Decoding the Riddle of Mental Illness

Decoding the Riddle of Mental Illness through an breakthrough communicational dynamic. Here, mental illness is primarily regarded as a physical disorder or a chemical imbalance, although clear-cut signs within the brain have eluded convincing documentation. Indeed, the most obvious outward signpost is a disturbance in the ability to communicate in an interpersonal sense, often in an exaggerated or bizarre fashion. The emotions are similarly affected to extreme degree, as witnessed in profound nature of the mood disorders such as mania or melancholy.
An overall communicational model of mental illness has conspicuously been lacking due to the daunting conceptual challenges at issue. As with many other such great enigmas, the solution often emerges from advances in a parallel field of inquiry -- such as in Communications Theory. Indeed, a breakthrough in the understanding of affective (or emotionally charged) language has recently been proposed: wherein incorporating the communicational factors underlying mental illness within a general eight-part schematic depicted.

+  +  VICES OF EXCESS        MENTAL ILLNESS
        (Excessive Virtue     (Transitional Excess)

+     MAJOR VIRTUES          LESSER VIRTUES
          (Virtuous Mode)        (Transitional Virtue)
___________________________________

O     -     NEUTRALITY STATUS
___________________________________

–   VICES OF DEFECT             CRIMINALITY
        (Absence of Virtue)     (Transitional Defect)

–  –  HYPERVIOLENCE        HYPERCRIMINALITY
       (Excessive Defect)    (Transit. Hyperviolence)

This diagram actually represents a radical expansion upon Aristotle's enduring Theory of the Mean (originally defined as a more basic three-part model). When the six additional affective categories are further added into the mix, the grand total jumps to 408 individual terms (including 56 individual forms of mental illness). This total breaks down into the eight forms of the personality disorders, eight forms of the neuroses, and twenty forms each for the mood disorders and schizophrenia: as partially depicted.

Narcissistic  Personality >>>  Obsession  Neurosis
Confabulatory  Euphoria >>> Confab.  Paraphrenia
Enthusiastic  Euphoria >>>  Proskinetic  Catatonia
Non-Participatory Euphoria >>>  Silly Hebephrenia

Borderline  Personality    >>>    Phobia  Neurosis
Suspicious Depression  >>>  Fantastic  Paraphrenia
Self-Torturing Depression >>> Negativistic Catatonia
Non-Participatory Depression >>> Insipid Hebephrenia

Dependent  Personality  >>>  Compulsion  Neurosis
Pure  Mania   >>>    Expansive  Paraphrenia
Unproductive  Euphoria  >>>  Parakinetic Catatonia
Hypochondriacal Euphoria  >>>  Eccentric Hebephrenia

Avoidant  Personality   >>>  Anxiety  Neurosis
Pure  Melancholy  >>>  Incoherent  Paraphrenia
Harried  Depression    >>>   Affected  Catatonia
Hypochondriacal Depression >>> Autistic Hebephrenia

Here, mental illness is functionally consistent with an emotional style of communicational dynamic: one that encompasses certain other forms of human communication. Indeed, the extreme symptomology associated with mental illness effectively distorts or exaggerates the overall conceptual framework, generally obscuring the cognitive aspects being communicated. Consequently, the key to understanding these elusive factors ultimately resides in the context of more routine communication, where the various emotional parameters can be more accurately ascertained. When this virtuous realm is further contrasted with the parallel realm of the vices, the resultant master format expands to a grand total of 160 individual terms, offering a fitting contextual background towards resolving the enigma of mental illness -- with considerable applications in terms of treatment and diagnosis.

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. John E LaMuth
Authors:
Mr. John LaMuth

 

Rationality Based World Peace

Rationality Based World Peace -- The most effective path to a rationality-based world peace and harmony necessarily entails an evolving truce between the rationally-based secular world and the long-standing traditions that buttress organized spirituality.

This achievement is based upon a breakthrough hierarchial grounding of traditional value ethics within a scientific behavioral foundation - as partially depicted here.

Solicitousness . Rewards ..... Submissive . Leniency
Nostalgia . Worship ......... Guilt . Blame
Glory . Prudence ............. Honor . Justice
Providence . Faith ........... Liberty . Hope
Grace . Beauty ................ Free-will . Truth
Tranquility . Ecstasy ............ Equality . Bliss

Appetite . + Reinforce .... Aversion . Neg. Reinforce.
Desire . Approval ............... Worry . Concern
Dignity . Temperance ........... Integrity . Fortitude
Civility . Charity ............... Austerity . Decency
Magnanim. . Goodness ............. Equanimity . Wisdom
Love . Joy ....................... Peace . Harmony

A similar pattern further extends to the contrasting behavioral paradigm of punishment, resulting in a parallel hierarchy of the major categories of the vices also depicted, permitting a complete ethical system.

