion she wanted and return the rest to the investor.

If
participants were completely trusting, they could invest all $30 and
hope that the trustee would split the final $90 equally. If they wanted
to play it safe, they could keep the $30 for themselves. Each
participant took turns playing both investor and trustee. When they were
the trustee, they were always given $90, indicating that the investor
had entrusted them with the task of splitting up the whole sum.

As
investors, participants who received testosterone were, on average,
stingier—they placed less trust in the trustee and kept more of their
initial money. Participants who received the placebo, on the other hand,
were more trusting investors, choosing to invest about $5 more than
those who received testosterone.

Just as the researchers
predicted, testosterone seemed to promote antisocial behavior in
response to a potential threat—in this case, a threat to financial
resources. But the opposite effect emerged when participants played the
role of trustee. In this case, participants given testosterone chose to
give more money back to the investor than participants who had been
given a placebo. The results suggest that the trustees felt a
responsibility to literally repay the trust that the investor had placed
in them.

Testosterone and the Mating Game

According
to Richard Slatcher, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in Wayne
State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences the effects of
testosterone on dominance behaviors were especially pronounced among men
who reported having a high need for social dominance.

In a 2011 study, "Testosterone and Self-Reported Dominance Interact to Influence Human Mating Behavior," published in the journal, Social Psychological and Personality Science,
these men showed a strong positive association between their own
testosterone and their own dominance behaviors and, most surprisingly, a
strong negative association between their own testosterone and their
opponents' dominance behaviors.

Men both high in testosterone and
those who reported a high need for social dominance appeared able to
beat out their competitors' ability to attract potential mates. However,
when men reported a low need for social dominance, they were still able
to attract women and there was zero association between testosterone
and successful mating behavior.

"We found that
testosterone levels influenced men's dominance behaviors during the
competitions, how much they derogated (or 'bashed') their competitors
afterward, and how much the woman said she 'clicked' with them," said
Slatcher. He concludes, “These findings highlight an important
difference between humans and animals. In humans-unlike
animals-explicit, conscious motives can affect how a hormone such as
testosterone shapes behavior."

"Books, film and
television often portray men who are bold and self-assured with women as
being high in testosterone," Slatcher says. "Our results suggest that
there is a kernel of truth to this stereotype, that naturally circulating testosterone indeed is associated with men's behaviors when they try to woo women."

Conclusion: Testosterone magnifies both prosocial and antisocial behavior.

"While
we expected the decrease in trust, the increase in reciprocity was
surprisingly strong and robust," Boksem concluded. "Testosterone had a
more pronounced effect on prosocial behavior than on antisocial
behavior."

“The fact that testosterone can promote
prosocial behavior, at least in certain contexts, provides a more
nuanced account than the traditional view of testosterone as being
involved in purely aggressive and antisocial behavior,” says Boksem. The
researchers hope to run a similar study in men and they are currently
investigating additional types of social behavior under various
conditions of social threat.

Friday, 11 April 2014

Amazon.com: The Art of Failure - The Anti Self-Help Guide eBook: Neel Burton: Kindle Store

Start reading The Art of Failure - The Anti Self-Help Guide on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Try it free

Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones, tablets and computers.

The Art of Failure - The Anti Self-Help Guide [Kindle Edition]

Neel Burton

(Author)

(6 customer reviews)

Print List Price:	$22.00
Kindle Price:	$8.55 includes free international wireless delivery via *Amazon Whispernet*
You Save:	$13.45 (61%)

Formats		Amazon Price		New from	Used from
	Kindle Edition	$8.55		--	--
Expand	Paperback	$20.90		$18.24	$14.98

Book Description

Publication Date:
January 31, 2011

We spend most of our time and energy chasing
success, such that we have little left over for thinking and feeling,
being and relating. As a result, we fail in the deepest possible way. We
fail as human beings. 'The Art of Failure' explores what it means to be
successful, and how, if at all, true success can be achieved.

An extraordinarily wide ranging mix of psychology and philosophy
covering most of human behaviour from madness to happiness and the
meaning of life, and encoutering ghosts and death on the way ...
Brilliant. Neel Burton has already won several prizes ... and this
volume deserves another. --The British Medical Association

The book's basic premise is that the modern Western definition of
success is deeply flawed, presenting us with the false goals of material
comfort, fame, power and hedonism. In contrast, Burton argues, Western
philosophical and spiritual traditions have largely been in agreement
that true happiness lies in accepting 'failure'; that we are limited,
mortal, subject to frequent and unforeseen setbacks, in the face of
which we do better to develop virtues of honesty, friendship, patience,
and moderation. To be fair, this is not perhaps a lesson that the much
maligned self-help guides have ignored, but the virtue of Burton's book
is that he is not afraid to enter into these topics in more appropriate
depth and detail. Throughout, his points are illustrated by recourse to
theories, ideas and anecdotes cherry-picked from the lives and writings
of the great philosophers - Plato and Aristotle (who feature heavily
throughout), Epicurus and Heraclitus, but also representatives of the
existentialist tradition, such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre.
Burton also draws on his background in psychology in ranging through
contemporary issues in psychiatry as well as the continued relevance of
the classic approaches of Freud and Jung. Such discussion is augmented
throughout with references to literature, art, religion and history,
with the result that Burton's material is always engaging and
interesting, presented in an accessible and clear manner. --Gareth
Southwell, philosopher and writer

Monday, 17 March 2014

Love is Strange - by Mike Lee Pearl February 14, 2014

article linked here - Motherboard

If you're one of those depressed single people posting "Fuck Valentine's Day" statuses on Facebook, I've got great news for you: According to science, love doesn't exist, so there's nothing to get worked up about.

