Comments on: General paralysis of the insane* and psychiatry’s only Nobel Prize

By: TraineeDoc

TraineeDoc — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:33:00 +0000

Erik Kandel won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2000 – he is a psychiatrist. Neurotransmission has a central role in modern theory on mental illness – SSRIs etc etc.

By: Frontier Psychiatrist

Frontier Psychiatrist — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:15:10 +0000

I think that you could argue that Moniz’s Nobel Prize in 1949 for his work on lobotomy was a Nobel Prize for psychiatry but I don’t think that neurotransmission in giant squids has had any effect on understanding of psychiatric disease…..

By: Scott A. Joseph, MD

Scott A. Joseph, MD — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:28:26 +0000

You forgot the work on neurotransmission in giant squids—psychiatry’s second Nobel Prize.

By: Scott A. Joseph, MD

Scott A. Joseph, MD — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:26:24 +0000

In repsone to one of the posts, yes, people with brain tumors can have psychotic features, psychosis being defined as a breach of reality testing—voices, visions, paranoid delusions, etc. It is, therefore, not always dramatic.

In my experience, it does not always come at you in the media’s portrayal of psychosis, just as my work as a psychiatrist has nothing to do with the leather creaking, grandfather clock ticking portrayal of movies.

By: Scott A. Joseph, MD

Scott A. Joseph, MD — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:23:03 +0000

Actually, I rarely test for neurosyphilis. If one suspects it, do not use the screening test for primary and secondary syphilis—proceed directly to the MHA-TP, as the VDRL will be false 50% of the time in tertiary neurosyphilis.

By: NorthernIrelandExile

NorthernIrelandExile — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:35:28 +0000

deClerambault…

I think that you may be referring to the rabid bunch who accosted a friend and I on Tottenham Court Rd on Saturday, trying to have us attend a free screening of their own take on ’science.’ From their pushy behaviour, I doubt that they have ever actually taken the time to consider others, so in my view – shame on them!!!

FP – thanks for the explanation. (and for what it’s worth, I don’t think your posts are fascist, I think they are kind of fun. I only happened across this page when I was looking for the song by the Avalanches, but I enjoy reading it!)

By: deClerambault

deClerambault — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:35:20 +0000

Well I don’t see anything “pseudoscientific” about a thoughtful piece on the history of organic psychiatry in GPI – one of the few conditions that has a solid aetiology.

I suspect “Sceptic”’s agitation stems from wasting too much money on “courses”.

Have you thought about doing a piece on cults FP?

By: Frontier Psychiatrist

Frontier Psychiatrist — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:13:45 +0000

northernirelandexile:

Different parts of the brain do different things, therefore the effect of a brain tumour will be related to the part of the brain that is affected. A tumour of the frontal lobes can cause psychiatric symptoms, with tumours of other parts of the brain this is less likely. Syphilis used to be known as ‘The Great Mimicker’ for its wide variety of clinic manifestations, so without modern scanning techniques (and a syphilis test) it would be difficult to tell GPI and a brain tumour apart.

Sceptic:

I am sympathetic to people who dislike psychiatrists, but there is no need to be rude. Please explain your objections more fully.

By: Sceptic

Sceptic — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:25:13 +0000

You are a charlatan. Give up psychiatry and do something ethical.
You are a pseudoscientist and a fascist. Shame on you.

By: Dragonfly

Dragonfly — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:57:13 +0000

It is interesting how many people from history are now being retrospectively diagnosed with neurosyphilis, like Hitler.