Psychno

Over the past couple of years I have noticed a steady increase in people "coming out" on social media about mental illnesses. As with every controversial topic there are supporters and haters. The haters label said bravery as a means of getting attention and the supporters- well they support it obviously.  On one extreme side, it is thought that any conversation surrounding the "coming out" is evidence of society condoning this attention seeking behavior. On the flip side, this mentally unstable bandwagon is the life-saving flotation device for someone drowning in a treacherous pool of liquid self loathing.

Why is there such a huge discrepancy between these two perspectives? Is it a lack of understanding and compassion for the human condition when not represented by idealistic behavior? Who really knows... Unfortunately the majority of conversations surrounding this topic are concerning the act the discussing the topic itself. Some people comment on the topic by saying, it's a real thing... I know exactly how they feel. While others push it the other way by saying how it's all made up and the people who make confessions are just being mellow dramatic and those that do it are selfish. The cold hard facts, the truth, and the science behind it all is sometimes too complicated for every single person to wrap his or her head around. Instead of accepting the evidence alongside of the fact that there is a lack of understanding for it in the first place, these people choose to reject it entirely and stick to their old ways. Evidently, this leads to an ignorance among the masses that bleeds through communities faster than wine on snow white carpet.

In either case, a true solution has yet to be found. How can society as a whole embrace the misfortunes of mental illness, take some notes and strive to achieve a better understanding of its causes and implications?

Isis

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation in my seminar class on the company Isis Pharmaceuticals. I chose this company because they have a unique and innovative way of treating rare and severe diseases. They use antisense technology to target mRNA that would normally be translated into a protein that is thought to be the cause of a particular disease. This upstream method of treatment has been quite successful and the company currently has two drugs that are on the market with many others in phase two and three clinical trials. Here's a quick link to their website where you can learn more about what it is exactly that they do.  https://www.isispharm.com/about/

With the recent attacks happening in Paris and the numerous other terror-related events occurring worldwide, the word Isis has been on a lot of people's minds. The term, which was chosen by this pharmaceutical company over 20 years ago, has developed more than one connotation in recent years -not all of which are entirely pleasant either. In light of everything happening, I would like the biotech community to continue to recognize and support Isis Pharmaceuticals for all of their hard work and the brilliant discoveries they have made over the last couple of decades. Take the time to do a little research on the company, I promise you'll learn something new. It's the type of place I would love to have the opportunity of working at one day.