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Hatter Gone Mad

Schizophrenia is often thought of as a universal condition with consistent symptoms, but studies show that culture plays a powerful role in shaping how people experience it, especially auditory hallucinations. Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann and her team interviewed individuals with schizophrenia in the U.S., India, and Ghana, and found striking differences in the tone and content of the voices they heard. In the U.S., voices were often harsh, threatening, and commanding, frequently invoking violence or paranoia. In contrast, patients in India and Ghana described voices that were more playful, benign, or even helpful, sometimes offering guidance or companionship. This difference isn’t just anecdotal, it reflects how cultural norms shape expectations around mental illness. In the West, schizophrenia is often medicalized and stigmatized, with an emphasis on pathology and danger. But in parts of India and Africa, spiritual or relational interpretations are more common. Voices may be seen as ancestral, divine, or part of everyday life, which can reduce fear and isolation. These cultural frames influence not only how symptoms are perceived, but how patients respond to them, and how communities support or reject them. Interestingly, this research has implications for treatment. If hallucinations are shaped by cultural context, then therapy and care models should be culturally adaptive. Western psychiatric approaches that focus solely on suppression or medication may miss opportunities for more empathetic, narrative-based interventions. Understanding the emotional tone of hallucinations and the cultural lens through which they’re filtered, could lead to more humane and effective care across the globe. #mentalhealth #thehistoriansden

Misty Norrod

Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!

July 2 was my son's birthday who passed away in 2024 at 28 years old from drinking alcohol, and honestly didn't get drunk, so beware! He had no health insurance so he was turned away from all detox. places, rehabilitation places, and even in the ER, he was treated, still not walking due to alcoholic neuropathy, and released within 72 hours. He barely had gotten through detox, and his numbers for kidney function, liver function and more were horrible. They saw an alcoholic, but we saw our son, a husband, a grieving Dad, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, and a friend. I wish we had a way for more affordable treatment centers and detox centers, because many die each year from drugs and/or alcohol, not because they don't want help, but because they can't afford it. I get some think it's a choice, and it is in the beginning. But for addicts, it's not long before it's not a choice, some, due to the horrific withdrawals, aka Delirium Tremors, seizures, nausea, heart racing, chest pounding, and so much more, and their brain chemistry! I'm certainly not excusing the disease of addiction, because although its not a choice to be an addict, it is a choice to pick up said drug, and soon become addicted. Plus those substances such as alcohol, opiates, benzodiazapines, that could be prescribed from a Dr even, or just something to have a little fun, can result in horrible physical withdrawals that oftentimes leave the addict using, rather than experience the pains from the many symptoms of drug and alcohol related withdrawals. Yes, there is help, and there are meetings, mostly 12 step meetings such as AA, NA, CA, etc, but access to actual treatment and meds to help through the withdrawals are often saved for those with health insurance or well-off individuals that can afford the cash price. There are also a few charity programs, but nowhere near enough to help most uninsured addicts. In world that has come so far, don't judge what we don't understand. Be kind!

Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!Drug and Alcohol Addiction, just because something is legal, doesn't mean it won't kill you!
J.Smith

A friend of mine went away recently to rehab, trying to get off the poison everybody knows too well these days. I’ve known him a few years. He’s fought heroin most of his life, and lately it’s been fentanyl. He seemed okay for a while. Last night I was over at his house with his significant other, and he was falling asleep standing up. He told me he was just tired. Anybody who’s ever been around someone using that stuff knows the look, the slouch, the drool. I know he’s using again. All his friends know. His significant other knows. I’ve already lost a young man to this damn stuff. After all the attention, all the talk, all the warnings, we’re still losing people every day. I’ll have to talk to him sooner or later. Last night wasn’t the time. This isn’t a question of if. It’s a question of when that stuff kills you. I don’t understand why this poison is everywhere. Why with all the money and effort, we can’t stop it. Why the cartel gets to roam the border while we pretend the Mexican government isn’t controlled by them. So much is going on, and anyone my age knows someone they’ve lost to fentanyl. Jacksonville is full of it, and it’s damn frustrating. #DrugAddiction https://sewermeetsthesea.substack.com