🧠Psychology / Mental Health🧠 Archives - Good Shepherd News - Fastest Growing Religious, Free Speech & Political Content https://goodshepherdmedia.net/category/truthful-news/health/psychology-mental-health/ Christian, Political, ‎‏‏‎Social & Legal Free Speech News | Ⓒ2024 Good News Media LLC | Shepherd for the Herd! God 1st Programming Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:15:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Good-Shepherd-News-Logo-150x150.png 🧠Psychology / Mental Health🧠 Archives - Good Shepherd News - Fastest Growing Religious, Free Speech & Political Content https://goodshepherdmedia.net/category/truthful-news/health/psychology-mental-health/ 32 32 The Streisand Effect: Why Hiding Information Backfires https://goodshepherdmedia.net/the-streisand-effect-why-hiding-information-backfires/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:15:42 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=22046 The Streisand Effect: Why Hiding Information Backfires

Streisand effect, phenomenon in which an attempt to censor, hide, or otherwise draw attention away from something only serves to attract more attention to it. The name derives from American singer and actress Barbra Streisand’s lawsuit against a photographer in 2003, which drew attention to the photo she was suing to have taken off the Internet.

Key Takeaways

  • The Streisand Effect happens when trying to hide information makes it more popular instead.
  • When people try to hide something, it often attracts more attention and curiosity.
  • To avoid the Streisand Effect, be open and honest if there’s a problem.

The Streisand Effect describes a situation in which a person or organization’s attempts to suppress information leads to greater attention to the information than it would have received otherwise. Not surprisingly, the term was named after singer Barbra Streisand. Before it was known as the “Streisand Effect,” however, there was a long and fascinating history of failed cover-ups that provide an interesting glimpse into the human psyche and our need to get to the bottom of things.

Origins of the Streisand Effect

Mike Masnick, founder of the website Techdirt, coined the term “Streisand Effect” in 2005, after the singer and actress sued the photographer Kenneth Adelman in 2003 for $50 million. Adelman had taken thousands of photos for his online database for the California Coastal Records Project, a resource that provided pictures of California’s coastal erosion to scientists and researchers, and one of these photos happened to show her mansion in Malibu.

Before Streisand sued, the image in question had been downloaded only six times; afterward, it received over a million views and was reprinted countless times. Streisand ultimately lost the lawsuit and had to pay Adelman’s legal fees.2 Streisand’s concern for her privacy was not unreasonable—she had been stalked before. But in this case, she would have been better off just leaving things alone. So, what causes this effect to play out as it does? We’ll explore the causes, provide some real-life examples, and even provide some guidance on how to avoid it in your own life.

Streisand’s lawsuit was filed against photographer Kenneth Adelman, the founder of the California Coastal Records Project, for which he photographed the coastline of the state from a helicopter and posted the photos to the Internet. Adelman indicated that the images were free for nonprofit use and had been used by government entities for scientific research. Among more than 12,000 photographs of California’s coast was one photograph in which Streisand’s mansion appeared. Streisand, who had in the past been harassed and stalked by fans, sued for $50 million, claiming that the photo violated her privacy and showed how to access her residence.

At the time the lawsuit was filed, the photograph had been downloaded only six times, including twice by Streisand’s lawyers. The lawsuit was highly publicized, and a flurry of interest and activity followed. In the month after the filing, the photo was viewed more than 400,000 times and reposted on news sites and elsewhere on the Internet. Thus, Streisand’s attempts to have the photo suppressed made it exceptionally more visible than it would otherwise have been. Streisand lost the suit and was ordered to pay Adelman’s legal fees for the case. The photo remains widely published on the Internet.

The phenomenon was not dubbed the “Streisand effect,” however, until two years later. In a post on the Techdirt blog, founder Mike Masnick describes a cease and desist order that the Marco Beach Ocean Resort, Marco Island, Florida, issued to a website named Urinal.net. The order indicated that the website had violated federal laws for posting information about one of the hotel’s urinals, which the website claimed could be seen from the hotel’s lobby. In the concluding statement of his post, Masnick asks:

How long is it going to take before lawyers realize that the simple act of trying to repress something they don’t like online is likely to make it so that something that most people would never, ever see…is now seen by many more people? Let’s call it the Streisand Effect.

The phenomenon existed before Streisand’s lawsuit. It is described by the Chinese idiom yù gài mí zhāng, which loosely translates to “trying to cover things up only makes them more evident.” The advent of the Internet, however, contributed to the effect’s proliferation. In 2012 a U.K. high court ordered five Internet service providers to ban access to The Pirate Bay, a Swedish file-sharing site, and the subsequent media coverage of the ruling caused visits to the site to increase by more than 10 million. In another case, from 2013, France’s domestic spy agency, Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur (DCRI), contacted the editors of Wikipedia requesting the revision of an article about Pierre-sur-Haute, a French air force base. The DCRI claimed that the article contained classified information. The Wikimedia Foundation refused the request, stating that they did not have enough information about the supposed violation. Later the DCRI allegedly forced a Wikipedia volunteer to delete the entry entirely or face arrest (the article was soon restored to the site by another volunteer). News of the saga spread across the Internet, and the Pierre-sur-Haute article subsequently became the most-viewed entry on the French version of Wikipedia.

Scholars have noted that censorship often backfires when the public perceives an attempt by a powerful person or organization to repress free speech. It can incite public outrage, especially if the story involves an underdog. Moreover, attempted censorship can spur curiosity. The banning of books and websites, for instance, often drives further interest in them. People tend to want to judge for themselves what is objectionable about something that has been singled out for suppression.

Understanding the Streisand Effect

With the Streisand Effect, if someone tries to hide, remove, or censor information, it can backfire. In fact, it can have the unintended consequence of drawing more attention to the thing they are trying to suppress.

As Cara R. Stewart, founder and CEO of Altalunas International, says, “It’s a classic example of having a legitimate concern but choosing an ineffective or counterproductive way to address it. Barbra Streisand’s concern about her privacy was understandable… However, the tool she chose to manage this—filing a lawsuit—was not only ineffective but actually worsened the situation.”

Moreover, the effects can be even more insidious. “There is also the risk of the erosion of trust in institutions or authorities responsible for the censorship,” says Carly Dober, psychologist and founder of Enriching Lives Psychology. “When people discover that information is being withheld or manipulated, they may become skeptical of the motives and credibility of the censors. This can foster a culture of distrust and encourage individuals to seek alternative sources of information, which may not always be reliable or accurate.”

Factors Contributing to the Streisand Effect

There are several factors that contribute to the Streisand Effect. First, psychologically, when people discover that someone—especially someone famous or well-known—is trying to hide or censor information, people become curious and rebellious. “This is driven by a fundamental human instinct to seek out forbidden or restricted knowledge, amplifying interest and dissemination,” explains Dober. Second, people are also motivated by psychological reactance, where one asserts their autonomy over the suppression of information by seeking out the restricted information.

“When people perceive that they are being denied access to information, their desire to obtain that information intensifies,” says Dober, “driven by a sense of defiance and a need to restore their freedom of choice.”

While the Streisand Effect existed prior to Barbra Streisand’s lawsuit in 2003, the internet, and more specifically, social media, has exacerbated the effect even more. Online communities and social media platforms encourage the rapid spread of content and enable information to go viral.

“When users encounter attempts to suppress information, they are likely to share it widely as an act of resistance, bolstered by a collective sense of injustice,” says Dober. “The social validation and reinforcement from peers further encourage individuals to participate in spreading the censored content. Additionally, the internet culture of digital activism fosters an environment where combating censorship is seen as a moral or ethical duty.”

This all combines to create a powerful set of factors that contribute to people’s responses, and makes the Streisand Effect a reality.

Real-Life Examples of the Streisand Effect

While the Streisand Effect existed before it was named, it has become increasingly likely to happen as more and more people have taken to social media. Here are some examples:

  • Examples:
    • Scientology: Attempts to take down a video of Tom Cruise led to it being reposted and viewed millions of times.
    • BeyoncĂŠ: A request to remove “unflattering” photos from BuzzFeed in 2013 led to the images being shared more widely.  In 2013, per Stewart and Dober, after BeyoncĂŠ performed at the halftime show at the Super Bowl, Buzzfeed posted some images of her from the middle of her routine. Shortly afterward, Beyoncé’s publicist reached out to Buzzfeed to ask that they take down some of the “unflattering photos.” Buzzfeed wrote a second article, “The Unflattering Photos Beyoncé’s Publicist Doesn’t Want You To See,” and the images, including some memes, were all over social media for months.
    • In 2012, The Pirate Bay, a site for pirated movies, TV shows, music, and games, was ordered by the UK High Court to be taken down by five internet service providers. The media attention had the opposite effect, though, with the website getting over 12 million new visitors.
    • In 2009, per Dober, the oil company Trafigura prevented The Guardian from reporting on the contents of a report about the dumping of toxic waste along the Ivory Coast. After The Guardian reported it couldn’t respond to a parliamentary question about the waste dump, people on Twitter started uncovering the case themselves and publicizing what they found. Trafigura was then ordered to pay residents of the Ivory Coast who had gotten sick from the dump.
    • In 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department Foundation attempted to claim copyright of the letters LAPD after the Cola Corporation’s shirt—which said “F*** the LAPD” — went on sale. The claim was not successful and the shirts benefited from the publicity, selling out quickly.

    In addition to the above, similar attempts at censorship have been failing long before the existence of social media. Just ask any teenager if they are more interested in a particular band, movie, or TV show that adults claim is inappropriate for them.

    Impact and Implications of the Streisand Effect

    The Streisand Effect can have long-lasting consequences for individuals and organizations that attempt to suppress information. For individuals, the attention can lead to increased scrutiny.

