Providentia

Does GPS Help Drivers in the Early Stages of Dementia?

The initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) include attention deficits, memory loss and deficiencies in topographic and spatial orientation. People with AD may have way-finding difficulties in driving due to the deterioration of their navigation ability. Although the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proven to be a useful aid for older people in driving, there is no evidence to suggest that the benefit could extend to drivers with AD. A new study published in the journal Gerontology aims to investigate the effectiveness of the GPS in assisting drivers with mild AD in finding their destination safely.   Twenty-eight drivers with mild to very mild AD, diagnosed by a general practitioner or a psychogeriatrician, completed all clinical and psychometric assessments including the Mini Mental State Examination, Trail Making Test B and Doors and People Test. During the driving assessment, 3 driving trials with different settings (normal, visual only and audio-only) of the GPS were administered to all participants. The participants were required to follow instructions from the GPS and perform a variety of driving tasks on a driving simulator. The driving performances of participants were assessed by criteria specific to AD drivers. The driving assessment criteria were first combined to form the overall driving performance score: a higher score indicated a better overall driving performance. The other outcome of this study was the success of participants to navigate to a predetermined destination. Results showed that the driving performance of participants was different among the 3 settings (F = 72.8, p < 0.001) and the pairwise comparison between the 3 settings was significant (p < 0.001). The driving performance score was highest in the audio-only setting (mean: 20.0, SD: 2.2), moderate in the normal setting (mean: 16.7, SD: 2.6) and lowest in the visual-only setting (mean: 14.3, SD: 3.3). When compared with the visual-only setting, drivers using the audio only setting (OR: 37.2, 95% CI: 9.2–151.2) and normal setting (OR: 37.2, 95% CI: 4.8–286.9) were more likely to successfully find their destination (p < 0.05).  The researchers conclude that  using single, simple auditory instructions with the absence of the visual output of the GPS could potentially help people with mild AD to improve their driving ability and reach their destination.

For the abstract

UK Probe into Mental Illness in Airline Pilots Leads to Hundreds Being Grounded

Just four months following an air disaster believed to have been caused by a mentally ill co-pilot, a Civil Aviation Authority review of UK pilots has led to 350 pilots being suspended after admitting to psychiatric problems.    The review was undertaken due to public concerns over the crash of  Germanwings Flight 9525  in the French Alps on March 24, 2015.   Over 140 passengers and six plane crew were killed with no survivors.   The crash occurred due to the actions of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz who deliberately downed the plane after locking the pilot out of the cockpit.   Prior to becoming a commercial pilot, Lovitz had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies and had been denied a U.S. pilot's license because of his psychiatric history. 

During the five years leading up to the deadly crash, Lovitz had seen numerous doctors for treatment and a later  investigation showed that he was taking psychiatric medication and had been declared unfit to fly by one of his doctors.  It was also learned that he had investigated methods for committing suicide online in  the days leading up to the crash.  Despite this however, Lovitz concealed his condition from his employer and reported for duty.   Under German law, employers do not have automatic access to employee medical records.

During the fatal flight itself, Lovittz managed to take control of the plane after the pilot left the cockpit for a washroom break.  Data from the plane's flight recorders show attempts by the other crew members to regain control of the plane but he successfully began a rapid descent that led to the plane crashing into a mountain at a speed of 700 kilometers per hour.     Rescue workers proceeded to the crash site and an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the crash.    The investigation found that Lovitz acted suspiciously on previous flights though no one suspected what he was planning. 

Within weeks of the Germanwings crash, Lufthansa changed its policy to require two crew members in the cockpit at all times.   Though other civil aeronautics agencies such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority already have this policy in place, Europe had been slow to follow suit.    There has also been calls to scrap laws protecting doctor-patient confidentiality when airline security is called into question.

As well, psychologist groups across Europe called for more stringent testing of airline pilots to weed out potentially suicidal candidates.   Regulatory bodies have also been conducting internal reviews of airline pilots to identify pilots suffering from mental disorders such as depression and ground them until they could be declared fit to fly.     It was during the  recent "unprecedented" Civil Aviation Authority review of UK 41,000 pilots that led to over three hundred pilots having their pilot licenses suspended though almost all of them have since been cleared for duty.   

