Documentaries & Other Media

[cyanidebreathmint]

Hey guys,

I think this would be the best forum in which to post this topic, since learning about mental illness more always leads to the knowledge that other people do feel like you do. I also find it comforting to indulge my curiosity about this stuff, and figure out some of the reasons why we are the way we are.

Some recent good ones that I'd recommend:

Currently On Netflix:

This Emotional Life
Episode 1:Family, Friends and Lovers (discusses issues of attachment and relationships and the effect of these on happiness)
Episode 2: Facing our Fears (stress responses, phobias and CBT, PTSD)
Episode 3: Rethinking Happiness
Stress: Portrait of a Killer

The Ghost in Your Genes
link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 5761675934
This one is a fascinating look at the epigenome and it's effect on us on several levels, one of which is our emotional life.

[cyanidebreathmint]

http://en.sevenload.com/videos/tX02lnf- ... -Genes-1-6

The version of Ghosts in Your Genes I actually watched. I guess BBC and Nova shared footage, but they made different docs by the same name. Kinda dumb. Well, anyways. I'm kinda partial to the Nova one. But there are lots of ads on this copy. lol. Nobody cares. ok.

[next year]

I recently watched a documentary called "Prodigal Sons" which was great.

http://www.prodigalsonsfilm.com/

It's about a transsexual returning to her hometown (she used to be high school football star etc) and trying to patch up her relationship with her adopted brother. He suffers from mental illness due to a head injury from a car accident. Sometimes it is just heartbreaking. A really great film.

I also love "It's Kind of a Funny Story" with Zach Galifinaikis.

[cyanidebreathmint]

This is a cool lecture about depression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc

And here's an amazing high school teacher telling the kids about learned helplessness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFmFOmprTt0

[cyanidebreathmint]

The first one is a lecture by the same guy from Stress: Portrait of a Killer ( I think, it's been a while since I watched it.) . He's an amazing lecturer. Dr. Robert Sapolsky.

[dare i say it]

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/paul_z ... tocin.html

Brain chemistry, trustworthiness, and the importance of hugs all in one 15 minute video. Lots of other fascinating stuff too at this site if you've never checked it out.

[cyanidebreathmint]

Nice video, darei.

I've heard of Ted talks but never really checked them out before.

I couldn't stop thinking about possible confounding variables to the experiment, like people in the money experiment living in poverty, or maybe you release oxytocin after jumping from a plane because your brain is dumping all kinds of chemicals to prepare you for your imminent death (i have a fear of heights), etc. I liked it, though. I gotta learn more about this site and why they do what they do.

[dare i say it]

I had kinda the same reaction when I watched the oxytocin video. As far as I know, the TED website does not have an agenda. But I couldn't help thinking while that guy was talking that he seemed to be making it sound simpler than it really is. I guess that's sometimes what you have to do when you're designing a scientific study. Even if there is a biological basis to trust & trustworthiness, I highly doubt that it all comes down to one molecule. I just don't think our brains are as simple as we would like them to be. That would be like saying serotonin controls happiness, so if you're depressed all you need to do is take an SSRI and you'll be fine. God bless those people who get that kind of result from their meds, but for the rest of us it becomes quite clear that our brains are not simple machines. I suspect that, as with depression, there are multiple chemicals involved in trust and trustworthiness. I also have a hunch that a person's life experiences and the way they use their brains can have a huge impact. Did you catch the part about people's oxytocin levels going up when they connect to each other? I thought that was cool.

I'll send a big "e-hug" out to anyone reading this.
Dan

[cyanidebreathmint]

Yeah, I kind of have a feeling there isn't one answer to any one question. The answer always seems to fall in the gray area. Happiness is probably controlled by a suite of chemicals working in concert. Life experiences affect happiness, I think, because experiences affect chemicals in our brains. Similar experiences happening a lot would maybe be compounded, affecting how readily our bodies respond to things and produce certain chemicals and that's what we refer to as being "wired" a certain way. Nature or nurture is a false dichotomy. It is both, for sure.

I thought the thing about connection boosting oxytocin was nice, too. But, then, I thought...maybe oxytocin deficiencies might deter people from seeking out connection in the first place also. I dunno. It's interesting to think about.

I don't think Ted has any "agenda", really. I just like to see organizations like that. I'd like to work on behalf of something like that, helping create a science literate community, or a more curious community in general.

[dare i say it]

Great points, all of them. I especially like what you said about how the human brain is "wired." There's a lot of recent research into the idea that even the small-scale architecture of the brain can change. New neuronal pathways can be formed, old ones pruned. Have you seen those studies where they do a brain scan (usually fMRI or something like that) on depressed patients before and after treatment?

I don't know how I feel about the suggestion that there are things under my direct control that could repair whatever has gone wrong in my brain. There's definitely a lot of hope there, but also a ton of pressure. Also, outside of this forum, there isn't a whole lot of sympathy for me and what I've gone through. Saying that it's in my hands to overcome my problems almost feels like I'm saying that it's my fault that I feel this way in the first place. Hmmm, yeah, I don't care for that idea. And I don't buy it either. Maybe it doesn't matter whose fault it is. Maybe it just happens sometimes despite everyone's best intentions. (Okay, Dan, time to be the change you wish to see in the world.)

To anyone out there who's suffered with depression, or anxiety, or addiction, or anything else that weighs heavily on your mind or your heart: I am so, so sorry that you've had to go through so much pain and difficulty in your life. You have my deepest, most heartfelt sympathy and you always will. I would never tell you to "stop feeling sorry for yourself." I would never tell you that you should be over this by now. I won't minimize what you've been through, because I've been through something like it and I have some idea what it feels like.