Providentia

Probe Requested in Facebook Detention Case

Acting on complaints relating to Brandon Raub's case, Virginia legislator Joseph D. Morrissey (D-Henrico) has called on Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to launch a formal investigation into why why former Marine Brandon Raub was arrested and detained for seven days.    Calling the Raub case a "total breakdown of the system", Morrissey is demanding to know why police officers came to Raub's house in Chesterfield, Virginia last August and took him, in handcuffs, to the John Randolph Psychiatric Hospital in Hopewell, VA for an involuntary psychiatric examination.  Apparently spurred on by Raub's Facebook posts (which they deemed to be "terrorist" in nature), Raub was held for seven days before a judge ordered his release.   

The case has become a political cause for many activist groups as well as  a major test of existing civil rights legislation.    My newest post at Psychology Today has the details. 

Investigating Mesmer (Part 1 of 2)

Of the various political questions that King Louis XVI had to face in pre-revolutionary France, there were few that perplexed him more than what to do about the charismatic Franz Anton Mesmer.

Almost immediately after the controversial Dr. Mesmer arrived in Paris in 1778, his medical practice began catering to the rich and famous, many of whom were members of King Louis' court (including Queen Marie Antoinette).   Paris society was soon split on whether Mesmer was a quack who had left his native Germany due to scandal or whether he had made a revolutionary medical discovery.

All of the controversy focused on Mesmer's ideas concerning what he called the "animal magnetism" that existed in all living creatures which Mesmer claimed to have discovered through his experiments on the effect of magnetism on humans.  His first triumph was in 1774 when he reportedly cured a patient fter having her swallow an iron compound and then passing magnets over her body.  His patients themselves reporting feeling streams of invisible fluid passing through their bodies while he carried out his magnetic treatments and Mesmer declared this as proof of animal magnetism at work.  He quickly discarded the magnets completely after concluding that the hand motions he used while treating patients were more  important.  He argued that animal magnetism was completely separate from the "mineral magnetism" of lodestones and was linked to the natural life energy found in all living creatures.  Mesmer also claimed that disease was caused by life energy blockage which could be cured using careful hand movements, eye gaze, and even the mental processes of the one carrying out the treatments. 

Within months of his first announcing his great discovery, Mesmer had become famous across Europe with news of his various spectacular cures.     Not only did the flamboyant Mesmer insist on seeing patients dressed in gold slippers and a silk robe, but his treatment sessions involved him sitting across from his patient, holding the patient's knees between his own, touching and massaging the patient on various parts of the body,  and gazing carefully into the patient's face.  His magnetic manipulations usually involved passing his hands over the patient's body or using a magnetized wand. During his dramatic treatent sessions, patients often fel Mesmer's cures were often fell into a state of agitation with  involuntary arm and leg movements, chattering teeth, grimacing, groaning, and fainting spells.   Any patient who became too agitated was whisked off to a "crisis room" lined with mattresses to muffle the sounds of screaming.    Since the patients were almost always women (often wealthy, high society women), the controversy surrounding exactly what the handsome and charismatic Mesmer was doing with his patients seemed natural enough.   Although many critics acknowledged that Mesmer had succeeded in curing some of his patients, they argued that these cures were purely psychosomatic.   Despite the misgivings, Mesmer's medical practice took him across Germany and Austria and healers across Europe came to study his methods.

While Mesmer's successes earned him numerous awards (including being nominated to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences), his failures were the stuff of scandal.   A case in 1777 where he tried using animal magnetism to cure a blind woman forced him to leave Vienna for Paris. 

Which was where he became King Louis XVI's problem...

Not satisfied with having a busy practice with more patients than he could possibly treat, Franz Mesmer also demanded that his animal magnetism be formally approved by France's Royal Academy of Sciences and Royal Society of Medicine.   He even offered to hold public demonstrations to convince the eminent scientists of the Royal Academy that he had made a radical new discovery.    He gained one powerful supporter in Charles Nicholas d'Eslon, a private physican to the King's brother as well as a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Paris.    In defending Mesmer, d'Eslon described several impressive cures that he had witnessed himself, including a young boy that Mesmer had apparently saved from dying.  The members of the Royal Academy were harder to convince though.   For many of the scientists, including eminent chemist Antoine Lavoisier,  Mesmer's "explanations" about animal magnetism seemed like nonsense.

