Kevin Alan Lee's Blog
April 18, 2013
Early Detection of Mental Illness
Indeed, early detection and treatment is the best way to heal mental illnesses like schizophrenia. And since we have entered into a technological era, our children will usually have access to the World Wide Web. Some websites designed to promote mental health awareness for our children include:
http://www.am-i-ok.co.uk/
http://mindcheck.ca/
Websites like http://www.mayoclinic.com/ may offer a more compressive account regarding all forms of mental illness. Yet, reading the technical definitions of a mental illness can often be confusing, especially for our young ones.
The illness of depression may be easier to understand, since every person has experienced feelings of sadness. However, in the case of schizophrenia, the symptoms may be easily misunderstood. Persons with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations or delusions. But what exactly are these symptoms? Delusions may be defined as the misinterpretation of experience, while hallucinations may be defined as seeing or hearing things that do not really exist. However, as a patient with schizophrenia, I know that realizing the fact that I am delusional or hallucinating can be difficult. Patients with schizophrenia may sometimes believe that their delusions and hallucinations are “normal”, and not the symptoms of any form of illness. In my case, I experienced delusions on a periodic basis throughout my childhood, and although I did possess some recognition that these thoughts may have been “extraordinary”, I never conceived the possibility that I may have been sick. It was only after I reached adulthood, when my delusions became increasingly frequent, where I pondered the possibility that I could have been affected by some kind of illness.
I remember that in grade 6, I received sexual education for a short period of that school year. Perhaps we can create a similar program based on mental illness awareness. If I was educated on the nature of schizophrenic delusions, maybe I could have realized that the belief that I was God was not “normal” and perhaps the symptom of some kind of disease. I think a mental illness awareness program could help some children, before they become overwhelmed with the symptoms of some disease. If our children possessed the awareness that some of their thoughts are indeed “strange”, maybe they will seek some kind of further counsel, and this could encourage the early detection and treatment process. I think it is important to educate our children on the subject of mental illness before they become overwhelmingly symptomatic. The goal that we should all work towards is the self-identification of the early stages of mental illness, and all other illnesses for that matter, because this is the best time to start the treatment process.
http://www.am-i-ok.co.uk/
http://mindcheck.ca/
Websites like http://www.mayoclinic.com/ may offer a more compressive account regarding all forms of mental illness. Yet, reading the technical definitions of a mental illness can often be confusing, especially for our young ones.
The illness of depression may be easier to understand, since every person has experienced feelings of sadness. However, in the case of schizophrenia, the symptoms may be easily misunderstood. Persons with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations or delusions. But what exactly are these symptoms? Delusions may be defined as the misinterpretation of experience, while hallucinations may be defined as seeing or hearing things that do not really exist. However, as a patient with schizophrenia, I know that realizing the fact that I am delusional or hallucinating can be difficult. Patients with schizophrenia may sometimes believe that their delusions and hallucinations are “normal”, and not the symptoms of any form of illness. In my case, I experienced delusions on a periodic basis throughout my childhood, and although I did possess some recognition that these thoughts may have been “extraordinary”, I never conceived the possibility that I may have been sick. It was only after I reached adulthood, when my delusions became increasingly frequent, where I pondered the possibility that I could have been affected by some kind of illness.
I remember that in grade 6, I received sexual education for a short period of that school year. Perhaps we can create a similar program based on mental illness awareness. If I was educated on the nature of schizophrenic delusions, maybe I could have realized that the belief that I was God was not “normal” and perhaps the symptom of some kind of disease. I think a mental illness awareness program could help some children, before they become overwhelmed with the symptoms of some disease. If our children possessed the awareness that some of their thoughts are indeed “strange”, maybe they will seek some kind of further counsel, and this could encourage the early detection and treatment process. I think it is important to educate our children on the subject of mental illness before they become overwhelmingly symptomatic. The goal that we should all work towards is the self-identification of the early stages of mental illness, and all other illnesses for that matter, because this is the best time to start the treatment process.
Publisher's Blog
Hello everyone,
My publisher's blog is no longer online, so I will post my thoughts onto this website.
Cheers!
Kevin
My publisher's blog is no longer online, so I will post my thoughts onto this website.
