I’m so pleased to have G. Donald Cribbs stop by The Egghead Agenda on his blog tour for his newly released (just last week!) book, The Packing House. He will discuss the the exciting concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG). As you may know, I’m a neuroscientist who researches the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) […]
Tag Archives: mental illness
January
27
Discussing post-traumatic growth with special guest G. Donald Cribbs
posted by Apryl Pooley
November
06
Resiliency and success
posted by Apryl Pooley
In my field of PTSD research, the word resilience comes up a lot. Why are some people resilient after trauma while others develop PTSD? I often question whether PTSD represents a lack of resilience or is just a normal response, given an individual’s resources, that allows one to survive life-threatening trauma. Merriam-Webster defines psychological […]
March
11
This is my blog on drugs.
posted by Apryl Pooley
So what does this mean? Maybe instead of throwing people in jail for drug offenses—which inflicts more pain and trauma to deepen addiction, and then releasing them back into their dangerous, poverty-stricken, trauma-ridden lives—we should try to find them jobs, housing alternatives, counseling, medical care, and social support groups.
October
28
Get your hands off my stigma.
posted by Apryl Pooley
Today, when people talk about stigma, they’re usually referring to social stigma, which denotes the disapproval of a group of people who are different from the social norms. The word stigma flies out of my mouth a lot—I’m always blabbering on about how we need to do something to eliminate stigma associated with mental illness, […]
October
12
The Nobel Prize for Psychological Health
posted by Apryl Pooley
On October 10th of this year, 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. When she was 11 years old, Malala began speaking against the Taliban’s movement to ban girls from attending school in Pakistan, despite continual death threats against her and her father. Malala continued to travel in dangerous […]
October
10
Choose life.
posted by Apryl Pooley
Trigger warning: suicide, rape. I describe feelings of suicidality in detail to communicate the seriousness of this issue and that there is hope. If you feel triggered or overwhelmed by my story, please stop reading, call a friend or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Suicide kills over 800,000 people worldwide every year and […]
October
08
Crazy is a Four-Letter Word
posted by Apryl Pooley
Mood: cracked. WE’VE ALL HEARD THE WORD “crazy” used as an insult (mostly toward women—men tend to get labeled “creepy,” but that’s another issue). Usually when people are called crazy, it doesn’t have anything to do with their mental health, but rather a discomfort with emotional reactions that others don’t understand or that don’t suit […]
June
05
No Longer Gage
posted by Apryl Pooley
Mood: egg-centric THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF NEUROSCIENCE, mounting evidence of the brain’s pivotal role in modulating an individual’s personality and behavior has been revealed. The most illustrious (*and sensationalist) example of mind-body interaction was reported when 19th century railroad foreman Phineas Gage survived an iron rod propelled through his brain—an accident resulting in striking personality […]
April
23
Fighting Fire With Fire
posted by Apryl Pooley
Mood: fried EXCITING NEW DISCOVERIES in drug addiction research suggest the possibility of erasing drug-associated memories. For recovering addicts and alcoholics, contextual and environmental reminders of substance abuse (e.g. being in a bar, passing by a former drug house, seeing an old drinking buddy) can trigger intense cravings. The likelihood of a relapse increases with […]
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