    “This phenomenon can significantly damage reputations meticulously built over the years,” observes Stewart. Dober concurs, adding, “This damage is not easily undone, as the initial act of suppression can create a lasting impression of dishonesty or untrustworthiness. For individuals, this can affect personal and professional relationships, career prospects, and public perception.”

    For organizations, the losses can be great as well. “The Streisand Effect can severely damage brand reputation and erode trust with consumers and stakeholders,” says Dober. “This can lead to a loss of customer loyalty, decreased sales, and a tarnished public image. Additionally, efforts to suppress information can result in increased media scrutiny and regulatory attention.” Dober adds that it can take a long time to recover one’s reputation from this sort of error.

    For society as a whole, the Streisand Effect has implications for free speech. Because attempts at censorship often fail, it shows the enduring resilience of freedom of speech in the digital age. “This phenomenon can also lead to greater public awareness and dialogue about important issues, promoting accountability and democratic values,” Dober observes.

    “However, the widespread sharing of censored information can also lead to the dissemination of misinformation if [the censored information is] not properly contextualized,” she says.

    Strategies to Mitigate the Streisand Effect

    There are many strategies to mitigate or avoid the Streisand Effect. These include:

    • Respond quickly: As Stewart says, “A rapid response can prevent the issue from escalating, but it’s equally important to ensure your reactions are thoughtful and well-considered.”
    • Practice transparency: Stewart explains that you should be transparent about acknowledging the problem and the steps you will take to address it. “This approach shows that you are not only aware of the issue,” says Stewart, “but are also actively working towards a solution…. This approach doesn’t just mitigate damage; it can enhance a reputation, demonstrating a commitment to ethical practices and responsiveness….”
    • Be polite and professional: “It’s easy to become defensive when under fire,” claims Stewart, “but the goal is to acknowledge concerns and focus on resolving the issue constructively.”
    • Refrain from litigiousness: Suppressing information via a lawsuit can attract media attention, and by extension, curiosity from the public. “Instead of resorting to lawsuits,” Dober says, “individuals should consider alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation or negotiation, to resolve issues privately. By avoiding high-profile legal battles, individuals can prevent drawing additional attention to the information they wish to remain private.”
    • Practice emotional regulation: Developing coping mechanisms, like emotional regulation, can prevent people from reacting impulsively when information they’d like suppressed comes out. “Therapy can help individuals develop coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and anxiety related to potential public exposure,” says Dober.
    • Develop a strong support network: Your support network should include friends, family, and even professional advisors who can offer emotional support, advice, and practical assistance if a crisis strikes. “This network can help individuals navigate complex situations without resorting to actions that might trigger the Streisand Effect,” Dober observes.

    Emotional regulation techniques, such as mindfulness and stress management, can provide a clearer perspective on how to handle sensitive information and public scrutiny more effectively.

     

     

    International Journal of Communication 9(2015), 656–671 The Streisand Effect and Censorship Backfire

    source

    source

    ]]>         The Kipling Poem – The Perfect Blueprint for Becoming a Successful Man https://goodshepherdmedia.net/the-kipling-poem-the-perfect-blueprint-for-becoming-a-successful-man/ Sun, 14 Dec 2025 16:58:11 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21997 The Kipling Poem – The Perfect Blueprint for Becoming a Successful Man

     

    If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
    Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

    If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
    Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
    And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
    And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
    Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

     

    success is the target unrelenting success! 

     

     

     

     

    Analysis

    “If—” by Rudyard Kipling is a famous poem offering paternal advice on how to live a virtuous and resilient life, emphasizing stoicism, self-control, and humility. It outlines a series of “if” conditions, suggesting that if one can remain calm under pressure, handle success and failure equally, persevere through setbacks, and maintain integrity while interacting with all social classes, they will become a “Man” in the fullest sense. 

    Key themes and advice
    • Composure: Keep your head when others lose theirs; trust yourself when doubted. 
    • Resilience:Treat triumph and disaster as impostors; if you lose everything, start again without complaint.
    • Integrity:Don’t lie when lied about; don’t give way to hate; don’t appear too good or talk too wise.
    • Humility: Walk with kings but keep the common touch; don’t let foes or loving friends hurt you.
    • Perseverance: Force your body and heart to keep going when exhausted; fill the “unforgiving minute” with meaningful action. 
    Context
    • Written around 1895 and published in 1910 in Rewards and Fairies. 
    • Structured as advice from a father to his son. 
    • Often seen as a guide to Victorian-era stoicism and self-mastery. 
    ]]>         The Silversmith and the Fire – Its Meaning in Relations to God’s Chosen 33 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/the-silversmith-and-the-fire-its-meaning-in-relations-to-gods-chosen-33/ Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:57:47 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21840

    The Silversmith and the Fire – Its Meaning in Relations to God’s Chosen 33

     

    The connection between a silversmith and fire in the Bible is God’s process of refining his people through trials and adversity, purifying their faith just as a smith purifies silver in a furnace. This imagery is prominently featured in the book of Malachi.
    The book of Malachi uses the analogy of a silversmith to describe God’s coming judgment. Malachi 3:2-3 states that God “will be like a refiner’s fire” and will “purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver”. The refining process involves placing silver in intense heat to remove impurities, with the smith carefully watching and removing the silver when it is pure. This process illustrates that God oversees his people during trials, knowing when the refining is complete and not allowing them to suffer beyond what they can bear. A silversmith knows the silver is pure when his reflection is visible in it. Spiritually, this means God’s refining is complete when his image is reflected in his people.

    “The Silversmith and the Fire Bible” refers to the biblical imagery of God as a silversmith who refines people, like silver, through trials and difficulties, symbolized by fire, until His image is reflected in them.

     Key biblical verses supporting this concept include 
    Malachi 3:3 (“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver”)
    and 
    Zechariah 13:9 (“Will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined”). 

    The process involves God holding believers in intense circumstances (the fire) to burn away impurities (dross) and transform them into something valuable and useful for His purposes.  

    The Silversmith Analogy
    • God’s Presence: Just as a silversmith must constantly watch the silver in the hottest part of the fire to prevent its destruction, God remains present with individuals through their struggles. 
    • The Fire: The fire represents difficult circumstances, tests, and trials that people face in life. 
    • The Silver: Believers are the silver being purified. 
    • Purity: The goal of the process is to remove impurities or dross from the silver, which represents sin and negative traits in a person’s life. 
    • The Vessel: Once fully refined, the silver is shaped into a vessel, symbolizing a transformed individual made useful and valuable for God’s service. 
    The Outcome
    • God’s Image: The ultimate sign of complete refinement is when the silversmith can see his own image reflected in the purified silver. In a spiritual sense, this means a person becomes more like Christ and reflects God’s image to others. 
    • Transformation: The refining process leads to spiritual growth, making individuals stronger, sweeter, and more sensitive to God’s will. 
    Key Bible Verses
    • Malachi 3:3: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have pure offerings in righteousness”. 
    • Zechariah 13:9: “I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested”. 
    • Proverbs 25:4-8: (Verse 4) “Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel”.

    other verses related

    • Proverbs 17:3 states that “A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts”.
    • 1 Peter 1:7 explains that trials prove the genuineness of faith, which is more valuable than gold refined by fire, resulting in “praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”. 

     

    ]]>         Charlie Kirks Shooter CAUGHT in the Charlie Kirk Assassination https://goodshepherdmedia.net/charlie-kirks-shooter-caught-in-the-charlie-kirk-assassination/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:52:47 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21892 Charlie Kirks Shooter CAUGHT in the Charlie Kirk Assassination
    • The suspect in Charlie Kirk’s shooting death has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
    • During a Friday news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said Robinson indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.
    • President Donald Trump initially made the announcement about Robinson being in custody during an interview on FOX & Friends.

    Charlie Kirk’s killer was arrested overnight in Utah, officials announced Friday morning. Tyler Robinson, 22, is in custody with the help of a family member and will face charges for murdering the conservative political activist earlier this week.

    WE AS CHRISTIANS & AMERICANS SHALL FEAR NO MAN, JUSTICE WILL COME ONE WAY OR ANOTHER FROM GOD’S SOVEREIGN HANDS

     

    Here are the latest updates for Friday, Sept. 12, 2025:

    Robinson was engineering major, university says

    12 p.m. ET: Utah State University announced Friday that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, “briefly attended” classes there for one semester in 2021.

    Robinson was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester, Fox News Digital learned.

    New details emerge about Tyler Robinson

    11:30 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Tyler James Robinson was admitted to Utah State University on an academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. A university spokesperson told the AP he attended the school for only one semester in 2021.

    Utah state records state Robinson was registered as a voter but not affiliated with either political party.

    Mug shot of Tyler Robinson released

    10:55 a.m. ET: Officials released a mugshot of Tyler Robinson, the shooting suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.

    Booking photos of Tyler Robinson (Fox News)

    Utah governor says Kirk assassination suspect is believed to have acted alone

    10:45 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox says shooting suspect Tyler Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the Charlie Kirk investigation is ongoing despite Robinson’s arrest.

    FBI Director Kash Patel shares timeline of investigation

    10:30 a.m. ET: The first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the news conference.

    The bureau released the first photos of the suspect on Thursday morning, followed by the announcement of a cash reward and then the release of video of the suspect climbing down from the roof of a campus building and running away.

    “Just last night, the suspect was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time,” Patel announced.

    Utah governor says Kirk’s assassination ‘is an attack on all of us’

    10:26 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said some people have asked why there have been so many resources dedicated to investigating Kirk’s killing when there’s violence around the country, but the governor said it is “much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us.”

    The Republican said Kirk’s killing is “an attack on the American experiment” and values, and “cuts to the very foundation of who we are.”

    Details of messages on bullet casings revealed

    10:25 a.m. ET: Bullet casings discovered by authorities had several inscriptions engraved on them, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said. The casing that had been fired read: “notices bulges OwO what’s this?”