As the review itself stated, "With the implementation of European regulations in 2012 it became possible for existing aircrew to regain a medical certificate following complete recovery from a depressive illness while still taking certain maintenance medication (which decrease the risk of relapse) if they follow a particular protocol.  “This has likely lead to more pilots declaring their condition in 2013/14 and receiving appropriate treatment whilst being suspended from flying.”  

A spokesperson for the British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) has raised concerned that the crackdown on pilots with mental problems could lead to many pilots deliberately concealing their conditions to avoid being grounded.  “Pilots take their responsibility towards passengers incredibly seriously and have a legal duty to declare any physical or mental reason they may not be able to fly," she  told British media.  “Avoiding stigma is best way to ensure pilots with depression and mental illnesses are not driven underground.  It is vital pilots feel able to freely report any illness and have access to support thereafter.”

Still, the CAA defends the tightened restrictions stressing that "safety is the number one priority of the CAA."    One spokesperson added that "all registered UK pilots are subject to regular and extensive medical assessments to ensure their fitness to fly and can only carry out flying duties after a specialist aviation medical practitioner has certified them as fit to do so.  "If a pilot has experienced a serious illness, they will only be provided with a medical certificate if a specialist medical professional is satisfied they have made a full recovery.   Working with our international partners, we continue to enhance aviation safety, including ensuring that the pilot medical assessment process is thorough and robust."

In the meantime, family members of the 146 people killed in the Germanwings crash continue to mourn their dead and commercial airline pilots are finding themselves being scrutinized more intensely than ever.

 

 

 

Off To Washington

I'll be away for a few days starting August 5 to attend the 122nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.   I'm looking forward to taking part in the various workshops, symposia, and events being organized as well.   Oh, and I hear tell that Washington, D.C. has some nice architecture as well though the paint schemes seem a little bland  (who lives in an all-white house?).   

I'll try to get in some blogging and tweeting while I'm there to keep you up to date.  

Jet Blue Pilot Released from Custody

The Jet Blue pilot who terrifed an entire flight with bizarre ramblings about Jesus and terrorism has been ordered released by a Texas judge.   Veteran pilot Clayton Osbon was charged with interference with a flight crew following the March 27 incident during which he needed to be restrained by passengers after being locked out of the plane's cockpit.  No one on the flight was seriously injured although one flight attendant's ribs were bruised.  After his arrest, Captain Osbon was held in a psychiatric prison facility in North Carolina awaiting trial.

During the trial, forensic psychiatrist Robert E.H. Johnson reported that Captain Osbon was suffering from a brief psychotic disorder linked to sleep deprivation.   These psychotic symptoms, including delusions, apparently made Captain Osbon "incapable of understanding why his actions on the flight were wrong."   It is still unclear how long Osbon had gone without sleep before the flight. Dr. Johnson also testified that Osbon's psychotic symptoms had lasted for a week following the March 27 flight and that he had experienced a further psychotic breakdown while in the hospital.    This psychotic breakdown delayed the trial which was originally scheduled to end in August.  

In handing down the decision to release Osbon,  U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson imposed strict conditions including a ban on all flying both as a pilot or a passenger.   He was also banned from contacting any of the passengers or flight crew of the March 27 flight, several of whom have filed lawsuits against the airline over the incident.   Osbon is also required to report regularly to a probation officer and to attend treatment at a North Carolina medical center. 

"This is a bad situation for you and your family, but you are fortunate to have the type of immediate support that you have", Judge Robinson said in handing down her decision.   Osbon's defense attorney, Dean Roper, commented on the "ordeal" that the former pilot and his family have faced in recent months.   He also said that he is relieved that the ordeal is over although it is uncertain whether the 49-year old pilot will ever fly again.   As part of the court decision, all of Osbon's psychiatric records have been sealed.

For more information.

CSICon: Reporting from the Front Lines

As I started writing this, this year's Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's conference has just finished winding down and I'm still in the process of collecting my thoughts over all of it.   While I will be writing on some of the specific presentations in depth in the weeks to come (giving this blog a distinctive Nashville twang for a while), here are some of the highlights:

