"Genius" Jin Xiaoyu story brush screen, manic depression is really talented?

Family photo of Jin Xiaoyu in his childhood

Reporter: Peng Ningling

Recently, an article titled "Our Genius Son" swept the internet. In the text, a father tells the story of his son Jin Xiaoyu, who suffers from mania and depression, who translated 22 books in a decade and is a "genius" translator.

At the same time, Jin Xiaoyu's bipolar disorder has also triggered discussions among netizens. What is bipolar disorder? How does it manifest itself? What factors predispose to bipolar disorder? Is there any scientific basis for the statement that "manic depression is multi-talented"?

Manic and depressed multi-talented? Misunderstood "genius disease"

When it comes to bipolar disorder, some people call it "genius disease", and even some netizens say that in human history, many geniuses in different fields are bipolar disorder patients.

According to the story in "Our Genius Son", Jin Xiaoyu suddenly became bored with school when he was in high school, his mood changed greatly, the electrical appliances at home were smashed by him, and Jin Xiaoyu's mother even asked desperately: "Is he crazy?" "Jin Xiaoyu's father said that taking his children to several hospitals was diagnosed with manic depression." Xiaoyu does not go to school, is depressed, does not sleep at night, and even commits suicide, all of which are in the depression period; blame others for no reason, are manic, restless, destructive behavior, and are turning into a manic period."

Wang Dong, deputy chief physician of the Department of Clinical Psychology of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, explained to China News Network that the scientific name of bipolar disorder is bipolar disorder, and bipolar disorder is a manifestation of people entering mania and depression, which belongs to a mental illness.

According to reports, bipolar disorder is different from depression that frequently enters people's field of vision today. "Depression may only manifest itself as depressive, while bipolar disorder manifests itself as manic for a period of time and depression for a period of time, which is the essential difference between the two."

Wang Dong pointed out that the depression of bipolar disorder is generally manifested as the "three lows" symptoms of slow thinking, low mood and reduced activity, such as low mood, feeling that life is meaningless and other self-evaluation is too low, and may even have suicidal thoughts. Mania is manifested as the "three highs" symptoms of running thinking, high emotions, and increased activity.

For example, when patients are in a manic state, sometimes the brain will move faster, feel smarter, have higher emotions, and be accompanied by some exaggerated delusions, thinking that they can do a big job, etc. As a result, people sometimes feel that people with bipolar disorder are emotionally high and energetic. "But this state may not last forever, it may be manic today, and it may be depressed tomorrow."

For the "manic and depressed multi-talented" saying, experts said that from the perspective of big data, the social ability and IQ of most people suffering from mental illness are lower than the normal level, so the "manic and depressed multi-talent" statement is unfounded.

"When a patient has a manic attack, maybe his behavior and even iq will have some extraordinary play, some people appear to be more energetic, intelligent, and powerful than normal people, and some people may have talents in music, painting, and writing, but this is only a special case." Wang Dong said.

What factors predispose to bipolar disorder?

Jin Xiaoyu's story has made many netizens wonder what factors will lead to Xiaoyu's onset, whether there are family, age, gender and other demographic characteristics.

Wang Dong introduced that at present, the incidence of bipolar disorder is about 0.3%, and patients include men and women in their teens to fifties and sixties, and there is no difference between sex and age.

For the factors that are easy to cause bipolar disorder, experts say that the specific pathogenesis of bipolar disorder is not clear at present. It is generally believed that mania is related to genetic factors, that is, families with a history of experiencing this disease are more likely to have more manic depression in their offspring.

Second, the innate development of the brain may also have an impact. "For example, when a sperm and egg are combined, it may bring in abnormalities in the structure of the brain in the mother's fetus or during development, thus affecting the child's development." At the same time, Wang Dong pointed out that there is no clear theory of certainty on this point.

Wang Dong also said that in terms of social psychology, the patient's growth environment, such as family education, school education, such as childhood abuse or trauma, and even his own personality characteristics, may have a certain relationship with bipolar disorder.

Can bipolar disorder be prevented and cured?

"There is currently no good way to prevent bipolar disorder, but it can be changed in a targeted manner." Wang Dong, for example, if it is a patient with a personality defect, or is accustomed to looking at the world with a negative eye, maybe making some changes in personality will help.

"The best way is to seek medical attention in time, such as patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder after medical treatment, they should achieve clinical rehabilitation through drug treatment."

Experts remind that the recurrence rate of bipolar disorder is high. "It is impossible to achieve a complete clinical cure for any kind of mental illness, only to achieve basic symptom relief, and we must calm our minds."

Wang Dong stressed that most mental patients are still in a state of "being cared for" or even marginalized, such as deliberately rendering "genius disease", which may mislead the public and is not conducive to the living environment of patients. Experts suggest that the disease should be viewed scientifically, reduce the damage to the social function of such patients, and let them integrate into society as much as possible.

Recently, some media walked into Jin Xiaoyu's family, and in the face of reporters, Xiaoyu felt that he was "not a genius, he was a 'painter'", because translation is like drawing, and the closer you draw, the better. Xiaoyu hopes to complete the translation of his second Benjamin book, The Arcade Project, before his father turns 88, after which he suspends his work and begins to learn Spanish. He said he wasn't a genius and needed to work hard.

Source: China News Network