At the end of my aforementioned hypothetical debate, Bill Nye would force Zach and Oprah to agree to something like the conclusion Judith Butler came to. Love is just a behavior acted out by choice, because of forces within society. It means something to us not because it's a tangible thing that exists but because we've agreed to pretend it exists, like money, or Christmas.

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Are You a Sociopath? | Devil in the Data | Big Think

by Kas Thomas

January 5, 2014, 12:00 AM

In her memoir, Confessions of a Sociopath (Crown, 2013),
a lawyer writing under the pen name M. E. Thomas states flat-out: "I am
a sociopath," explaining "I am strategic and canny, I am intelligent
and confident and charming, but I also struggle to react appropriately
to other people's confusing and emotion-driven social cues." In a May 7,
2013 Psychology Today article,
M. E. Thomas parses the "struggle to react appropriately" clause a bit
less ambiguously: "Remorse is alien to me. I have a penchant for
deceit."

Note: In real life, "M. E. Thomas" is apparently Jamie Lund, the listed owner of the domain name SociopathWorld.com (and the selfsame Jamie Rebecca Lund who until recently taught law at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas).

In her 300-page memoir, Thomas (Lund) takes on the formidable task of
trying to demystify one of psychology's murkiest backwaters, the
combination of traits subsumed under the general heading of sociopathy:
traits that may or may not (depending on whose definition you want to
go by) include superficial charm, narcissistic tendencies, lack of
empathy (and corresponding inability to feel remorse), difficulty in
forming long-lasting romantic relationships, and/or indifference to
social norms (especially around morals and ethics).

Unfortunately, there is no consensus view of what constitutes sociopathy. (Don't be quick to point to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's section on Antisocial Personality Disorder.
It hardly represents a "consensus view" among clinicians, let alone
research psychologists, sociologists, and the many others who study this
area.) Until recently, in fact, psychologists tended to conflate
sociopathy and psychopathy, since the personality traits for both
conditions have significant overlap (e.g., poverty of affect, difficulty
forming long-lasting relationships); likewise, there is still healthy
debate on the extent to which antisocial behavior—rather than
personality traits per se—should be considered in formulating a definition of sociopathy.

The World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth edition (ICD-10), defines something called dissocial personality disorder, characterized by the presence of three or more of the following:

Callous unconcern for the feelings of others;
Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations;
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, though having no difficulty in establishing them;
Very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence;
Incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment;
Marked readiness to blame others or to offer plausible
rationalizations for the behavior that has brought the person into
conflict with society.

M. E. Thomas, not unexpectedly, puts her own spin on things, emphasizing plasticity of personality—and bisexuality (or
at least, a certain fluidity of gender and sexual preferences)—as two
of the more reliable (in her experience) signatures of sociopathy.
Thomas (Lund) cites Cal State University (Northridge) professor Howard
Kamler, who argues:

It is not just that [the sociopath] is lacking a strongly identified
moral identity, he is likely lacking a strongly identified self-identity
almost altogether.

Thomas (Lund) describes at length what it is like to be self-aware
without a self-construct, constantly inferring one's self-essence
indirectly (through the reactions of others), somewhat like detecting
dark matter in galaxies by their effect on nearby stars. "I make people
scared when I stare at them this way," she might note, in a social
setting. Ironically, Thomas talks of having learned a great deal about
human social interactions by watching TV serials and movies (which are,
of course, fictional, involving actors). She also refers, repeatedly, to
the Cathy character in Steinbeck's East of Eden as a reliable
model of sociopathic behavior—again failing to acknowledge the fictional
nature of the data source. This seeming indifference to fictional vs.
real-world social data is (arguably), in itself, quite telling.

One of Thomas's main points is that sociopaths are often wrongly
villainized. Not all sociopaths are criminals (most crimes are, in fact,
committed by empaths who go off the rails). More than that, Thomas
argues (persuasively) that many characteristics of the sociopathic
personality—charm, ambition and impatience, an ability to attack
problems with cold-hearted logic (not letting emotions get in the
way)—are useful to society. We see the proof every day: The most
successful lawyers, doctors, actors, politicians, statesmen, military
leaders, and corporate executives frequently do exhibit many of the
signature characteristics of sociopaths (if not also psychopaths).