No Solicitous. . No Rewards ..No Submiss. . No Leniency
Laziness . Treachery ........... Negligence . Vindictiveness
Infamy . Insurgency................. Dishonor . Vengeance
Prodigality . Betrayal.....................Slavery . Despair
Wrath . Ugliness.......................Tyranny . Hypocrisy
Anger . Abomination.....................Prejudice . Perdition

No Appetite . Punishment. .... No Aversion . - Punish.
Apathy . Spite .......................... Indifference . Malice
Foolishness . Gluttony.................Caprice . Cowardice
Vulgarity . Avarice...................Cruelty . Antagonism
Oppression . Evil.....................Persecution . Cunning
Hatred . Iniquity....................Belligerence . Turpitude

Once the sacred virtues/values of religions are seen to actually have an instinctual foundation in the terminology of behavioral conditioning, they will lose much of their mystical mandate and impact - in essence "The Great Secular Equalizer". Any singular claims to religious truth must now gradually be scaled back, with none being any more valid than that of any other religion —leading to less hubristic scriptural claims and perhaps even greater interreligious cooperation—in strict competition with a much more enhanced and dynamic secular perspective (which will now be the gate-keeper for such a scientifically-based brand of ethicism)

This should gradually lead religions away from extremist perspectives and hopefully the phasing out of mindless global terrorism. This newly secularized brand of ethics is well-placed for such a mediation role, extending beyond the basic virtues and values to encompass Aristotle's vices of defect and excess, criminality and hypercriminality, and even the communicational factors underlying the mental disorders.

+ + VICES OF EXCESS ........ MENTAL ILLNESS
(Excessive Virtue) ............ (Transitional Excess)

+ MAJOR VIRTUES ........ LESSER VIRTUES
(Virtuous Mode) ............ (Transitional Virtue)

________________________________________

O ...... NEUTRALITY STATUS

________________________________________

-- VICES OF DEFECT ........ CRIMINALITY
(Absence of virtue) ............ (Transitional Defect)

-- -- HYPERVIOLENCE ..... HYPERCRIMINALITY
(Excessive Defect) ... (Transitional Hyperviolence)

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. John E LaMuth
Authors:
Mr. John LaMuth

 

IPHE: Innovative Participatory Health Education Approach To Promote Health Of Hard-To-Reach Conflict Affected Women

IPHE is an approach that engaged researcher with community members and promoted their knowledge about maternal health issues in post conflict settings by allowing them to develope and deliver context freindly materials in forms of songs, drama, and pictograms. More video of better quality at www.youtube.com/rcrutv 

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Khalifa Elmusharaf
Authors:
Dr. Khalifa Elmusharaf , Dr. Amal Khalil , Dr. Amani Abd Elhamid , Dr. Sara Abdalla , Dr. Muaz Ibrahim , Dr. Mustafa Morgan , Ms. Azza Mustafa , Dr. Habab Mekki , Dr. Hiba Salih , Dr. Mohammed Abdalla , Dr. Ayat Abuagla , Dr. Amjaad Farah

 

The Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity Assay (ZETA): an efficient tool for drug screening/chemical toxicity assessment

Our ZETA test is a 4-day, high-throughput, inexpensive tool for chemical toxicity and drug activity. It follows OECD guideline draft (Fish Embryo Toxicity Test) for the testing of chemicals (Fraysse et al, 2006). At established stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio) development, morphological, physiological and behavioral endpoints were quantified for non-exposed and exposed embryos, included cardiovascular effects of substances. The present image illustrates borderline effects of an environmental toxicant on cardiac frequency. We are currently using ZETA for the study of cardioactivity and teratogenicity of toxicants and new substances.

Fraysse, B., Mons, R., Garric, J. (2006). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 63:253-367.

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Daniel Rodriguez-Ithurralde
Authors:
Dr. Daniel Rodriguez-Ithurralde , Mrs. Luisa Barrios , Mrs. Isabella Benvenuto , Mrs. Viviana Bortagaray , Mrs. Rosa Cruces , Mrs. Gabriela del Puerto , Mrs. Alicia Soza , Dr. Andrea Saravia

 

The ciliated protozoo Coleps, a frequent aquaria resident, is able to kill and eat zebrafish larvae.

