The Portrayal of Depression in Louis Malle’s The Fire Within

The Fire Within (1963) is a drama film written and directed by Louis Malle, which goes by the title Le Feu follet in French, meaning “The Manic Fire” or “Will-o’-the-Wisp”. It’s based on the 1931 novel Will O’ the Wisp by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which itself was inspired by the life of the French…

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The Will to Novelty: Ennui, Neophilia, and Whitehead’s Metaphysics

Ennui is the feeling of boredom, listlessness, dissatisfaction, and fatigue that results from a lack of occupation or excitement in one’s life. Ennui has been felt by many of us over the past two years. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions, many of us were forced to lead quite repetitive days:…

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What’s Behind the Rise in Benzodiazepine Abuse, Dependence, and Addiction?

Benzodiazepine medications are traditionally prescribed for the treatment of anxiety disorders, such as generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD), but people may also find them useful for the treatment of other mental health conditions, as well as insomnia. These medications include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and…

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The Male Experience of Depression

Depression doesn’t discriminate based on gender. It affects both men and women. Having said that, it seems women are more likely to suffer from a mental health condition (and twice as likely to have depression), although some experts believe this is due to the fact that women disclose their issues more easily than men do.…

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The Opioid Crisis and the Future of Pain Relief

The opioid crisis (or opioid epidemic) is still a major public health issue in the US; despite news headlines being dominated by the coronavirus pandemic and lack of coverage of the opioid crisis, the number of opioid overdoses has been increasing. A recent paper in The Lancet reports that in 2019, drug overdose deaths reached…

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