Tag: Mental health
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To all the books that saved my life
Dannie OngMelbourne, Australia On the way to therapy, I am reading The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. I try not to think about the irony of it all – no job, no degree, not even a life, depending on who you asked – and there I am, filling pages with notes on morning…
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Longitudinal lunacy: Science and madness in the eighteenth century
Richard de GrijsSydney, AustraliaDaniel VuillerminBeijing, China “A couple of young Non conformist preachers from Worksop in the North of Derbyshire came thither to have my approbation of some Method they had to propose for finding the Longitude at sea, one I shall tell you because it will make you laugh abundantly.”1 John Flamsteed, Britain’s first…
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“Something monomanical”: obsession and the unity of effect
Jack RosserHerefordshire, England, United Kingdom The concept of monomania first gathered popularity in France at the beginning of the nineteenth century; the term “referred to a type of mental disorder in which a person would have fixed, and often grandiose, ideas that did not correspond to reality.”1 These ideas would be “confined to a single…
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Rewiring the brain
Paul RoopraiHamilton, Ontario, Canada Approach as a medical illustrator The modern-day perception of mindfulness and meditation is inextricably linked to the mind, which is associated physically with the brain. The rendering of the brain at the top of the poster represents the biological processes that mindfulness promotes in the brain. The renditions of the neuron…
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Art therapy: A historical perspective
Mirjana Stojkovic-IvkovicBelgrade, Serbia Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the creation of art to help resolve psychopathological conflicts. It helps people to identify psychological weaknesses and see problems from a different perspective, enabling them to escape from repetitive self-destructive behavior. Art therapy improves personality, self-image, and self-acceptance, resulting in an improved quality…
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Christian cutting at Vancouver General
Amber MooreVancouver, British Columbia, Canada She calls it “Christian cutting,” and laughs dryly,as if trying to soak the secret back up. It’s futile;in the Psychiatry Assessment Unit at Vancouver General,everything spills out eventually anyway- it gushes. Carving crucifixes in her skin, she prays to Mary becauseJesus just won’t do.She doesn’t think he’ll bother to try…
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Letters from the asylum
Nicholas KangAuckland, New Zealand After cutting off his ear, Vincent van Gogh spent a year in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence confined to a mental asylum. Despite several major relapses during his stay, he continued to work prolifically, completing more than 140 paintings including masterpieces such as Starry Night, Irises, and Almond Blossom. Three months after leaving, he was…
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Treating thunderbirds
Ananya MahapatraNew Delhi, India The cacophony of the psychiatric ward paused for a moment as a young woman was ushered in by two hospital attendants and her frail, frightened mother. She laughed garishly and cussed in rural vernacular with wild abandon. She spoke in loud unapologetic spurts, like pennies falling out of pockets, and moved like…