Virtual Reality & Hallucinations

Blogpal, Godwhacker pointed me in the direction of this great find. It is an article from wired.com that highlights the use of virtual reality technology for helping others understand what it is like to have hallucinations or delusions.

Created by Janssen Pharmaceutica, the virtual reality training system is being used to advocate for those who suffer mental illness. Creating empathy, compassion and understanding is the goal of this technology. Several states are already using it as are law enforcement agencies, corrections departments and mental health professionals. It would be great if judges in the court system could have a go with this technology --- and so should everyone working in the Managed Care Health industry!!

The system offers two interactive scenarios. In one, the subject experiences a bus ride where passengers randomly appear and disappear, where birds of prey claw at the windows and voices taunt and whisper. The other features a trip to the drugstore, where a pharmacist hands the subject poison instead of the prescribed medication, and hostile customers stare in disgust.

Amazing and profound.

Technology rocks once again.

Robotic Pet Therapy

Paro , the world's most therapeutic robot, was developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology to provide emotional well being to humans.

Based on the well-known properties of Pet Therapy , "Paro" - who is a Baby Harp Seal - has been designed to provide relaxation, entertainment and emotional companionship for children and adults who cannot care for a live animal, or whose environment prevents cohabitation with a live animal. Take a gander at all this amazing robot offers:

Covered in soft white antibacterial fur, Paro's artificial intelligence means it can mimic animal behavior and over time, even develop its own character. Paro has five kinds of sensors: tactile, light, audition, temperature, and posture sensors, with which it can perceive people and its environment. With the light sensor, Paro can recognize light and dark. He feels being stroked by tactile sensor or being held by the posture sensor. As Paro is an autonomous robot, it can express feelings, such as surprise, happiness, shyness and fear and voluntarily moves its eyes, head and legs. He can also recognize the direction of voice and words such as its name, greetings, and praise with its audio sensor. Oh, and by the way, this little guy recognizes seven different languages.

This amazing robot has been used in pediatric hospital wards, nursing homes, and with children who have special needs.

Technology is so cool.

No Whining Zone

"What Workers Want: A Worldwide Study of Attitudes to Work and Work-Life Balance" by FDS International - a leader in market research, says that France is the biggest complainer about work and employment and Ireland is the least.

The Top 10 work-whiny countries are:

1. France

2. UK and Sweden (tied for second)

4. USA

5. Australia and Portugal (tied for fifth)

7. Canada and Greece (tied for seventh)

9. Poland

10. Germany and Spain (tied for tenth)

The three countries with the least amount of work whining:

* The Netherlands

* Thailand

* and the least whiniest country of all was - Ireland.

For more on the research, click here

I wonder what makes one country more demanding or more accepting than others?

Risky Business: Teens and Health

Research shows that adolescents who engage in one form of risky behavior, like drug or alcohol use, are likely to engage in other risky behaviors like having unprotected sex, engaging in self-harm and/or acting out in dangerous ways.

Now, a new study shows that a simple and brief screening measure called the Adolescent Risk Inventory (ARI) can quickly identify the broad range of risk behaviors found among adolescents. This study appeared in The Journal of Child Psychiatry and Human Development

I was not a risk taker as a child or a teen. I was always the designated driver as a young adult as I disliked drugs and alcohol. Even now, nearing fifty, I am quite vanilla. Perhaps the riskiest thing I ever did was to go to McDonald's in a gown on a dare.

People have temperments and genetic variations that sway the trajectory of their life.

How would you describe yourself?

Resource

Eurekalert

High Ceilings = High Achieving

Recent research has shown that ceiling height affects problem-solving skills.







High ceilings activate the idea of freedom, enabling a flow of problem solving to unfold. In a low -ceiling room, feelings of constraint and confinement dull problem solving. The research study will be published in the August 2007 edition of The Journal of Consumer Research

Aesthetic research is not a new field of study. It's been around for a long time. Years ago, I read different scientific journal articles when constructing my office. High vaulted ceilings and abundant natural light were my vision. I believed then as I do now, that it's not only my clinical skills which help patients, but the environment wherein it all takes place.

If you live in a place with low ceilings (or other limiting spaces) there are many things you can do. Try here for some suggestions.

Now how can we heighten the ceilings in The White House?

The Contagiousness of Moods

Ever find yourself feeling more cranky when you're around someone whose in a crabby mood?

** Or **

Find your mood lifting when you are around a person who is happy and buoyant?

When people are in a particular mood, be it persnickety or pleasurable, that mood is often communicated to others. Remember when Orson Welles created a panic with his radio theater broadcast of The War of the Worlds - leading listeners to believe that the Earth was being invaded from aliens in outer space? THAT was emotional contagion.

Contagion is a very powerful phenomenon. Seems that we are hard wired to read subtle cues in others, a monkey see, monkey do kind of thing. So, it begs the question - how do you know if you've "caught a mood"?

Do an internal check and see if your current emotional state can be traced to something real within you or if it was picked up along the way. If it's a good emotional contagion, I say ride the wave. If it's a negative one, change your environment. . . allow yourself to fall into more lighthearted experiences.

May's Mental Health Awareness Themes

May 4th is Children's Depression Awareness Day in the United States. Depression is a serious health problem that affects people of all ages, including children and adolescents. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for children with depression. Children who exhibit symptoms of depression should be referred to a mental health professional who specializes in this disorder. For more info, link here

For more than fifty years, the United States has denoted the month of May as Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental illnesses. This year's theme is "Mind Your Health" - highlighting that mental health and physical health go hand in hand. Link here for more info

And for Canada, the first week of May is National Mental Health Week. The theme is "Work – Life Balance: It’s a Matter of Time" . The CMHA reports that 58% of Canadians are overloaded from pressures associated with work, home, family, friends & physical health. For more information on how to find greater balance, go here

May sure is a busy month for heightening awareness of mental health issues in North America. I wish everyone, everywhere on this big blue marble peace and ease.