• The irreverent Richard Wiseman acted as MC for the first few days as he introduced the different speakers and provided us with some quirky examples of magic tricks, illusions, and examples of the different ways our brains can fool us.
• Even before the conference began, we had preconvention workshops featuring the amazing Skepchicks talking about applied skepticism.   There was also a workshop on investigative strategies for checking out hauntings and other strange things that go bump in the night featuring Ben Radford, Joe Nickell, and Jim Underdown.
• Along with Jon Ronson and Rebecca Watson, Richard Wiseman covered their recent Paranormal roadtrip as they travelled from Buffalo, N.Y. to Nashville, TN by car.   Along with their exposure to assorted haunted sites along the way (including a haunted honky-tonk) they also visited an underground magic museum situated in an old gold mine,
• We then had a song/comedy/st eorytelling extravaganza from George Hrab as well as two tapings of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast featuring Rebecca Watson and the rest of the SGU cast.
• Kimball Atwood, David Gorski , Harriet Hall g and Eugenie Scott gave a depressing overview on the rise of pseudoscience in modern medical schools and supposedly advanced hospitals (usually under the banner of "integrative medicine").   How much woo does your family doctor support?
• The irrepressible P.Z Myers gave a quick recap on modern evolutionary biology and why recent discoveries are NOT a death knell for evolutions as hopeful creationists insist.
• Former stage magician/private eye/homicide detective/current paranormal investigator Joe Nickell gave a presentation on the science of investigating hauntings tand ended with the thoughtful advice: "there are no haunted houses, only haunted people."  
• Closer to the subject of psychology was a terrific symposium on memory and belief and the question of just how reliable memory can be.   Moderated by the legendary Ray Hyman, we heard presentations from James Alcock, Elizabeth Loftus, and Indre Viskontas.    More on that in a future post...?
• Did Paul McCartney really die in the much-hyped "Paul is Dead" Beatles controversy of the 1960s? (and, no, Yoko Ono was not a prime suspect in his death).   Massimo Polidoro weighed in with his review of the urban legend and the strange media campaign that accompanied it. 
• We also heard from Sara Mayhew and the use of art, comics, and movies to promote skeptical characters and critical thinking.
• There was a great symposium on gender issues in science featuring Richard Lippa talking about the "Gender Similarities hypothesis" and Cacrole Tavris presenting on problems found in research looking at sex differences.
• Eugenie Scott talked about the new Tennessee Academic Freedom act and why its passage is not the victory for "academic freedom" that its (mostly creationist) supporters make it out to be.
• There was also a pro and con talked discussing Chris Mooney's new book on the Republican brain with counterpoints from Daniel Kahan and CFI's own Ronald Lindsey arguing that dogmatism is the real threat to public policy on science.
• Ben Radford gave another great talk on mass hysteria including some bizarre cases that occurred recently as well as further back in history.
• Is the placebo effect as valid as advocates claim?   Steve Novella gave a great talk overviewing recent research suggesting that much of the recent talk of the heasling power of placebos remains little more than hype.
• Why are scam artists so effective in cheating people out of their money?   CSI fellow and confidence artist expert Anthony Pratkanis gave a terrific presentation on weapons of fraud and what people can do to protect themselves from being cheated.
• What about the impending doomsday this December?   Former NASA scientist David Morrison gave a compelling talk reviewing the much-hyped Mayan calendar prediction of global disaster and the very real fear it seems to have provoked in far too many people.  What will happen when doomsday fails to arrive on schedule?
• Doubtful Sharon Hill gave an excellent talk on how to think about "weird" news items and why people are so willing  to believe the strange things that the popular media keeps reporting.   How does believing these things shape how people view the world around them?
• The final presentation was by psychologist and skeptic Scott Lilienfeld who weighed in with a talk on popular misconceptions in psychology and the thought processes that make these misconceptions so persistent.
• We also got a very nice question and answer session with the CSI Executive Council about what is happening with the Skeptical Inquirer and the Committee for Inquiry.    Are the skeptics just treading water or are we making headway?
• There were also the special events including the Halloween costume party.   Joe Nickell, BTW, made an awesome zombie during the Halloween party (fortunately, no biting) and various other CSICon attendees gave their own amazing costumes a good showing.  My "guy behind the camera" costume failed to win a prize, alas.   Other events included the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe dinner and the Nashville Honky-Tonk experience.    Afterward, at the stroke of midnight, we had the annual Houdini seance giving the late Harry Houdini one more chance to make an appearance.   My lips are sealed over whether Harry showed up this time...

And that was it for this year except for the wonderful opportunities to socialize and network with skeptics from around the world.    The next CSICon will be in Seattle,Washington next October (assuming the world is  still here by then).    In the meantime, here is a video I made featuring the CSICon Halloween party.   Enjoy.

