Chapter 22 Extra Article One Afternoon Conversation about Mental Illness

He: "Do you want to record?" Can I?" He: "Yes, yes, but I have no responsibility to talk about it today. If you want to use these as a reference to write a thesis, I'm afraid it will delay you." Me: "Don't worry, I don't use this to write papers, and I won't publish or mention your name. I just absorb it as knowledge. Do you think it's okay?" He: "Okay, then I'm going to talk about it irresponsibly? I won't admit it even if you published it (laughs)." Me: "Sure, no problem." He: "Okay, so what do you want to know?"

Me: "When did you decide to be in this medical field?" He: "I didn't aspire to specialize in this subject since I was a child, and I didn't have any particularly ambitious ambitions to save lives and heal the wounded. I was young at the time and didn't think about that. Our family ancestors have always been practicing medicine (insert a sentence, there is a family tree as evidence that 300 years ago), so our family has a lot of doctors (laughs). I am an orthopedic surgeon. When I was sent to Europe by the country to study in XX, I encountered such a thing, that is, it made me decide what I want to do now. professional."

Me: "Is it a terrible thing? Why are mental patients tortured under the evil capitalist system?" He: "(Laughs) That's not true. I went to see her brother with a classmate. Her brother is an intern in a psychiatric hospital. When I was waiting for her in the yard, I was sitting near two mental patients. I heard They chatted. I thought it was funny at first, but then I stopped laughing." Me: "Is the content weird?" He: "No, the content is normal, and what they said is very common. But the two people speak different languages, one speaks Spanish and the other speaks English. And the conversation is completely irrelevant. One said: Today's weather is really rare Ok. The other replied: Well, but I don't like onions. The other said: If Angela was still alive, I would definitely push me to go for a walk with her. The other replied: Big dogs are nothing, small dogs tickle Time is the most ridiculous... The topic of the two people has nothing to do with each other, but the two of them chat very enthusiastically. If you don't listen to the content, just look at the expressions and movements, you will think it is a pair of old friends chatting. I listened to it from the side I was taken aback for a while. I only learned my Spanish there. It was not solid. At first I thought I had a problem with my speaking and listening. I just listened to it for more than an hour, and they didn’t match up. Wait for me When I realized it, my classmates couldn’t find me and left by myself.”

Me: "Did you go back and start paying attention to this information?" He: "Yes, that's when I started to pay attention to these things. I went to the library and pestered the professor to recommend materials. But I found that it was not what I thought." Me: "Yes, orthopedics and psychiatry are two different things." He: "It's not about this problem, but about the data. At first I thought that Europe and the West would have comprehensive materials and detailed records on psychiatry, but after a search, I found out that it was not what I thought. In the mid-eighteenth century, many of their psychiatric and brain studies were related to religion. God’s revelation, God’s punishment, and ghosts’ haunting are all these. And they are supported by many doctors.”

Me: "Actually, it's normal, right? The origin of medicine itself is witchcraft, witch doctor." He: "No, in the 18th century, European medicine, especially surgery, was already at a very high level. But psychiatry may have been suppressed by religion, so it has not made much progress, and was even excluded sometimes. " Me: "So?" He: "So I finally decided to specialize in psychiatry." Me: "Oh... I'd like to know your opinion on the treatment of mental patients, because I once heard a view that if mental patients are happy, why bother with their happiness."

He: "I know this, but it should be explained more comprehensively: If a happy mental patient does not threaten his own safety or the safety of others, and at the same time does not impose a burden on his family and society, then he will be happy. There is no need to treat him according to how we feel." Me: "Do you think this statement is correct?" He: "It can't be said that it's wrong, but this kind of thing is a rare example. It's rare. You think, first of all, he must be very happy, not cold, not hungry, not threatening, and his family is not burdened. Is it common? ? Not much."

