The Deadliest Mental Illness

Mental health is crucial; it has an impact on everything. It impacts our ability to overcome stress, solve problems and adapt to challenges. It also affects our ability to be content, productive, and well-adjusted. Mental health is a topic that is frequently misunderstood and stigmatized in our society. In this essay, I will be talking about the deadliest mental illness.

Contrary to popular belief, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are not the mental illnesses with the highest death rate every year. Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia kill around 350,000 people every year. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder in which individuals have a distorted body image and perceive themselves to be overweight even if they are extremely underweight. They drastically restrict their food intake due to their intense fear of gaining weight.

The effects of eating disorders are very destructive to the body. Malnutrition can cause electrolyte disturbances, including hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and hypokalemia (low blood potassium). Electrolyte disturbances can cause several heart problems like irregular heartbeats and heart attacks. Rapid weight loss introduces the risk of liver damage and disrupts natural fatty acid levels in your body. The stomach may shrink, which in turn makes reintroducing food even more difficult. Anorexia Nervosa can have a detrimental impact on the skin, hair, bones, and joints. Hair and nails become weak as a result of this condition. Nails can get discolored over time. Hair loss is possible. The joints may also swell. A fixation on body image and constantly feeling fat while being in denial of how thin they are will ultimately lead to not just physical effects, but negative psychological effects as well. Irritability, fatigue, depression, and anxiety are just a few among the many effects that people with AN suffer from daily.

I believe ending the stigmatization of eating disorders as well as providing the proper information could decrease the fatality rate of people with eating disorders and possibly help them recover.

This essay covers how the internet is also pushing the agenda to stay thin and why that is dangerous: Anorexia Statistics & Facts (americanaddictioncenters.org)

Sources:

The Deadliest Mental Health Disorder | The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Anorexia nervosa – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

What Are the Consequences & Health Risks of Anorexia (americanaddictioncenters.org)

My Opinion on Transageism

Trans-age, also known as age-fluid, is a new term that has come up recently. The term “trans-age” means to identify as a different age.

After reading about people identifying as trans-age, I think there is only one valid reason why someone might use the term trans-age (at least the only one that I can think of). That reason being; if someone has had an upbringing that was particularly painful and abusive preventing them from effectively moving into adulthood. While they appear to be adults, their thinking patterns, feelings, social relationships, and impulse regulation are more akin to those of children or teenagers. I think this is a valid reason to experience a regression in age. Since that would be the result of trauma from childhood. 

Pedophiles are saying they are LGBTQ+. When in reality, this isn’t about gender, it’s about pedophiles trying to get away with their perversion to children. It is another attempt to deny the legitimacy of transgender people, much like “trans-species” and “trans-race” is attempting to do. Being transgender has been shown in scientific studies which are still being improved upon. It has a scientific basis. Despite what many pedophiles say, they are very much not part of the LGBTQ+ community and are not accepted by the community at all.

Sources:

“Trans-age” pedophile defends himself by claiming that he’s trapped in a nine-year-old’s body | The Bridgehead

Trans-Age: The reality – The PawPrint (huskypawprint.com)

On Coping Mechanisms: Age Regression | by Santini Priya | Invisible Illness | Medium

This is Not Dissociative • If a person age regresses to cope with trauma,… (tumblr.com)

The Science and Biology Behind Being Transgender

“There is no science or biology behind being transgender” is a phrase I have heard more than once. Even though many people believe this, I have composed my research into one essay for those who are curious and want to educate themselves on this topic.