    • Cox said there were three unfired casings:
    • One read, “hey fascist! catch!” with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.
    • Another one read: “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,” Cox said.
    • The third fired casing read: “if you read this you are gay lmao.”

    Kirk assassination suspect indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting

    10:15 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox opened the news conference on the latest developments in Charlie Kirk’s assassination with the statement, “We got him.”

    Cox told reporters that Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.

    The president talked about learning the news of Kirk’s assassination

    9:50 a.m. ET: Near the end of his Fox News interview, President Donald Trump said he’d been holding a meeting about building the new White House ballroom when his aides interrupted.

    “They came in and they said, ‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’ I didn’t know what they meant. I said, ‘What do you mean, dead?’” Trump said.

    “‘Charlie Kirk was shot.’ And they thought it was dead because it was so horrific.”

    Trump said he swiftly ended his meeting. “I just told these people, “Get out, you gotta go.”

    Suspect in custody in connection with Charlie Kirk shooting is 22-year-old from Utah, AP source says

    9:25 a.m. ET: The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

    Authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

    A news conference is scheduled with the latest on Charlie Kirk investigation

    9 a.m. ET: State and federal officials in Utah are planning to hold a news conference on the investigation.

    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls are expected to attend.

    Suspect Tyler Robinson, left, and Charlie Kirk.

    Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody

    8:15 a.m. ET: Trump confirmed the news during a Friday morning interview with FOX & Friends.

    “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody, right in custody. Everyone did a great job,” Trump said. 

    “I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. As I’m walking in, they said, ‘Looking real good.’ They have the person that they wanted.”

    On FOX & Friends, President Trump broke the news of an arrest in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    Sources told FOX News Friday that the suspected shooter was taken into custody in Southern Utah.

    Federal investigators and state officials on Thursday had released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible. Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem.

    More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities have yet to publicly name the suspect or cite a motive in the killing, the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.

    Video shows alleged gunman fleeing the scene

    Dig deeper:

    Law enforcement showed new video during a news conference on Thursday evening showing the alleged gunman fleeing from the scene after Kirk was shot.

    In the video, a person wearing dark clothing is seen running across a rooftop and then climbing down the side. He is then seen running away from the scene.

    Who was Charlie Kirk?

    The backstory:

    Kirk was the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA. Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government.

     

    Kirk appeared alongside Trump on stage at political events, and was also a frequent commentator on Fox News, CNBC, and FOX Business News. He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

    Kirk played a major role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He was credited with turning out the younger vote for Trump.

    The Source: Information for this story was provided by LIVENOW, and the Associated Press.  This story was reported from Washington, D.C

    Tyler Robinson named suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting, how he was caught

    Robinson was identified by his father in photographs released by auhtorities.

    Tyler Robinson, 22 - Charlie Kirk's Killer - The Beta Male Soy Boy Cuk
    Tyler Robinson, 22 – Charlie Kirk’s Killer – The True Beta Male Soy Boy Cuk Murderer Type

    Authorities have taken into custody the person they suspect of shooting and killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at a Utah university campus event.

    Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody in St. George, Utah, on Friday, authorities and sources told ABC News.

    Robinson’s father recognized him as the person being sought by police after authorities distributed photographs.

    The father initially told Robinson to turn himself in. Robinson initially said no, but later changed his mind, officials said.

    The father then called a youth pastor, who is also a U.S. Marshals task force officer. The officer advised the father to have Robinson stay in place.

    At a press conference on Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Robinson had become more political in recent years, and engaged in a conversation with a family member about Kirk’s visit to the Utah Valley University campus the night before.

    Cox also described what was engraved on the casings found on the scene.

    The first casing, according to Cox, said “Notices Bulge OWO what’s this??”

    The other three unfired casing said: “Hey fascist! CATCH!” with an arrow symbol pointing up, then to the right, and then three arrows pointing down, “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!,” and “If you read this, you are GAY Lmao.”

    When law enforcement identified Robinson, they also interviewed Robinson’s roommate who showed them a message between Robinson and his roommate.

    “The content of these messages included messages affiliated with the contact Tyler, stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush,” Cox said. “Messages related to a to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel. The messages also referred to engraving bullets and a mention of a scope and the rifle being unique. Messages from the contact Tyler also mentioned that he had changed outfits.”

    Cox said Robinson arrived on campus driving a gray Dodge Challenger, which matched his vehicle he arrived in on campus.

    He also thanked Robinson’s family, “who did the right thing.”

    FBI Director Kash Patel said that law enforcement caught Robinson within 33 hours of the shooting and was on scene within 16 minutes.

    “This is a very much an ongoing investigation, as the governor said, and we will continue to work with state and local authorities to develop the investigation to provide them the evidence they need for their ongoing prosecutions,” Patel said.

    Authorities and a former FBI agent previously said they believed the subject to be a college-aged individual with an apparent proficiency in handling a high-powered rifle and likely knew the layout of the university where the homicide occurred.

    President Donald Trump initially announced the arrest, stating on “Fox and Friends” on Friday morning, “I think with high degree of certainty, we have him in custody.”

    During a news conference on Thursday evening, state and federal officials released video of the person of interest jumping down from the roof of a building on the campus.

    Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said the suspect was wearing “distinct clothing” that could help in his identification, including Converse sneakers.

    He said the person seen in the video jumping from the roof left shoe impressions and a palm print.

    A still from a video released by the FBI of the suspected gunman in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
    FBI

    “We are investing everything we have into this and we will catch this individual,” Mason said at the news conference.

    Authorities had received more than 7,000 tips and leads and completed some 200 interviews, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said.

    During a news conference on Thursday morning, Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office, said investigators believe they have recovered the weapon used in what the governor of Utah on Wednesday called a “political assassination.”

    Bohls said the weapon, a high-powered bolt-action rifle, was found discarded in a wooded area near Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, and is being analyzed at an FBI laboratory for any clues that can identify the gunman.

    The FBI released images of a person of interest sought in connection with the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk.
    FBI Salt Lake City

    More specifically, multiple law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that the weapon is an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle that was found wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the school. The sources said a spent cartridge was discovered in the chamber of the gun.

    The gun and cartridges recovered are to be flown to the FBI’s main laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for the most technologically advanced forensic analysis, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The focus is to look for any latent fingerprints and DNA, the sources said.

    Investigators also collected a footwear impression, a palm print and forearm prints for analysis, Bohls said.

    Mason said that investigators are also studying “good video footage” of the shooter that they have used to track his movements before and after the shooting.

    The FBI released images of a person of interest sought in connection with the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk.
    FBI Salt Lake City

    Following Thursday’s news conference, the FBI in Salt Lake City released surveillance images of the person of interest wanted in connection with the shooting. The images show a person who appears to be a white male, wearing all dark clothing, including a dark long-sleeved collarless top with what appears to be an image on the front that includes an American flag. The man in the images is also wearing a dark ball cap and sunglasses.

    The FBI announced a $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of the suspect.

    MORE: Manhunt for shooter continues after Charlie Kirk killed in ‘political assassination’

    Mason said investigators believe the suspect arrived at the UVU campus at 11:52 a.m. local time, about 28 minutes before Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative grass roots organization Turning Point USA, was shot. He said the deadly shot was fired from a building a substantial distance from where Kirk was speaking to a crowd, authorities estimate was about 3,000 people. He did not disclose which building the shooter fired from.

    “We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to the shooting location,” Mason said. “After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building, and fled off of the campus into a neighborhood.”

    A drone view shows the reported location of the shooter on a rooftop, at the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, September 11, 2025.
    Cheney Orr/Reuters

    He said investigators combed the neighborhood for the suspect and contacted residents with doorbell cameras to analyze.

    “The individual appears to be of college age,” said Mason, adding that the person of interest “blended in well with the college institution.”

    Brad Garrett, a retired FBI agent and an ABC News contributor, said the evidence investigators have shared so far paints a picture of a suspect who planned the shooting down to the last detail, including discarding the possible murder weapon along his escape path.

    “He probably did that [because] he didn’t want to be seen carrying a weapon, running through a neighborhood, or walking through a neighborhood,” Garrett said.

    Right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd shortly before he was shot at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025.
    Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters

    Garrett said the discovery of the weapon is a major clue that will give investigators additional leads to track down.

    “Where did it come from? It could very well be registered or purchased by this shooter. We’ll have to see,” Garrett said. “Was it stolen? Whatever it might be, the ATF [the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] will help them immediately, and they probably already know what that is.”

    Garrett said the discovery of the killer’s palm print can also be helpful.

    “If he’s ever had a full set of prints, where you print the entire hand, let’s say he’d been in the military or some aspect of the government or a contractor, they may have those,” Garrett said. “That’s a long shot, but they may have those.”

    Garrett said the distance from where the shot was fired could also shed light on the identity of the gunman.

    “My guess is … a scope and a tripod would have helped him a lot for steadiness, but the real key is if he was able, and sadly did, fire one shot that killed Charlie Kirk, that’s showing some proficiency because it’s very difficult to have the breathing and the concentration to pull off one shot like that and that’s what killed the person,” Garrett said. “Does that suggest prior training? Maybe. It certainly suggests somebody who’s been practicing a lot with this weapon or some weapons just like this.”

    Garrett said investigators are likely going to every gun range and gun shop in the area to determine if the gunman had visited them.

    “The concern obviously as time goes on … did he leave the area? If he’s smart, then he did,” Garrett said. “But many times, these kinds of shooters don’t do that.” source

     

    WE HERE AT GOOD SHEPHERD NEWS MEDIA BELIEVE ITS IS OUR OPINION BASED ON THE VIDEO BELOW THAT THE KILLER HAD PARTNERS ON THE INSIDE

     

     

     

    ]]>         The Rosenhan experiment https://goodshepherdmedia.net/the-rosenhan-experiment/ Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:33:10 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21821 The Rosenhan experiment

     

    The Rosenhan experiment was conducted by a psychologist named David Rosenhan, and it’s been considered to be one of the most striking studies in the field since then.