Me: "Did you just mention an example?" He: "It does exist. For example, there was a British patient whose family was relatively rich. After his father passed away, his three sisters and the patient themselves all received a lot of inheritance. The patient's situation is like this: he finds something to burn every day, and burns it repeatedly. After being burnt to ashes, roasted and crushed, and then use that ashes to plant flowers to see if they can live. All kinds of things are used for experiments. If you don’t do anything else, you won’t do it. Eat what you eat, don’t be picky eaters , I fell asleep on the sofa when I was tired. His three sisters took good care of him and hired two servants. One cooks and cleans the room, and the other is his assistant. They keep an eye on him all day, don’t burn anything Furniture or yourself, it’s just like this. If you don’t let him burn, he will throw things and lose his temper. Give him something that can burn, and he will be quiet. Slowly use an alcohol lamp to burn bit by bit. What do you eat? I don’t worry about what to wear, my property is under the supervision of accountants, lawyers and my sister, and everything is fine. There is no need for treatment for such a patient, and he burns well by himself. He doesn’t go out, and he doesn’t plan to get married. He just concentrates on burning things and growing flowers. Not threatening, hurting no one, and creating jobs. Most importantly: he's happy."

Me: "How to judge whether he is happy or not?" He: "It can only be seen on the surface. If the patient is crying and laughing upside down, there is no way. Because in this case, if the treatment is performed, many strange human rights groups will come to trouble you, accusing you of depriving the mental patient of happiness. Joy, a very queer remark." Me: "Well, that's a question... What's the basis for the definition of mental illness? It's just over a hurdle, or is it just because of the illness, killing people, setting fires and running wildly in the streets?"

He: "Actually, what you are talking about is a problem of social identity. My opinion is: everyone has a mental illness." Me: "Huh?" He: "Think about it, do you have paranoia in some aspects?" Me: "Well... I can't have more than 3 icons on my computer desktop. If there are too many icons, I have to put them on the shortcut bar or not put them on the desktop at all. Does that count?" He: "Forget it, if there are more than three, you won't do it, right?" Me: "Then you said that there are many such people around me. I know a girl who must arrange the money in her wallet according to the face value, and the front and back must be in the same direction; the other one must tighten the sheets on the bed. There is a little wrinkle; there is also a friend who likes potted plants with broad leaves, and the leaves must be polished one by one on the rest day; by the way, I have a habit of changing the furniture in the house for three months, does that count?”

He: "Let's talk about it separately. Your furniture is shifted, and your friend is serving flowers and plants. You can use the word 'sentiment' for this. The person who tidies up the wallet and the person who flattens the sheets can be regarded as a little hypocrisy. In fact, these are all It’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, none of these affects your normal life with other people, right? Then force it, there’s nothing wrong with it. But if you even tidy up other people’s wallets, go to other people’s homes and forcibly take away their wallets. The furniture is also moved around, you are considered a mental patient. As for going to other people's houses to wipe flowers... I think I can accept this (laughs)."

