Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Depressed Mnemonic

Mnemonics have usually failed me miserably during the course of my medical school education. There are so many things to remember, and people just make up these things to help squeeze it all in. Some mnemonics make total sense. To remember the symptoms of mania, just imagine a hyper person that has to DIG FAST:

Distractibility
Insomnia
Grandiosity

Flight of ideas
Activity/agitation
Speech (pressured)
Thoughtlessness

That works pretty well. However, I'm having trouble remembering the mnemonic for symptoms of major depression, because, frankly, the mnemonic stinks. Here's what years and years of brilliant minds could come up with for depression: SIG E CAPS. WTF?!?! What the hell does that mean? Here's what the letters stand for:

Sleep (too much or too little)
Interest (loss thereof in pleasurable activities, aka anhedonia)
Guilt

Energy (lack thereof)

Concentration (lack thereof)
Appetite (increased or decreased)
Psychomotor activity (restlessness or slowness)
Suicidal ideation

All of these symptoms make sense, but couldn't someone have come up with something better? It's not that hard. Look: just read it in reverse, and we get SPACE GIS. That is so much cooler, and at least it's a word and an abbreviation. Or PISS CAGE. Now that's a depressing image. I think I'm going with that. Spread the word and turn the health care world on its ear.

11 Comments:

Blogger An Adversary said...

PISS CAGE is awesome. It's almost a Rob Zombie lyric (Living Dead Girl: "Rage in the cage/and piss upon the stage/there's only one sure way/to bring the giant down)" Of course the lyric makes no damn sense, but I immediately got the tune stuck in my head from reading your post just now. I'm kind of stream of consciousness rambling right now because I took a Sudafed for my allergies and I'm feeling very disconnected. That's the title of another pop-metal song. Where's my scotch?

Have I told you lately that I love you?

10:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I too am a fan of PISS CAGE.
I vote for some variation of PISS CAGE for your blog title...that Special Ops: Mike Force is just...y'know, I just don't like that title. but, hey, it's your blog.

4:56 PM  
Blogger Mikey said...

Yeah, SO:MF is clever (thanks to Kinjo), but I'm not sure it really fits me. (Ahem...where were you when the contest was happening???) Anyway, if I can come up with a more appropriate title, I'll rename the blog. But until then...just bear with it :)

10:33 PM  
Blogger An Adversary said...

Oh yeah, right. Because PISS CAGE so fits your personality. Don't make me come over there!

9:44 AM  
Blogger Dave (Dasro) said...

All mnemonics aside, I'm more worried about the fact that I have all the symptoms of both mania and depression except suicidal ideation!...Sounds like I need psychiatric help!

2:08 PM  
Blogger Mikey said...

I have all the symptoms of both mania and depression except suicidal ideation!...Sounds like I need psychiatric help!

Yo Homes,
That's what I been trying to tell you all this time!!!

;)

5:43 PM  
Blogger An Adversary said...

SPACE SAG

Suicidal ideation
Psychomotor activity
Appetite
Concentration
Energy

Sleep
Anhedonia
Guilt

(or you could do SPACE SlInG with Sleep, Interest, Guilt)

Huh? Huh? Damn, I'm smoof!

1:00 PM  
Blogger thekatster said...

well if you're goin to go for Space SAG you might as well have SPACE GAS...who doesn't think farts are funny...even if they are the Universe's.

3:32 PM  
Blogger An Adversary said...

OOOOOHHHH! Space Gas is freakin' AWESOME! You so get the prize, Kat! Wowey wow wow! Well played.

2:56 PM  
Blogger Mikey said...

Hmmm...Space Gas.

Not bad. Yo Kinjo, at the very least that's the name of our next band. Or our non-existent B-movie script.

11:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

POOT POOT POOT

three cheers for space gas!

11:41 PM  

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