    Rosenhan experiment

    The Rosenhan experiment, conducted by psychologist David L. Rosenhan in the early 1970s, investigated the validity of psychiatric diagnoses by examining how mental health professionals identified mental illness. In this controversial study, eight individuals without any psychiatric history feigned auditory hallucinations to gain admission to twelve different mental hospitals across the United States. Despite providing truthful information about their lives and claiming to no longer hear voices, all participants were diagnosed with severe mental disorders, primarily schizophrenia, and remained hospitalized for an average of nineteen days. The study highlighted significant issues within psychiatric institutions, such as the staff’s limited interaction with patients and their tendency to misinterpret normal behavior as symptomatic of mental illness.

    Rosenhan’s findings raised critical questions about the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses and the impact of labeling on both patients and staff perceptions. This experiment prompted discussions regarding the biases present in mental health evaluations and led to reforms in psychiatric care and diagnostic practices. While the study has faced scrutiny over its methodology, its implications continue to resonate across psychology, sociology, and mental health fields, making it a landmark investigation into the nature of mental illness and the functioning of psychiatric institutions.

    In 1973 a bombshell study appeared in the premier scientific journal Science. It was called “On Being Sane in Insane Places.” Its author, a Stanford psychology professor named David Rosenhan, claimed that by faking their way into psychiatric hospitals, he and eight other pseudo-patients had proven that psychiatrists were unable to diagnose mental illness accurately.

    Psychiatrists panicked, and, as a result, re-wrote what’s known as “psychiatry’s bible”—the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. The study and the subsequent overhaul of the DSM changed the field forever. So it was a surprise when, decades later, a journalist reopened Rosenhan’s files and discovered that the study was full of inconsistencies and even blatant fraud. So should we throw out everything it revealed? Or can something based on a lie still contain any truths?

     

     

     

    On being sane in insane places – Rosenhan, D.L. (1973)

    Have you ever had a reputation for something that you didn’t like? Was it difficult to change people’s minds? Have you ever made up your mind about a person before you’ve met them properly, based only on a rumour you’ve heard? We are all guilty of labelling people all the time. But what if you were labelled as ‘insane’? How would you prove that you weren’t mad?

    Don’t forget the second study…

    Arguably the most ingenious and certainly the most mischievous part of Rosenhan’s paper is the second study he reported, involving “a research and teaching hospital whose staff had heard these findings but doubted that such an error could occur in their hospital.”

    Don’t forget this second study when discussing Rosenhan’s conclusions and applications, as it shows that therapists’ diagnosis can be manipulated the other way as well! When they are primed to be more careful, they can be made to make the opposite mistake that that they did in the first study.

    This shows very clearly that the diagnosis of mental illness is hugely influenced by labelling, and that by altering the label that they are likely to give to a newly arrived patient, they could alter the disgnosis that they were likely to get. As Rosenhan is careful to point out, it does not imply that the doctors are hopeless, merely that the label makes a big difference to the diagnosis, and the second study is crucial in illustrating this conclusively.

    What Rosenhan expected to find out was whether a mental illness could ever be diagnosed for certain. He was quite pessimistic about this, so tried to prove that the criteria they’d been using were not based on scientific facts.

     

    8 people, including three psychologists, a pediatrician, a psychiatrist, a painter, a housewife, and Rosenham himself, applied to a psychiatric hospital with complaints of auditory hallucinations. Of course, they had no such problems. They agreed to act normal and tell the doctors that they were fine after a certain while, and they stuck to the plan.This is where everything starts to get weird. Hospital administration and the doctors did not believe that they were fully recovered. The patients insisted that they were fine, but even the one who stayed there the shortest stayed for 7 days.

    Rosenham did not conclude the study at this point. He went on stirring the pot…

    They eventually managed to get out of the hospital. Afterwards, the group visited 12 different clinics under different phony names with the same complaints – auditory hallucinations. They applied to many sorts of clinics and hospitals to see whether the quality of the facility matters; from rural hospitals to universities or private clinics.Just like the hospitals, the pseudopatients were chosen from different backgrounds in terms of their level of education, age or occupation. Each time they used different phony names so not to be recognized.

    Things kept getting weirder: All the patients were diagnosed with illnesses.

    All the pseudopatients pretending to hear supernatural voices claimed that they had been hearing words like “empty,” “hollow,” and “thud,” which were chosen intentionally by Rosenhan since these words might sound like the signs of an existential crisis. After the doctors diagnosed 7 of them with schizophrenia and 1 with manic-depressive psychosis,  they were all hospitalized.Group members started acting normal and told the doctors that they were no longer hearing voices right after they were admitted to the clinic. Convincing the hospital staff, however, took 19 days on average. One time, one of the pseudopatients was kept at the facility for 52 days.

    Doctors were still not convinced…

     

    All the pseudopatients were diagnosed with schizophrenia ‘in remission’ before their release. Rosenhan thought that this implied that mental problems were not being seen as such illnesses that could be cured completely, because having schizophrenia ‘in remission’  did not mean that you were now sane. While no one considers a recovered cancer patient as still sick, having auditory illusions for once in your  lifetime is enough for psychiatry to  label you for the rest of your life.

    The initial results of the experiment created great controversy among psychiatrists.

    In fact, many psychiatrists all over the country expressed anger against Rosenhan and claimed that they would never fall into his trap and could definitely distinguish pseudopatients from the real ones. Furthermore, one of the hospitals got in touch with Rosenham and asked him to send them pseudopatients without a forewarn.Their claim was that what happened in other hospitals would never happen in theirs, and they could certainly tell if a patient was faking their symptoms.

    Rosenhan accepts the challenge…

    Thereupon, in the following 3 months, the hospital administration suspected that 41 of the newly admitted 193 patients were pseudopatients, of which 19 of them they thought were perfectly sane.Fasten your seatbelts, because Rosenhan makes a fool of the psychiatry world big time: not even one patient was sent by him!

    After the second part of the study is over, psychiatrists yield.

    Rosenhan wrote ‘it is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals…’  “But what can be said of the 19 people who were suspected of being ‘sane’ by one psychiatrist and another staff member? … There is no way of knowing. But one thing is certain: any diagnostic process that lends itself too readily to massive errors of this sort cannot be a very reliable one.”

    There is one more striking side of the story.

    In the first part of the experiment, some patients at the hospital suspected that the first group of pseudopatients sent by Rosenhan were faking their symptoms. To be more specific, 35 out of 188 told some of the group that they could not be really insane. “You’re not crazy. You’re a journalist, or a professor. You’re checking up on the hospital” patients claimed they were told.Hospital staff, however, never noticed that they were “pseudo” patients.

    In conclusion, the Rosenhan Experiment succeeded to leave its mark on the psychiatry world for good.\

    After the study was published, the American Psychiatric Association changed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Also, Rosenhan’s experiments contributed to the reforms at the psychiatric hospitals and the idea of releasing a patient started to become more acceptable for the medical staff.Well, it is once again understood that scientific improvements can change the course of history, thanks to such pathbreaking people like Rosenhan… source


     

     

    ]]>         How Phones are Destroying our Relationships and Communication https://goodshepherdmedia.net/how-phones-are-destroying-our-relationships-and-communication/ Sat, 06 Sep 2025 22:51:27 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21808

    How Phones are Destroying our Relationships and Communication

    Phones are damaging relationships by causing technoference, which is the constant distraction and interruption of face-to-face interactions, leading to reduced feelings of closeness, trust, and satisfaction. This behavior, known as “phubbing,” communicates a lack of interest or importance, causing partners to feel unheard and ignored. Excessive phone use can also fuel jealousy and insecurity, potentially leading to more serious issues like emotional or physical infidelity and even divorce.

