On June 20, 1942 in California, Brian Wilson was born. Despite being deaf in the right ear, Brian continued to pursue a musical career that eventually led to the success of the band The Beach Boys. With a long string of hits, drug and mental issues had caused a hiatus in his musical career. As a main contributor to the musical group The Beach Boys, Brian had resorted to drug abuse to cope with frustration and exhaustion. Serving as the primary composer, Brian had composed many hit singles but after several projects his a heavy abuse of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and LSD had resulted in psychological disorders. Along with being diagnosed with mild maniac-depressive disorder, Brian Wilson was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
As a serious mental illness, Brian Wilson was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective disorder is a lifelong illness that features two different conditions: schizophrenia and an affective (mood) disorder. An affective disorder could be diagnosed as either major depression or bipolar disorder. In Brian Wilson’s life he had also been affected by mild manic disorder, which is a type of bipolar disorder. Some symptoms Brian Wilson had encountered were auditory hallucinations, weight gain, self-destructive behavior, and suicidal thoughts. Due to the experimentation of psychedelic drugs, Brian had experienced and suffers from auditory hallucinations. These hallucinations were heard as disembodied voices. With an aberrant increase of weight, Brian had experienced a lifestyle of a small amount exercise and excessive intake of drugs and food. Prior to being admitted in mental institutions Brian had displayed self-destructive behaviors such as splurging. He had allowed t...
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...ique. Once seeking help from a corrupt psychiatrist, Eugene Landy, his influence had greatly affected the relationship between his family and friends. To restore Brian’s health, Eugene had isolated Brian from his family and friends to enforce a rigorous diet and new healthy lifestyle. In addition to the social isolation, Landy’s therapeutic approach constructed a dominance over Brian’s life. This dominance had also influenced Brian’s musical direction in the mid 1980’s. The mental impact Eugene had caused was due to the administration of excessive dosages of psychoactive drugs. With these drugs, it had altered Brian’s perceptions and moods leading to more damage of his mental state. Also with mild manic-depression, alcoholism and drug dependence are related. A stimulant that Brian had depended on was cocaine, which induced a rush of euphoria, confidence, and energy.
In this particular case, Mr. Jock’s symptoms have met criteria for an episode of mania, which is characterized by a period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting for at least 1 week and present most of the day, nearly every day (DSM-5, Criterion A of Manic Episode). During this period, the patient should be significantly experiencing at least three or more symptoms of inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking, flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing, distractibility, increased in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation, and/or excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (DSM-5, Criterion B of Manic Episode).
Sonny has troubles in his life, but music keeps him sane as he tries to communicate his troubles through the piano, and his art invokes emotion to those who hear it. Sonny has had to deal with many troubles in life, and he turns to drugs for release, but this is just another one of his problems. Sonny is not very old when his
Chris Lilley’s successful application of the satirical device, parody, undoubtedly emphasises the effect drug abuse had on a particular student’s life. The musical, “Mr. G: The Musical”, is very loosely based around a student at Summer Heights High who abused drugs, in particular ecstasy, and incorporates the apparent role Mr. G played i...
This article seems to describe a man who had a psychotic break with reality, which could be attributed to schizophrenia. We can see that this man, Todd West, suddenly developed weird behavior as well as hallucinatory voices. As Joanne Greenberg explains schizophrenic people often interact in compulsive illogical thinking which going on a rampage would be constituted as. (Greenberg, 18) Their are two hallmark of schizophrenia that: false memories and beliefs that are all consuming and also hallucinations that can affect any of the senses. (Greenberg, 50) Although these symptoms always appear in a schizophrenic patient they can appear at different levels, some people are much more involved with their delusions then others. (Mendel, 273)
The criteria of schizoaffective disorder fit David Helfgott very well. Disorganized speech is also an important negative symptom of Schizoaffective Disorder. David’s speech becomes impaired after he has the nervous break down. David has issues where he cannot stop speaking, repetitive words, fast speech, over-wording, and taking extra time to make a point of what he is trying to say. This factor is also important. David did not do drugs. However, he received electric shock therapy after his hospitalization.
