Mind Puzzles

Harry: Tell me one last thing. Is  this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?
Dumbledore: Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?

- JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


No one has ever successfully mapped the human mind in its entirety. I am not up-to-date with the latest medical journals or texts, but in my humble opinion, I don't believe anyone can. The mind is a jungle--no--an entire universe with secret galaxies and wormholes too complex and intricate to be contained in a scientific study. One cannot just say the cerebrum is responsible for this or the medulla oblongata is responsible for that. If we could pinpoint with laserlight precision how our brain responds to every stimulus, every situation, or how it aids or interferes with our day-to-day behaviors and decisions, then perhaps treating psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia will just be easy as taking a pill to cure a headache. There would be no need for psychiatrists, no need to fret if someone battles with chronic depression.

Our mind can become a traitor and turn itself on us. It is the scariest place to get trapped into.

I was surprised to find out that about three in every 100 people experience a psychotic episode at some point during their lives. That's just the same proportion as, say, the number of people in the world who speak Arabic. Not very uncommon. And early symptoms can be as simple as having difficulty expressing emotions or lacking motivation and becoming socially withdrawn. One can easily dismiss these as just "having the blues." That could perhaps be the worst thing--seeing someone you love withdraw from people, and you just shrugging it off, perhaps even getting annoyed by it, not knowing that this person has been slowly inching his/her way into an inescapable world.

Psychosis has different types and not all lead to the popular image of knife-wielding whackos we usually see on TV. The disease is often feared and misunderstood. What we don't know is that many of these instances of psychosis are just mild and last for a brief period of time. They are very much curable by drugs and simple behavioral therapy, and often will not re-appear again. Most patients afflicted by mild psychosis will be able to lead fairly normal lives after treatment.

Ultimately, however, the best cure for this will still be the unfailing support of family and friends. No one can contest the power of the human bond. A gentle touch, a reassurance that things will go back to normal-happy-kalog mode after all the treatments are over, I believe, will do miracles.

To our dear friend, just hang in there. We know you are strong. Let's have a slammin' good party once you're back. :)