Horgan Seminar Blog

  Sydney Bell  February 26  HST 401  I am going to be honest. I haven’t put much of any thought into my mental health throughout my life. Maybe it’s how I was raised, maybe I’m just less prone to mental illness due to genetics, I really don’t know. Likewise, my family and friends haven’t been through any major mental health issues/illnesses(but even if they were I wouldn’t be prone to just publishing it online without having a lengthy conversation with them first, out of respect). But now that I’m thinking about it, maybe there are certain aspects of life that make you more or less prone to having a mental illness, and maybe if these aspects were more understood more progress could be made in terms of treating mental health.    Elyn Saks, a law professor and psychoanalyst, recounts her personal life experience in an interview with science journalist, John Horgan. In this interview she discusses how life feels as a person who deals with schizophreni...

 Jack Caputo 26 Feb 2026 HST401 I pledge my Honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System Don’t Get Schizophrenia in the US I recognize that I am truly fortunate to not have any sort of psycho-condition, nor have anyone close to me who has one. With the prevalence of schizophrenia being between 0.25-0.64% [1], this is not the case for a considerable amount of Americans, around 850 thousand to 2.2 million. And because of the nature of schizophrenia, the condition affects not only the diagnosed but also their family, friends, potential coworkers – really everyone in their life.   Reading the account of Prof. Elyn Saks [2], a successful academic and author with a PhD in psychoanalysis who also happens to have schizophrenia, exposed me to how the condition actually manifests in a person's life. I had the conception that schizophrenia was all about being out of touch with reality, seeing people and hearing voices, unable to distinguish what was real and fabricated. There was...

Faye Gilbert    Those of us who are lucky enough are often taught young a very naive and hopeful view of love. We are taught of love in the context of power, of its healing properties and purity and ability to conquer all evil with its sheer force. It doesn’t take long in the growing up process to realize that, although a beautiful sentiment, that’s unrealistic. Some people learn that far too young. In my sister’s case, however, despite life’s attempts squelch her hope, she didn't catch on easily.                    She has always been a caregiver. I like to think of myself having two Moms growing up, two rooms to run to when I’d have nightmares. It was in her room, especially, that I’d find myself whenever I was sad or lonely. She has a natural ability to console and comfort—a knack for “healing”—and a special kind of heart that always has love to give.  This outpour of love wa...

  Connor Hsuan Professor Horgan HST 401 9 February 2026 I pledge my honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System. The Alzheimer's Cost I was very young when my grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so I can’t say I remember too much about how it all started. What I do remember was a small incident with a misplaced TV remote, which no one thought much of at first. However, he began to have more memory related issues, such as not being able to remember what he had for dinner the night before. These were just a few of the early signs for a mental disease that currently nearly 7.2 million Americans are affected by. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization dedicated to the research of Alzheimer's and other dementias, other early signs can include difficulty having conversations and changes in mood or personality, both of which my grandpa soon exhibited ( Alzheimer’s) . I remember that he eventually could no longer speak in english, and then couldn’t ...

  Zachary Rosario   Professor John Horgan   Seminar in Science Writing   25 February 2026   Is Suicide a Symptom of Modernity ?   Because my  grandpa  can no longer  drive,   one of the things  me and my mother  do is take him to the grocery store weekly.    One day  we were in the bread isle when an old man ,   who   looked like he had once been a PE teacher ,  passed  by  us.     My grandpa  stopped him  for a chat and like clockwork they began talking about the good old days and how these new  kids  don’t  know anything about hardshi p .   Y ounger folks, admittingly even I, recoil at the thought of  starting  small talk with every stranger we see, but  for my grandfather  it’s   one of the  way s   he  makes  meaning  in  his  life .     In talks   I’ve  found that...