Playing With Marbles

By: Vocal Fry Studios Brain Canada
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  • Summary

  • Is your relationship with your brain a little... complicated? Playing with Marbles is about the complicated interplay between the brain and the rest of the body. We're investigating how the brain actually works, and how that affects who we are. We have healthy brains, dead brains, brains in jars, and brain power of incredible researchers, doctors, and everyday people. Come and find out what's going on with your marble... for science!
    2021 Playing With Marbles
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Biological Sciences Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease Psychology
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Episodes
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: When Fear Hijacks Your Brain

    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: When Fear Hijacks Your Brain
    May 10 2024

    Support

    If you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone.

    If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or others, call 9-1-1, or head to your nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    Young people can chat anytime with Kids Help Phone by calling 1-800-668-6868. Services are available in English and French.

    Wellness Together Canada provides one-on-one counselling, self-guided courses and programs, and peer support and coaching. Youth can contact this service by calling 1-888-668-6810 or texting WELLNESS to 686868. Adults can contact this service by calling 1-866-585-0445 or texting WELLNESS to 741741. You can also find credible articles and information on their website.

    The Canadian Mental Health Association can help you find resources, programs, or support for yourself or others. Find a CMHA branch in your area here.

    The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health provides Mental Health 101 tutorials and online courses on their website.

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    39 mins
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder: You, Plural

    Dissociative Identity Disorder: You, Plural
    Mar 13 2024
    The term “dissociation” is a hot topic amongst those who study the brain. An example of dissociation that most of us can relate to is when you’re reading or scrolling through social media and you realize that your mind is elsewhere, that you haven’t actually absorbed the information in front of you. Some researchers have termed these momentary and fleeting moments “normative dissociation”. However, when dissociation begins to disrupt or interrupt the integration of behavior, memory, identity, consciousness, and more, so much so that a person loses recollection of random times in their day-to-day life, this might be a sign of a dissociation disorder. While some skeptics argue that these disorders are related to fantasy proneness and suggestibility, research supports dissociation as a psychobiological state that functions as a protective response to traumatic or overwhelming experiences. While there are three main dissociative disorders, the focus of this episode of Playing with Marbles is on dissociative identity disorder, or DID for short. DID is characterized by a person having two or more distinct identities as well as difficulties with remembering personal information, learned knowledge, or important parts of their childhood. Importantly, there is neurobiological evidence supporting DID as an extreme form of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by exposure to severe and chronic trauma in childhood. One study investigating the link between different symptoms of DID and the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is important for memory, learning and emotion, found that those with DID who experience the symptom of dissociative amnesia (that is, issues with recalling information about yourself or events and people around) have reduced hippocampal volumes. This study also demonstrated an association between emotional neglect in childhood and reduced hippocampal volumes, suggesting an interplay of these factors in the severity of dissociation.In this episode, our guest Nicole walks us through their experience with DID and introduces us to their different “parts” that they’ve named “Kay” and “Stripe”. You will hear about Kay, who acts child-like and plays with their cat, and Stripe, who, when they take over, causes Nicole to behave alarmingly and have lapses in memory. Shari Botwin, LCSW and Trauma Therapist, explains that, in many DID cases, these different parts can take on different personalities that embody the roles of a perpetrator, enabler or protector, they can have different genders, and even come from different age groups. Despite this, the switching from one part to another can still be subtle which can make DID hard to detect at times. Both Shari and Nicole present us with an uplifting perspective on DID that dissociating into different parts is the brain’s creative and protective way to survive in a situation that one might not have made it through was it not for this splitting into different parts. Shari Botwin's new book, Stolen Childhoods: Thriving After Abuse comes out May 7.Fast FactsDissociative identity disorder affects up to 1.5% of the global population and is often diagnosed later in life.Dissociative identity disorder is typically associated with severe childhood trauma and abuse. Because of the way it presents, people with DID are often misdiagnosed with other disorders, like borderline personality disorder.Psychotherapy is the most prominent treatment for dissociative disorders. Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication may help treat some of the mental health-related symptoms associated with DID, but there is no medication that specifically treats this disorder.SupportIf you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone.If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or others, call 9-1-1, or head to your nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide Crisis Helpline. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Young people can chat anytime with Kids Help Phone by calling 1-800-668-6868. Services are available in English and French.Wellness Together Canada provides one-on-one counselling, self-guided courses and programs, and peer support and coaching. Youth can contact this service by calling 1-888-668-6810 or texting WELLNESS to 686868. Adults can contact this service by calling 1-866-585-0445 or texting WELLNESS to 741741. You can also find credible articles and information on their website. The Canadian Mental Health Association can help you find resources, programs, or support for yourself or others. Find a CMHA branch in your area here. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health provides Mental Health 101 tutorials and online courses on their website. Multiplied By One provides a vast list of support, resources, and information for those who struggle with dissociative identity disorder, or those who are interested in learning more about the condition.
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    37 mins
  • Borderline Personality Disorder: The Jukebox of Self Doubt

