Got a bad case of the crazies?

By Cayusa

Who is crazier? Men and women tend to point the finger at one another. Is being a certain gender the cause? Could it possibly be the individual’s level of intelligence? Or could it be caused by environmental effects, such as owning cats for instance. Everyone thinks the “cat lady” is crazy!  What truly causes mental illness? Many different scenarios play a crucial role in who is more prone to having a mental illness. Age, gender, intelligence, artistic abilities, and negative life experiences are all some key factors to why some people have a mental disorder.

Anyone can be born with a mental illness or disability. People can become mentally ill by having a rough experience with life and not being able to cope with new situations. Veterans that go into a combat zone are more prone to mental illnesses than others because, lets face it, nothing here on U.S. soil can prepare us enough for what is going to happen thousands of miles away. Thinking veterans could possibly be a threat to society due to their training or mental illness, is it any different from anyone else that doesn't go through the same difficulties and gets released from a mental institution?

A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry states, “[...] patients discharged from psychiatric facilities who did not abuse alcohol and illegal drugs had a rate of violence no different than that of their neighbors in the community.” In my opinion, it seems that the mentally ill are no different from those without a mental issue. Just because someone gets out of the looney bin, does that make them any less intelligent and not susceptible to further mental illnesses?

Many great minds such as Vincent Van Gogh, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Heath Ledger were all aspiring artists in their own different ways . To give them all a generalized association some would call them “people pleasers”. If you were to look at each of them individually they all dealt with their own battles. Their lives didn’t end as they had intended. Because someone is more intelligent, isn’t it obvious that more goes on inside their head? The more there is to work with, the more there is at risk. Things could go wrong or not the way the person wielding the knowledge wants.

Anxiety and panic disorders are two of the most diagnosed disorders in our country. I believe it is mainly due to many people not knowing how to find help. Or not knowing how to regulate what they might be feeling inside.  It is rare to find someone willing to stop pointing the finger at others and turn it around on themselves. Personally, it is hard for me to believe that many people won't stop and think before they act or think how their actions will affect others.

Some disorders or mental illnesses can be caused by the most unlikely and unthinkable things. Women can be infected with toxoplasmosis which is from cat feces and unwashed foods. Once infected, many women have no symptoms. Research also shows that infected women are more likely to commit suicide. At least one third of the world has toxoplasmosis and isn't aware of it .

So who has the case of the crazies? Nothing can be said more towards one gender. The proof is in the pudding. Anyone can get a mental disorder and not know it. Some can have a disorder and seem perfectly normal, functioning citizens of society. Judgment cannot be cast any longer for anyone who might dress a little different or for the way they speak. So why should society judge those with mental illness so harshly? A person who can seem “normal” on the outside could have the same thoughts and feelings that could exist within an institutionalized patient.

Mind Games

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cowgummy/5434195103/ 







When talking about men and women a conversation can only go on so long without the topic of intelligence coming up. This is something that has been argued for years, and years, but has anyone actually proven that women are smarter than men or vice versa? We all know that women mature faster than men, and thats not arguable; those are scientific facts. We can all name smart males and females in history because both genders have made great accomplishments as far as intelligence. Can one be proven to be smart than the other or is this just something that will remain undecided for hundreds of more years?

I am very neutral to this subject because I come from a family where women are very dominated, successful and very intelligent. Throughout history I have seen so many accomplishments of men. The accomplishments are scattered through time, and I’m pretty sure we can all name one famous smart male. When you actually think about it women weren’t able to freely show their intelligence because of them being uneducated and civil outcast through most of history. Although I’m not ignorant to the fact that there are also some smart females in history but, their accomplishment are often overshadowed by men’s. This is nothing new because the world has been overlooking the accomplishments of the female gender for years. In an article taken from redOrbit.com, British researcher, Adrian Furnham said,  “Men and women are likely to have the same intelligence levels, but men are more apt to feel like they are smarter than women.” That is also the typical mind state of a man; he think just because he’s a man he is smarter than his female counterpart. Although women have been suppressed for years and have not been able to educate themselves as long has as men they have really risen to the top of the intelligence meter. That is a triumph when you think about it because women were the last to become educated even after the male slaves. Another writer from redOrbit.com says “research suggests taking care of kids, holding down a job, and keeping up with the resulting schedules of each can really pump up a woman’s brain power.” With that being said women may be advancing past men in intelligence because of their daily multi-tasking between raising a family and doing a job in the workplace. So this means women will eventually rise to be smarter than men because we all know there will always be a need for women. Also because we all know the world will never slow on it’s need for women. A study given by world-renowned expert, James Flynn says that, “both men and women’s IQ have risen in the past 100 years, but the scores of women have risen faster”. I think this because women more than less actually apply themselves where the male ego often lets us think we already know so we don’t put forth as much effort.