Bipolar disorder involves going from a state of extreme happiness or concentration to a major depressive state and back to “normal.” Depending on the individual in question, the three states may come in various orders and lengths. For example, the upward swing or the elated feeling of bipolar disorder can last from a week to a few years. The same can be said about the major depressive part of bipolar disorder. The exact length of each state of mind varies amongst each individual. For those who have manic episodes, this can involve intense feelings of being on top of the world or they may indulge in spending recklessly with a lack of consideration of friends and family. Therefore, the bipolar person’s friends and family may feel the need to pay off his or her debts. Unlike manic episodes, people with hypomanic episodes experience extreme concentration and have personal insight. Hypomanic people have the capability to listen to their friends and family. For example, people in a hypomanic state may have the energy to write a book in a single night. Over the last five years, bipolar disorder has been on the rise in the media. More and more stories about bipolar are being published in the newspaper, films, television, and online videos, and passed on through word of mouth. More often than not, these stories involve people who are exhibiting bipolar traits. Although bipolar disorder does have some negative parts to it, the stories portrayed in the media often involved only the most severe bipolar cases. Therefore, messages in the media often involve myths. Certain sources do not involve myths but have the potential to cause misinformation. Media messages can become biased. There are many bipolar disorder myths that come from word of mou...
Drug abuse is one of the singular commonalities between the majority of jazz musicians. Those who did not participate or who overcame their addiction were honored throughout the jazz community. It was too easy to become entrapped in the temptation of escape that heroin offered. Ignoring the consequences of such a drug, ignoring the toll it took on their lives. Although many jazz musicians still struggled with obtaining fame and fortune and simply surviving in the times they lived in heroin was able to provide a temporary but fulfilling escape. Being highly addictive many lost their lives to heroin abuse or HIV/AIDS because of sharing hypodermic needles. “Many talented jazz musicians either had their careers sidetracked or prematurely ended due to their addiction ...” yet the use of narcotic did not dissipate. Death being one of the side effects of heroin provoked the question of why anyone would take it. Not being able to understand sacrificing their body to “free” their souls. Not all addicts were suicidal but their addictions caused the misconception that they were. Throughout the majority of the story, Sonny’s unnamed brother attempts to comprehend why anyone, especially his brother, would partake in drug abuse if they did not have a death wish, “... why does he want to die? He must want to die, he’s killing himself, why does he want to die?”. A friend
Sonny’s Blues is first-person narration by the elder brother of the musician struggling with heroin addiction and issues with law. However, on closer inspection it appears that Sonny’s unnamed brother is also very troubled. His difficulties cannot easily be perceived and recognized especially by the character himself. The story gives accounts of the problems Sonny’s brother has with taking responsibility, understanding and respecting his younger brother’s lifestyle.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which brain functioning is disrupted. People suffering from Schizophrenia are often unable to decipher what they are experiencing from reality. Although the person suffering from this particular illness could be highly educated and well spoken, their symptoms can make it near impossible to understand what is happening in the world around them. Some people suffer from intense audio and visual hallucinations, while others may experience slight delusions and are able to recognize the onset. Signs that usually indicate the onset of schizophrenia are not only audio and visual hallucinations, but also include delusions, thought disorder, and an inability to convey ideas and thoughts clearly to family and friends (Spearing, Melissa). The following is a look into the mindset and delusions of Susan K. Weiner, a woman who has suffered the affects of schizophrenia.
When first reading “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, it may initially seem that the relationship between musicians and drugs is synonymous. Public opinion suggests that musicians and drugs go hand and hand. The possibility lies that Sonny’s passion for jazz music is the underlying reason for his drug use, or even the world of jazz music itself brought drugs into Sonny’s life. The last statement is what the narrator believes to be true. However, by delving deeper and examining the theme of music in the story, it is nothing but beneficial for Sonny and the other figures involved. Sonny’s drug use and his music are completely free of one another. Sonny views his jazz playing as a ray of light to lead him away from the dim and dismal future that Harlem has to offer.