Despite the resistance, Mesmer's medical practice brought him so many patients that he gave up on individual treatments and developed a new group treatment that he called the "baquet".    Essentially a large, tublike object made of oak, the baquet had numerous iron rods sprouting up from the lid.   The rods were bent at right angles and at different heights for the magnetic treatments to be applied to different parts of the body.   During the groups sessions, as many as twenty patients would stand or sit around the baquet with a rod touching the body part affected by disease.   Tied to the baquet by ropes, the patients would link fingers together to complete the "electric circuit".   To improve the mood  of the healing session, Mesmer also burned incense and had music from a glass harmonica played.  Since the treatments took place in Mesmer's specially prepared salon, with elaborate drapes, mirrors, and astrological symbols on the walls, the ambiance said as much about Mesmer's skill as a showman than as a healer.  He even reserved one of the four baquets that were in constant use for charity patients who could not afford his fees.   Considering Mesmer's popularity, even his wealthy patients had to reserve places months in advance.

Not that Mesmer was the only one offering animal magnetism treatments.  As soon as he arrived in Paris, Mesmer began training students through his "Society of Universal Harmony".   After paying a hefty fee, the students received a full initiation into Mesmer's treatment practices as well as his theories about electricity, magnetism, and how they affected the body.  One of the first graduates of Mesmer's program, Nicolas Bergasse, wrote a popular training manual titled Considérations sur le magnetisme animal (despite the fact that he was a lawyer and not a medical doctor).   Within a few years,  Mesmer's Society had hundreds of graduates who began offering treatments across France. 

Ironically, the baquet was actually more humane than the electric shock treatments that were all the rage at the time.   Both electricity and magnetism were still poorly understood although scientists such  as Antoine Lavoisier and Benjamin Franklin did their best to explain these experiments carefully.   Benjamin Franklin, who was the American ambassador to France between 1776 and 1785, was at the forefront with public demonstrations of the electric power stored in Leyden jars.  In one experiment, he had people join hands to complete an electric circuit to show how electricity traveled when one of them touched the Leyden jar.   With this public awareness came attempts to harness electricity as a way of curing disease and various healers (including apothecaries and medical doctors) used electric shocks to treat everything from depression to paralysis.   Considering the risk of electrocution associated with this type of treatment, it's probably not surprising that patients preferred Mesmer's baquet  instead.  

But did it really work?  In spite of  testimonials from grateful patients and the enormous enthusiasm over Mesmer and his treatments (later dubbed "Mesmeromania" by novelist Stefan Zweig),  scientists such as Lavoisier and Franklin remained skeptical.    The controversy dragged on until 1784 when the King decided to settle the matter once and for all by calling for two formal commissions, one from the Royal Society of Medicine and the other from the Academy of Sciences to test Mesmer's claims.  Although France had more pressing problems by that time, the King had a personal reason for insisting on Mesmer being investigated since Queen Marie Antoinette was a frequent patient and he likely wanted to avoid any possible scandal.   The fact that the Queen had personally offered Mesmer a hefty pension to stay in Paris and train more students (which Mesmer arrogantly rejected demanding more money) may have motivated the King's decision as well. 

Whatever the King's reasons, the Royal Commission went to work and Mesmer saw it as an excellent opportunity to gain the official recognition that he had craved for so long.

And so, the battle was on.

To be continued.

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with the Impostor Syndrome

A study published in a recent issue of Zeitschrift für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology contributes to explaining psychological barriers in female university careers by examining the relation between the impostor phenomenon and research self-efficacy in the university context. The impostor phenomenon refers to people who are objectively competent but feel the opposite and therefore fear being unmasked. So far, there have been no data from German-speaking countries concerning the impostor phenomenon at universities; thus, the impostor phenomenon was examined in a sample of 631 (389 female) Austrian doctoral students. One-third of the sample reported moderate to strong impostor feelings. Female doctoral students both suffer more from impostor feelings and show lower research self-efficacy than male doctoral students do. Furthermore, the impostor phenomenon and research self-efficacy are associated with faculty membership. The most important finding is that the impostor phenomenon is negatively related to research self-efficacy. Research self-efficacy is an important indicator for successful university careers; hence, the impostor phenomenon was shown to be a psychological barrier for female university careers. Implications for support programs for female doctoral students are discussed.

For the abstract.

Are Suicide Rates Declining Worldwide?