There will forever be an argument when bringing up intelligence between these sexes, but women are rising to the top of the IQ food chain, and it seems there is nothing that can be done to stop this. The gap in intelligence is closing, and closing very fast at that. The advantage lies in women’s ability to adapt faster than men, and I can honestly agree with this. Women are very versatile creatures and also a force to be recommend with. So let us not doubt our women and their intelligence because in the end we are one and have to work together to make the accomplishment of the world we live in today.

Oh! It Hurts!

Do women have a higher tolerance for pain?

 

 

 photo credit: Beaulawrence via photopin cc

 

        When I was a teenager I lived with my father for a few years. It was just us two living in a two-bedroom apartment--a regular bachelor pad. During the school year I’d wake up early, get ready, and drive myself to school. One particular morning I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. I could hear my dad waking up to get ready as well. He walks past me, half asleep, half awake, heading for the toilet. While brushing my teeth, he starts to urinate. Abruptly, he stops urinating and then abruptly starts again. To me it looked like he was about to start having convulsions. He did a quick jerk when his urine stopped flowing and then collapsed against the wall. He passed a kidney stone. It happened so quickly and unexpectedly that my dad didn’t make sound until after the fact. He let a few swear words fly, and was quick to point out what just happened to him. It’s not that I enjoy watching other people in pain, but I couldn’t help myself. I laughed until I nearly passed out and he was laughing right along with me. People compare the pain of giving birth to a child to the pain experienced when passing a kidney stone. I suppose one could say it depends on the size and number of kidney stones but the same could be said about about having children. Most women and scientist assume that women can tolerate greater amounts of pain based on the fact that women have to deliver children. However, several tests have shown that men are actually the ones who are better at tolerating pain.
        A study by pain scientist Dr. Osama Tashani recruited 200 British and Libyan volunteers to conduct a series of tests to determine their tolerance for pain. The tests involved hitting the volunteers in the hand with a blunt object and handcuffing their hands above their heads to prevent blood from flowing properly. The results proved that men were able to handle pain better and were less likely to say anything about it. And that women were more sensitive and quicker to respond to the pain.
        Correspondingly, other studies have shown that this similarity does not stop with just the human species, but in fact animals show the same characteristics. In a column by Maia Szalavitz, who writes for MSN Health & Fitness, interviewed a professor who specializes in pain. Jeffrey Mogil, Ph.D., studies pain at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He says that, "Females are more sensitive to pain, less tolerant and more able to discriminate different levels of pain than males."
        Interestingly, there is one odd fact to these studies, and it’s women with red hair. In the article by Maia Szalavitz, she explains that redheads have been shown to have a higher tolerance for pain when compared to blondes or brunettes. Redheads also tend to be more resistant to anesthesia and usually require 20% more anesthesia than others and that they require lesser amounts of painkillers. I can personally relate to this. My mother, who is red headed, gave birth to all five of her children without the numbing effects of an epidural. The tolerance of pain is only unique for redheaded women; redheaded men tested the same when compared to other men.
        Guys, this isn’t intended to give a hidden message to be hard on your girlfriend or wife when she’s complaining of menstrual pains. Also, if you’re blessed enough to experience your partner giving birth, be very supportive and caring. You wouldn’t want something the size of a large pumpkin coming out of you.