Me: "Well... how did the mental illness come about? Is there a specific cause?" He: "I also want to know this, not only me, but many of my colleagues also want to know, but we don't know anything about the causes of most mental illnesses. We can only be sure of one thing: some mental illnesses are caused by Genetic defects. But it’s not absolute. Basically everyone has genetic defects, and why some of them get the disease is still an unsolved issue. Let’s put it a little farther away. For cancer, AIDS, and tumors, the treatment techniques and methods are similar For decades, with the improvement of equipment, it has been developing rapidly. Why? Because the pathogen is clearly there. But mental illness is not, and the anatomy cannot be seen. It is like the acupuncture points and veins of traditional Chinese medicine, which can only be found when alive. There is no autopsy at all, how can you be sure? Moreover, the acupuncture points and veins will change during the day. This acupuncture point can have curative effect in the morning, but it will be useless in the afternoon. Mental illness is more serious. What is spirit? This is no wonder Western religions will interfere with the development of psychiatric research. This is a problem that is hard to say. Psychiatry is different from neurosurgery. The best neurosurgery is currently in Germany and Japan, because they did a lot of live experiments during World War II. Of course, This is inhumane and a cruel act against humanity. Let’s talk about it from this point, that is, through living brain experiments in Germany and Japan, we know many functions of the brain. Because the brain is like a computer, is it not All the parts are working at all times. When this part is needed, this part works. When it is not needed, this part is inactive. If you turn off the machine, you will not be able to find anything. Without live experiments, it is difficult to know. Especially in the past when perspective technology was underdeveloped." Me: "I remember that there is a saying that only 20% of the brain has been developed, and the remaining 80% has not been used. Is it true that many mental illnesses are caused by the undeveloped side?" He: "Actually, this is a biography. It may be that the media took relevant medical papers or magazines out of context. That 80% is not all idle. Your breathing, your heartbeat, your perspiration, your physical reactions, are all those things. 80% of the internal control, in other words, is to maintain the physiological mechanism. But I admit that there is still a part that has not been used so far. It is not that it has not been used, it has not been discovered, and it may need some circumstances to be activated. But this part It will not exceed 20%, which means that more than 80% of the human brain has actually been used. Don’t believe too much in science fiction about the special functions of the human body in novels and movies. Humans do not yet have a brain with unlimited potential. If it is really unlimited potential, then There is no need to grow so big. How much does an adult brain weigh? About 1.7 kilograms, this weight is already very large for the proportion of modern human body weight.” Me: "Well... there is no other cause that can be determined besides genetic defects?" He: "Yes, but it is more difficult to determine. For example, psychological factors, environmental factors, and growth factors, all of which lead to differences in tolerance. For example: one of the important symptoms of schizophrenia is thinking diffusion and thinking broadcasting (diffusion of thought, thought broadcasting English original name was provided by me after verification), as a result of the various objective factors just mentioned, it is a considerable part of the group of schizophrenic patients.” Me: "What do you mean? Thought diffusion?" He: "This is an illusion of the patient. He feels that when he has an idea, it is like broadcasting, and everyone knows it. He feels that his thoughts are shared and there is no privacy. This leads to ( to others) panic and mistrust. So this condition is known as thought diffusion, in fact both conditions are the same, the two words are used because the patient feels differently. The thought is shared immediately, or the thought has The feeling emanating from the radio... Schizophrenia or pre-schizophrenia have this characteristic. I dare not say all of these patients, but I can be sure of most of them as long as I keep my eyes on them. This It’s not that I or the patients have special abilities, it’s clinical experience. Their eyes are extremely sensitive and alert.” Me: "So it's like this..." He: "And in this mood, patients are more hostile to the people around them and more anxious psychologically. If they are not adjusted or treated by psychological counseling in time, it will lead to a vicious circle. Because they are becoming more and more sensitive. For example, you said The patient didn’t listen to the specific content, but he listened to just a few words, which became a sentence that insulted him or satirized him. He will think that you are targeting him, that you are a bad person, and you know him well. He has no privacy. At the same time, it will arouse more thoughts in the patient, so that the balance of normal thinking in the mind is out of normal thinking, and it becomes someone talking to himself in the mind, forming auditory hallucinations. If it is more serious Yes, it creates hallucinations based on the conversations in your head. Seeing things that other people can't see, things like that." Me: "...it's so serious..." He: "Yes, I once cured a patient, a young man. He was severely schizophrenic. He said he could see a lot of aliens on the street, but others couldn't. The aliens eavesdropped on his thoughts, and Lie in everyone's ear and tell others. But if you think about it, when he looks at others with that strange look, others think he is strange, and they will look at him more, and he thinks that others already know What is he thinking, he will be manic, he will be out of order." Me: "What about treatment for schizophrenia?" He: "Family's counseling is a must. Psychiatrists will listen to the advice of psychoanalysts and psychological counselors and adopt various drug-assisted treatments. But one thing must be emphasized: the cooperation of family members is very important. We once conducted a survey in Europe , Children who are properly loved by their mothers will have more self-confidence when they grow up than children whose mothers neglect them, and at the same time have a more stable relationship with their spouses and lovers. The most interesting thing is that they also have stronger immunity." Me: "Such a big difference?" He: "Yes, but patients themselves have to slowly adjust their mentality. They can't care about other people's eyes and attitudes all day long. They have to learn to let go of their hearts. The sea is open to all rivers, and tolerance is great. Standing on a wall, you can be strong without desire..."