In a recent editorial in Crisis: the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, two prominent suicide researchers examined recent WHO suicide statistics and compared them to suicide statistics from 20 years previously. The two researchers, Jose Manuel Bertolote of Brazil's Botucatu Medical School and Diego De Leo of Australia's Griffith University examined suicide statistics by age and sex for the most recent available period (2004 to 2009) and compared them to the 1992-1995 suicide statistics.

In overall number of suicide deaths, there appears to be a significant decrease in the most recent period compared to suicide rates from 20 years previously. Although men are still more likely to commit suicide than women (especially as they grow older), suicides have declined for almost all age groups.

To read more, check out the rest on my latest contribution to the Huffington Post.

Four Haitian Children Killed in Voodoo Exorcism

A police investigation is underway in the southern Haitian town of Marbial after a woman was arrested for her role in the exorcism deaths of her four children.   The children, ranging in age from seven years to fifteen months, were found dead after being reportedly beaten to death by a local "sorceror" and healer who had persuaded the mother that they were suffering from a mysterious illness caused by demonic possession.  The sorceror, assisted by his brother, beat the children repeatedly to expel the demon and "save their souls".   While neighbours reported being aware that the children were suspected of being possessed, there was no attempt at intervention before the children died of their injuries.   Following the deaths, the sorceror and his brother fled Marbial and are believed to be hiding in Port-au-Prince. Haitian authorities are continuing to pursue leads to determine their current whereabouts.

According to local Marbial authority, Wilfrid Brisson in a statement to the international media, "Three girls and a boy, the eldest of whom was seven-years-old and the youngest only 15 months, suffered abuse from the healer who was treating them."  He added that "they were then abandoned in their mother's bed."

As many as half of Haiti's population practice some form of Vodoun (often alongside other religions as well).  Vodoun priests (male priests are known as houngans and female priests as mambas) have plied their trade for centuries and are traditionally believed to be able to cure disease and lay curses.   There is also widespread belief in evil magic causing illness.  In 2007, following the Haitian earthquake, a cholera epidemic was blamed on voodoo and at least twelve Haitians were killed by rioters as a result.

Although Christian evangelism has also risen signficantly in recent years, most Haitians practice a combination of different religions including voodoo and Christianity with little conflict.   As with other exorcism deaths around the world, prosecuting exorcists remains difficult due to the reluctance of community members to testify against them, either out of fear of their powers or retaliation from other believers.  

The case is continuing.

For more information.

15-Year Old Charged in Adoptive Parents' Murder

When psychologist Robert Kamin and his wife, Susan Poff, both failed to show up for work in January of this year, their respective employers were concerned enough to telephone the couple's son, 15-year old Moses Kamin.  Moses insisted that his parents had gone out for a walk but coworkers became suspicious and, after several phone calls yielded further evasive answers, called police to investigate. Police went to the Kamin home near Oakland, California and found nothing suspicious after questioning Moses but, on a second visit, found evidence of charring on the family car. Inside were the bodies of 55-year-old Robert Kamin and 50-year-old Susan Poff, hidden under a blanket.    Moses Kamin was arrested the next day.

Given the gruesome circumstances of the murders and the fact that Moses Kamin was nearly 16, prosecutors made the unusual decision to charge him as an adult when he was arraigned in an Oakland court.   For more information on the murder victims and the questions raised over police tactics to get a confession, read my post on the Psychology Today site. 

 

Linking Psychological Well-being and Cardiovascular Health

A recent review published in Psychological Bulletin investigates the association between positive psychological well-being (PPWB) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The authors also consider the mechanisms by which PPWB may be linked with CVD, focusing on the health behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, sleep quality and quantity, and food consumption) and biological functions (e.g., cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic processes) that are most relevant for cardiovascular health. Because PPWB is a broad concept, not all aspects of PPWB may be associated with cardiovascular health.They distinguish between eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, optimism, and other measures of well-being when reviewing the literature. Findings suggest that PPWB protects consistently against CVD, independently of traditional risk factors and ill-being. Specifically, optimism is most robustly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events. In general, PPWB is also positively associated with restorative health behaviors and biological function and inversely associated with deteriorative health behaviors and biological function. Cardiovascular health is more consistently associated with optimism and hedonic well-being than with eudaimonic well-being, although this could be due in part to more limited evidence being available concerning eudaimonic well-being. Some similarities were also evident across different measures of PPWB, which is likely due to measurement overlap. A theoretical context for this research is provided, and suggestions for future research are given, including the need for additional prospective investigations and research that includes multiple constructs of psychological well-being and ill-being.

For the abstract.

