Wednesday, October 20, 2021

November 6 - Bizarre Psychological Disorders, Part 2

 

Presented by Brian A. Sharpless, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London and Adjunct Professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Saturday, November 6, 2021, 1:30 pm
Note: This is the first Saturday of the month
B-CC Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane 2nd Floor (West Room)
Bethesda, MD
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/bcccenter
 
 
People are nothing if not confusingly complex, and some end up thinking, acting, and behaving in unusual, odd, and extreme ways. Some of the strangest psychological disorders that they can acquire are not well-known to the public or even many mental health professionals, despite some – such as isolated sleep paralysis – actually being fairly common in the general population.
Dr. Sharpless will focus on five interesting psychological conditions and phenomena.  Some you may have heard of.  For instance, Fear of Missing Out or "FOMO", though not a recognized disorder, has received a great deal of popular attention in social media circles.  Other conditions, such as Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID), are a bit more obscure.  People with BIID wish to intentionally damage healthy body parts (e.g., amputate a limb) and/or become physically disabled.  Needless to say, certain treatment options have raised ethical issues.  Dr. Sharpless will not only describe these and other fascinating conditions, but will also place them in historical and cultural contexts and summarize their respective scientific literature. 
 
This talk will be live streamed.  However, at the request of the speaker, the stream will not be available for viewing after the talk, nor will the talk be posted on YouTube at a later date.  The link to view this talk online will be https://youtu.be/vVNSSWvzO
 

Brian Sharpless is an author and licensed clinical psychologist with a practice in the Washington DC area.  He currently holds academic appointments as a visiting research fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London and as an adjunct professor at the Washington DC campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology . He was formerly on faculty at Pennsylvania State University, Washington State University, and the American School of Professional Psychology.  He received his PhD in clinical psychology and MA in philosophy from Pennsylvania State University and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Sharpless has broad interests in abnormal psychology and psychotherapy.  He has over 50 publications on common and lesser-known disorders, psychodynamic therapy, professional issues, and the history/philosophy of clinical psychology.  His three books, Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives (co-authored with Dr. Karl Doghramji), Unusual and Rare Psychological Disorders: A Handbook for Clinical Practice and Research, and Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques:  A Guide to Expressive and Supportive Interventions are all available through Oxford University Press.  This research been featured on TV, radio, and in other media outlets, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences and public events in the United States and abroad.

Twitter:       @briansharpless
website       www.briansharpless.com

Due to continuing concerns about covid-19, all attendees, whether vaccinated or not, are required to wear masks or other face covering while attending this talk.


Monday, October 11, 2021

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2021

 

  • Film: Race for the vaccine
  • Message to current and prospective NCAS members - Extending memberships
  • October Phact Lecture
  • November NCAS lecture: Psychologist Brian Sharpless will present "Unusual Psychological Disorders, Pt. 2:  From FOMO to Frotteurism,"
  • AmazonSmile
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to renew
  • Click to read October Shadow

Shadow of a Doubt - October 2021

 

October 2021

NCAS Public Lecture Series

Documentary Film Screening:
Race for the Vaccine

Followed by Q&A with Janet Tobias,
an Executive Producer for the film

Saturday, October 9, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members


As news of the coronavirus broke around the globe, a small group of scientists jumped into action to tackle one of the greatest medical challenges of our time: to create a vaccine against a virus no one had ever seen before, and to do so in record time, during a deadly, global pandemic.

Rooted in rare access during 2020/21 to five of the leading vaccine research teams around the world, Race for the Vaccine tells the inspiring story of the unprecedented global quest to develop vaccine candidates in days and weeks instead of years, putting them through the rigorous testing required to prove that they were safe, and that they worked.  From the design challenges of the drugs to the pitfalls of recruitment, the pressure of politics to the logistics of mass manufacturing, we follow a handful of key scientists every step of the way, sharing their heart-breaking setbacks as well as exhilarating triumphs, in an emotional and uplifting insight into this extraordinary scientific endeavor.

 

Produced & Directed by Catherine Gale
Co-directed by Caleb Hellerman
Executive Producers: Archie Baron, Janet Tobias, Roger Lopez, and Helena Braun

Race for the Vaccine was co-commissioned by CNN Films and BBC. It is a co-production between Wingspan Productions and the Global Health Reporting Center based in New York. It is made in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Tangled Bank Studios and with the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Watch the trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FzA9LSnIPw


 
Janet Tobias is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker.  She started her film and television career at CBS' 60 Minutes as Diane Sawyer's associate producer.  She moved to PBS where she created and executive produced the Emmy Award-winning PBS program Life 360.  Her 2017 CNN documentary feature, Unseen Enemy, sounded a warning call about the threat of pandemics.  Janet Tobias is also an adjunct assistant professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a research professor of Global Public Health at NYU. She was a member of the Drug Forum of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences from 2009 to 2015.  Her latest film, Fauci, was released in select theaters in September 2021.

 

 

https://www.ncas.org/2021/09/october-9-film-screening-race-for.html

Health & Safety FAQs:

Will the event be streamed or recorded?

No, this will be in-person only.

What measures will be taken to protect the health of all attendees?
CDC guidelines and Montgomery County regulations will be followed, as specified here: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/face-coverings.html
Face coverings must be worn by all persons in the County over the age of two years old when indoors at any location accessible to the public.

(This applies to vaccinated and unvaccinated people.)

A face-covering exception is made for "giving a speech or performing for broadcast or an audience, if no one in a location accessible to the public is within six feet of you."

Seating will be arranged to separate each person by six feet or more.

Refreshments will not be served; instead, bring your own beverage, or use the water fountain in the hallway.

I'd rather not ride the elevator to the meeting room, is there a stairway?

