Thursday, February 11, 2010

Olympics & Psychiatry


The Olympic games cost billions of dollars to prepare for, and to host. Therefore, it has been a subject of controversy, particularly because so many people (both globally, and in the local communities near the Olympic sites) are suffering with homelessness, poverty, lack of opportunities for therapy, education, recreation, healthy community, etc. There is understandable criticism that those billions could have been better spent addressing these serious social problems directly.

A few things in particular bother me about the Olympics: one main corporate sponsor is a soft-drink company; another is a fast food company. These companies, in my opinion, contribute to the health problems of millions of people. It is like having cigarette companies as sponsors. The Olympic torch was preceded by a truck with neon lights and dancers boisterously advertising soft drinks...I think this was contrary to the spirit of the event--certainly in bad taste-- and I hope future Olympic organizers can be more health-conscious in considering whom to allow as corporate sponsors.

Overall, however, my opinion is that the Olympics are very healthy, for the following reasons:

1) In these games we have an opportunity for nations of the world to display a type of excellence, and to come together in serious, spirited, but friendly competition. It is a model of sublimating competitive conflict through sport or play, rather than through war. And it is an opportunity for multicultural celebration, in a setting which encourages sportsmanship, generosity, and hospitality.

2) The ethical problem of spending extravagantly while many do not have basic needs met is a very serious one. Here are a few ideas about this:
-Almost any activity could be considered extravagant spending (in terms of money, time, or attention) : much university education does not address the needs of impoverished, displaced, or other suffering individuals. Much in medicine (e.g. transplantation surgery) could be considered expensive extravagance, benefiting a small number of people while others have inadequate basic health care. A great deal of scientific exploration (e.g. the space program) is very expensive, yet doesn't help directly with poverty or world hunger. Investment of time, attention, or money in the arts (e.g. music, theatre, literature, visual arts) could be considered wasteful, since it does not directly help with poverty or homelessness. People could be directed to stop spending time reading novels, going to plays, going jogging, having pets, etc. because they should better be volunteering to assist with dire social problems.
-Regarding the above examples, I think most would agree that these "extravagant" aspects of human endeavour are healthy...it is part of human nature to strive for excellence and for new frontiers (whether this be in space travel, advanced surgery, mathematics, theatre, or sports): it is part of healthy civilization that we allow our attention, time, and money to be invested in these activities. It would induce a type of global psychosocial impoverishment to suppress these activities. The development of a culture which is advanced in terms of arts, sciences, and sports, and which shares its advances with other cultures, is healthy. While these activities may not directly help with social problems, they are part of building a healthier society, which in turn can address its social problems with greater ease and morale.

This social issue has a metaphorical parallel, I think, in individual cases of depression, anxiety, or other psychological symptoms: in a depressed or anxious state, a much greater portion of energy may be invested to meet basic needs. Energy itself may be in short supply, and it may require most of this energy just to prepare food, or to make it through the day. It makes sense to budget energy in such a way that few "extravagances" are allowed. Yet, if this budgeting practice persists for years, it may lead to a perpetuation of a grey, depressed status quo. "Extravagance" may be a necessary part of energy budgeting in depressive states--this extravagance might take the form of energy expenditures which may not seem affordable (e.g. exercising, taking up a new activity, involving oneself in a new community, socializing, taking time away from a hard-to-maintain work schedule in order to volunteer, etc.)---and indeed, such extravagances may sometimes not work out (e.g. efforts to socialize may fizzle, the new activity doesn't work out due to depressive fatigue, etc.). But allowing for extravagances is a type of balanced risk that can permit growth from a depressive status quo.

Suppose a room-mate invites a whole bunch of people to your home, for a lavish celebration. Suppose you are very opposed to this event, perhaps in the context of your room-mate not having done his share of chores regularly for the past 4 years (etc.) ...But suppose also that the guests are themselves honorable, noble people who come from many lands, who are polite, respectful, talented, and interesting. Perhaps in this context it is healthier to set aside one's differences, and to welcome the guests with a spirit of hospitality and celebration.