    Borderline Personality Disorder: The Jukebox of Self Doubt
    Mar 6 2024
    Diagnosis of personality disorders in youth is relatively new. Before the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, version 5 (DSM-V), nobody under the age of 18 could receive a diagnosis of a personality disorder, mainly due to the transitional nature of personality in youth, and the degree of stigmatization attached to such a diagnosis. Researchers have since stressed the importance of early detection and treatment for the outcomes of these disorders. In fact, almost all personality disorders diagnosed in adulthood can also be diagnosed in children under the age of 18 who have presented with symptoms for at least one year. The one exception to this rule is related to the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder in adulthood, which must be preceded by a history of childhood conduct disorder.This episode’s guest, Sophie, mentions different ways her symptoms of borderline personality disorder (or BPD) influence her relationships and ability to trust. We hear that having BPD has instilled in her a tendency towards hyper-attunement to others. This means that Sophie connects to and takes on the emotions of others, in such a way that impacts her behavior and relationships – sometimes in good ways, and sometimes in not-so-good ways. Sophie shares with us that she often identifies and latches on to a “favorite person”, which can sometimes introduce problematic coping mechanisms when things go awry. We also learn about Sophie’s difficult struggles with trust and distrust towards other people and situations. Often common in those afflicted with BPD, researchers have been prompted to explore the link between impairments in trust processes and the disorder. One study suggests that developmental factors, like experiences of emotional neglect or a lack of trust in parents during childhood, may influence certain behaviors in interpersonal exchanges and ultimately be a risk factor for trust issues in adults with BPD. With the involvement of trust processes being so salient in those with BPD, special attention needs to be attributed to ensuring a safe and trustworthy therapeutic alliance can be established between the therapist and person that is seeking treatment for BPD. Folks with BPD have expressed that therapy simply doesn’t work for them when they are made to feel unsafe. Because of this, care providers are encouraged to consider difficulties with trust in individual treatment plans and emphasize interpersonal trust between themselves and the person seeking treatment for BPD with the goal of developing a favorable therapeutic alliance. Fast FactsCommon traits of BPD include having extreme fears of being rejected or abandoned, feeling easily rejected by others, an excessive need for reassurance from others, and more. Studies suggest that 1 to 3% of youth under 18 may have traits of borderline personality disorder.BPD is usually diagnosed in teens and young adults, though it may also be diagnosed later in life.Most youth who receive appropriate supports and services will benefit and show improvement. Youth who don’t get treatment are at higher risk for aggression, criminal behaviour, ongoing mental health problems, suicide, homelessness and problems in their relationships.Learn More about This Episode’s Cool ResearchersAs mentioned in the episode, borderline personality disorder is a much-stigmatized condition. For example, one study found that the word “difficult” can routinely be used by clinicians to label a person with BPD. Breaking through these labels and stigmas, while recognizing the need to establish safety and trust through the therapeutic alliance, many clinicians are providing compassionate care towards those with a BPD diagnosis; one such person is this episode’s expert guest, Dr. Brandon Unruh.Dr. Unruh is disrupting the status-quo of care for BPD by examining and targeting how the next generation of clinicians are being taught about the disorder. In terms of treatment, Dr. Unruh and his colleagues focus on specialized evidence-based treatments for BPD, like dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), mentalization-based treatment (MBT), and transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP). Dr. Unruh is particularly interested in MBT which is based on the theory of failed mentalization for BPD and refers to impairments with identifying mental states, like attitudes or feelings, in oneself or in others along with difficulties in recognizing how these mental states are influenced by each other. To improve the process of mentalization, MBT emphasizes mental states and interpersonal interactions by encouraging individuals with BPD to focus on how their own mental states affect their own behavior, and the behavior of others. Much of Dr. Unruh’s research on BPD treatment focuses on this method, including an interesting case study on the use of MBT in treating a physician struggling with BPD.SupportIf you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone.If you are in ...
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    37 mins

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