    How Phones are Destroying our Relationships and Communication

    Smartphones destroy communication and relationships by distracting users from in-person conversations, fueling misunderstandings via text, and creating an isolating state of “alone togetherness”. This can lead to serious consequences, including relationship dissatisfaction, decreased emotional connection, and depression. 
    Distraction and disconnection
    • “Phubbing” lowers relationship quality. Phubbing, or phone-snubbing, is the habit of ignoring someone in a social setting in favor of your mobile phone. A study found that when a mobile device is present during a meaningful conversation, people rate their experience as less fulfilling and their partner as less empathetic. Research also reveals that being phubbed triggers feelings of exclusion and reduced self-worth, which decreases relationship satisfaction.
    • Lost nonverbal cues. In-person conversations are richer because they include nonverbal signals like facial expressions, body language, and eye contact. These are often lost or overlooked when a person is distracted by their phone, which makes it harder to understand emotions and build connection.
    • Presence is compromised. Just having a phone visible during a face-to-face conversation, even if not in use, can interfere with a sense of connection and closeness. When attention is divided, the opportunity for true, authentic connection is lost.
    Miscommunication and conflict
    • Texting leads to misinterpretation. Communication through text messages lacks tone, inflection, and other cues, making it easy to misinterpret meaning and cause misunderstandings or conflict.
    • “Technoference” causes arguments. The interference of technology in relationships, termed “technoference,” can cause frequent conflict. Partners often fight over excessive phone usage, leading to feelings of neglect when a conversation is interrupted by a text or notification. 
    Effects on romance and family life
    • Creates “alone togetherness.” This term describes when two people are physically together but mentally absorbed in their phones, leading to shallow and less meaningful interactions. A study found that 62% of couples reported technology interfering with their daily time together.
    • Parents distracted from their children. Parents who are preoccupied with their phones speak to their children less and are slower to respond to their needs. A study on playgrounds found that a majority of parents on their phones did not respond to their children’s calls for attention. This can cause children to feel neglected and can interfere with their developmental milestones like communication and socialization skills.
    • Causes jealousy and comparison. Social media creates a platform for comparing one’s relationship to the “highlight reels” of others, which can lead to jealousy, insecurity, and dissatisfaction. This can lead to a feedback loop of mistrust, as partners monitor each other’s online activity. 
    The cycle of dependency
    • Reinforces addictive behavior. The constant checking of phones is reinforced by small “dopamine hits” from notifications and social media engagement. This can lead to a compulsive habit where individuals prioritize online interactions over real-life connections.
    • Increases loneliness. Paradoxically, constant online connection can make people feel more lonely. A Facebook study showed that passive viewing of other people’s posts decreases happiness, while other studies have linked social media to increased loneliness and depression. 
    How phones disrupt relationships
    • Reduced Communication and Connection:Studies show that the mere presence of a phone during a conversation decreases the quality of communication and connection, even without conscious awareness. 
    • Phubbing and Lack of Attention:When people prioritize their phones over their partners, it’s perceived as “phubbing,” which makes the other person feel unimportant and unacknowledged. 
    • Increased Conflict and Insecurity:Constant phone interruptions can lead to arguments and feelings of insecurity about the relationship and one’s own worth. 
    • Decreased Satisfaction and Well-being:Research indicates that phone-related distractions can lower relationship satisfaction and overall well-being. 
    • Erosion of Intimacy:Fragmented communication and lack of attention can weaken emotional bonds and inhibit true intimacy between partners. 
    Consequences of excessive phone use
    • Infidelity and Divorce:Excessive smartphone use has been linked to an increase in emotional and physical affairs, which can destabilize marriages and contribute to divorce. 
    • Lower Trust and Confidence:A partner’s over-reliance on their phone can erode trust and confidence in the relationship, as they may feel their partner is more invested in their device. 
    • Jealousy and Envy:Comparing one’s relationship to the curated lives of others on social media can create envy and negatively impact a relationship. 
    How to improve your relationship
    • Create Boundaries:Establish clear rules for phone use, such as designated “phone-free” times or zones, especially during meals or important conversations.
    • Prioritize In-Person Interaction:Make a conscious effort to put phones away and give your partner your undivided attention to foster closeness and authentic connection.
    • Communicate Your Needs: Speak with your partner about how phone use affects you and work together to find solutions that respect both of your needs.
    • Practice Mindful Phone Use: Be more aware of the implicit messages you send when you’re distracted by your phone and the negative impact it can have on your relationships.

     

    A phone becomes a “key partner” when its role in a relationship shifts from a useful tool to a central, often problematic, presence that can detract from in-person interaction and satisfaction. Excessive phone use, known as “partner phubbing” (phone snubbing), can lead to feelings of neglect, conflict, and decreased intimacy. However, phones can also be a valuable partner by facilitating communication, providing support, and helping couples connect through shared activities and text-based exchanges, if used mindfully and in balance with face-to-face time. 

    The Negative Side: When the Phone Is a “Rival”
    • The term “technoference” describes how technology interferes with relationships, with phubbing – ignoring your partner to focus on your phone – causing feelings of exclusion, reduced responsiveness, and jealousy.
    • Decreased Relationship Satisfaction:Studies show that excessive phone use can decrease marital and relationship satisfaction, leading to feelings of neglect, rejection, and loneliness for the partner who feels ignored.
    • Conflict and Anxiety:Constant phone use can create tension and arguments within a relationship, and the anxiety-inducing nature of constant checking can erode the quality of time spent together.

     

    Americans check their smartphones approximately an average of 205 times a day. It seems that almost everyone is dependent on their smartphone. According to one survey, 76% of U.S. adults get nervous if they can’t find theirs, and 44% say they couldn’t go one day without it.

    Smartphone dependency and smartphone addiction are taking a toll on relationships everywhere, and some would even pick their device over the relationship if forced to choose between the two. A recent study found that one-third of individuals would rather give up sex than their smartphones.

    This dependency is so widespread, partly because very few people have the choice to “opt out” of internet life and all the accompanying devices. Our work, social, and family lives depend upon email, texts, and internet access, and we are expected to be able to connect to these things at all times through our smartphones. This means we carry our addiction triggers with us everywhere we go—we have to.

     

    In some ways, smartphones can enhance relationships. The ease of staying in touch with a partner through texts, calls, and FaceTime can strengthen relationship bonds by maintaining intimacy through busy days and long distances. On the other hand, people have difficulty truly connecting face to face when one or both partners are distracted by the constant urge to check their phone.

    People today use their smartphones all the time, everywhere. The survey found they’re spending an average of five hours and 16 minutes per day staring into a screen.

    Naturally, this degree of smartphone obsession gets in the way of intimacy.

    Seven Ways That Smartphone Addiction is Getting in the Way of Your Relationship

    1. Phubbing

    This mashup term derived from “phone-snubbing,” refers to times when you become distracted by your phone, and your partner feels snubbed or rejected. It has become one of the major sources of relationship conflict in recent years.

    2. Miscommunication

    When you are constantly distracted by your phone, you’re more likely to miss what your partner is saying. This will not only show thoughtlessness towards your partner, it can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications that can cause all kinds of problems—from failing to show up to an event your partner thought you’d agreed to come to, to failing to recognize when your partner is trying to tell you something important, and responding inappropriately or not at all.

    3. Time and energy drain

    Smartphone overuse can be a major drain on time and energy that you could be spending on your partner. It can result in a pattern of consistent neglect that drives a wedge between you.

    4. Less sex, and/or worse sex

    Many people report not wanting to stop what they’re doing on their smartphone to have sex with their partners, and one in five people actually checks their phone during sex.

    5. More insecurity and less satisfaction

    Individuals with smartphone-dependent or addicted partners could be less happy in their relationships. The higher the level of smartphone dependency within a couple, the higher the level of relationship uncertainty, and the lower the level of relationship satisfaction.

    6. Self-centeredness

    Spending a lot of time on social media can encourage self-absorption and narcissism. Getting caught up in displaying yourself in a certain way online, chasing acknowledgement from others, competing to get more followers, or to win online arguments, etc., can lead to an unhealthy level of self-centeredness.

    7. Distance from your partner

    Constant smartphone usage and distraction isolate people from their partners, making them feel like they have to compete with technology for attention, or that they can’t compete, so why even stay in the relationship?

     

    It isn’t smartphone use itself that negatively impacts relationships, but rather the psychological reliance that people have on these devices. In other words, regularly using your smartphone won’t get in the way of your love life, but smartphone dependency and smartphone addiction will.

    Signs of Smartphone Addiction

    Just like alcohol or drugs, smartphones can stimulate the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, emotions, motivation, and movement. Dopamine makes us feel good, and our brains reward us with it to reinforce life-sustaining activities such as eating food and taking care of ourselves.

    Some activities release extra amounts of dopamine through over-stimulation (like the constantly changing forms of distraction accessible through a smartphone), causing the user to develop a tolerance that drives them to increase the amount of time spent on the activity just to experience the same degree of pleasure.

    Tolerance is a sign of smartphone addiction, as is compulsively checking your phone, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to cut down or quit. These symptoms may also appear when you are simply without wi-fi, or in an area without cell service.

    Withdrawal symptoms include: panic, anxiety, restlessness, hostility, irritability, anger, depression, difficulty concentrating, and intense cravings for device usage.

    Other signs of smartphone addiction include:

    • Using your phone in situations where you know you shouldn’t, such as while driving, attending an important event, or having sex
    • Spending so much time on your phone that you neglect relationships, family responsibilities, work, school, or any other activity or hobby that is important to you
    • Prioritizing online relationships and social media feedback over face-to-face interactions
    • Hiding and lying about smartphone use
    • Getting cranky when your smartphone time is interrupted
    • Getting hostile when someone brings up how much time or energy you devote to your smartphone
    • Feeling panicky at the idea of missing out on news, texts, social media happenings or anything else your phone can connect you to
    • Getting up at night to check your phone
    • Feeling phantom phone vibrations—imagining that you are getting a notification, text, email or call when you actually aren’t

    The Cost of Smartphone Addiction

    Many people use their phones to cope with or escape from deeper problems such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, or stress, but smartphone addiction can also exacerbate or even cause such emotional problems.

    For example, you may tweet something funny, hoping to get enough responses, likes, and retweets to make you feel better about yourself, then wind up feeling worse if your tweet is ignored, or causes a negative backlash. You may also use your phone to hide during events due to social anxiety, but hiding behind your phone will only cut you off from others and cause you to miss out on opportunities to practice social skills, so that you feel even less capable and more anxious in future social situations.

    Studies have also shown that just having smartphones around can increase anxiety. Your phone can keep you from concentrating at work. At home, it can cause work pressures to bleed into your personal life.

    Smartphones can also interfere with your ability to concentrate. The ever-changing types of stimulation that phones provide can prevent deep thoughts or creative ideas, and get you acclimated to shifting to something new every few minutes. It can also diminish your problem-solving ability by never allowing you a quiet moment to really work through an issue.

    Nine Strategies to Reduce Smartphone Dependency and Smartphone Addiction

    Whether you are fully addicted to your smartphone or merely dependent upon it, your quality of life will improve if you find ways to cut down on the time you spend glued to your device.

     

    1. Minimize unnecessary smartphone usage

    Try to figure out how much of your smartphone use is necessary—for work, for communicating with loved ones, for keeping up with caregiving duties, or for using apps to help with driving or checking movie times—and how much of it is unnecessary habit, like checking Facebook or reposting on Tumblr. Remember that in the early days of your recovery from smartphone addiction, all smartphone habits will FEEL necessary to you emotionally. This attachment will improve over time.

    2. Allocate data-free time during the day

    Designate a certain amount of data-free time every day. Silence your phone (no fair using vibrate), or turn it all the way off, between certain hours of the day at work or school, or whenever you’re working out or on a date. Putting it somewhere out of sight will help put it out of your mind—or at least cut down on how distracted you’ll be from the activity at hand.

