"Here, put this electrode in your brain, you'll feel less depressed" - Science
Plus Parker Molloy, a drug finally hits the big time after 20+ years, and a loneliness visualization
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Parker Molloy on Depression, Anxiety, and Being Trans in America Today
I’ve been watching this slow - and sometimes not so slow - creep of anti-trans activities in America. Some of it through direct violence, some of it through a mountain of anti-trans legislation working its way through various governmental bodies. And I’ve wondered what this means for mental health, both in terms of the effects that the bigotry has on anyone who is trans but also what it means for people who were trans and already dealing with depression and/or anxiety.
So I reached out to Parker Molloy, whom I’ve known in a kind of parasocial way for a while on Twitter. Parker is a trans woman and has been very open about her struggles dealing with the weight of the hatred, especially directed at her online. Parker doesn’t speak for all trans people or all trans woman or anyone but herself, of course, but I wanted to get a personal perspective about what it means to stand on the beach and get hit by repeated waves of cultural animosity when all you want to do - to extend the metaphor - is just have a nice pleasant day on the beach when you’re not bothering anyone and people should just leave you alone.
My interview with Parker is on the podcast today. We talk about her early childhood instances of anxiety and panic as well as coming to the truth about her gender.
Deep Brain Stimulation could? can? must? help depression
Depression sucks but one way to treat it might involve something as simple as having an electrode planted in your brain. Easy, right? Could get it done at Walgreen’s, I bet. No, not really. But DBS might be the wave of the future in fighting treatment-resistant depression.
Although the approach is still experimental, clinical research shows that DBS can be used safely and effectively to treat cases of depression in which symptoms have not improved with antidepressant medications, referred to as treatment-resistant depression. People receiving DBS undergo surgery to have a thin metal electrode implanted into specific brain areas to deliver electrical impulses that modulate brain activity. How exactly DBS improves symptoms in people with depression is not well understood, which has made it difficult for researchers to objectively track patients’ response to treatment and adjust as needed.
Exxua? Gesundheit!
In other news about the medical community doing something, anything, to relieve this MASSIVE CRUSHING BLEAK DEAD WEIGHT OF DEPRESSION FROM MY EVER LOVING SOUL, there’s a new drug! Exxua finally got approved after over 20 years of seeking that status.
Exxua is unique for its ability to target the serotonin 1A receptor, which is a regulator of mood and emotion. In doing so, it avoids undesirable side effects that often come with drugs that treat anxiety and depression disorders, including sexual dysfunction and weight gain, according to the press release from drug manufacturer Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals.
So add it to your shopping list!
I don’t know who Fabre is but I’m a little nervous about Kramer making drugs.
24 hours in the loneliness epidemic
A really well done browser-based visualization of what loneliness means in society right now.
This week on Sleeping with Celebrities: Julie Goldman & Brandy Howard Fight Against Toxic Load
Julie and Brandy are best friends, comedy partners, and co-hosts of the podcast Dumb Gay Politics, which, according to Wikipedia, “recaps politics and reality TV.” They also hosted the Bravo TV program The People’s Couch. In between their busy schedules, they find plenty of time to eat just so very many vitamins. Brandy eats more than Julie but it’s hard to eat more vitamins than Brandy does. Hear about their regimen, how it overlaps with Brandy’s drinking schedule, and why Julie can’t seem to remember to keep the caps on the bottles. You’ll be drawn into their humorous and nutritious world as you drift off to sleep.