Explore mental disorders through psychology and neuroscience, from schizophrenia and depression to bipolar disorder and emerging therapeutic approaches.
Schizophrenia is often described as a disorder of hallucinations and delusions. However, these striking symptoms represent only the visible part of the condition. The illness also affects cognition, motivation, emotional engagement, and social functioning. Affecting roughly one in one hundred people, it remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Since the 1950s, available…
What if schizophrenia were not merely a disorder, but a cry the world refuses to hear? Behind diagnoses, brain scans, and technical jargon are human beings who waver — fractured consciences crossed by a pain that no word can fully express. Reality becomes too intense, meaning unravels, and even the body no longer knows where…
Depression remains one of the most studied yet least understood psychiatric disorders. It affects millions of people worldwide, manifests in highly diverse forms, and often resists conventional treatment. Antidepressants—focused on neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine—are not universally effective: nearly one in three patients experiences little or no improvement. This therapeutic resistance has prompted researchers…
In his novel The Echo Maker, Richard Powers explores the fragile boundaries of consciousness through the story of Mark Schluter, a man whose grasp on reality begins to fracture. After a serious accident, Mark awakens in a hospital room. He sees a familiar face leaning over him, his sister Karen. The voice is right, the…
Bipolar disorder is one of the most disabling psychiatric conditions, marked by alternating episodes of depression and mania that profoundly disrupt social, professional, and emotional life. Despite pharmacological advances, achieving long-term mood stabilization remains a major clinical challenge. Current treatments, including mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics, show uneven effectiveness from one patient to another. This…
In recent years, the prospect of diagnosing mental disorders through brain imaging has gained significant momentum. With advances in neuroimaging and the rise of artificial intelligence, researchers are beginning to identify so‑called “biotypes”, distinct brain profiles thought to reflect mechanisms specific to depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions. This transdiagnostic approach aspires to move beyond…
On July 22, 2011, Norway was rocked by one of its most shocking terrorist attacks. Anders Behring Breivik, a committed extremist, carried out twin attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, resulting in the deaths of 77 people, mostly teenagers. During his trial, he displayed chilling detachment, showing no remorse. His demeanor raises…
The elevator comes to a halt between two floors. Within seconds, breathing quickens, the heart races at 150 beats per minute, and the metal walls seem to close in. For some, this might be a passing inconvenience. For others, it’s a nightmare. Claustrophobia, a specific phobia, transforms enclosed spaces into an unbearable threat. This condition,…
Amid the deafening clamor of an ever-accelerating modern world, depression emerges as the shattered mirror of a society in crisis. It is not merely a chemical imbalance in our brains but the melancholic lament of a humanity subjected to relentless demands for performance, deepening inequalities, and creeping precarity. Behind every diagnosis lies the story of…
We often believe our past shapes who we are, but what happens when this belief collapses in the face of a fear that seems to arise out of nowhere? Why do certain stimuli provoke profound anxiety, even when they have never been associated with any real danger in our personal experience? Among these modern-day terrors,…