Bees With Personality

Jack Dikian

March 2012

Significant similarities have been previously found between personality structures and mechanisms across species in at least two broad traits, namely extraversion and neuroticism.

The cross-species similarities between the most broad personality dimensions like Extraversion and Neuroticism as well as other Big Five factors reflect conservative evolution: constrains on evolution imposed by physiological, genetic and cognitive mechanisms.

According to researchers from the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and published online in Science (follow link below) in March 2012 some bees, like some humans, seem to be programmed to seek out new experiences, or novelty. So, they might have individual personality differences similar to our own.

For example, while forager bees are in charge of gathering food outside of the hive, not all of these bees, it seems, are inclined to strike out and go exploring for new flowers. Only about 5-25% actively scout out new pollen sources. The others foragers simply follow these adventurers’ bee dances to find the food.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/03/to-boldly-go-where-no-bee-has-gone.html

Image: Tagged foraging bee, image courtesy of Zachary Huang/beetography.com

Greater awareness of mental illness in schools

Jack Dikian

March 2012

Given the high prevalence of mental illness with about 70% of mental health issues first appearing during adolescence - Black Dog Institute’s, The HeadStrong program uses classroom activities to share information and prompt discussions on depression and bipolar disorders, at-risk personality types, coping strategies and where to get support.

HeadStrong aims to give teachers and students a better understanding of mental health issues. The institute will provide training to 1500 high school teachers across Australia over the next 3 years. It’s estimated that this will reach 90,000 students, with a focus on those in rural and remote locations.

See: http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/communityeducation/youthprograms.cfm

12 cases of Tourette-like symptoms appear at a school

Jack Dikian

January 2012

Tourette syndrome is usually an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, and characterized by multiple physical motor and vocal tics. As we know these tics characteristically wax and wane, can be suppressed temporarily, and are preceded by a premonitory urge. Tourette's syndrome afflicts three out of every 1000 children between 6 and 17 in the United States.

We heard this week that in LEROY, N.Y, 12 high school girls have developed involuntary tics and other symptoms (likened to conversion disorder). Doctor report that at least 10 of the girls are suffering from a psychological condition usually brought on by stress or a frightening condition.

Environmental factors, latent side-effects from drugs or vaccines like Guardasil, trauma or genetic factors have been ruled out. One practitioner suggested that groups of cases, such as this, often start with one individual – and it's possible that one of those girls has a condition like Tourette's and her tics were subconsciously picked up by other girls.

Losing time in Samoa, In fact a whole 24 hours

Jack Dikian

December 2011

Imagine going to bed on Thursday night, sleeping the usual 7 or 8 hours and waking up on Saturday morning. That’s exactly what will happen to the almost 200,000 people of Samoa. What’s more, how about one day being the last (in the world) to see the sun set and then, over night, becoming the first to see sunrise each day.

I’m not talking about dissociation or dissociative disorders associated with say, PTSD, BPD and/or other psychiatric conditions.

This is because Samoa has finalized its time-zone shift by skipping the entire day of Friday in a bid to move into line with Australia and New Zealand. The switch will make Samoa one hour ahead of Wellington and three ahead of Sydney. Giving it’s people a greater opportunity to conduct business with Australia and NZ.

The importance of friendships - people with intellectual disability

Jack Dikian

November 2011

Aristotle in 384 BC talked about friendships and saw a friendship as the most important kind of relationships one can be involved in. A reason - you can choose your friend, unlike family. He goes on to say “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, and they incite those in the prime of life to noble deeds.”

His discussions on friendship reveal his fundamental view of human beings as social beings. Even if a man had everything else wealth, fame, virtue, and so on he still could not lead a happy life without friends. Today, we see friendships providing us with numerous important functions including companionship, stimulation, physical support, ego-support, social comparison and intimacy, and affection. It is, therefore, concerning when we contrast this with findings of studies reporting the degree of contact people with intellectual disability have with friends, and, in some cases family.

A CeDR Research Report (2008) by Eric Emerson and Chris Hatton, which was commissioned by Mencap1 analyzed information available from nationally representative data sources on the life experiences and services used by people with learning disabilities in England.

The report provides analysis on survey results for key factors such as accommodation, employment, education, families, friends, etc. for people with mild/moderate intellectual disability, severe intellectual disability and people with profound and multiple intellectual disability.

The survey collected information on the frequency of contact people had with their families, friends who themselves had intellectual disability and friends who did not have intellectual disability. Because the survey used items from the Millennium Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey14 it was possible to compare results with those of people who do not have an intellectual disability.

The table below shows the frequency of social contacts for people with mild/moderate, severe and profound multiple intellectual disability and people who do not have an intellectual disability.

The table from the original report uses the terminology “learning disability” as used in England.

1. Mencap is the leading voice of learning disability and works with people with a learning disability to change laws, challenge prejudice and support them to live their lives as they choose.