character. Impaired occupational and social function. Problems with cleanliness and physical appearance. Paranoid thoughts and ideas. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors. ” According to The national alliance on mental health the actual cause of schizoaffective disorder is unknown however a combination of factors contributes to the development of schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective disorder tends to run in families, so it definitely has to do with genetics however this does not mean that just because some past family members developed schizoaffective disorder the next generation will have it as well.
It just means there is a higher chance of developing symptoms. The next factor is brain chemistry and structure however according to The national alliance on mental health this is an area that is only starting to be understood through brain scanning technology. Stress such as death in the family, marriage, or loss of a job can trigger symptoms and start the development of schizoaffective disorder. Exposure to toxins or viral illness and even birth complications can have and effect as well. The final contributing factor is drug use.
The use of psychoactive drugs such as LSD are linked to the development of schizoaffective symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, Persons affected by schizoaffective disorder are more likely to face, social isolation, unemployment, and anxiety disorders, develop alcohol or other substance abuse problems, significant health problems, and suicide. When a doctor suspects a person may have schizoaffective disorder, a series of tests are used to rule out other conditions. This includes blood tests, drug screening, and brain scans.
It also may include complete blood count (CBC) or other blood tests designed to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms such as alcohol or drugs (Mayo). According to the Mayo Clinic the brain scans requested may be MRI or CT scans. Additionally one of the more important diagnostic tools is a thorough psychological evaluation. This is done by “Observing appearance and demeanor and asking about thoughts, moods, delusions, hallucinations, substance abuse, and potential for violence or suicide.
Results from the observations and tests much match up to the diagnostic criteria found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Those suffering from schizoaffective disorder can usually be helped through a combination of multiple medications and mental health counseling. Treatment varies form patient-topatient depending on the severity of their symptoms and whether their disorder is a depressive-type or bipolar-type (Mayo).
Typically Doctors prescribe medications to relieve psychotic symptoms and to stabilize mood and relieve depression. Currently according to the Mayo clinic there is only one medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. It is the antipsychotic drug paliperidone (Invega). Although this is the only drug specifically designed to treat schizoaffective disorder there are many other symptom specific drugs that are often used in combination with others to help treat multiple symptoms at the same time.
In addition to chemical drug treatments psychotherapy, also called talk therapy is an effective tool to “help normalize thought patterns, teach social skills and reduce social isolation”(Mayo). People with schizoaffective disorder also benefit from “family support groups, peer and social connections and support, social skills training for work and school, assistance with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including self-care, regular physical activity and healthy eating”(Mayo). For Blinko dealing with schizoaffective disorder has been a mixed blessing.
Although he does take medications, they interfere with his ability to produce drawings. “The more orthodox treatments though, left Blinko with a painful paradox: If he submits to medication, his concentration goes, his brain and eye cannot work in concert; the side effects of fuzzed vision. Shaking hands frustrate him. But the productive times without the drugs mean exposure to the full force of psychotic torment and delusions ‘when I got ill, I started to plant paintings in my garden to see if they would grow”(Tony 1). Even though Blinko couldn’t work on art while on medications he was able to still sing and play music.
According to an article in The Runout Rudimentary Peni was born out of the early English anarchopunk scene however they never really even fit into the punk seen that well to begin with. “Though they based their sound in grimy, three-chord smashing, they were equally likely to fly off on tangents, composing Wagnerian mini-movements, repeating a single musical phrase for almost four minutes, or leaving the instruments aside and using their own voices as backing noise. Their lyrics, often fixated on death, would alternatively take a position of fear or joy at the concept of being no more.
Insanity, too, is given its due course, with the band both reveling in madness as well as trembling at all-encompassing depression” (Yancey 1). They also have a knack for slipping very dark humor into their lyrics. There are many legends and myths about the band and most of the stories are clouded in mystery because of their elusive nature. One story is that the 1995 album, Pope Adrian 37 Psychiatric was written by Blinko while he was detained at a psychiatric facility and while he thought he was the real Pope Adrian IV.
Despite the mystery that Surrounds Rudimentary Peni The Runout calls it “the world’s most influential band that almost no one has heard”. Why have they never been heard? Well because in their 36 year existence they have only done about four interviews, there are no band pictures and only one terrible video recording of them playing. Some of the mystery that surrounds Rudimentary Peni is probably due to Blinko’s own mysterious life. According to Runnout it was while Blinko was attending the Watford Art College that Blinko was first introduced to the punk scene.
He was first involved in the proto-deathrock band S-Haters playing guitar and synth but left before they recorded anything. He then formed his own band the Magits previously known as the Magit Turds. Dispite a fluctuating membership the Magits did release the Fully Coherent EP in 1979. Some copies of the EP included a paper doll made by Blinko called magits (Yancey). The songs produced by the Magits would set the stage for Blinko’s later work with Rudimentary Peni. Blinko as an ability to break each song down to its essential parts down to its purest form for “so that the title alone conjures a reaction” (Yancey).
Unlike many artists with a fear of death Blinko seems to embrace the idea of death and oblivion his lyrics speak of seeking oblivion and an end to end all ends. However Blinko also adds humor into his lyrics and even warns that his way of thinking is not the best way to look at the world with lyrics like “Hiding from reality is not a good way out” (Yancey). The magits only lasted about a year before splitting up and when asked why no one really knew (Yancey). Soon after the Magits split up Blinko started another band with a friend from school Grant Mathews and another friend Jon Greville, a well-known drummer in the community.
Mathews was the one to name the new group. He chose Rudimentary Peni, “because he had a class where the professor mentioned that the clitoris starts out, during development, as a rudimentary penis. Though, Matthews is quick to point out that the significance of the name starts and ends there” (Yancey). Soon the band had their first gig at the Village Hall near Watford (Yancey). At this point in 1980 the punk band “Crass” and the “Sex Pistols had a wide spread influence on the local British punk scene. This meant that most “punks were adorned like peacocks, with tall mohawks, decorated jackets, and unusual piercings” (Yancey).
By contrast Rudimentary Peni dressed much more conservatively wearing “button up shirts, sweaters, and slacks” (Yancey). This just added to their contrast to the typical colorful flashy and image obsessed English punk scene. Although there sound was different is could be over looked but the lack of adherence to the punk dress code caused as serious lack of stage presence. However from a critical point of view it seems that this lack of concern for physical appearance only adds to the group. Their focus was not on how they looked to the world but inward to the music and what they said and how they sounded instead.
Undaunted by a lack of crowd interest the band played a few more gigs and opened for some more well-known bands however the crowds wanted something more visually punk. In 1981 Rudimentary Peni borrowed money from their parents and started recording in the studio with Ground Level Studios where they recorded their first EP (Yancey). Despite disputes with Ground Level records after releasing their first EP they were well received by the underground punk scene. For the lyrics Both Blinko and Mathews wrote. Mathew lyrics tended to be more political and Blinko’s more metaphysical and existential, however both dabbled in the other.
