On the Charlie Rose Show, July 8, he had the 9th episode of his Brain Series. Last nite his stellar panel discussed my favorite illness: mental illness, namely, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Watch it right here.
My first question is, Who is Kay Redfield Jamison engaged to? She's the famous psychologist who has 'manic depressive illness,' its original name who co-authored the definitive book on the illness but perhaps more importantly saved lives with her Unquiet Mind. I've never read it since I lived it.
Jamison, amazingly, still takes lithium. She's lucky it hasn't killed her kidneys as it has mine and a couple of my friends. Most people have 100 percent kidney function. Mine is down to 10 or 12 percent.
Elyn Saks, a brilliant law professor and memoir writer, said she takes Clozaril for her schizophrenia. One of our members has failed on every antipsychotic for his schizophrenia and was just put on Cloz. I called him and told him about Elyn taking it. Another of our undetectable schizophrenics is doing well on her med.
According to the three scientists who rounded out the panel, the earlier you are treated for your mental illness, the better your prognosis. Apparently, future episodes traumatize the affected parts of the brain and they have difficulty recovering.
Does that account for my cure? And my ex-boyfriend Simon's cure?
Simon was 17 when he was misdiagnosed w/schizophrenia. He took Thorazine for 30 years, living a productive working life, tho miserable internally since he was on the wrong medicine.
In his 40s, he was properly diagnosed w/bipolar,and put on lithium. Life was better.
In his 50s, trusting his gargantuan intellect and intuition, he went off everything and was fine. Occasionally, however, when he was stressed, he'd believe he was Christ or the Governor. No wonder I fell for him...nothing like being the bride of Christ!
He did know enuf, however, to pop a Zyprexa for his transient psychotic episodes. He also told me that one reason for his cure was that he finally found someone to talk to who understood him. Yes, me, little Mary Magdalene.
Like Simon, I was treated immediately. After my florid psychosis at 38, I was put on lithium.
Saks and Jamison differed in their experiences with psychosis/mania. Jamison smiled when she described her out/control euphorias, saying we enjoy our euphorias. Au contraire, Dr Jamison, au contraire.
My experience was like Elyn Saks: horrific, a waking nightmare. That's why I never fiddled with my meds. Who wants to return to The Holocaust?
Neuroimaging techniques -- pioneered by researchers like the two guests from Emory University and one from Columbia -- have led scientists to discover which brain regions are affected by mental illness. You'll see these brain maps on the TV show.
Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel, brilliant at age 80, co-led the discussion. A Jew who escaped Austria after the Nazis came to power, he won his prize for discoveries about memory storage.
Where was I?
Oh. Helen Mayberg, a neurologist, is particularly interested in depression. Why, she wonders, do some people not respond to standard treatment? She has done Deep Brain Stimulation on people who have been 'moribund' with depression for years. It works! And quickly! However, repeated treatments are necessary...and quickly.
Like Botox! The tendency to sag, to achieve homeostasis.
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