Posted by Chairman_MAO on March 7, 2006, at 15:04:39
In reply to Re: ***D-AMPHETAMINE TOLERANCE PREVENTION REDUX***, posted by temoigneur on March 7, 2006, at 14:02:22
Nope. Actually, I have no degree whatsoever. I do have approximately a minor in psychology (including behavioral endocrinology and psychopharmacology) and a major in philosophy if you discount peripheral requirements, but a preponderance of my knowledge is a result of intensive independent study of journal articles, textbooks, etc. as well as correspondance with academics and clinicians in these field.
When I was 20 I took an introductory psychopharmacology course which solidified my interest in this subject, which I have had since approximately age 9 when I first read about the effects of LSD. My professor offered to do his best to fast-track me to graduate school at John's Hopkins, but I could not handle the responsibilities of college while depressed and agoraphobic. I've always had "ADD-like" problems, but generally try to avoid labelling myself unless I am dealing with people who have no capacity to understand how debilitating these problems can be. It is occasionally intimated here that I am insensitive, condescending or hypocritical here because I deny the notion of "mental illness" vis a vis physical medicine and yet claim to suffer from psychological problems that only seem to get significantly better with medication. This is a misunderstanding of my position, as I do not believe something must be a structural or functional pathology of one's physical body in order to be a grave detriment to one's well-being.
Note that the etymology of agoraphobia lies in the greek for "fear of the marketplace", as it involves wide open spaces with concentrations of PEOPLE and activities going on, not just "wide-open spaces". There wasn't too much frightening about standing by a glacial outflow or in the desert. Navigating the quad to class was another matter.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:616906
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060304/msgs/617090.html