Coleps are common freshwater ciliated Prostomatea with barrel-shaped bodies, usually less than 100 micrometers long. They prey on a variety of aquatic organisms, including fish eggs and larva. Here we are showing them voraciously feeding from a dead zebrafish embryo. With its sharp teeth and its rapid revolution, they are able to kill and eat baby (4-7 day old) zebrafish (Mazanec, A. & Trevarrow, B., 1998). We found that they can make quickly disappear entire baby zebrafish stocks.

Mazanec, A. & Trevarrow, B., 1998, Zebrafish Sci. Monitor, Vol. 5.1. http://zfin.org/zf_info/monitor/vol5.1.html#Coleps, Scourge of the Baby Zebrafish

 

Submitting Author:
Ms. Isabella Benvenuto
Authors:
Ms. Isabella Benvenuto , Dr. Daniel Rodriguez-Ithurralde

 

Overactive Bladder & Interstitial Cystitis

Interview with Dr. Richard L. Heaton from the Heart of Georgia Women's Center, Warner Robins, GA

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. Mohammad S Walid
Authors:
Dr. Mohammad Walid , Dr. Richard Heaton

 

5 Major Effects of High Blood Pressure - 3D Medical Animation

 

Submitting Author:
Ms. Valli Bindana
Authors:
Ms. Valli Bindana

 

How to use bowel bags to prevent peritoneal contamination in gynecologic laparoscopy?

Bowel bags are transparent sterile plastic bags that had no practical application in gynecology. In this video we describe the bowel bag isolation technique used in cases of large pelvic masses, solid and cystic, that are felt to be at a low but real risk of malignancy. This technique protects the peritoneal cavity from contamination with malignant cells during morcellation or cyst rupturing.

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. Mohammad S Walid
Authors:
Dr. Mohammad Walid , Dr. Richard Heaton

 

Pelvic Pain

Interview with Dr. Richard L. Heaton, Heart of Georgia Women's Center, Warner Robins, GA

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. Mohammad S Walid
Authors:
Dr. Mohammad Walid , Dr. Richard Heaton

 

Interstitial Cystitis & Endometriosis

Interview with Dr. Richard L. Heaton from the Heart of Georgia Women's Center, Warner Robins, GA

 

Submitting Author:
Mr. Mohammad S Walid
Authors:
Dr. Mohammad Walid , Dr. Richard Heaton

 

Pleural effusion - A collection of Chest X-rays

A collection of chest x-rays in pleural effusion. The spectrum range from imaging findings in classical moderate to massive pleural effusion to findings in small loculated effusion. Pleural effusion was confirmed with ultrasound or CT-thorax in all of them.

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Emmanuel Bhaskar
Authors:
Dr. Emmanuel Bhaskar

 

Pentology of Cantrell

Heart beating in the abdominal wall defect (epigastrium). The components of Pentology of Cantrell are abdominal wall defect, diaphragmatic defect, sternal cleft, pericardial defect, and intracardiac anomaly.

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Muhammad Bilal Mirza
Authors:
Dr. Muhammad Bilal Mirza

 

Peristaltic wave in the epigastrium: A characteristic of pyloric stenosis

The video successfully demonstrates all the stages of peristalsis visible in the epigastrium as characterized by the patients of pyloric stenosis.

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Muhammad Bilal Mirza
Authors:
Dr. Muhammad Bilal Mirza

 

Clonus

Clonus is defined as recurrent uninhibited contraction of a skeletal muscle [ often a group of muscles ] to persistent stretch.  This may result due to disease affecting the  pyramidal tract and occasionally extra-pyramidal tract. The video shows the classical ankle clonus which is obtained by  supporting the leg by holding the upper part of the calf muscle just below popliteal fossa  and  passive   dorsiflexion of  the ankle joint. This passive dorsiflexion  should be quick and the stretch  must be sustained for sometime. The   video shows recurrent  oscillation of the  ankle joint due to persistent contraction of the muscles contributing to achiles tendon [  gastronemius and soleus ] .The quick  passive dorsiflexion is maintained for 20 seconds in the video. This patient was suffering from cerebro-vascular accident . Presence of  sustained clonus indicates a severe pyramidal tract involvement. An ill sustained clonus for few seconds may occur in anxious patients and those suffering from psychiatric illness.  

 

Submitting Author:
Dr. Emmanuel Bhaskar
Authors:
Dr. Emmanuel Bhaskar