    3. Silence your phone when driving

    Smartphone addicts should especially silence their phones while driving. The distraction of hearing a notification or the temptation to check email could have dangerous, even deadly consequences.

    4. Find other interests for your free time

    Develop new interests or hobbies to fill up the time you used to spend on your device.

    5. Use an old-fashioned alarm clock

    Avoid using your phone as an alarm—it’s too easy to shift from turning it off to checking email and browsing Instagram.

    6. Remove excess apps

    You’re much better off deleting apps that connect you to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and other social media distractions from your phone. Having to set aside time to go to your computer to participate instead of being constantly connected to it 24/7 will free up your time, and prove that you aren’t missing out on as much as you fear you are.

    7. Minimize app notifications

    If you can’t bring yourself to ditch the apps yet, at least turn off the notifications, and if you can’t bring yourself to turn them all off, at least limit notifications to the most important apps, like the one connected to your child’s school. Today, you can also find apps specifically designed to block your access to other, more distracting apps during peak times of productivity, so you can focus better.

    You also might want to consider setting special ringtones or vibrations for the most important people in your life, so you can know if it’s your best friend calling about your dinner plans without having to check, which may tempt you into other activities on your phone.

    8. Stop checking your email before work

    If there is an emergency, you will get a phone call. Otherwise, any message sent by email can safely wait for another hour or two. Also, consider shutting off your email entirely over the weekend. People might send you work emails on Saturday or Sunday, but you are not obligated to respond to them. In most cases, the sender doesn’t even expect you to—they were simply checking something off their to-do list when they had the time to do it.

    9. Leave your phone out of the bedroom

    This last strategy will not only help you sleep better by reducing distractions and eliminating the screen light that can contribute to insomnia, but it will also improve intimacy with your partner, even on nights when you don’t have sex.

    Smartphone addiction doesn’t have to get in the way of a healthy, fulfilling relationship. By following the tips above, you can reclaim your connection with your partner and discover new and exciting ways to bond that don’t involve a screen. If you or someone you love is struggling with smartphone addiction and needs professional treatment to overcome it, rehab programs are avaiable. source

    ]]>         ‘Nicest judge in the world’ Frank Caprio dies aged 88 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/nicest-judge-in-the-world-frank-caprio-dies-aged-88/ Thu, 21 Aug 2025 01:11:33 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21552 ‘Nicest judge in the world’ Frank Caprio dies aged 88

    It is with deep regret that we here at Good Shepherd Media News have to report that “FRANK CAPRIO, THE NICEST HUMAN JUDGE OF TODAYS COURTS, HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 88, A GOOD MAN DOWN!”

    🚨 Breaking News 🚨

     

    • Passing and Legacy: Judge Frank Caprio, affectionately remembered as the “Nicest Judge in the World,” passed away peacefully at the age of 88 on August 20, 2025, following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
    • Life & Fame : Serving as a municipal court judge in Providence from 1985 to 2023, he became a beloved public figure through his viral television show Caught in Providence (2018–2020), where his warmth, mercy, and compassion in the courtroom captured hearts around the world.
    • Final Messages & Faith: In his final messages, he expressed deep gratitude for the countless prayers offered on his behalf. He encouraged others to hold fast to their faith and emphasized his reliance on divine strength, reminding all that “the Almighty above is looking over us.”
    • Official Honors: In recognition of his service and impact, Rhode Island’s governor honored him as a true state treasure and ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast in his memory.

    Judge Frank Caprio has passed away peacefully at the age of 88, following a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

    Beloved around the world for his deep compassion, humility, and unwavering faith in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched millions through his work in the courtroom, and even more through his example of humanity.

    His warmth, humor, and kindness left a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him or hearing his words.

    He will be remembered not only as a respected judge, but as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. His legacy lives on in the countless lives he uplifted and the kindness he inspired.

     

    In his memory, may we all strive to lead with more empathy, more understanding, and more heart, just as he did every single day.

    “FRANK CAPRIO, THE NICEST HUMAN JUDGE OF TODAYS COURTS, HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 88, A GOOD MAN DOWN!
    OUR PRAYERS GO OUT TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER TO RECEIVE THIS MAN INTO HEAVEN, AND TO HELP HEAL THE WOUNDS HE ABSENCE LEAVES IN THOSE THAT LOVE HIM!

    Judge Frank Caprio passed away peacefully at the age of 88 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him. He will be remembered not only as a respected judge, but as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. His legacy lives on in the countless acts of kindness he inspired.

    In his honor, may we each strive to bring a little more compassion into the world — just as he did every day.

    US celebrity judge and social media star Frank Caprio has died aged 88, his family has said.

    Over a 40-year career in Rhode Island, he famously used compassion and humour to make judgements that took into consideration the personal circumstances of the people in the dock.
    Videos of Judge Caprio presiding over cases on his hit TV show Caught in Providence have had billions of views on social media, earning him the title the “nicest judge in the world”.
    His death following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was announced on his official Instagram account, where he was remembered for his “warmth” and “unwavering belief in the goodness of people”.
    Judge Caprio had presided over thousands of cases in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, before embarking on a TV career.

    His signature courtroom style produced viral clips ranging from him inviting children to sit with him behind the bench during cases, to announcing a “mini-judge” plushie of himself.

    A TikTok video showcasing his morning routine – brushing his teeth, signing his book and watching videos of his own show – has had more than 5m views.

    In an 2019 interview, Judge Caprio said his courtroom proceedings “show a slice of life of Rhode Island that is very interesting, and it reflects the same issues people are experiencing nationwide”.
    David Caprio, his son, thanked fans for their love and support and urged people to “spread a little kindness” in his father’s memory.
    In an Instagram statement to his 3.4 million followers, Judge Caprio was remembered for the “countless acts of kindness he inspired”.
    “His warmth, humour, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him,” the statement said.
    During its run, Caught in Providence was nominated for three Daytime Emmys, with Judge Caprio earning two of his own nominations last year.
    The company behind it, Debmar-Mercury, paid tribute to Judge Caprio’s “unique brand of compassion and common sense approach”.
    “We will miss him dearly,” co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement.
    After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023, Judge Caprio said he was “fully prepared to fight as hard I can” and thanked followers for their support.
    In one of his last social media posts, Judge Caprio announced he was back in hospital after suffering a “setback” in his treatment and asked his followers for their prayers.

    Judge Caprio is survived by his wife, Joyce Caprio, of almost 60 years, their five children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. source

     

    MY BIGGEST MISTAKE… I’ll never forget what my father told me on my first day as a judge!

     

     

    Judge Frank Caprio passed away peacefully at the age of 88 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him. He will be remembered not only as a respected judge, but as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. His legacy lives on in the countless acts of kindness he inspired. In his honor, may we each strive to bring a little more compassion into the world — just as he did every day.
    Judge Frank Caprio passed away peacefully at the age of 88 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
    Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
    He will be remembered not only as a respected judge, but as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. His legacy lives on in the countless acts of kindness he inspired.
    In his honor, may we each strive to bring a little more compassion into the world — just as he did every day.

     

     

     

    View this profile on Instagram

     

    Judge Frank Caprio (@therealfrankcaprio) • Instagram photos and videos

     

    Reality TV star, Judge Frank Caprio, dead at 88 following battle with pancreatic cancer

    Family says beloved municipal judge ‘touched lives of millions through his work in courtroom’

    Frank Caprio, a retired municipal judge in Rhode Island who went viral on social media for his kindness, has died. He was 88.

    The family released a statement on Instagram Wednesday in a post featuring Caprio with his family, writing his death came after “a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.”

    “Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond,” the statement read. “His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.”

    The statement continued: “He will be remembered not only as a respected judge, but as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. His legacy lives on in the countless acts of kindness he inspired.”

    Judge Frank Caprio smiling while inside the Municipal Court in Providence Rhode Island in 2017.

    Judge Frank Caprio has died at the age of 88. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

    “In his honor, may we each strive to bring a little more compassion into the world — just as he did every day,” the statement concluded.

    Caprio garnered a following on social media after videos of him treating those who appeared before him in his courtroom with kindness and compassion went viral, earning him the title of “Nicest Judge in the World.”

    In the videos, Caprio can often be seen bringing children up to join him on the bench, setting up payment plans for individuals who weren’t able to pay the full amount of their fine, and sometimes waiving the fines completely.

    His social media fame led him to star in his own reality show, titled “Caught in Providence,” which was on the air for two years, from 2018 to 2020. The show originally aired on local access television, but was picked up by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury division.

    Frank Caprio at the SiriusXM studios.

    Caprio’s success on social media led to a reality show called, “Caught in Providence.” (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

    “Judge Caprio’s unique brand of compassion and common sense approach to justice caught the attention of daytime TV and social media audiences, making ‘Caught in Providence’ a fan favorite,” Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, co-presidents of Debmar-Mercury, said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “We will miss him dearly.”

    The show went on to receive four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Caprio.

    In December 2023, Caprio announced to his social media followers he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, calling it “an insidious form of cancer” and asked his followers to keep him in their prayers.

    “One thing that people ask me is, ‘What can I do for you?’ First of all, I can’t thank all of you enough for your friendship and your kind messages. But I would ask each of you, in your own way, to please pray for me,” Caprio continued. “I am in need of the power of prayer, which I believe, in addition to the medical treatment that I’m receiving, is the most powerful weapon to help me survive this.”

    Judge Frank Caprio at the Creative Arts Emmys in 2022.

    Caprio told his followers he had a setback in an Aug. 19 Instagram post. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

    In an Aug. 19 Instagram post, Caprio told his 3.3 million Instagram followers that he “had a setback” and asked them to “remember me in your prayers once more.”

