Posts tagged mental health
Brain articles

I'm taking my new purple pills and they seem to be going ok. In the meantime there have been a couple of interesting articles lately on the subject of shitty brains that I'd like to share: The first is titled 'Can a Single Pill Change Your Life?' It was linked around all over the place, described as an investigative report on whether Ecstasy/MDMA can be used instead of or as a supplement to traditional talk therapy.

A few pages in I became aware this was published in Oprah Magazine of all places. So I'm reading waiting for the end of the article where the author realizes drugs are bad and you should never try them ever for any reason. At the conclusion of the article she decides to undergo the MDMA therapy herself. "Ah, here it is," I think smugly. But then she's just totally cured of her issues. Basically Oprah just told me to do a bunch of Ecstasy. Well OK.

The other one was in The Economist for some reason about a computer program that can replace talk therapy:

Cognitive-bias modification (CBM) appears to be effective after only a few 15-minute sessions, and involves neither drugs nor the discussion of feelings. It does not even need a therapist. All it requires is sitting in front of a computer and using a program that subtly alters harmful thought patterns.

Sitting in front of a computer you say? I'M IN. So I get to the end of the article and not only do they not describe what the program actually does, there's no download link or anything. What the hell.