Things I've Watched Or Read

The Creative Brain: How Insight Works (Horizon)

A program about the discoveries scientists are making about what happens in the brain during a moment of insight or when an idea is 'sparked'. They used various puzzles and brain imaging techniques to investigate this. They found it was to do with alpha/beta transmissions firing in a specific pattern in different areas of the brain. They are looking into how to improve creativity in humans. I found this program to be interesting and it taught me a lot about what happens when someone has an idea. The methods used to test such a difficult subject were interesting and a lot of the information I could relate to my own experiences.

Don’t Call Me Crazy (BBC3)

A three part documentary about a mental health residential unit for teenagers. The teenagers’ issues included depression, eating disorder, OCD and psychosis involving hallucinations. This program was very interesting in gaining a real insight and a close look at teenagers dealing with these problems and how it affects their lives. It showed how an institute of this type works and how it helps the young people.

The Mind Reader: Unlocking My Voice (BBC Panorama)

A program about a group of severely brain injured patients, many diagnosed as vegetative. New brain imaging technology was being used to help these patients communicate via MRI scans by answering questions in their minds. I found this program very moving and amazing and I used the information I gained to further research the subject and as the subject of my entry for the poster competition during Nottingham University’s Brain Matters event.

Phobias + Obsessions (a book in Bilborough College library - unknown author)

Detailed different types of phobia in depth and gave case studies and research. Very interesting and helpful in gaining more depth to my studies in class on the topic.

The Quiet Room – Lori Schiller & Amanda Bennet

The life story of a woman with severe schizophrenia and her journey to recovery. This book shocked and fascinated me and sparked my interest in abnormal psychology. Very helpful when doing the topic on schizophrenia in class

The Myth of Sanity – Martha Stout PHD

A book about survivors of trauma. Dr. Stout talks about her patients and particular cases she has dealt with. A lot of focus on dissociative identity disorders, ranging from fugue stages (when the individual has periods where they do not remember but go about daily activities) to multiple personalities. This was the first book I read on abnormal psychology and it fascinated me.

What Makes Us Human? (Horizon – Professor Alice Roberts)

A program about what sets humans apart from other animals, such as Chimpanzees that we share 99% of DNA with. Connected with biological psychology.

The Truth About Personality (Horizon – Micheal Mosley)

Investigates the science behind how personalities are created and whether they can be changed. Focus on optimism and pessimism – why some are more pessimistic than others, experiments and exercises to make someone more optimistic

Diaries of a Broken Mind (BBC3)

A documentary that explores what life is like for young people living with mental health disorders. Filmed in a video diary style by the young people themselves, they talk of their disorders and their lives. Very personal and intimate. Disorders include eating disorders, bipolar, depression, social anxiety, agoraphobia, multiple personalities. Shows a lot about the challenges they face in relationships, education, work etc. and the stigma they are faced with. Fascinating program, really made me want to do something to help these people and find out more about their conditions and eliminate the stigma that surrounds such common disorders.

Failed by the NHS (BBC3)

A documentary telling the stories of young people who’s mental health issues have been inadequately treated by the NHS. This included a woman who had been admitted to A&E several times from self harming and never offered a mental health assessment and a man who was prescribed Prozac by his doctor and was never warned about the side effects of suicidal thoughts. One of the most prolific cases was one of the parents of a man who, in the time waiting for treatment and help from the NHS, committed suicide. This program shocked and appalled me and made me want to change the way things are. I feel that there should be equal treatment of those with mental health problems and those with physical health problems.

Inside My Mind (BBC3)

A documentary into the science behind mental disorders (bi-polar, OCD, social anxiety and anorexia). Biologically based. How and why disorders develop and ways of treating them. Good balance between scientific explanations and how it affects the individuals’ lives.

Sybil – Flora Rheta Schreiber

A true story of a woman with sixteen separate personalities. An extraordinary book that was difficult to believe. The first case of such severe multiple personality disorder. The diagnosis and treatment focused on psychoanalysis and Freudian theories, which proved to be very effective in discovering the cause of her illness and treating it. The main cause was the childhood trauma and abuse from her mother, intensified by her father’s negligence and strong religious fears. Sybil had dissociated into separate personalities in order to deal with the trauma. This meant, as an adult, the waking Sybil would not be able to cope with strong emotions (for example, when angry, she would dissociate to Peggy Lou), which would lead to her ‘losing time’ and living a terrifying and disjointed life. This book was intensely interested. However, it was somewhat dated and the techniques used do not seem to be used today. It is questionable, however, why they are not, since they seemed to be very effective. The theme of the book reminds me of the Myth of Sanity, which focuses on similar cases in a more modern way.

Deep Down Inside – BBC Radio 4 (Geoff Watts)

This was a short program about a brain surgery technique called ‘Deep Brain Stimulation’ involving electrodes inserted deep into the brain in order to stimulate target areas. This technique has been used successfully to treat Parkinson’s, depression, chronic pain and is being trailed to see if it can also treat other mental disorders. No one fully understands how the treatment works, yet it is suggested that this treatment may change the way we understand how the brain works; ‘the brain is governed by electrical circuitry rather than a chemical soup of neurotransmitters’. This sort of unbelievable treatment and advances makes me excited to study Psychology since it shows how fast paced and revolutionary the subject of brain science is.

