Reality is always more complicated than you think.
Profile
Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine focusing in Neuroscience. He is due to graduate in 2032. He received a BS and a MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University -- where he spent most of his time drinking heavily and building vegetable catapults instead of learning information that would now be eminently useful. When he is not failing terrifically to perform his sworn duties, he enjoys watching bad movies, ethnic food, and running.
Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.
Jake is joined periodically by two wonderful guest bloggers: Kara Contreary and Kate Seip. See the About Page.
DISCLAIMERS: 1) Jake Young is not a licensed physician (yet). He is merely a medical student. The information published on this site is not intended for use in medical decision making. Please seek advice from a licensed, medical professional before making any health decisions. 2) The opinions expressed are my own or those of my co-bloggers. They do not represent the views of SEED magazine or the educational establishments we currently attend.
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Mental Health:
There was a very sad article in the NYTimes about the regular practice in some long-term care facilities of treating demented patients with anti-psychotic medications like Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa: The use of antipsychotic drugs to tamp down the agitation,...
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Posted on June 25, 2008 11:57 AM • 10 Comments •
I had the privilege of seeing Hamlet last night at Shakespeare in the Park. I say the privilege because the production was as usual excellent. For those of you who don't know, it is a New York tradition for the...
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Posted on May 30, 2008 11:30 AM • 2 Comments •
Mind Hacks discusses an editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry that argues that the DSM-IV -- the diagnostic manual that psychiatrists use to diagnose mental disorders -- should include internet addiction. Vaughan is quite legitimately skeptical: Rather curiously, the...
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Posted on March 20, 2008 8:40 AM • 2 Comments •
I was distressed to wake up this morning to coverage of another shooting, this time in a mall in Omaha. A teenager named Robert Hawkins went into the mall and shot 12 people, killing 8 thus far, and then shot...
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Posted on December 6, 2007 11:42 AM • 7 Comments •
A great article in the NYTimes about the debate over a sensory integration disorder: The problem, these therapists say, is in the brain, which is not properly integrating the onslaught of information coming through the senses, often causing anxiety, tantrums...
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Posted on June 5, 2007 12:03 PM • 5 Comments •
The murders at Virginia Tech are horrible and tragic, but they have also spawned a lot of hysterical claims. I think that is why I haven't talked about them. I have no desire to get swept up in that hysteria....
Posted on April 19, 2007 10:54 AM • 8 Comments •
Restless Legs Syndrome is a neurological disorder, in spite of what you might think from the ridiculous ads on television. RLS is a syndrome where the individual has weird sensations in their legs while they are trying to relax. These...
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Posted on February 14, 2007 9:30 AM • 1 Comments •
Trushina et al from the Mayo Clinic have made a big advance in understanding the etiology of Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is a progressive and ultimately fatal disease that is characterized by uncontrollable limb movements and progressive dementia and psychosis....
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Posted on December 1, 2006 10:53 AM • 2 Comments •
Mind Hacks covers an article in the Financial Times about delusions and how brain damage affects cognition: Some researchers have argued that this is the basis of a similarly curious syndrome, known as Capgras delusion, where someone believes that their...
Posted on November 27, 2006 11:31 PM • 0 Comments •
Women are more susceptible to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) even when the type of the stressful event is controlled for: Males experience more traumatic events on average than do females, yet females are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for...
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Posted on November 20, 2006 10:47 AM • 6 Comments •
GNIF Brain Blogger has a good article describing the DSM -- Diagnostic and Statistcal Manual of Mental Disorders -- that is used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental health issues of all types. Drawbacks and benefits are discussed. In spite of...
Posted on September 12, 2006 10:44 AM • 0 Comments •