    “Last year I asked you to pray for me, and it’s very obvious that you did because I came through a very difficult period. Unfortunately, I’ve had a setback. I’m back in the hospital now and I’m coming to you again asking you to remember me in your prayers once more.”

    The governor of Rhode Island, Dan McKee, reacted to Caprio’s death on X, writing in part, “Judge Caprio was a Rhode Island treasure. As we mourn his passing, my thoughts go out to his family, friends, and all who loved him.”

     

    ]]>         Who / What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6? https://goodshepherdmedia.net/who-what-is-the-restrainer-in-2-thessalonians-26/ Fri, 01 Aug 2025 19:33:02 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21444 Who / What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?
    2 Thessalonians 2:6 states, “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.”
     This verse refers to a power that is currently preventing the Antichrist from fully manifesting. The Thessalonians are aware of this restraining force, which will be removed at God’s appointed time, allowing the Antichrist to be revealed. 

    Here’s a more detailed explanation:
      • The Restrainer:
        The verse speaks of a “what” or “who” that is currently holding back the “man of lawlessness” or Antichrist. 

      • Revelation in His Time:
        This restraining force will be removed at God’s chosen time, allowing the Antichrist to be revealed. 

    • Mystery of Lawlessness:
      The verse also mentions the “mystery of lawlessness,” which is already at work, but its full manifestation is dependent on the removal of the restrainer. 

    • The Thessalonians’ Knowledge:
      The phrase “you know what is restraining him” indicates that the Thessalonians had some understanding of this restraining power, likely through Paul’s previous teachings or through current events. 

    • Timing and Purpose:
      The removal of the restrainer and the subsequent revelation of the Antichrist are part of God’s sovereign plan and will occur at a specific time appointed by God.

    Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of great power who is hindering the advance of the Antichrist and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world.

    Who is the restrainer the Bible talks about in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?

    In 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, the “restrainer” is the Holy Spirit, who prevents lawlessness and the revelation of the Antichrist until the right time. Once the Church is removed at the Rapture, the Holy Spirit’s restraining role will end, allowing lawlessness to increase, though He will continue working in a different way during the Tribulation.

    what does the bible say?

    In 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, the “restrainer” is believed to be the Holy Spirit, who actively holds back sin and lawlessness, preventing the Antichrist from being revealed until the proper time. This restraining role is supernatural, as only God has the power to overcome Satan and evil. The Holy Spirit’s work is crucial especially now, during the Church Age. He enables Christians to spread the Gospel and to live righteously. When the Church is removed at the Rapture, the Holy Spirit’s unique restraining role will also be lifted, allowing lawlessness to increase. Despite this, the Holy Spirit will continue working during the Tribulation, but His role will be different, as evidenced by the ongoing growth of the church and the eventual defeat of the Antichrist at Christ’s return.

    from the old testament

    • The restrainer is not mentioned in the Old Testament.

    from the new testament

    • Second Thessalonians 2:6-7 reads, “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” The restrainer is clearly holding back sin and lawless living. Many options have been suggested, including government, preaching, the binding of Satan, the church, the Holy Spirit, or even the angel Michael. The context of the passage speaks of someone or something that restrains the Antichrist from being revealed until the proper time. To have this level of power, the restrainer must be something supernatural and most likely something good. This would remove the options of Satan, evil spirits, or human government.
    • Only God has the power to overcome the power of Satan (1 John 4:4; Revelation 12:7-9). Therefore, the church or angels would not be the restrainer. Most likely, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence holds back the power of lawlessness and of Antichrist’s revealing (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). At a future time when God’s people are removed at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), the unique role the Holy Spirit has played during the Church Age will be removed, allowing the revealing of the Antichrist and increased lawlessness in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
    • This does not mean the Holy Spirit will not be at work during the Tribulation period. For example, the Book of Revelation mentions many Jewish people who will come to faith in Jesus during the Tribulation as well as others. In Revelation 11, Two Witnesses will perform acts that will require the involvement of God’s Spirit. The Holy Spirit will still be alive and active, yet will in some ways work differently than during the period of time prior to the Rapture.
    • The Holy Spirit’s special role in the Church Age is also evident by the unique entry of the Holy Spirit’s work in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost. In that passage, the Spirit came to empower the disciples to begin the work of sharing the Gospel with others. The church continues to grow today, reaching many people around the world. Yet a future time will come when the Spirit will operate differently, allowing the appearance of an Antichrist who will ultimately reject God and persecute those devoted to Him. Only at the coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation will the work of the Antichrist end.

    implications for today

    The restraining role of the Holy Spirit is a special blessing. For now, the Holy Spirit allows Christians to continue sharing the good news of Jesus as Lord with all who will listen, resulting in many others coming to faith in Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to live by the power of the Holy Spirit, reflecting His presence and work in the world. The Holy Spirit actively works in us to limit the influence of sin and lawlessness. In everyday life, this means that the Spirit empowers us to live with purpose and integrity, resisting the pull of worldly temptations. For example, in a work environment where gossip and dishonesty are prevalent, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us speak truth and maintain a standard of righteousness. Similarly, when faced with relationship challenges, we can draw on the Spirit’s strength to reflect God’s love, patience, and grace. Just as the Spirit holds back lawlessness in the world, we are called to reflect His transformative power by living differently—shining His light in a world that desperately needs it. This isn’t just a passive presence; He is active and empowers us to be change agents, pointing others to Christ as we live out His truth. The Holy Spirit in us is not only a guide but a witness to the world of God’s ongoing work in redeeming creation.

    ]]>         The Eagle and The Crow – The Ignorant Crow vs The Ascending Eagle https://goodshepherdmedia.net/the-eagle-and-the-crow-the-ignorant-crow-vs-the-ascending-eagle/ Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:10:58 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=17878 The Eagle and The Crow – The Ignorant Crow vs The Ascending Eagle

    Eagles, as birds of prey, will sometimes kill crows as part of their natural diet. Crows, however, are known to harass and even attack eagles, particularly when defending their territory or nests. In these encounters, the eagle often responds by flying higher, taking advantage of the crow’s inability to breathe at higher altitudes, causing the crow to fall to its death. 

    Here’s a breakdown of the relationship:
    • Eagles are predators: 
      Eagles are at the top of the food chain and will hunt and kill crows. 

    • Crows are scavengers and mobbing birds: 
      Crows are known to harass and mob larger birds, including eagles, often to drive them away from their territory or to steal food. 

    • The “flying higher” strategy: 
      Eagles, when harassed by crows, may respond by flying higher into the sky. Crows cannot tolerate the altitude and will eventually fall off, not due to an attack, but because of oxygen deprivation. 

    • Not always a death sentence: 
      While eagles can kill crows, not every encounter ends with a crow’s death. Crows are also known to successfully defend themselves or their nests against eagles. 

    The crow falls to its own death, hurt by nothing more than its own actions turning inward.

    Why Would A Crow Ride an Eagle?

    It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a….crow on the back of a Bald Eagle? The strange aerial encounter, caught on camera by bird photographer Phoo Chan about a year ago, is making the rounds online today, to the delight of many.

    So what exactly is going on here? Was the crow just tired of flying, or was it intentionally trying to annoy its adversary?

    It’s hard to tell, says Audubon field editor Kenn Kaufman. While it is not uncommon for smaller birds to harass larger birds that threaten their nesting territories, physically riding on their backs is an unusual tactic—and definitely an unusual sight.

    Crows, along with other kinds of smaller birds such as Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and kingbirds, will not hesitate to defend their nests against eagles, hawks, vultures and Great Blue Herons if duty calls, especially during the nesting season, says Kaufman.

    Typically when something like this happens “the eagle or other large bird being harassed will react in an aggressive way,” Kaufman says. Or, the larger bird will ignore its tormentor, “just as we might ignore a small dog yipping at our heels,” adds Kaufman—which very well may be what was happening in this photomontage.

    Whether an innocent play-date or a moment of vindication, it is hard to deny Chan’s luck in capturing the remarkable occurrence on camera. The California-based photographer has plenty of experience capturing flying birds, so he must have been well-prepared.

    The only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the crow. It sits on its back and bites the eagle’s neck. However, the eagle does not respond nor fight with the crow, it spends no time on the crow
    instead the eagle opens its wing and soar higher to the heavens. The higher the flight the tougher it is for the crow to breathe then the crow fails down from the lack of energy. It simply means that once a person moves towards his/her goals, He/she is faced with obstacles and challenges but when they keep pushing yourself forward every other unnecessary thing will fall off by itself. So, keep soaring higher and overcome every obstacle with ease and not be distracted from your purpose. It simply means that once a person moves towards his/her goals, He/she is faced with obstacles and challenges but when they keep pushing yourself forward every other unnecessary thing will fall off by itself. So, keep soaring higher and overcome every obstacle with ease and not be distracted from your purpose.

    “The only bird that dares to peck the eagle is the crow. It sits on its back and bites its neck. However, the eagle doesn’t respond, nor does it fight with the crow; it doesn’t waste any time or effort on it, it just opens its wings and begins to climb up the highest place in the sky. The higher the flight, the harder it is for the crow to breathe, and then the crow falls due to lack of oxygen.

    Stop wasting time with crows, with dangerous people who only approach your life to try to destabilize you, to project their own storm on you. Just take them to your heights, and they will disappear on their own”.

     

    He cannot breath anymore so he passes out

    Now the crow will be the victim of circumstance

    The crow has been defeated

    source

     

    and always remmeber

    The only bird that will peck at an Eagle is the crow. He sits on his back and bites his neck. The eagle does not respond or fight with the crow, it doesn’t waste time or energy on the crow. It simply opens its wings and begins to rise higher in the sky. The higher the flight the harder it is for the crow to breathe and then the crow falls due to lack of oxygen. Stop wasting your time with the crows. Just take them to your heights and they’ll fade.

    I know of a man named Paul that is the crow.