‘The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, and other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook’ - Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. and Maia Szalavitz

“Child psychiatrist Bruce Perry has treated children faced with unimaginable horror, in this book he tells their stories of trauma and transformation. He clearly explains what happens to the brain when children are exposed to extreme stress. He reveals his innovative methods for helping to ease their pain, allowing them to become healthy adults. This deeply informed and moving book dramatically demonstrates that when we understand the science of the mind can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.’’ I found this book to be an excellent balance of anecdote and factual, scientific information. It has taught me a lot about abnormal and developmental psychology. I admire Bruce Perry and think his work is inspirational, revolutionary and that he truly understands how to work with children in the best way.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
I read this book a while ago, when I was younger, however I thought it was worth a mention here. It was my first dealing with autism, since the book is narrated by an autistic character. I remember finding the characters' unusual behaviour immensely interesting and wanting to find out more about this mental disorder. The same is true for eating disorders; I first learned of those when reading 'Girls Under Pressure' by Jacqueline Wilson and was incredibly curious. As my awareness of mental disorders grew, I also realised another book I found very interested - 'The Illustrated Mum' (again Jacqueline Wilson) - also detailed mental disorders, in the form of bipolar.

Yale University Lecture 'What Motivates Us: Sex' 
I watched this on Youtube, here, and was quite pleasantly surprised by how easily I understood it. The teaching was brilliant quality and it made me even more excited for university! I found the biological approach to sex really interesting and I will write up my notes from the lecture in a separate post.

Radio 4 - The Life Scientific: Sophie Scott
In this radio program, neuroscientist Sophie Scott talks about her research and use of brain imaging techniques and explains that laughter is a very important social tool. And laughter is not exclusive to humans; studies have found that even rats laugh! Sophie suggests that there has been too much focus on negative emotions in Psychology and that, by understanding positive emotions, people can be understood in a very ecologically valid way. Sophie Scott also discusses how Psychology is a very accessible subject to talk about - there has been so much strange and weird research and science is intrinsically interesting, meaning ideas are easily understood and it is a good subject for comedy. I have also found this, in that I can have conversations about Psychology with my friends who do not study it. She described brain imaging techniques in Psychology as 'like when astrophysicists first got telescopes' - we are in the early days and the field has progressed so much in the last 15 years. The future is exciting and filled with optimism - we are close to breakthroughs in understanding more about how the brain works. I find this incredibly exciting and can't wait to involve myself in this! This program was also very good in that it showed me link between Psychology and English Language (a subject I am also studying at A Level). I have written a separate post about some of the things mentioned in this program.

Inside Broadmoor (Channel 5 Documentary)
Detailed the extraordinary history of this high-security psychiatric prison, including its successes, failures and case studies/stories of the patients/inmates. Gave a deep and fascinating insight into the institution and the history of psychiatric treatment. Often shocking and scary.

'Wild Child: The Story of Feral Children' (a documentary available on Youtube)
I have been fascinated by feral children since finding out about their existence. As part of our English Language 'Child language acquisition' topic, we watched this documentary. Although it seemed very American and at times overly dramatic, it was very informative. This topic is perfect for highlighting the cross overs in English Language and Psychology! It also has connections with 'The Boy who was Raised as a Dog' (Bruce Perry) - a book that I really enjoyed. I will write a separate post about feral children.

Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive
We watched this in Psychology lessons while learning the 'mood disorders' part of the A2 syllabus. To hear Stephen Fry talk so honestly about his condition made me feel a lot of respect and empathy towards him. It shows what living with bipolar disorder is really like for the sufferer and gave a brilliant insight into the life of someone with this disorder. It was interesting to find out that a lot of sufferers of bipolar would not want to change the fact that they have the disorder - they say it makes them who they are.

Radio 4's Our Dreams: Our Selves - Science and Psychoanalysis: the Recurring Dream of Sigmund Freud

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat - Oliver Sacks
Sacks' peculiar tales of his patients with neurological disorders are bizarre and fascinating. These stories, quite often sad, quite often inspirational, and quite often humorous, all left me with some degree of disbelief. I feel as though this book gave us a detailed insight into the cases of these individuals, presented in an interesting, intellectually challenging and thorough way. I feel that, learning about and understanding what can go wrong in the brain, is as important, if not more important, than understanding normality.

Bedlam
In depth look into one of the oldest psychiatric institutes today. Follows patients and looks at their lives. Anxiety e.g. James, Suicide attempts e.g. Dominic, Psychosis e.g. Tamara and over 65s.