 

 

 

Off To Nashville and CSICon 2012

I will be off most of next week as I am attending this year's CSICon in Nashville, Tennessee.   I am looking forward to meeting some  of my skeptical idols including Elizabeth Loftus, Richard Wiseman, Scott Lilienfeld, P.Z. Myers, Joe Nickell, Ray Hyman and assorted Novellas (Novellae?).   If all goes well, I will have a lot to report and I may even try some live-Tweeting at the conference.   I may even finally discover what exactly a Honky-tonk is and whether that's a verb or a noun. 

Talk to you later.   In the meantime, enjoy my first ever Youtube video featuring the latest Toronto Zombie Walk.

 

Visiting Ground Zero

In every generation, there seems to be a "what were you doing when you heard?" moment where one traumatic memory is shared by countless people.   For those of a certain age, the question used to be "What were you doing when you heard that President Kennedy was assassinated?" (or Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, etc).   

But that all changed on September 11, 2001.

In my case, hearing about the tragedy occurred after I had just come to work at Millbrook Correctional Centre near Peterborough, Ontario where I was working as a staff psychologist.  A guard somberly told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and a television in a back squad room was tuned to CNN.   We all watched in horror as events unfoled when the second plane hit and the World Trade Centre eventually collapsed completely.   Further news about the Pentagon crash, Flight Eleven, and the actual circumstances of the hijackings trickled in.   The Internet seemed completely frozen at times due to constant crashing as millions of people tried to log in for details.

In the months that followed, things slowly settled down although the enormity of what had happened seemed impossible to accept.   The violent deaths of thousands of Americans seemed surreal enough.  That this would eventually lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across Afghanistan and Iraq and bog Western nations down into a war that may never end acts as a continuing reminder how the world changed that terrible day.

Naturally enough, my visiting New York for the first time in twenty years made it essential that I add Ground Zero to my itinerary.   After arranging for a visitor pass online (no entering the monument site itself without authorization), I arrived at the site of the new One World Trade Center in plenty of time for the tour.   Even before my tour bus arrived, I could see one vivid memorial along the way, Tiles For America at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Eleventh Street.   With thousands of ceramic tiles along a chain-link fence contributed by ceramic studios around the world,  the memorial provides a shared memories of the victims that has already been featured in music videos and films. 

Finding Ground Zero itself was certainly no problem with the still-uncompleted lead building (a.k.a. 1 WTC or the Freedom Tower seen to the right) dominating the local skyline.    Still, it's the relatively tiny St. Paul's Chapel at 209 Broadway that is the usual starting point for most Ground Zero pilgrimages.  The 238 year-old Episcopalian chapel was already a prominent part of New York's history since George Washington worshipped there on his inauguration day in 1789.  The chapel took  on a new importance when it acted as a sanctuary for the
thousands of volunteers, emergency services workers, and family members of victims immediately after the 2001 attack.  For months afterwards, rescue workers sheltered at the church and, along with food and shelter, the chapel also had regular health care services in place including massage therapists, chiropodists, chiropractors and musicians to help make their stay easier.   Despite the extensive debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center, the chapel itself survived relatively unscathed.   It has since become a major landmark of the city and then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gave his farewell speech there in December, 2001.   On September 10, 2006, a memorial service was held there which was attended by numerous politicians including then-President George W. Bush and Senator Hilary Clinton.

Visitors to the chapel can still see the memorial altar as well asa commemorative shrine showing some of the various mementos left at the church to honour the dead.   The church has also set up a new public exhibit titled, "Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero".   That includes various exhibits inside show the personal effects, cots, and memorials for many of the rescue workers who died.  

There is also a poignant firefighter's uniform on display as well as written testimonials by many of the visitors and former rescue workers praising the chapel and its staff for the support that they provided.  As a Red Cross disaster services volunteer myself, this may well have been one of the most poignant features of my visit. 

Along with the exhibits inside the chapel, there is also the iconic Bell of Hope that was presented to the chapel by the city of London.  The Lord Mayor of London personally attended the presentation ceremony in 2002.   The bell itself is in a prominent spot to the rear of the chapel.

 

After visiting the chapel, I went to the entrance of the Ground Zero monument on Liberty Street.  The new One World Trade Center (designed by Daniel Libeskind) is scheduled for completion in 2013 and will be the centrepiece of the expanded World Trade Center.    By the time it is finished, 1 WTC will be the tallest building in the Western hemisphere.   The entrance to the memorial itself includes the Flag of Honor containing the names of all those killed at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and aboard the American and United flights on September 11,  2001 as well as in the February 26, 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center.   After the long lineup with hundreds of other visitors as well as passing through security (including metal detectors), I finally entered the memorial site itself. 

