The Bipolar Child Strikes Again (Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry)
You may have read the recent set of Newsweek articles on bipolar children (here, here and here). But the fact that even diagnosing such a condition in children – sometimes as young as 2 – is problematic (to put it mildly) seems to have been lost on that publication. A good many bloggers have pointed out the myriad problems in the articles – and the early diagnosis phenomenon in general – but CL Psych of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry does an especially good job of pointing out the red flags.
A Superhighway to Bliss (NY Times)
This is a good profile piece on Jill Bolte Taylor, the Harvard neuroscientist whose lucid experience of a left lobe stroke opened her eyes to the possibility of a living nirvana – that we can choose to live more peaceful, spiritually aware lives by learning how to sidestep the rational left brain and experience life in a right-brained fashion. After reading the profile, check out the video of her relating her experience at this year’s TED conference. Her new memoir, My Stroke of Insight
Toxic Chemicals Are Maiming Thousands Around the World (AlterNet)
A must-read on the impact of industrial chemical waste on communities around the world – and the need for integrated medical approaches to detox, as well as commitment to stopping the blatant poisoning of our planet.
Raw Milk Rebellion (Reason)
Here, you’ll find a solid overview of the battle between government entities and those who want to provide or consume foods they choose for health – in this case, raw milk. The article shows where things currently stand, as well as why the idea of raw milk became so scary in the first place.
Brain Scans as Mind Readers? Don’t Believe the Hype (Wired)
Fascinating article on the increasing marketing of functional neuroimaging to allegedly make “scientifically” based diagnoses of mental illness (among other applications) – and the lack of evidence that any such thing is possible, starting from the simple fact that despite the high and valid interest in taking pictures of brains at work, “we haven’t quite figured out what these pictures mean. Are we really seeing the mind in action, or are we allowing ourselves to be seduced by images that may actually tell us very little?”
