[MuddyBoots]

I figured we could just share some cool facts we have picked up along the way. Like that the haldol injection is based on sesame oil.

[fern46]

Fun thread.

'The use of antipsychotics as medication began in 1933 in France. The research around developing antihistamines evolved into the introduction of promethazine. This drug produced sedative side effects, so doctors started prescribing it before surgeries as a calming agent.

Eventually, a doctor studied the derivatives of promethazine, altered it, and developed chlorpromazine. It was mostly used as a pre-surgery anti-anxiety pill until psychiatrists took note of the calming effect of the drug and began prescribing it to their patients.'

Episode 020:</strong> The History and Use of Antipsychotics — Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast

Eta, I find it interesting that the best treatment we have today has not exceeded the 'cure' described here that was developed for another purpose altogether. It has been almost 100 years...

[Soupe du jour]

My husband is a Czech and his father was a neuropsychiatrist. Given that, my husband knew that the term "akathisia" was coined by the Czech neuropsychiatrist Dr. Ladislav Haskovec, over 100 years ago, even before antipsychotics were used. The term itself is based on the Greek meaning "inability to sit". Back then, all Czech doctors would have studied Latin, and sometimes also Greek. To learn more about that history, see the journal article below.

Ladislav Haskovec and akathisia: 100th anniversary

Back in my father-in-law's day (he would be 114 now), neuropsychiatry was more a norm than having separate subspecialties of psychiatry and neurology. There are some arguments for restoring the combined study. To read about that see Neuropsychiatry - Wikipedia. In that Wiki is a quote by a Harvard Medical School professor and dean that "the separation of the two categories is arbitrary, often influenced by beliefs rather than proven scientific observations. And the fact that the brain and mind are one makes the separation artificial anyway."

Yes, f-i-l would be 114 years old this year. He was over 52 when my husband was born, and my husband is almost 13 years older than me. I never met him.

[Soupe du jour]

I agree with Fern that this is a fun topic. Right up my alley since I love research and history. Thanks both of you for sharing these interesting facts. I'll just add a bit more in this post, but will reign myself in afterwards.

I used to work for the company that developed Haldol, Risperdal, Invega, and many other medications. Never thought I would take two of them later down the line. Actually three, if you count the Haldol injections I had inpatient.

I’ve done a bit of research in the past about dissociative symptoms, migraines, bipolar disorder, seizure disorders and pseudo seizures, some types of tinnitus, and even fibromyalgia. There are an uncanny number of similarities/links between them in some peoples’ experiences. Some (not all necessarily common to all) are as follows:

• Many are sometimes treated with anticonvulsants (i.e. Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal, Neurontin aka gabapentin, etc.)
• Many sometimes include “aura-like” beginnings before “episodes” begin
• The “Kindling Effect” is relevant to many of these conditions
• “Out of body experiences” may be had as part of many of these
• Various types of hallucinations may be experienced as part of many of these (i.e. visual, auditory, space-time distortions, deja vu, oflactory, musical, etc.)
• Types of amnesia (like en block or fragmentary blackouts) or memory issues, as part of many, for some
• Many have similar stressors/triggers (i.e. light, types of stress, hormonal changes, others)
• Anxiety and/or depression may occur as part of, or as a result of many of the mentioned
• Psychological and/or physical trauma linked to triggering start of many of these disorders
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia) may play a role in many of these
• Hypergraphia in some bipolar disorder moods & some Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) experiences
• Hyper religiosity and intense spiritual experiences in some bipolar disorder moods and TLE experiences
• Some brain scans look quite similar in people with bipolar disorder and TLE after some mood states/experiences
• Various speech related dysfunctions during certain episodes and/or forms of the disorder (stuttering, perseveration, circumstantial speech, etc.)
• In some of these cases, people with one (or more) of the above-mentioned conditions, also frequently have a higher percent chance of having another, than the general public (for example, people with bipolar disorder have a higher incidence of migraines)

[Daonnachd]

Circumstantial speech? I didn't know that was a potential symptom. As one enamoured of consilience it seems perfectly natural. Thanks @Soupe du jour. As the Fixx sing, "One thing leads to another!"

[*Beth*]

Lithium is the lightest of all metals, with a density only half that of water.

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by BethRags

Lithium is the lightest of all metals, with a density only half that of water.

Oh, and lithium itself isn’t a salt like is commonly said. Its a salt when it forms an ionic bond with other atoms, in the medication’s case one carbon atom and 3 oxygen atoms (plus 2 lithium atoms) making one lithium carbonate molecule.

[Moose72]

A 3-day/72-hour hold is otherwise known as a "5150".

these are fun facts

I did not know about the 5150, any idea where that term came from?

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by Moose72

A 3-day/72-hour hold is otherwise known as a "5150".

That varies by state. Here in NH we have IEAs (Involuntary Emergency Admission) for being sectioned instead of holds and they keep you in the ER until you have a bed at the state hospital which can be anywhere from a few hours to over a month, then New Hampshire Hospital AKA Concord can keep you as long as they want. You can leave with a CD (conditional discharge) but that pretty much guarantees you’ll go back just before the CD is up.

[Daonnachd]

I find it interesting that Concord will readmit you before the CD expires. I suppose it's to renew the status of the patient in order to make it easier to readmit in future.

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by Daonnachd

I find it interesting that Concord will readmit you before the CD expires. I suppose it's to renew the status of the patient in order to make it easier to readmit in future.

It’s really not protocol, they just like certain patients to be on a Conditional Discharge and I think the only way to extend a CD would be to be readmitted to Concord, so CMHCs do crazy things like “forget” to send out prescriptions and then tell the police to pick you up because you’re off your meds and not following the CD.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by raging vortex

these are fun facts

I did not know about the 5150, any idea where that term came from?

The term is from the 5150 section of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

5150 is also the name of an album by Van Halen.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Sapien

It’s really not protocol, they just like certain patients to be on a Conditional Discharge and I think the only way to extend a CD would be to be readmitted to Concord, so CMHCs do crazy things like “forget” to send out prescriptions and then tell the police to pick you up because you’re off your meds and not following the CD.

Wow. That's severe. Cruel.