Yes, there's a stairway near the elevator.

Message to Current and Prospective NCAS Members

In response to the economic hardship and other uncertainties that our members may be facing, in 2020 NCAS automatically extended by one year all memberships that expire in 2020 or later.  Payment will be accepted for new memberships as well as renewals for 2019 and before: new and renewed will have a bonus year added.  Each life member may sponsor a new one-year membership at no charge.  (Double life memberships may sponsor two.)  Send your sponsored member's name and contact information to ncas@ncas.org. This offer will continue until further notice.

October PhACT Lecture

Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, October 16 at 2 PM ET.  Rob Palmer, who writes as "The Well-Known Skeptic" for Skeptical Inquirer, will conduct an interview with actor/skeptic John de Lancie and moderate questions from the Zoom audience.  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.

November NCAS Lecture
Psychologist Brian Sharpless will present "Unusual Psychological Disorders, Pt. 2:  From FOMO to Frotteurism," a follow-up to his 2019 NCAS lecture.  Saturday, November 6 at 1:30 PM at Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center.

AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!

When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the second quarter of 2021 came to $24.84, meaning that nearly $5000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover an hour of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

https://smile.amazon.com/about
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-launches-amazonsmile-simple-automatic-way-customers


Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.

Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.
https://www.ncas.org/p/shadow.html

 



Shadow of a Doubt - September 2021

 

  • It came from the Science Fair - presented by Adam Ruben
  • Message to current and prospective NCAS members - Extending memberships
  • Shermer and Swiss
  • September Phact Lecture
  • AmazonSmile
  • Shadow Light
  • Time to renew
  • Click to read September Shadow

Shadow of a Doubt - September 2021


Adam Ruben, PhD
Writer, Comedian, and Molecular Biologist

Saturday, September 11, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
2nd Floor (West Room)
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD [map] [directions]
(Bethesda Metro station)
FREE admission – Everyone welcome, members and non-members

October 18: "It Came From the Science Fair" by Adam Ruben,  is now online for viewing on You Tube: https://youtu.be/9H-pPCPvAMg

What are the most common mistakes kids make when preparing projects for science fairs?  What can we learn from these events about the way science is taught and understood?  And can we all please agree, once and for all, that science has learned all it needs to learn from measuring classmates' heart rates before and after playing video games?  In this talk, scientist/comedian Adam Ruben will share some of the most bizarre, most inadvisable, least scientifically rigorous science projects he's judged and talk about their implications for the future of science education. 


Adam Ruben
is a writer, comedian, and molecular biologist. He has performed stand-up comedy and told stories on stage for more than 20 years. Adam has appeared on The Food Network, The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, Discovery International, Netflix, and NPR. He currently hosts The Science Channel shows Outrageous Acts of Science and What on Earth? and is a writer for the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS show Elinor Wonders Why.  Adam is the author of two books, Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School (Random House, 2010) and Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains, and the Cult of the Silver Ball (Chicago Review Press, 2017), and writes the monthly science humor column "Experimental Error" in the otherwise respectable journal Science.

Message to Current and Prospective NCAS Members
In response to the economic hardship and other uncertainties that our members may be facing, in 2020 NCAS automatically extended by one year all memberships that expire in 2020 or later.  Payment will be accepted for new memberships as well as renewals for 2019 and before: new and renewed will have a bonus year added.  Each life member may sponsor a new one-year membership at no charge.  (Double life memberships may sponsor two.)  Send your sponsored member's name and contact information to ncas@ncas.org. This offer will continue until further notice. 


Shermer and Swiss
Magician/skeptic (and NCAS co-founder) Jamy Ian Swiss discussed his book, The Conjuror’s Conundrum, with Michael Shermer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZR5kOUjaw

September PhACT Lecture
Our skeptical neighbors to the north, the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT), will host their next online event on Saturday, September 18 at 2 PM ET.  Steven Novella, MD will discuss the various aspects of the "clean eating" fad, from avoiding GMOs, processed food, and the villain food of the week, to claims for antioxidants, superfoods, and miracle diets.  Event details at http://www.phact.org/meetings.php.
 

Speaking of PhACT Yours truly, NCAS President Scott Snell (pictured at back left), enjoyed PhACT's hospitality at their annual picnic in Fort Washington State Park on Saturday, July 24.  PhACT members joined me in a toast to science, which had allowed us to safely gather for the occasion.  (Little did we know that the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant would be forcing caution onto social events just a matter of days later.) 

 
AmazonSmile: Thanks to our members who are supporting NCAS!
When shopping at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) goes to NCAS! It's simple and automatic, and it doesn't cost you anything!

AmazonSmile's disbursements to NCAS in the second quarter of 2021 came to $24.84, meaning that nearly $5000 of purchases were designated in support of NCAS.  (As an example of how NCAS can put that money to good use, it's more than enough to cover an hour of a Montgomery County lecture room rental.)

Thanks again to our members who have chosen to support NCAS!

For more information:

https://smile.amazon.com/about
https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-launches-amazonsmile-simple-automatic-way-customers

Shadow Light
Some members and contacts of NCAS receive a postal notification of this and every new monthly Shadow of a Doubt.  The Shadow Light postcard announces the monthly lecture and highlights of the electronic Shadow of a Doubt, which is available online at ncas.org/p/shadow.html.  NCAS thereby reduces Shadow production and postage costs.  To further reduce costs, members and contacts can opt out of postal notification altogether, while continuing to receive Shadow of a Doubt via e-mail.  To opt out, send us an e-mail at ncas@ncas.org.


Time to Renew?
Be sure to check your renewal date above your postal address on the Shadow Light postcard. Send any queries to ncas@ncas.org.  Use the online membership form to renew.