Knowledge is Necessity

The Blood-Brain Barrier

I just finished rewriting my mcmanweb article on the blood-brain barrier, which I first published in 2003. Here is the new version in full ... You may have heard of "antisense" therapy. The idea is to synthesize strands of RNA that bind to disease...

Published Fri, Dec 02 2011 4:28 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, William Pardridge, blood-brain barrier

See the Man with the Stage Fright

The life of a writer is much like that of a weather observer at Advance Base in Antarctica in the winter of 1934, but without the snow and all the social distractions. The reference is to Admiral Richard Byrd, who spent five months completely on his own...

Published Sat, Dec 03 2011 7:38 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, NAMI San Diego, stage fright

Brain Science and Recovery - Knowledge is Necessity

My last two pieces - on psychiatrists behaving badly - diverted me from my true mission here at Knowledge is Necessity, namely providing food for thought in the quest of knowing thyself. A very key part of that is passing along any cool brain science...

Published Wed, Nov 16 2011 6:12 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, recovery, Evil Genes, Barbara Oakley, Daniel Weinberger, brain science

Reckoning with Evil

This is my third installment in our conversation on Nassir Ghaemi’s “A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness.” In our previous two pieces, Dr Ghaemi indicated he is no fan of normal, at least not in crisis situations...

Published Tue, Aug 16 2011 10:44 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: " John McManamy, A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi, evil

Husseini Manji and Neural and Synaptic Plasticity

One of the featured speakers at the 9th International Conference on Bipolar Disorder was Husseini Manji, former chief of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders unit at the NIMH, now Global Therapeutic Head of Neuroscience at J&J. It was Dr Manji who opened...

Published Mon, Jun 13 2011 5:35 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, Husseini Manji, plasticity, alternative bipolar

Rerun: What If No One Noticed I Was Crazy?

This from Jan, 2010. Enjoy ... The other day, in a conversation with a mental health advocate, I contended that had I been born into a pastoral society in a different century, my bipolar symptoms most likely would have passed under the radar. Okay, there...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 12:40 PM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, pastoral, Nigerian Paradox, mental illness

Note to Readers

I have a lot of work piling up, so please forgive the interruption in my blogging. I serve on the board of NAMI San Diego, and there's a lot of preparation going into our annual dinner taking place next week. Plus I have a talk to put together for...

Published Tue, Sep 27 2011 3:53 PM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Rerun: This Veteran's Day

I run this every Veteran's Day and Memorial Day: This Veterans Day: Our men and women are returning from two wars. They have witnessed things and felt things that those of us who stayed home have no clue. Their brains have been overwhelmed, their...

Published Thu, Nov 10 2011 4:01 PM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, mental illness, suicide, Veterans Day, veterans, PTDS, depression

Relationships: My Bottom Line

Today I am going through the final run-throughs of a talk I will be giving tomorrow (Sept 8) to the International Bipolar Foundation, here in San Diego. The talk is on relationships. I’ve experienced the challenges of living with others from both sides...

Published Wed, Sep 07 2011 5:11 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, bipolar, relationships

There but for Fortune

Another post in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day. Yesterday, I reviewed a documentary on Phil Ochs, the sixties folk singer/political activist who tragically wound up hanging himself at age 36. Richard O’Connor, author of the 1997 classic “Undoing...

Published Sat, Sep 10 2011 5:01 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, Phil Ochs, suicide, Richard O'Connor

Psychiatry on the Dock: A Case to Answer

This is a very quick slap-together piece. I just came across a blog piece on Psychology Today, posted by my friend John Gartner, author of “The Hypomanic Edge.” The title to his piece posed this provocative question: “Has Psychiatry Been Corrupted Beyond...

Published Thu, Sep 22 2011 3:59 PM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, John Gartner, corruption in psychiatry

Rerun: Guest Blog - Trying to Comprehend Loss

In honor of World Suicide Prevention Day ... At age four, Nancy Rappaport's mother took her own life. Her just-released In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother's Suicide (Basic Books) explores the author's own...

Published Fri, Sep 09 2011 5:01 PM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, In Her Wake, suicide, Nancy Rappaport

Antipsychotics - Wonder Years to Cynicism

I've spent the last three days updating and rearranging three of my mcmanweb articles on bipolar meds. Following is an edited extract from a much longer new article on antipsychotics ... The Wonder Years Antipsychotics were discovered by accident...

Published Fri, Jun 24 2011 11:31 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, antipsychotics, bipolar meds, Robert Whitaker

Quick Update

Yes, I'm still here. Yesterday, I drove a visiting family member to the airport. Tomorrow, I'll be the one flying out - to Sacramento and three days of NAMI CA. I'm hoping to get off a couple of blogs on the road. Plus I have a whole backlog...

Published Tue, Aug 16 2011 6:29 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Rerun: Thinking of Going Off Your Meds? - You Need to Read This First

Going off meds may be a sensible and responsible personal decision for you - with the emphasis on sensible and responsible. Tragically, too many of us opt for crazy and irresponsible. Whatever choice you make, first you need to be reading my friend Judy's...

Published Thu, Aug 04 2011 11:09 AM by Knowledge Is Necessity

Filed under: John McManamy, Going off meds, Judy Eron, What Goes Up

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