Radio 4 - All In The Mind (Anniversary Programmes)
This is a radio programme that examines various different psychological topics and recently, to celebrate its first broadcast 25 years ago it has been looking through its archives. Claudia Hammond investigated how attitudes towards mental health have changed over the past 30 years or so. This has been influenced by increased knowledge, campaigns, community care and other factors. While today attitudes are a lot better and the stigma has somewhat reduced, there are still steps that need to be taken to make mental health viewed in the same way as physical health. In another episode, Claudia considered the real world impact of psychological research over the last 25 years. It was interesting to hear public conceptions of psychology and how it has been beneficial to society. The third episode looked at how neuroscience and brain imaging technology has advanced so quickly in recent years. To me, entering an area in such a rapid stage of development in incredibly exciting.

BBC Radio 4 - All In The Mind
'Programme exploring the limits and potential of the human mind'. I have listened to many episodes of this programme. Some topics covered include:

• Ageless Psychiatry - should there be specialist mental health services for older people or the current trend towards 'ageless psychiatry'?
• From DNA to the Brain - understanding DNA has revolutionised how we understand the brain and many artists have got involved in this.
• Recipes for Life - project for Vietnamese people with mental health problems who meet and cook together to help homesickness
• Bipolar abortion case - SB sectioned while pregnant and decided she couldn't cope, others argued the abortion should not go ahead because she wasn't in a well state of mind to make the decision
• Wind farms - many people support the idea but not when its local. Discussed with an environmental psychologist.
• Education neuromyths - teaching children myths about the brain e.g. we only use 10% of our brains
• H.M - the case of HM and his brain damage/memory impairment and how it contributed to our understanding of the brain

The Basketball Diaries (Film)
I watched this film at the rehab I volunteer at. This film portrays what it is like for a young successful person to become addicted to drugs and the ruining effects this has on his life. It is horrible to watch how the drug addiction destroys him both physically and psychologically and gives a real insight into how a young person may get involved in, then become addicted to, drugs.

My Name Is Bill W.
I also watched this film at the rehab I volunteer at. It details the true story of one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous; how he battled with his alcohol addiction but eventually overcame it and set up the group to help others. This film showed how being an alcoholic can destroy someone's life and the typical features of a life long addiction to a substance. It was a very positive film with an optimistic ending.

A Beautiful Mind (Film)
We watched this film in college while studying schizophrenia. It is based on the life of John Nash - a paranoid schizophrenic who battles with his delusions and hallucinations and eventually manages to live a relatively normal life, winning a Nobel prize. This film shows what it is like to have a life interrupted by such a horrible illness, but also that this illness can be overcome and great things can be achieved despite suffering poor mental health.

OCD Ward (ITV)
Documentary following people with severe OCD treated in a hospital in London. It really gave a sense of how debilitating the condition is and how it takes peoples' lives away from them. It is upsetting to see people struggling to this extent. It also showed how, what is initially a mental condition, can cause physical health problems, for example when sufferers go to extremes such as washing their hands with bleach.

The Wisdom of Psychopaths' - Kevin Dutton 
This book offered an alternative perspective to studying psychopaths and their behaviour and personalities. Can psychopathic traits be beneficial? In what context and in which situations? What can we learn from psychopaths? These questions, and many more, were answered in this fascinating book. This book really was a brilliant read. Kevin Dutton perfectly balanced entertainment and humour with informative aspects and offered both anecdotes as well as more hardcore research. Controversial, revolutionary, ground-breaking and highly thought-provoking; it is everything someone like me - who is fascinated by human abnormality and who loves alternative approaches and ways of thinking - could want!

The New Psychology Of Depression - Oxford University Podcast
This series was great as revision for the mood disorders section of A2 Psychology but also to explore beyond that and focus on it from a clinical perspective - how can people be treated? How can this massive health problem be tackled? It focused on Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and how this can be beneficial to sufferers of the disorder. It also described the benefits of meditation and self-awareness, not only for sufferers of depression, but for every day life. "The mind is one of the most fascinating things to research but when it goes wrong its the most tragic thing to observe"

The Stuff Of Thought - The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television

How To Think Like A Psychologist (Stanford University) - ItunesU
Greg Walton - Stereotype Threat and Performance (how academic stigma and stereotype plays a role in the achievement gap and social inequality)
James Gross - Can we really control our emotions? (emotional regulation, the role emotions play in psychological well-being)

BBC World Service - The Why Factor 
This is a programme that ties together many different areas, including Psychology, evolutionary studies, history, anthropology etc. It is very good at giving brief but complete accounts of why we do things. It covers many topics that are very relevant to every day life. Episodes I have listened to include: crying, high heels, secrets, bullying, swearing, female body hair, tattoos and ties

Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature - Richard P. Bentall
This book offered a radical, groundbreaking and fascinating look at psychosis. Bentall argued that we need to accept madness as part of human nature and we need to change the way we think about it. This sort of work will help to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and help people to understand 'mad' people. As well as challenging current ways of thinking about psychosis, Bentall offered in depth explanations of many symptoms. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was great to link to the clinical/applied psychology aspects of the A Level syllabus, it fit well with my own interests and views and it was extremely comprehensive and well written, researched and evidenced. 

Channel 4 - Psychopath Night
A documentary giving a very detailed and fascinating account of psychopathy.