WHO TALKS MORE

Beween men and women, who talks more?Well in my family the talkers are the women but when some family members call we look on the caller I.D.to see if its someone we would want to talk to. When they start we won’t get a word in and then have to listen to everything they have to say. However when we get together we try to outdo each other. Usually we do it so one party will not get their feelings hurt. This is usually what happens between my brother and me. If it gets really bad my mother has to step in, but mostly we try not to get each other mad.

When my brother calls, he often needs to talk for hours. We can finish each other sentences sometimes, and we love to talk. It drives our family crazy. We recently found our dad and found out that he doesn’t talk much. He likes to keep it short, sweet and to the point. I find this to be a way of detecting who actually talks more. We kids and our mother like to talk but not too much; My mother is like my grandfather; he did not talk much. I think the reason why he did not talk much is because when he served in Alaska during World War II, he had things he could not talk about so he just kept quiet.

It seems that women talk a lot, and we can’t stop talking. In the article “Who Talks More; Men or Women” it asked “Why do women talk more than men”? The article also answers the question “Women talk about a lot of things. Women love talking about fashion, relationships, children, friends, their hobbies, food and other things.”
While women talk about a lot of things, they also learn a lot like how to wear the latest fashion or how to cook their favorite meal. They are learning how to do things that will benefit them and the men in their life in the long run. Women talk to tell stories that are passed down through their generation of family.

Some say women talk too much, but women have a lot to say, and once we start sometimes we have a hard time stopping. Women love to talk, and sometimes talking makes us feel important. In the article “Men Talk as Much as Women” the researchers “found that women speak a little more than 16,000 words a day. Men speak a little less than 16,000 words. The difference is not statistically significant enough to make me think that men need to step up and start talking if they want to be heard by women”.

To sum things up, yes, women talk more than men but given a chance I think men would talk more than women . In the world it depends on who you are and what you want to talk about.

Do You Have The Green Light?

Almost every woman always has the perfect vision in her mind of how her marriage will be. Before you get to that part, the first thing you have to do is complete the hardest task which is exchanging numbers.The average woman expects for a man to approach her when interest is shown between them. This is primarily because he’s the man and she’s the woman. Women feel as if the man should take the initiative and put forth the effort to jump start something new. I’m pretty sure no woman, that is interested in men, wants to feel the pressure and degradation of having to approach a man to express her interest in him. This is a main reason why women do not approach men first. Most females, like myself, will remain single and without companionship for extended periods of time if the only way to get it is to execute the first move.

There are plenty of reasons why women simply refuse to grace a man with her words and presence before he has done so. We mostly have the thought instilled in our mind that “it’s not our job” so we act accordingly and do our best to make anything get his attention and rewardingly come over and speak. Rebel Leader explains in her article how she works her body language to seduce a man to approach her. Leader demonstrates through words how she makes eye contact and flashes her flirty smile to assure the victim that she’s after is certain that he has the green light to come talk to her. These could be tips that women use when trying to catch a potential partner for romantic possibility without actually going to get him.Too Scared To Approach

Not all women are bold enough to even send signals to the man that has her attention. While some women have too much pride to approach a man, other women don’t have enough courage to do so due to their insecurities and/or low self-esteem. Haley’s Halo gossip column explains eight reasons why women do not draw near to men first and some of those reasons are because she’s shy, she’s intimidated, she feels he’s out of her league, he’s surrounded by other men, he’s surrounded by attractive women, or he has not or is not showing any interest in her. This makes it even harder for her to even consider to attempt to make the first move when she feels as if she will be rejected. Pete Sapper is a relationship “guru” that explains to men three ways to make themselves appear more available so they won’t intimidate women or scare them off. Just as women do when trying to get a man’s attention, men should make eye contact with the woman to secure her knowledge that he’s interested. He should also smile to set a warm and welcoming environment. This should ease the woman’s mind and nerves about her decision to approach him. Lastly, he should make the space around him available for her to enter into as well. For example, if a man was sitting on a bench and was aware that a woman was interested in him he should make sure there is enough room for her to sit down and make sure he’s not sitting too close to her to make her feel uncomfortable or too far away to give her the impression that he’s not interested. These tips and gestures could possibly enable more women to be more open to approaching men first.

