Can you become insane

Worldwide, one in every four individuals will suffer from a mental health condition in their lives, according to an Oct. Lipska believes the world can get better at treating mental illness. But as she explains in her book The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery, published in April , part of the solution lies in ceasing to distinguish between mental and physical problems. The neuroscientist wants the world to understand that mental illness is an organ malfunction, quite common and life threatening.

Speaking with Lipska on Oct. Can the mind ever comprehend the mind? On this, Lipska is intent. The brain is not a simple organ like the heart, which is basically a pump. Sometimes the show is no good, and it loses its director altogether. For most of her adult life, she was an energetic, determined, ambitious researcher, devoted to her work, family, and running marathons.

But after she was diagnosed with brain cancer in and began taking medications to deal with the illness, she became someone else—and not someone she liked. She was angry, cranky, demanding, insistent, unreasonable, intolerant, and sometimes a danger to herself and others.

She made bad decisions. One day, she tried to walk home alone from a supermarket. She was mean to her beloved grandkids, and rude to medical personnel who tried to help her.

But she can point to the region in the brain that was affected. When her frontal cortex was malfunctioning, she could no longer control herself—all the rules about where and when to do certain things, and how to communicate, became irrelevant to her. They were inaccessible, for all practical purposes nonexistent.

The experience has changed her work. So when she recovered from cancer and the pressure was off her brain, literally, she applied her scientific knowledge to the terrifying personal experience and wrote her book. In one passage, she writes:. Despite all my years of studying brain disorders, for the first time in my life I realize how profoundly unsettling it is to have a brain that does not function.

And the more I remember from the days and weeks of my madness, the more frightened I become that I will lose my mind again. Perhaps madness is not the proper term to describe my condition at the time.

After all, it is not an official diagnosis, but it is often used informally to mean instability, insanity, and and angry and disorganized behavior. So instead I think of myself as having experienced a number of symptoms connected with a range of mental disorders.

In other words, I had a brush with insanity. And I have come back. The book is also an effort to help alleviate the stigma around mental illness. She went out on a limb, exposing the most unpleasant aspects of her otherwise highly accomplished and admirable existence so that society might realize everyone, anyone, can lose their mind, forever or for a time.

Lipska was surprised to discover after the book was released just how many people needed to hear what she had to say. She has been flooded with appreciative messages from people who say she inspired them. The neuroscientist can no longer completely trust herself or rely on the brain that made her into a world-renowned researcher. For a time, her mind failed her, and now she is cautious. There was just a way I behaved in illness. I wish I could say that I have no idea what Lipska is talking about.

But I do. It could have been a cumulative process, the result of a lifetime of use. But it could have been a million things. This, I can tell you. My head hurt. It all became one nonsensical story that I tried to sort through but could not. I searched for meaning everywhere.

Although what triggered her autoimmune reaction remains a mystery, Cahalan was treated and recovered. By poring through her medical records and interviewing her doctors, family members and friends, she pieced together the events she lost and wrote a book, Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. Speaking by telephone from her home in New Jersey, Cahalan told The Globe and Mail what it was like to descend into insanity and return. How much do you remember about the onset of your illness?

Before being hospitalized, I do remember a good portion. I remember thinking I had bedbugs. That was kind of the first sign — a sign I didn't think much of because everyone was afraid of having bedbugs at the time.

Then I had tingling and numbness in my left hand, which was very disconcerting. And then I had migraines, but I was told I had mono. Then the other psychiatric symptoms came up: I was paranoid, I was jealous, I was snooping through my boyfriend's things, I was moody at work. Mono didn't explain that, but we all go through ups and downs emotionally, and, at first, I thought maybe I was just going through that.

When you see yourself in video footage taken at the hospital or hear accounts of how you behaved, is there anything you recognize as you? She's so far removed, and I say "she"; I really do look at myself at the time as another person. But I've seen the video several times now, and it upsets me and it unnerves me.

So there's something there. If I was totally distanced from it, I wouldn't have that feeling watching it. Do you wish you remembered more, or is it a mercy to forget? When I was writing the book, I wished I remembered more. I really did. I tried to access those memories.

But at the end of the day, so much of it was lost and I don't think I will ever recover it. But I do run into things, like I recently found a deck of cards with which my dad and I used to play in the hospital.

I'm not sure if I played with him actively, but it was a weird moment when I saw them and recognized them. So there are times when things emerge and remind me of things I thought I had forgot. How concerned are you of a relapse?

One in five people will have a relapse, and unfortunately, that risk follows you your whole life. But you have the same percentage chance of getting better. So if you survive the first time, you'll survive the second time. Even though you've recovered, you say you don't quite feel the same.

Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function. A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy psychotherapy.

Signs and symptoms of mental illness can vary, depending on the disorder, circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Sometimes symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headaches, or other unexplained aches and pains.

If you have any signs or symptoms of a mental illness, see your primary care provider or a mental health professional. Most mental illnesses don't improve on their own, and if untreated, a mental illness may get worse over time and cause serious problems. Suicidal thoughts and behavior are common with some mental illnesses. If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, get help right away:. If your loved one shows signs of mental illness, have an open and honest discussion with him or her about your concerns.

You may not be able to force someone to get professional care, but you can offer encouragement and support. You can also help your loved one find a qualified mental health professional and make an appointment.

You may even be able to go along to the appointment. If your loved one has done self-harm or is considering doing so, take the person to the hospital or call for emergency help. Mental illnesses, in general, are thought to be caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors:. Mental illness is common. About 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness in any given year. Mental illness can begin at any age, from childhood through later adult years, but most cases begin earlier in life.

The effects of mental illness can be temporary or long lasting. You also can have more than one mental health disorder at the same time. For example, you may have depression and a substance use disorder. Mental illness is a leading cause of disability. Untreated mental illness can cause severe emotional, behavioral and physical health problems.