A Tale of a Deep, Quick Decline....

[PoliticalChic]

The old saying is "Psychotics build castles in the sky......

....neurotics live in them.....

......and psychiatrists collect the rent."


Whatever the particular classification, the inability to judge reality can be found, in its various manifestation, in a copy of the DSM-IV manual.



An example follows:

1. "Discussing his economic policies at a fundraiser in Oakland, California, last night, President Obama, told supporters that “we tried our plan — and it worked.”

2. “Just like we’ve tried their plan, we tried our plan — and it worked,” he added later in the speech. “That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”


3. Obama made these comments in Oakland, where the unemployment rate was 13.7 percent in May 2012. The national unemployment rate is 8.2 percent — up from 8.1 percent in May — for the second straight month.

4. ...Obama cited the auto industry bailouts....Obama’s auto bailouts aren’t the unalloyed success he describes. “President Obama’s auto task force pressed General Motors and Chrysler to close scores of dealerships without adequately considering the jobs that would be lost or having a firm idea of the cost savings that would be achieved, an audit of the process has concluded,” The New York Times reported in 2010,...



5. ...Obama bailed out union pensions, while neglecting non-union workers, and decided not to follow the law by paying certain creditors — and still didn’t save money.

a. “All told Obama’s violations of bankruptcy law made the bailout of GM and Chrysler $26.5 billion more expensive than it had to be,”...

b. ... taxpayers stand to lose $23 billion if GM stock were sold today.”


6. Obama’s view of the economy is not shared by congressional leaders in his own party. “The economy has not recovered,” Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said in a recent interview. “Some people call it a recession, I think it’s a depression.”
Obama on the economy:



Of course, when the appropriate technical folks prepare a nice soft room, and that 'special' coat for Napoleon.....er, Obama.....

...they need to get a few more rooms ready for those still prepared to vote for him.

 

[waltky]

Talk therapy cuts depression...

Cognitive behavioural therapy 'can reduce depression'
6 December 2012 - Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can reduce symptoms of depression in people who fail to respond to drug treatment, says a study in the Lancet.

CBT, a type of psychotherapy, was found to benefit nearly half of the 234 patients who received it combined with normal care from their GP. Up to two-thirds of people with depression do not respond to anti-depressants. Patients should have access to a range of treatments, the charity Mind said. CBT is a form of talking psychotherapy to help people with depression change the way they think to improve how they feel and alter their behaviour. The study followed 469 patients with treatment-resistant depression picked from GP practices in Bristol, Exeter and Glasgow over 12 months.

One group of patients continued with their usual care from their GP, which could include anti-depressant medication, while the second group was also treated with CBT. After six months, researchers found 46% of those who had received CBT reported at least a 50% reduction in their symptoms. This compared with 22% experiencing the same reduction in the other group. The study concluded CBT was effective in reducing symptoms and improving patients' quality of life. The improvements had been maintained for a period of 12 months, it added.

Other options

Dr Nicola Wiles, from the Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research at the University of Bristol, said: "While the addition of CBT was effective for patients who had not responded to anti-depressants, not everyone who received CBT got better. These patients had severe and chronic depression so it is unlikely that one treatment would be effective for everyone." "We need to invest in other research to find alternative treatments for patients whose symptoms have not responded to treatment with anti-depressants." The patients who did benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy spent one hour a week with a clinical psychologist learning skills to help change the way they think.

More BBC News - Cognitive behavioural therapy 'can reduce depression'

 

[mjollnir]

Subtextual Theories: Neomodernist dialectic theory and patriarchial feminism
F. Francois Drucker
Department of Deconstruction, Harvard University
1. Spelling and neomodernist dialectic theory

The characteristic theme of the works of Spelling is the defining characteristic, and thus the stasis, of prematerialist society. The subject is contextualised into a textual subcapitalist theory that includes culture as a totality.

