I often get hits on my blog from people searching for examples of Loose Associations
First, it may be helpful to know that I am a psychiatrist who works much of the time on an adult inpatient psychiatric ward at an academic medical center. My blog is just a hobby, and for entertainment (my own mostly) purposes only. I thought that the term loose association fit well with the format and content of this blog. I use the term in a general way, but it is apropos because of my line of work. I thought I’d take a moment to describe what a loose association is and talk a bit about schizophrenia.
The term loose association is used clinically when assessing the mental status of a patient. It refers to illogical connections between thoughts and statements. A loose association is a logical misstep. It is when the successive individual thoughts in a train of thought are loosely associated with each other. The train of thought is derailed. Loose associations can be appreciated in a variety of psychiatric disorders, but are very prominent in patients with Schizophrenia. To understand what a loose association is, it may be helpful to understand Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a devastating neurological disorder that usually causes life long suffering and alienation. It is a characterized by 3 categories of symptoms: positive, negative and cognitive. Positive symptoms are usually in the form of hallucinations (most commonly auditory i.e. hearing voices) and delusional thinking (fixed, false beliefs i.e. paranoia.) Negative symptoms are harder to treat and often cause some of the most devastating effects of schizophrenia. Examples of negative symptoms would be extreme apathy and social isolation. Finally, there are the cognitive symptoms. Patients with schizophrenia have difficulties with thinking. They have difficulty with sorting out and prioritizing their thoughts. This leads to below average functioning in an otherwise intelligent person.
Patients with schizophrenia often get caught in a downward socioeconomic spiral. Their symptoms and behavior often alienate loved ones, and their decreased functioning often leaves them with little ability to care for themselves. Too often these folks succumb to homelessness and drug addiction. There are some effective treatments that improve functioning and quality of life. These include anti-psychotic medications, supportive therapy and aggressive case management. Though a general lack of resources for the mentally ill often makes it difficult, treating folks with these issues can be rewarding.
So there you go. My blog is called Loose Associations because I intended to write on vast array of loosely associated topics. I also meant for it to be a nod to my day job.
I just received my copy of The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins. I’m very excited to read this book. I’m not an expert on Evolution, but I’ve read several books on the topic and took a Vertebrate Anatomy course in college, so I have some familiarity with the concepts. I’ve enjoyed reading two other Dawkins books, The Blind Watchmaker and The God Delusion. I’ve found that Dawkins is gifted at explaining complex scientific concepts in an understandable and exciting way. These are the same attributes that I admired in Carl Sagan.
Since attending Rosh Hashanah services last week, I’ve been thinking more lately about science and religion. I have another blog called The Ramblings of a Jewish Skeptic that I started about a year ago. This was in my blog experimentation phase (which I am still in.) I started it not long after reading The God Delusion and meant for it to be a format for me to work through my science vs. religion issues. After a lot of self assessment, reading, writing and thinking, I can now proudly say that I am both an Atheist and a Jew.
As a vehicle to continue reading and learning about science and skepticism, I am planning to post more regularly on Ramblings of a Jewish Skeptic. One thing that I’m giving consideration to is writing a review for each chapter of The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. I want to finish reading my current book The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker first, so it may be a while before I post.
So please check out some of the old posts on my other blog and let me know what you think. Since I am busy with my job and family, I’m sometimes a sporadic poster on my blogs. I strive to be more consistent.
I had a good time at our family Seder, and then again had fun the second night with friends. As usual, I ate too much matzah and brisket. I enjoyed telling the story of passover to my kids. I was proud that my daughter could say the 4 questions in Hebrew. I had fun flipping plastic frogs across the table.
I really hope that my kids hold times like these in their memories as they grow up, and think warm thoughts when they reflect back on them.
But…
There is a cognitive dissonance that I feel while going through the Seder. I do not believe that there is a God, and therefore I don’t believe that he chose the Jewish people, he didn’t send plagues on Egypt and he didn’t split the Red Sea. These are all myths. Sure, slavery is bad, and people should be freed from oppression. That is a good lesson. But it bugs me that none of this stuff is true. Part of me realizes that it doesn’t have to be true, but there is a struggle for me.
A while back, I decided that I can participate in Jewish rituals and celebrations by substituting “the Jewish tradition” in place of “God.” I have found that this works most of the time for me. But I feel like I’m selling out at times. At other times, I wish I wouldn’t worry so much about this stuff and just go with the flow.
My second Podcast. Just as arbitrary as the first.