When does it start? When you are born, a doctor will state if you are a boy or a girl based on your genitalia. However, the brain and the body don’t always match. Gender is determined not only by our genitalia but also by something in our brain. Dr. Altinay explains, “When we look at the transgender brain, we see that the brain resembles the gender that the person identifies as,” An individual born with a penis but who later identifies as a female, for example, may have some of the anatomical features of a “female” brain. Transgender woman’s brains mirror those of cisgender women rather than those of cisgender males. The same goes for transgender male brains. Transgender male brains mirror those of cisgender men rather than cisgender women. When tested, transgender women also have the same BSTc (an area of the brain responsible for sexual behavior and anxiety responses) as a cisgender woman, and that is before taking hormone replacement therapy. (*If someone is cisgender, this means they identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.*)

While this essay is primarily about the science and biology behind being transgender, I feel compelled to write about a misconception I have seen recently, especially since I am on the topic of transgender people. Transwomen do not owe anyone femininity, it is entirely up to the individual on how they choose to present their identity. As a transmale, I also do not owe anyone masculinity. Neither does any transman, for that matter. If a transman wanted to wear a dress and makeup, it does not invalidate the individual of being transgender. If a transwoman wanted to have short hair and not wear makeup, it does not invalidate the individual of being transgender. Simply, that is how they choose to present themselves, while still being transgender.

Sources:

Research on the Transgender Brain: What You Should Know – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Between the (Gender) Lines: the Science of Transgender Identity – Science in the News (harvard.edu)

Causes of transsexuality – Wikipedia

Transgender – Wikipedia

BSTc brain differences and transsexualism (genderpsychology.org)

9th Grade Reading Log

1/24/21, Our Fifty States by Mark H. Bockenhauer and Stephen F. Cunha, pages 73-83.

1/25/21, Ordinal linguistic personification – Wikipedia

1/25/21, Ordinal linguistic personification (chrisbeckstrom.com)

1/25/21, Ordinal linguistic personification (synesthesia-test.com)

1/26/21, Pallas’s cat – Wikipedia

1/28/21, Che Guevara – Wikipedia

2/4/21, Patriot Act – Wikipedia

2/9/21, National Geographic February 2021 “Reclaiming History” by Phillip Morris, pages 101-123.

2/10/21, Zdzisław Beksiński – Wikipedia

2/11/21, Order of Polonia Restituta – Wikipedia

2/12/21, The Nightmare – Wikipedia

2/12/21, Henry Fuseli – Wikipedia

2/15/21, 401(k) – Wikipedia

2/16/21, American Sign Language – Wikipedia

2/17/21, Black American Sign Language – Wikipedia

2/18/21, Varieties of American Sign Language – Wikipedia

2/19/21, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Wikipedia

2/22/21, Manga – Wikipedia

2/23/21, Self-harm – Wikipedia

2/24/21, Major depressive disorder – Wikipedia

5/15/21-5/17/21, Desperate Measures by Katee Robert, full book.

5/20/21-6/5/21, Learn My Lesson by Katee Robert, full book.

8/20/21-8/24/21, A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert, pages 1-50.

9/3/21, The Deadliest Mental Health Disorder | The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab

9/6/21, Anorexia nervosa – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

9/7/21, What Are the Consequences & Health Risks of Anorexia (americanaddictioncenters.org)

9/8/21, https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/how-to-get-more-tips-as-a-server

9/9/21, https://getsling.com/blog/how-to-be-a-great-server/

9/10/21, https://possector.com/staff/waiter

10/1/21, https://possector.com/staff/waiter

Gulliver’s Travels (Book Report)

On his first voyage, Gulliver washed ashore after a shipwreck and found himself a captive of a race of tiny inhabitants, less than 6 inches tall, who are the population of the island nation of Lilliput. After having issued assurances of his good conduct, he was granted a residence in Lilliput and became a favorite of the Lilliput Royal Court. The King of Lilliput also permitted him to go around the city on the condition that he does not harm their subjects. At first, the Lilliputians are friendly to Gulliver, but they are also conscious of the danger his height presents to them. The Lilliputians show themselves to be citizens who place considerable importance on insignificant issues. For example, the specific way you crack an egg becomes the source of a deep political divide within that country. I think because the Lilliputians don’t have anything on their island that brings much excitement, they argue to bring their adrenaline up. Maybe if they could find more positive activities, the Lilliputians would be less aggressive in general and be more inviting to people who come across their island. In my opinion, constant fighting with each other only makes the Lilliputians quick to anger, which is why they probably keep getting into arguments about unimportant matters. The people of Lilliput also face trouble with trusting, which can prove difficult when visitors find the island. Maybe it is instinct to tie new people down because they might seem threatening. The book doesn’t share much about the past of the Lilliputian’s life before Gulliver washed up on the shore, so it appears unknown why they don’t trust easily. Sometime in the past, a person could have found the island and hurt them. It makes sense if this was the cause of their mistrust. The king specified not wanting anyone to get hurt in the beginning when Gulliver first was allowed to explore the island untied. In conclusion, I think this book was a great read and I enjoyed trying to figure out why the Lilliputians act the way they do.