Designed by architect Michael Arad, the 9/11 memorial (click here for an aerial view) is located on the site of the former World Trade Center features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools, each set within the radius of the two former towers.  Designed to be ecologically friendly, more than 400 trees surround the reflecting pools along with enormous walkways and the sights and sounds of the continuing construction work.  Although the fencing surrounding the construction areas are carefully covered over to preserve the peaceful monument site, I was able to sneak in a couple of photographs as well...

Along with the North and South reflecting pools, there is also a Memorial Glade used for special occasions and memorial ceremonies.   And, yes, I did manage to get one picture of myself there as well (although trusting a total stranger with my expensive camera does not come easily...).

After leaving the Memorial site, I looked around the gift shop and explored the surrounding area a bit.  Aside from the presence of the new World Trade Center and the Memorial, the area seems little different from the rest of downtown Manhattan.    That a controversy sprang up in 2010 over building a mosque and Islamic education centre in the area reflects the ongoing determination by many Americans to declare the entire area to be a "sacred space" (and which is likely news to the various mundane businesses nearby).   Exactly why a mosque is more objectionable than a hot-dog franchise seems to be a question best left up to the people of Manhattan.  Still,  the animosity that the mosque project incurred - helped along by right-wing lobby groups across the country- shows just how powerful an icon Ground Zero has become. 

For the rest of Manhattan, life goes on as before.  And that may well be the best way to honour the memory of all those who died on that terrible day. 

Click here to learn more about supporting the 9/11  Memorial. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off To New York City

I'll be spending a few days in N.Y.C. and likely won't have much time for writing while I'm there.   If you notice a certain New York flavour to some of my upcoming posts, you'll know why.  To tide you nice people over, here are a few blog links that might interest you.

• The ever-fascinating Neuroskeptic blog has a new post up on social anxiety disorder, or is it "social phobia"?
• Karen Franklin at In The News provides up with her new disturbing new series on confidentiality in forensic evaluations.
• Scicurious weighs in on how environmental enrichment can make you sexy, at least if you're a rat..
• How was the most famous bet in the history of brain sciences won and lost?  Christian Jarrett of Brain Myths has the details.
• Disturbed by the recent Times cover picture?  What is the proper time that a child should stop breastfeeding?  Eric Michael Johnson of the Primate Diaries weighs in with his own observations.
• Ferris Jabr of Brainwaves has just launched a new series: titled Know Your NeuronsL The Discovery and Naming of the Neuron.  Here is the first installment.  
• The ever-reliable Vaughn Bell of Mind Hacks has a new post describing an important new article in Nature about the dangers of unreplicated studies in psychology.
• Should therapists be using tough love with their patients? A new post in the Wall Street Journal makes a good case for it.
• How are children affected by their parents' financial instability?  According to this Huffington Post article, the damage is just starting to be recognized.
• Can a patient be charged for not taking medication that might endanger other people?  Here is a news story from USA Today that should raise quite a few questions.
• Will we ever see an end to ex-gay therapy and its advocates?  A new ThinkProgress post finds NARTH's objections to ex-gay therapy restrictions rather easy to refute.
• While we try to understand what people suffering from severe depression, how often do we get to hear about it from the first-person perspective?  Natasha Tracy of Bipolar Burble gives us a gripping account of her own experiences.

Until later.

 

 

Off to New Orleans

I'll be spending the next few days in New Orleans attending CSIcon from October 27-30.  I'm looking forward to having a great time there and having a chance to meet some of my all-time idols in science and skepticism.  Since I've never been to New Orleans there, it gives me a chance to learn more about the city and its rich history so if you notice a certain Cajun theme to some of my future posts, you'll know why. 

Follow me on Twitter at @rvitelli as I try my hand at livetweeting CSIcon and join me for a tweetup if you can.

 

Off to Washington,D.C.

Just to let you know that I will be going to Washington, D.C. for the first time next week.  I will be attending the annual convention of the American Psychological Association from August 4 to August 7 and I also hope to find time to see some of the sights while I'm there (I hear tell they have some nice museums there).    I'll try to post about some of the convention highlights as well.

If any of my readers happen to be around, give me a shout on Facebook or Twitter.