Cheers!
Kevin
March 11, 2012
NUP Blog
Hi everyone,
For more of my thoughts, check out my publisher's blog here:
http://insidenup.blogspot.com/
For more of my thoughts, check out my publisher's blog here:
http://insidenup.blogspot.com/
February 2, 2012
Head Injuries in Sport
This year the National Hockey League has approved of a rule that prohibits hits “where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact”. Some people believe that this will turn the game of hockey into a “no-hitting” game. In my mind, I don’t believe that this will happen, but even if it did I believe that the safety of the players should be of the utmost concern. Indeed, there was still checking in the game of hockey during the 1970s; at that time some players didn’t even wear helmets. Since those times, players have become more aggressive, and the evolution of hitting may have gone too far.
In fact, injuries due to concussion have led to the early retirement of many hockey players over the past decade. Consider Sydney Crosby. Crosby is among the best players in the entire league. Yet at current times, he is out for an indefinite period of time, due to a return of concussion-like symptoms. It is the league, and the fans, who will pay a similar price, simply because we will not be able to watch his superior skills and talent. In fact, the NHL is a much better league when there are players like Sydney Crosby who are injury free and playing the game that they love.
Head injuries may also occur in the sport of soccer. Recent studies reveal the possibility that heading the ball in soccer could lead to brain damage. One study indicates that players who head the ball frequently had changes in their brains that are similarly seen in patients with a traumatic brain injury. The brain regions affected are responsible for attention, memory and executive functioning.
According to another study conducted in 1992, both active and former players from the Norwegian national soccer team have complained about permanent head problems such as headache, dizziness, irritability, impaired memory and neck pain.
Similarly, another study conducted in 2001 indicates that selected soccer players have some degree of cognitive dysfunction. Yet, this study also stresses other possibilities such as player age, alcohol intake, drug intake, learning disabilities, concussion definition and control group use/composition as factors that may also be relevant. It states “While it is likely that the subconcussive impact of purposeful heading is a doubtful factor in the noted deficits, it is unknown whether multiple subconcussive impacts might have some lingering effects.”
The popularity of soccer, as the number one sport in the world, may make rule changes against the use of the head difficult. Indeed, heading the ball is a major strategy in the game, especially during corner kicks. Something viable that we can do, however, is not to teach the skill of heading the ball too early to our children. The appropriate age may be between 10 to 12 years of age, with the “appropriate” sized ball.
Just a thought on the safety of our athletes.
In fact, injuries due to concussion have led to the early retirement of many hockey players over the past decade. Consider Sydney Crosby. Crosby is among the best players in the entire league. Yet at current times, he is out for an indefinite period of time, due to a return of concussion-like symptoms. It is the league, and the fans, who will pay a similar price, simply because we will not be able to watch his superior skills and talent. In fact, the NHL is a much better league when there are players like Sydney Crosby who are injury free and playing the game that they love.
Head injuries may also occur in the sport of soccer. Recent studies reveal the possibility that heading the ball in soccer could lead to brain damage. One study indicates that players who head the ball frequently had changes in their brains that are similarly seen in patients with a traumatic brain injury. The brain regions affected are responsible for attention, memory and executive functioning.
According to another study conducted in 1992, both active and former players from the Norwegian national soccer team have complained about permanent head problems such as headache, dizziness, irritability, impaired memory and neck pain.
Similarly, another study conducted in 2001 indicates that selected soccer players have some degree of cognitive dysfunction. Yet, this study also stresses other possibilities such as player age, alcohol intake, drug intake, learning disabilities, concussion definition and control group use/composition as factors that may also be relevant. It states “While it is likely that the subconcussive impact of purposeful heading is a doubtful factor in the noted deficits, it is unknown whether multiple subconcussive impacts might have some lingering effects.”
The popularity of soccer, as the number one sport in the world, may make rule changes against the use of the head difficult. Indeed, heading the ball is a major strategy in the game, especially during corner kicks. Something viable that we can do, however, is not to teach the skill of heading the ball too early to our children. The appropriate age may be between 10 to 12 years of age, with the “appropriate” sized ball.
Just a thought on the safety of our athletes.
