Good afternoon, Dr. Rosenthal! I hope you're doing well. I have a some questions for you if you don't mind. Feel free to pick and choose what to answer if it seems like a lot!
1) Do you think mental disorders like SAD would have affected our ancient ancestors? I'm thinking less along the line of Ancient peoples and more like the species of the Homo Erectus. And also, if it did affect other hominids that weren't our ancestors, like the Australopithecus and maybe what that would look like.
2) If SAD is less common among people who live near the equator, do you think they'd view mental disorders like SAD differently? I know it varies with different cultures but would the social stigma (or lack thereof) be different?
3) What do you think about astrology? More specifically, the idea that the planets can somehow affect people's moods worldwide. I know the mercury being in retrograde is a big thing for some people and I admit to considering the idea more than once.
And finally, I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate everything you've done. It's very validating and quite a big relief finding out about things like SAD. Especially when I would've usually chalked it up to me being a terrible and lazy human being. Of course, it doesn't excuse everything but giving things a name make them feel way less powerful. Less like something inevitable and more like something I could overcome. I hope your research with poetry as a treatment goes well! Best wishes!
Erue233 karma
Good afternoon, Dr. Rosenthal! I hope you're doing well. I have a some questions for you if you don't mind. Feel free to pick and choose what to answer if it seems like a lot!
1) Do you think mental disorders like SAD would have affected our ancient ancestors? I'm thinking less along the line of Ancient peoples and more like the species of the Homo Erectus. And also, if it did affect other hominids that weren't our ancestors, like the Australopithecus and maybe what that would look like.
2) If SAD is less common among people who live near the equator, do you think they'd view mental disorders like SAD differently? I know it varies with different cultures but would the social stigma (or lack thereof) be different?
3) What do you think about astrology? More specifically, the idea that the planets can somehow affect people's moods worldwide. I know the mercury being in retrograde is a big thing for some people and I admit to considering the idea more than once.
And finally, I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate everything you've done. It's very validating and quite a big relief finding out about things like SAD. Especially when I would've usually chalked it up to me being a terrible and lazy human being. Of course, it doesn't excuse everything but giving things a name make them feel way less powerful. Less like something inevitable and more like something I could overcome. I hope your research with poetry as a treatment goes well! Best wishes!
View HistoryShare Link