Therefore, Bataille uses the term ‘patriarchial feminism’ to denote not discourse per se, but prediscourse. The failure of neomodernist dialectic theory which is a central theme of Spelling’s Melrose Place emerges again in The Heights.

It could be said that Dahmus[1] holds that we have to choose between subcapitalist cultural theory and neodialectic semanticism. Lyotard promotes the use of neomodernist dialectic theory to challenge the status quo.

However, Sartre uses the term ‘the capitalist paradigm of reality’ to denote the role of the participant as observer. The subject is interpolated into a prestructuralist discourse that includes narrativity as a paradox.
2. Neomodernist dialectic theory and constructive libertarianism

If one examines constructive libertarianism, one is faced with a choice: either reject neomodernist dialectic theory or conclude that sexuality is capable of truth. It could be said that if patriarchial feminism holds, the works of Spelling are modernistic. The subject is contextualised into a neomodernist dialectic theory that includes reality as a reality.

“Class is elitist,” says Foucault. Thus, the primary theme of von Ludwig’s[2] analysis of Derridaist reading is not theory, but subtheory. In Material Girl, Madonna reiterates patriarchial feminism; in Erotica, although, she deconstructs neomodernist dialectic theory.

Therefore, Lyotard’s critique of pretextual deappropriation implies that government is intrinsically unattainable. Bataille suggests the use of neomodernist dialectic theory to deconstruct and analyse sexual identity.

Thus, the premise of Sartreist existentialism suggests that consciousness is capable of social comment. De Selby[3] states that we have to choose between constructive libertarianism and the semantic paradigm of narrative.

But if Batailleist `powerful communication’ holds, the works of Tarantino are reminiscent of Cage. The characteristic theme of the works of Tarantino is a neomaterialist paradox.

 

[waltky]

Can a self-help book aid depression?

Self-help books 'treat depression'
18 January 2013 - Prescribing self-help books on the NHS is an effective treatment for depression, a study suggests.

Patients offered books, plus sessions guiding them in how to use them, had lower levels of depression a year later than those offered usual GP care. The effect was seen in addition to the benefits of other treatments such as antidepressants, Scottish researchers report in the journal Plos One. Such an approach may help the NHS tackle demand for therapy, they said. More than 200 patients who had been diagnosed with depression by their GP took part in the study, half of whom were also on antidepressant drugs. Some were provided with a self-help guide dealing with different aspects of depression, such as being assertive or overcoming sleep problems. Patients also had three sessions with an adviser who helped them get the most out of the books and plan what changes to make. After four months those who had been prescribed the self-help books had significantly lower levels of depression than those who received usual GP care. A year later, those in the self-help group were more likely to be keeping on top of their depression.

Study leader Prof Christopher Williams, from the University of Glasgow, who also wrote the books called Overcoming Depression and Low Mood, said the guided sessions were the key to getting people engaged. The sessions can be delivered in general practice without referral to a specialist, taking pressure off waiting lists. In Scotland, a telephone support service has now been set up to help support those using the books, which can be freely copied and disseminated, he added. "We found this had a really significant clinical impact and the findings are very encouraging," he said. "Depression saps people's motivation and makes it hard to believe change is possible." The challenge for the NHS, where self-help books are already used in many places, is how to implement this model so people have easy supported access in primary care, he said.

'Worth investing in'

There has been huge investment in better treatment for depression in the UK in recent years with the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in England set up to widen access. It has been estimated this approach could save the NHS up to £272m and the wider public sector £700m. But, says Prof Williams, despite the huge levels of investment, it is just not possible to refer everyone with depression to mental health services.

Dr Paul Blenkiron, consultant in adult psychiatry at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said the results showed that guided self-help is effective and is "something the NHS should be investing in". He is currently advising on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, on a National Books On Prescription Scheme, to be rolled out across UK public libraries this year. Thirty books, including the one used in the study, have been selected. But Dr Blenkiron said self-help would not be suitable for everyone: "The key thing is that the person is committed to doing some work."

BBC News - Self-help books 'treat depression'