Who's The Bigger Cry Baby?

by Fabricio Contreras

I think everyone would agree that the female gender is more emotional than the male. The question is, why? Is it just the way women are? Is it hormones? Is it because they can’t control themselves? Scientific tests have proven that many outbreaks of emotional woman stem from hormonal surges during their menstrual cycle. Throughout the month, a woman’s body remains at an average “set point”, or normal, level and rate of hormone secretions. During their menstrual cycle, the endocrine system in a woman’s body secretes too much hormone, to compensate for that lost during the cycle. Therefore, the body is thrown into a tailspin without knowing which way is up. A woman’s body simply does not have the means to fight off the insanity occurring within itself. Furthermore, when a woman is experiencing menopause the endocrine system is pumped into overdrive, constantly secreting hormones. The body at that point is in a constant state of turmoil. It can’t just make the hormones turn off, and it can’t get rid of them, so the only choice is to wait it out (unless you have the help of medicine).

Another interesting fact, is that women typically know how to communicate their feelings more than men. Women have an expansive vocabulary that they can use to help describe their emotions. Not to say women are smarter than men, they are just quicker to use emotional words to convey their feelings. Men are usually more subtle and guarded with their emotions. Whereas, most woman will tell it as they see, to whoever they want to tell it to. Therefore, since women normally voice their emotions more openly, they can possibly be viewed as “perceptive” or “sensitive”. Men, on the other hand are viewed as “enraged” or “infuriated” when they express pent up emotions. Men tend to hold things in and not let it bother them. Since women let it out more often, it strikes us as odd when men finally tell us how they feel. There’s also usually a force behind it- simply because the emotion has been buried for a period of time. I can see how it is viewed as strained and unnatural when a man openly expresses emotion. It’s because we’re not use to seeing it. When something is unfamiliar, it’s bizarre. So why do men receive responses such as “why are you crying about it?” When in reality, women are the ones that “cry about it” on a continuous basis. For example, a woman might express her wishes for her husband to do the dishes every day for a week. When the husband finally accomplishes the feat, the woman is pleased, but also at the same time upset once again that it’s taken a week. The man lashes back with a request that has gone unspoken for who knows how long about the woman taking the time to do something for him- we’ll just say…take out the trash. And thus opens the vicious cycles. The fact is, both parties are upset about a particular issue. The difference being that a woman is quicker to tell you to do the dishes.

Why Less Men Attend Church

I grew up in a small neighborhood church and I have always realized that were always more women attending than men. The only times I have ever witnessed a decent amount of men in my church is only on special occasions such as Easter, Friends and Family Day, Christmas, and more important days like these. I still question myself why there is a scarce number of men not only in my church, but most churches. Women just appear to be more involved in church with attendance, doing the duties of the church, and just wanting to serve God in general. Church is attended more by females due to the fact that women are simply more religious than men.

I can atest to the fact that not ALL people go to church for the right reasons. Women more than men, go to church for reasons that are completely irrelevant to the main focus of why you are actually suppose to attend church--which is to give thanks and praise to the Lord. You may have a few women who go to church to show off fancy Sunday suits, see what someone else will be wearing, or just to share the latest gossip about one of their church members that occurred over the past week. Which is one reason why a lot of men do not attend church. According to an article that gives Seven Reasons as to why men don’t attend church as often as women explains that men “experience the tenets of Christianity outside of church better than those who attend church faithfully and religiously.” So this gives them an even better reason to remain as non attendants of the church.

Generally, women are more attentive and aware than men in most situations. Which could be another reason why men do not attend church frequently like women. Church services can come off excessively extended, boring, and unnecessary to a man in attendance. Being a man himself, Thomas G. Long explains in his article, Why Men Stay Away, that one main reason men consider attending church is not to satisfy themselves but to fulfill their roles as a son, husband, father, or even pastor. Long’s research also reveals that only 39% of the male population make up the attendance of people in the church house; which leaves the other 61% up to the women to fill in.

The numbers divided up between the attendance of church between men and women are only decreasing for the men. They just have other things they would rather do than “waste” their time in church such as sleep in, watch tv, or discuss football with other men who share the same interests as them. For the moment, in this time period, the chances of persuading men to go to church are a little slim to none as we can see, won’t be getting any better anytime soon.