Thoughts — Research

(TW: Mention of abuse and violence.) (This blog is in no way justifying the acts of criminals but simply trying to understand the various reasons that can lead to them.) In 1963, psychiatrist J.M. Macdonald published the triad of sociopathy. It indicates that behaviours of animal cruelty, arson and bed-wetting in childhood can apparently determine whether the child will grow up to be a criminal or a serial killer. Macdonald believed that all three of these signs were a result of physical and/or emotional neglect. Children who were cruel to animals (or set fire) were venting their feelings of aggression...

I’ve recently come across multiple reels on Instagram that talk about Adult ADHD - people describing its symptoms, experiences of diagnosis (and misdiagnosis), and its various coping skills.  This got me wondering. Is this content actually helping people? Is it increasing awareness so that people can get diagnosed or is it instead creating unnecessary panic over symptoms we might be experiencing simply because of the pandemic?  Turns out there isn’t a simple answer to this. What’s the connection between the Pandemic and ADHD? The Attention Deficit Disorder Association, an organization founded in 1990 for adults with ADHD, saw its membership...

Do you remember the time when the Covid-19 pandemic started? Remember when the daily death toll would actually frighten us? When going out for groceries felt like a battle on its own? When all everyone could talk about was the virus?  When the pandemic began in Feb 2020, most of us were on the edge of their seats, waiting for any news that would make us feel more prepared for the next day. We were concerned for their co-workers, friends, family and ourselves. We followed all the safety protocols to the T, because following them before we stepped out of our home...

Have you ever wondered how different the pandemic would have been if active and engaging conversations around mental health had not taken place? This year as the world shut down physically, online platforms were flooded with people coming out in support of one another. A  topic of conversation that was quite prominent was about mental health. Today, as COVID-19 has impacted all of us in different ways, discussions around mental health are becoming increasingly common, and more people are reaching out for help. Being in a lockdown and pandemic, there was a sense of isolation that was felt by all,...

Label as defined by the Cambridge dictionary is a word or a phrase that is used to describe the characteristics or qualities of people, activities, or things, often in a way that is unfair. Labels do have an impact on our lives. Being called a bully or whiny or a chatterbox in school does affect how we think, feel and behave. A label such as a chronic mental health disorder affects how an individual views themselves and how others view them. The labeling theory from sociology focuses on the impact of social labeling in the development of crime. The theory states that although a person may commit a  felony because of...