The Little Pink House (Book Report)

The Little Pink House is the second book in the Choose Your Consequence series. In this book the Tuttle Twins are going to their grandma’s small, pink house on the shores of the Monogahela river to celebrate Independence Day. There are rope swings, parades, and all of the activities that make a holiday perfect. However, it isn’t all fun and games. In the event a greedy company tries to take over Grandma’s property and drive her house into the river, can the twins save it and come to their Grandma’s rescue? The choices you decide to take while reading will impact if the house is saved or not. It’s all up to you. The zoning battles, the vote, the ancient artifacts—and your decisions will take the twins either to victory or defeat. The last book I read in this series only had 5 alternate ending, this book had 10 which I liked reading about as well. I think I liked this book more due to the fact it was much more exciting than Hyperinflation Devastation. Connor Boyack, the author, does an amazing job at making these concepts understandable. I have not quite finished all of the Choose Your Consequence books, but I think this one will still remain my favorite.

Hyperinflation Devastation (Book Report)

It’s the dream vacation, the Tuttle twins have saved their money, prepared things thoroughly, and are ready to head off to South America for water skiing, camping in the jungles, and visiting some of the oldest ruins in the world. How could this have gone wrong? As it turns out, a lot could have gone wrong. Still it was up to me to decide how the story played out. I was in the driver’s seat of the tale to decide what the consequences will be, which adds a cool twist to the book series that kept me interested throughout the entire story. The book gave me two major choices that greatly impacted how the story unfolded. Send Ethan and Emily to the ruins, knowing that they are smart, brave and well-prepared? Or make them stay in the capital city just incase something goes wrong? One more thing I like about the Tuttle twin series as a whole is how each book makes large and complicated topics bite-sized for younger readers or new readers to understand. Along the way, you’ll learn about inflation, community, cryptocurrency. The way this book managed to fit in more than one ending was a bit of a shock since I’ve never read a book like this, but I’m excited to read the next one in this ‘choose your consequence’ series. I highly recommend this book in particular because of the new adaption by making multiple endings to the story based off of your choices while reading.

“L” is for Lawless by Sue Grafton (Book Report)

(Contains spoilers!)

“L” is for Lawless is mystery-based book is about a 35 year old, private investigator named Kinsey Millhone. This story began with her landlord, Henry Pitts, who is seeking her to help out Bucky, the grandson of their recently deceased neighbor, Johnny Lee.  Bucky is striving to make sure that his grandfather receives a proper military funeral, but they run into some difficulties. Johnny Lee has no medical records, or any evidence he ever served in the military. As the story progresses and more is found out about Johnny and his life before he died, it is revealed that he and his 2 friends robbed a bank. This twist added another level of excitement to the story because then Kinsey is tasked with finding the large sum of money before anyone else can, so it doesn’t get into the wrong hands. However, she isn’t the only one after the money and one of Johnny’s old friends who aided him in robbing the bank also wants to get to the money first. Her relationship with her family is a minor subplot in the story, but reappears close to the end of this book when her cousin, Tasha tries to help her out. Kinsey first rejects her, but agrees to accept her for assistence at the end of the novel, when she is trapped in Louisville with no money and no way of getting back to Santa Teresa.

I can admit that I am not the biggest fan of reading, but this story actually made me excited to read the next page. I enjoyed the humor that was sprinkled throughout the story, it was a nice addition to the otherwise all mystery plot. In conclusion, I really liked reading this book and would highy recommend it to anyone who is struggling to find a good, easy book to read.