I think it is great to have the Olympics in Vancouver: I wish all the athletes and spectators a happy, healthy, spirited few weeks of enjoying our community, of enjoying vigorous competition and good sportsmanship. Afterwards, I hope that all of us in the community may enjoy the resources constructed for the games, and that special effort may be made to include those in greatest need.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sleep, Hormones, and Obesity

Here are some excellent references about the interaction between sleep, hormones, and obesity. They were contributed by a reader (thank you very much!):


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16459757

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18591489


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19056602

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15531540

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18564298

Lastly a good review paper and shows the basics (along with some fun diagrams)
http://www.jpp.krakow.pl/journal/archive/1205_s6/articles/01_article.html


Comments:

These references make it very clear that inadequate sleep increases the likelihood of obesity.

The last article was interesting, but oddly lacked any discussion of culture or psychology with respect to eating behaviours or obesity.

In terms of advising a fixed, early wake time, I believe this is entirely consistent with a plan to get adequate, optimal sleep. In fact, I believe that when individuals who are struggling with insomnia have a habit of sleeping in, the overall sleep quality diminishes, the insomnia pattern is exacerbated and perpetuated, and the health problems associated with inadequate sleep are likely to worsen.

Therefore, I believe that sleep quality and the restorative health benefits of sleep are most optimal if wake times are consistent and early. Possible exceptions to this could occur in adolescents, who probably need more sleep (but even then, it would be better for them to get that additional sleep by sleeping longer hours but getting up at the same time every day, rather than by sleeping in on weekends). Another exception could be in the setting of a physical illness, in which case one might need to stay in bed longer to recover.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Self-help books

There are a lot of self-help books to choose from, dealing with almost anything including mood problems, anger, anxiety, body image, obesity, shyness, relationship or marriage problems, etc.

There are others that might aim to help a person develop creativity, or guide one with respect to some other life pursuit, such as building a sense of purpose, meaning, balance, simplicity, etc.

I think it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the self-help literature. I think it can be something like getting a textbook for a course at school...while some textbooks may not be very well-written, I think having a textbook at all can at least allow some extra tangible structure in therapeutic work.

Most self-help books have exercises to work through, often requiring you to write things out with pen and paper. I think it is important to actually do the exercises, as opposed to just leafing through the book, or thinking that you've done all those things in your mind before anyway. Working through exercises strengthens the mind, even if the exercises themselves are not very well-constructed. It is something like working through arithmetic or grammar problems. Even if the exercises are boring or trite, the earnest effort spent working through them will strengthen your ability and insight about the subject matter. Also, most self-help books, even if they are poorly written, can act as structures to develop your own personalized insights about the subject matter--the workbooks can be a frame to do the work, as opposed to being an intrinsic source of insight.

Many self-help books are organized with cognitive-behavioural ideas in mind. Once again, even if you don't care much for cognitive therapy, the exercises remain useful, provided you engage in them earnestly (it is possible to do these exercises in a half-hearted or sarcastic way, etc. -- which would minimize any possible benefit, just as with any other exercise in life).

What does evidence have to say about self-help books? So-called "bibliotherapy" (yes, someone had to designate an awkward piece of vocabulary to describe "reading") has an evidence base--here are a few references:

Gregory et al. published this 2006 meta-analysis showing cognitive bibliotherapy was effective for depression: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 2004, Vol. 35, No. 3, 275–280. They concluded that bibliotherapy had an effect size of about 0.77, which is substantial, and comparable to effect sizes from medications and psychotherapy.

Here is a reference to a 2003 meta-analysis by Newman et al. showing that bibliotherapy was effective in the treatment of various anxiety disorders:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12579544

Here is a 2004 reference showing that guided self-help is effective in treating bulimia:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15101068

In conclusion, I do strongly recommend working through self-help books. I find that it can be important to look at several different ones, as there can be style or content differences causing you to prefer one over the other.

The main word of caution I have about self-help is that some authors may have a very biased point of view (perhaps influenced by dogmatic or eccentric beliefs regarding politics, religion, health care, etc.), and may therefore lead a vulnerable individual towards an unhelpful set of beliefs or actions.

So my main recommendation is for standard cognitive-therapy style self-help, as a place to get started. There need not be any bias in cognitive therapy, since it is merely a neutral frame for your own therapeutic work.