In this essay I will be comparing the life of two valuable musicians of the entertainment industry, Brad Nowell and Kurt Cobain. Bradley James Nowell was born to Nancy and James Nowell on February 22, 1968. The family resided in Long Beach California. Growing up, Brad was a bright and intelligent boy, but disliked school. In fact, he hated it so much that he would have his younger sister do his homework for him. His parents had concluded that it was just a lack of attention toward one subject at a time. At the age of nine, Brad was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and was prescribed Ritalin to gain control over it. Kurt Donald Cobain was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and was prescribed Ritalin. Kurt was born to Donald and Wendy Cobain on February 20, 1967 in Seattle, Washington. Kurt was also a smart boy with high hopes but also with a dislike towards school. Kurt's parents went through a divorce when he was six years old. His mother had taken him and moved a few towns away from Seattle. He had a hard time dealing with the divorce, going back and forth between parents and aunts and uncles. Kurt eventually started becoming rebellious, unlike Brad, who actually enjoyed the time spent with each parent alone after their divorce. When Brad was eleven, his father took him on a trip to the Virgin Islands where Brad was exposed to the reggae culture of music. This is where most of his influences were developed. He began to teach himself to play the guitar and practice reggae and punk-rock music all day everyday, which had later made him famous. Kurt, on the other hand, had come upon his influences in a different way. Growing up near Seattle, the Pacific Northwest had more of a hardcore punk-rock scene. He started smoking marijuana and taking other drugs like LSD and pain killers. He, like Brad, had begun teaching himself chords on the guitar and creating local bands across Seattle. Kurt had also spend a lot of time reading at the local library to gain more information that he knew he wouldn't learn in school. For instance, he would read books on society and cultures around the states, which influenced many of his songs he had written that had led to his fame.
At first glance, "Sonny's Blues" seems ambiguous about the relationship between music and drugs. After all, the worlds of jazz and drug addiction are historically intertwined; it could be possible that Sonny's passion for jazz is merely an excuse for his lifestyle and addiction, as the narrator believes for a time. Or perhaps the world that Sonny has entered by becoming involved in jazz is the danger- if he had not encountered jazz he wouldn't have encountered drugs either. But the clues given by the portrayals of music and what it does for other figures in the story demonstrate music's beneficial nature; music and drugs are not interdependent for Sonny. By studying the moments of music interwoven throughout the story, it can be determined that the author portrays music as a good thing, the preserver and sustainer of hope and life, and Sonny's only way out of the "deep and funky hole" of his life in Harlem, with its attendant peril of drugs (414).
Landy misdiagnosed Brian Wilson with paranoid schizophrenia, which left his depression unaddressed and Wilson never expressed symptoms of paranoia (Moverman, 2015). While under the care of Landy, Wilson was remaining in the acute phase of his illness due to the improper diagnosis, the amount of drugs he was prescribed, and the limited community involvement and personal freedom he was given (Moverman, 2015). Landy was with him every day, and followed him everywhere (Moverman, 2015). When Wilson met Ledbetter, she realized something was not right about Brian’s care giving situation; she called his family to notify them about his situation, hire a lawyer, and ultimately remove Landy from Wilson’s care. The stabilization and maintenance phases did not occur for Wilson until the 1990s when he finally terminated Landy after a long battle in court and was able to live independently, get married, and have proper pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment (Moverman, 2015). While under the pharmacologic regimen of Dr. Eugene Landy, Wilson developed tardive dyskinesia from excessive use of the antipsychotic drugs lithium and chlorpromazine (Moverman, 2015). Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by slow involuntary body movements. Symptoms include writhing movements of the face, tongue, as well as lip smacking movements (Halter, 2014). Ideally, Wilson should have
The story starts with the initial, utopic discovery of Ecstasy and its boundary-lowering qualities, and ends, with varying degrees of speed, with the descent into polydrug abuse and depression.
Madness is a disease. It’s a disease that can exponentially consume the host and make them lose their minds overnight. Allen Ginsberg, a famous beat poet, was a victim to madness. Under his circumstances, it was a disease that was incurable. Ginsberg, along with the other famous beat poets of his time in the 1950s’, had a remedy to his madness which was what he did best, create poems. In his famous poem, Howl, he vividly and emotionally paints a picture of a horrifying time in his life in which he was consumed and destroyed by madness. In HOWL, it is clear that the three parts of Ginsberg’s poem echoes the theme of madness with the use of form, tone, and language which in turn shows us of how our society really is