Indeed, capitalism is set up to reward those who have no qualms about
profiting off the labors of others. (No less a champion of capitalism
than Forbes Magazine has noted the "Disturbing Link Between Psychopathy and Capitalism.")
Likewise, in politics, those who go far tend to be smooth-talking
manipulators who carefully calibrate their moral code to the
requirements of the moment. This not new, of course. Machiavelli wrote extensively about it in the 1500s.

Nevertheless, Thomas (Professor Lund) will win few fans with her
discussion, in Chapter 7, of Emotions and the Fine Art of Ruining
People. "Ruining people. I love the way the phrase rolls around
on my tongue and inside my mouth. Ruining people is delicious." Power,
Lund says, is all she has ever really cared about in her life:

". . . physical power, the power of being desired or admired,
destructive power, knowledge, invisible influence . . . The acquisition,
retention, and exploitation of power are what most motivate sociopaths.
This much I know."

Thomas goes on to describe various relationships (hers and others)
she has ruined, people she has duped emotionally, coworkers whose
professional efforts she has tried to derail, teachers she has brought
complaints against. All harmless chicanery? Read the book and judge for
yourself.

One point I do agree with. It's not the personality traits you've
acquired (through birth or upbringing) that define you; it's what you
choose to do with them. Thomas (Professor Lund) tries, many
times, in many ways, to acquit herself of her sociopathic tendencies and
paint herself as a sympathetic character, but her actions speak for
themselves, and I suspect that if she continues to have trouble holding a
job or holding onto a longterm relationship (troubles she admits to
having, over and over again in the book), it will not be because of any label anyone
applied to her. It will be, quite simply, because of the things she has
done; her own (confessed) behavior. As Pierre-Joseph Proudhoun once
said, "When deeds speak, words are nothing"—something every sociopath
would do well to keep in mind.

More from the Big Idea for Sunday, January 05 2014

Sociopathy

There is no consensus view of what constitutes sociopathy. Until
recently, in fact, psychologists tended to conflate sociopathy and
psychopathy, since the personality traits for both conditions ha...
Read More…

OCD prevents Heather Bayliss from meeting Mr Right | News.com.au

The woman who can’t find anyone to love her

10 hours ago
March 13, 2014
7:31PM

Heather Bayliss would love to find her Mr Right, but OCD is stopping her.
Source: Picture Media

MEET the hopeless romantic who is terrified of love.

Heather Bayliss would like nothing more than to find her Mr Right,
but her crippling obsessive compulsive disorder makes it impossible for
her to fall in love.

The 39-year-old dreams of the day she can get her debilitating condition under control and settle down with her ideal partner.

But
dating poses a horrifying number of issues for Heather, who hasn’t
invited anyone into her flat for more than three years and only leaves
home to shop or visit her mum.

She finds it extremely stressful to
meet new people and to spend time in public places, and her aversion to
eye contact means any first date could be disastrous.

She hasn’t invited anyone to her home for three years.
Source: Picture Media

Heather said: “Any relationship I did have would have to be
completely non-contact — an old-fashioned Jane Austen-style courtship.

“My
main worry is contamination from other people so there couldn’t be any
physical interaction — no hugs, kisses, hand holding — I would need to
trust someone before anything like that could happen.

“If I could
meet the right person I would be so happy, but there are just so many
extra obstacles that stand in my way because of my OCD and Asperger's.

“My
fear of germs makes it hard for me to go out for food in public too,
even something as simple as sitting on a seat in public scares me.

“And
I find social interactions very difficult, especially with people I
don’t know or have never met before — it’s all very stressful for me.
Dating just throws all of these problems at me in one go.”

It’s a lonely life for Heather who struggles to even go out in public.
Source: Picture Media

Heather — who was also diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome two
years ago — believes that it has been subconsciously affecting her
relationships her entire life.

Asperger’s is a form of autism which affects how people interact socially and communicate with others.

“I
think I can live with the Asperger’s, that’s part of who I am. But I
can’t live with the OCD being as bad as it is now — it’s pretty much as
bad as it gets,” Heather said.

“People think OCD is all about
cleaning, but it’s not. For me, it’s all about fear and fear completely
controls my life and I need to do something to make life a bit more
liveable.

“It’s like a snowball, it slowly gathers speed and over
the years things have slowly got worse and worse. And the older I’ve
got, the more I have found to worry about.”

Heather has struggling using internet dating due to her trying to be honest about her condition.
Source: Picture Media

Heather’s extreme OCD has left her terrified of even the most
simple interactions leaving her confined to her flat for the majority of
the time.

The extremity of her condition has got significantly
worse over the past five years and Heather turned to internet dating
with the hope of meeting someone to share her life with.

Reluctant
to give up her search for ‘the one’, Heather said: “I have used
internet dating sites in the hope of meeting someone special but it is
so hard to know when to be honest with people.

“I have been open and honest on my profile straight away, and had absolutely no messages from anyone.

“And
I have hidden my mental health issues from people and we’ve started
talking, but as soon as I have been honest they have dropped off the
radar and I never hear from them again.”

50k-psych

Pages