Survival of the Sickest? is definitely my favorite so far of what we have read so far for this class, because of the new way of thinking about health that it presents, and also because of the specificity that it draws on to prove it's point. Thinking about disease as having a correlation to longevity is something that I would never considered, and probably even laughed at, were it not presented to me in the way that it was in this book. Further, the book feels, to me, to be on the cutting edge of some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in the medical field. Particularly interesting to me was the idea presented on page 156 of a pseudo-Lamarckian idea of the vices of a pregnant woman affecting her offspring, like an on and off switch that makes a gene express itself that otherwise might not have. While I have always understood Lamarck's principles to be generally accepted as false, I find the prospect of aspects of this idea to be appealing, since it could help us to better equip future generations for life.
Considering the way of thinking presented in this text, I couldn't help but expand Moalem's idea to include mental illness as also having it's silver linings. I know that I am getting away from the principle thesis that disease may increase longevity, but I would like to discuss how mental illness may actually increase chances of success for individuals in a more general way. My first example of this idea is John Nash, the mathematician responsible for the now widely used game theory. There are many books and films about Nash, including the Oscar gobbler A Beautiful Mind, but one which I feel is much more relevant to my discussion is a documentary by PBS: A Brilliant Madness. The focus of these films is that, in addition to his breakthroughs in mathematics, Nash also suffered from (spoiler alert) advanced paranoid schizophrenia. In the documentary, Nash states that he felt great pressure from this disorder, as he often felt that he was some divine messenger because of his ideas. He states in these interviews that, as a result of this part of his condition, "I wouldn't have had good scientific ideas if I thought normally" and "If I had felt completely pressureless I don't think I would have gone in this pattern." Part of this interview is transcribed here. Nash's schizophrenia, while distancing himself from his family and effecting his everyday life, certainly played a huge part in his success in life.
Other examples include Jimi Hendrix, whose battles with manic depression influenced much of his work. Another example includes football great Herschel Walker, who, it was found when his career had finished, had a severe and rare form of mental illness now known as dissociative personality disorder (previously multiple personality disorder). In this video, Walker explains that his different identities would take on different roles, a father, a husband, a football player, a business man. He recognizes this as a blessing to his wild success in athletics, but also a curse as he does not know who he really is. If you are more interested in this, there is an incredible special that ESPN did called "Herschel" where he describes in detail what his different "alters" were like.
I realize that this may be a touchy issue, but I just don't think I would have thought about any of this if it hadn't been for this book.
I really like the link you make between mental health diseases and possible beneficial outcomes a person may get from these conditions. Survival of the Sickest definitely caused me to consider evolutionary caution to explain why certain diseases, which may appear extremely detrimental and unnecessary to the human race, may have had a place in history. I think the claims he makes in his book show that few phenomena in nature occur on accident. Although we continue to combat and deal with diabetes, Moalem’s points out that this trait could have been a blessing years ago when our survival counted on it. The advantages of mental illness may be harder link to evolutionary causation than sickle cell anemia or hemochromatosis, but I think that the link of mental health disorders to advantages like mathematical genius, or musical inclination may give the scientific community insight on what abnormal brain function can do or if genes we may consider defective can have positive outcomes.
ReplyDeleteThis attempt to make that link can be seen in the study of Williams Syndrome (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/magazine/08sociability-t.html?pagewanted=all). Those with the disease have IQs between 50 and 60 (below average) and have poor spatial/depth perception. Despite the fact that their IQ is similar to a person with Down’s Syndrome, those with Williams Syndrome are extremely gregarious and loquacious, having an extensive vocabulary. Scientists know what gene causes this syndrome but the reason why the gene may cause great communication is still up for debate. Sometimes certain beneficial traits may come with terrible disorders and vice versus.
William and Simone, both your entries are really interesting. I am currently taking an abnormal psychology course and a mental health course in which we discuss the history of mental illnesses, how they were treated, and how we have come a long way in understanding them and how to diagnose. It also has always annoyed me that scientists have not yet found the source or schizophrenia, for example. Your entries have sparked a new interest in me, such as seeing perhaps benefits (for lack of a better word) that could come from a mental illness. Not to say that ALL people with schizophrenia can benefit equally from it because clearly that is not the case, but using isolated examples such as John Nash is interesting too look further into. Simone, with regards to your link on Williams Syndrome, it was very interesting. I think another great example in this case would be perhaps Asperger's Disorder or Savant Syndrome in which people diagnosed with it "have social impairments yet show exceptional skills or talent disproportionate to very uneven intellectual ability." http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_articles/aspergers
ReplyDeleteSee you guys in recitation!