When Keeping Quiet Causes Air Disasters

Could airplane crashes happen because airplane staff are reluctant to speak out about safety issues?   Investigations into devastating airplane disasters, including the 1977 Teneriffe Airport disaster, have found a consistent pattern of crew reluctance to speak up when airline safety is jeopardized.   Based on disturbing new findings from researchers at Switzerland's ETH Zurich university,  a significant percentage of flight crew staff are often afraid to speak out over safety issues, even when their own lives are at stake.   Why does this keep happening?  And how can airplane disasters linked to crew members being afraid to speak out be prevented?  

To learn more, read my newest contribution to the Huffington Post. 

 

Stories I've Been Following

More interesting links to stories that have caught my eye:

Should prisoners with HIV be kept segregated from other prisoners?  Alabama requires their HIV+ prisoners to wear a white armband and automatically excludes them from a range of vocational and other rehabilitation programs that might help them get out of the prison system.   The ACLU blog describes the legal challenge to Alabama's segregation policies.   

The Concussion blog presents the results of the first NFL Concussion Report with a breakdown on number of concussions, which teams are involved, and some of the other related statistics.  Hopefully, this will be the first of many reports highlighting a neglected aspect of professional sports.

Do negative stereotypes about wearing glasses discourage children from getting help for their vision problems?   The answer seems to be "yes" according to this post in BPS Research Digest.   Describing a recent literature review of 28 relevant studies since 1980, the lack of spectacled positive role models is still influencing how children views adults and children who wear glasses.

It's a given that all brains need regular sleep to stay healthy, but does that apply to brain cells being grown in vitro?   Neuroskeptic presents a dramatic new study that appears to show just that.   Not only is this an intriguing finding in itself but may well redefine what we know about sleep.

Can right- or left-handedness occur in organisms without hands?   It can according to Neatorama which shows evidence of handedness even in the lowly cichlid fish.   Handedness apparently influences foraging behaviour and even asymmetry in fish anatomy. 

Fans of Sandeep Gautam and his work at the Mouse Trap and Psychology Today will be glad to see that he is now doing a column at the Creativity Post.   His latest post,  The Muses and the Furies looks at the often perplexing question of creativity and what distinguishes it from madness.   Click here to read more. 

Although childhood neglect can have a longterm effect on a child's mental and physical development, does it actually stunt the brain?   Wired Science describes recent research showing brain  abnormalities linked to neglect in early childhood and suggests the role that this can have on the behavioural and emotional problems neglected children often display. 

Can special training help front-line health care staff recognize victims of human trafficking?    BBC News has the story of an ambitious new training program in Scotland designed to teach doctors and nurses to spot potential signs that patients may be caught in sexual slavery.  

Are there health risks for people working near high-powered MRI scanners?  Sharp Brains presents the results of one research study showing transient neurocognitive problems in MRI workers which suggests the needs for better safety measures.  

California's Salton Sea has been alternately called a national wonder, a paradise, a national embarassment, and may well be shaping up to be the ecological equivalent of the Chernobyl disaster.    Wired Science reports on how the water wars have turned the Salton Sea into a battleground and how poor management policies may eventually devastate Southern California. 

Is neuromarketing the hot trend of the future?  Or is it just bollocks?   Neurocritic weighs in on the issue (spoiler alert:  he's not a fan). 

How can non-verbal cues help us decide if people are trustworthy?  And would those cues work for robots as well?   Science Daily describes some remarkable research featuring a robot named Nexi that reproduces various nonverbal cues shaping our opinions about trustworthiness.   Would you buy a used car from this robot?

Dr. Thomas Szasz has been called a gadfly, a visionary, a social critic, and a humanist and, to some, a menace.   His death at the age of 92 marks the true end of an era.   Psychiatric Times features this  obituary for a man who has transformed modern psychiatry. 

 That's all for this week.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can Psychopathic Personality Traits Predict Successful Presidents?

Although the psychopathy diagnosis has never been included in any commonly accepted classification system for mental disorders (including the DSM), the very word psychopath is often linked to criminal violence and antisocial behaviour.  Psychopathic personality traits are not always negative however.  In an ambitious research study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Scott Lilienfeld and his fellow authors examined psychopathic personalty traits using a remarkable study sample:  the past 42 presidents of the United States (up to and including George W. Bush).    Examining psychological personality traits such as fearless dominance, they examined all previous presidents on various measures of presidential success and failure and came up with some surprising results.

Read more