    ]]>         Alcohol Consumption Leads to Brain Shrinkage – How Alcoholism Ruins Up Your Brain https://goodshepherdmedia.net/alcohol-consumption-leads-to-brain-shrinkage-how-alcoholism-ruins-up-your-brain/ Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:07:47 +0000 https://goodshepherdmedia.net/?p=21274

    How Alcoholism Ruins Up Your Brain

    Alcohol Consumption Leads to Brain Shrinkage

    Brain Shrinkage from Alcohol

    IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALCOHOLISM GET HELP. THERE IS GOD, DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS TO HELP YOU! YOU DESERVE A BETTER LIFE! MANY SUFFER LIKE YOU! YOU CAN CHANGE YOU WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS THAT OFFER HELP
    excessive alcohol consumption leads to brain shrinkage. Studies have shown that heavy drinking is associated with reduced brain volume, and even moderate drinking may have some negative effects on brain structure and cognitive function.

    Here’s a more detailed explanation:
      • Brain Shrinkage:
        Research indicates that long-term, heavy alcohol use can lead to shrinkage of both gray and white matter in the brain, a process known as brain atrophy.

      • Impact on Brain Regions:
        Alcohol can affect specific brain regions, including the hippocampus (involved in memory and learning), the cerebellum (related to balance and coordination), and the prefrontal cortex (important for decision-making and executive functions).

    • Cognitive Decline:
      Brain shrinkage can contribute to cognitive decline, including problems with memory, learning, and other cognitive abilities.

    • Moderation Matters:
      While heavy drinking has more significant effects, even moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to subtle changes in brain structure and cognitive function.

    • Potential for Reversibility:
      Some alcohol-related brain damage may be reversible with abstinence and improved nutrition, but the extent of recovery can vary.

    IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALCOHOLISM GET HELP. THERE IS GOD, DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS TO HELP YOU! YOU DESERVE A BETTER LIFE! MANY SUFFER LIKE YOU! YOU CAN CHANGE YOU WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS THAT OFFER HELP

     

    This is your brain on alcohol

    ARCHIVED CONTENT: As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. 

    It’s no secret that alcohol affects our brains, and most moderate drinkers like the way it makes them feel — happier, less stressed, more sociable. Science has verified alcohol’s feel-good effect; PET scans have shown that alcohol releases endorphins (the “pleasure hormones”) which bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Although excessive drinking is linked to an increased risk of dementia, decades of observational studies have indicated that moderate drinking — defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two for men — has few ill effects. (A drink equals 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.) However, a recent British study seems to have bad news for moderate drinkers, indicating that even moderate drinking is associated with shrinkage in areas of the brain involved in cognition and learning.

    What the study said

    A team of researchers from University of Oxford looked at data from 424 men and 103 women who are participating in the 10,000-person Whitehall Study, an ongoing investigation of the relationship of lifestyle and health among British civil servants. At the beginning of the study in 1985, all of the participants were healthy and none were dependent on alcohol. Over the next 30 years, the participants answered detailed questions about their alcohol intake and took tests to measure memory, reasoning, and verbal skills. They underwent brain imaging with MRI at the end of the study.

    When the team analyzed the questionnaires, the cognitive test scores, and the MRI scans, they found that the amount of shrinkage in the hippocampus — the brain area associated with memory and reasoning — was related to the amount people drank. Those who had the equivalent of four or more drinks a day had almost six times the risk of hippocampal shrinkage as did nondrinkers, while moderate drinkers had three times the risk. However, the only link between drinking and cognitive performance was that heavy drinkers had a more rapid decline in the ability to name as many words beginning with a specific letter as possible within a minute.

    What does this mean?

    The study results don’t come as news to Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mukamal and his colleagues reported similar findings in 2001. His team studied 3,376 men and women who were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Heart Study and who had also undergone MRI scans and had reported their alcohol consumption. The Harvard researchers also found that brain volume shrank in proportion to alcohol consumed, and that atrophy (shrinkage) was greater even in light and moderate drinkers than in teetotalers.

    Yet the meaning of the MRI scans is still far from clear, Dr. Mukamal says. “There’s a great deal of doubt about whether the atrophy seen on MRI is due to loss of brain cells or to fluid shifts within the brain.” He explains that this type of atrophy shows major improvements within weeks when alcoholics stop drinking, which wouldn’t be the case if it were caused by brain cell death. “The study offers little indication of whether moderate drinking is truly good, bad, or indifferent for long-term brain health,” he says.

    What should you do?

    If you’re a moderate or light drinker trying to decide whether to cut back for health reasons, you probably want to consider a variety of factors:

    • Moderate drinking still seems to be good for your heart. More than 100 observational studies have linked moderate drinking to a reduced risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes.
    • Moderate drinking has also been associated with a lower risk of gallstones and diabetes.
    • For women, even moderate drinking can increase the risk of breast cancer. If you’re a woman at average risk, a drink per day can increase your lifetime risk of breast cancer from 8.25% to 8.8%
    • The social and psychological benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. One thing health statistics haven’t measured is the enjoyment of moderate drinking. It is fine to enjoy a glass of wine as the perfect accompaniment to a good dinner, or celebrate a happy occasion with a cocktail with friends. source

    IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALCOHOLISM GET HELP. THERE IS GOD, DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS TO HELP YOU! YOU DESERVE A BETTER LIFE! MANY SUFFER LIKE YOU! YOU CAN CHANGE YOU WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS THAT OFFER HELP

    How Alcoholism Ruins Up Your Brain

    A brief overview

    I usually focus these posts on the spirituality of the 12 Steps as brewbama path  of recovery from alcoholism and codependency, but today I’ve decided to look at a little medical research on this disease. You already know that chronic alcohol abuse causes brain damage – some of it permanent. Whether your brain can rebuild itself with prolonged abstinence depends upon the severity of the damage as well as correlated factors such as genetics, nutrition, and your life habits in sobriety.

    Alcoholism Shrinks Your Brain
    This is an indisputable fact. Prolonged abuse of alcohol shrinks all areas of the brain, causing the condition known as “wet brain.” All wet brain really means is that, as the brain tissue shrinks, the vacated areas, known as ventricles, fill with fluid to compensate. It doesn’t mean you become a drooling idiot. (My father developed it late in life and remained quite sharp.) Rather, the condition simply indicates that all functions of your brain have been compromised, so that you’re less aware, less physically able, less emotionally engaged, and less intelligent overall than you would be with a healthy, non-alcoholic brain.

    But, hey, no big! The buzz is worth it, right?
    .

    MRI Alcoholic Brain
    .
    Why Does Alcoholism Shrink Your Brain?
    Here we encounter competing theories. To quote an article from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (what a bunch of party-poopers!):

    According to one hypothesis, shrinkage (i.e., atrophy) of the cerebral cortex and white matter, as well as possible atrophy of basal forebrain regions, may result from the neurotoxic effects of alcohol… Alcoholics who are susceptible to alcohol toxicity may develop permanent or transient cognitive deficits associated with brain shrinkage.[i]

    What is “neurotoxicity”? It’s medi-speak for toasts your brain cells. They don’t necessarily die, but the dendrites connecting them are damaged or lost, so the cells occupy less area.   But hey – at least they’re still kind of there, right?

    .
    Gray Matter Volumes

    .
    As you can see, when it comes to brains, plump is better. The graph on the right may seem a little confusing if you’ve gotten bombed enough times – or, heck, even if you haven’t. The straight line represents a normal brain. The blue line shows shrinkage of regions in a young alcoholic brain, and the yellow line shrinkage in an older alcoholic brain. (By the way, who the hell drinks only 20 gallons of alcohol in their whole life? Seriously? Even 625 gallons wouldn’t be nearly enough for my addict!)

    Parts of the Brain Most Vulnerable
    Everybody knows that when you’re fucked up, you temporarily lose coordination, short-term memory, and sound judgment. But who cares? Not much of a price to pay for not hating yourself for a bit, right? Of course, getting hammered also fries your behavioral inhibitions, emotional intelligence, and the ability to accurately read social cues – none of which can even compare, obviously, with the tremendous relief of no longer feeling terrified to converse with other human beings because you’re suddenly irresistibly hot and charming.

    That said, it only makes sense that prolonged exposure to alcohol would eventually damage the parts of the brain responsible for those very functions.

    Neuroimaging studies of living brains point to increased susceptibility of frontal brain systems to alcoholism-related damage… The frontal lobes, connected with all other lobes of the brain, receive and send fibers to numerous subcortical structures. The prefrontal cortex is considered the brain’s executive—that is, it is necessary for planning and regulating behavior, inhibiting the occurrence of unnecessary or unwanted behaviors, and supporting adaptive “executive control” skills such as goal-directed behaviors, good judgment, and problem-solving abilities.

    In other words, the motherboard of your brain starts to malfunction. drunk-people-grin  As alcoholism progresses, this can lead to the chain of bad choices that screw up an alcoholic’s entire life. Because it only makes sense that as self-restraint abates and good judgment declines, egotism and selfishness jump in to take up the slack.

     Disruptions of the normal inhibitory functions of prefrontal networks often have the interesting effect of releasing previously inhibited behaviors. As a result, a person may behave impulsively and inappropriately – which may contribute to excessive drinking.

    In other words, the more you injure your brain by drinking, the more likely you are to say, “aw… fuck it!” and drink more. Other excellent ideas include hooking up with other sick people, engaging in unethical/destructive behaviors, and royally screwing over the people you love.

    Because actually, you only kind of love them. To be honest, loving them is only a vague memory. Why is that?

    Alcoholics may seem emotionally “flat” – i.e., they are less reactive to emotionally charged situations… Impairments in emotional functioning that affect alcoholics may reflect abnormalities in [the right 48_Withered_Heart_16oo_by_WoodrowShigeruhemisphere or] other brain regions which… influence emotional processing, such as the limbic system and the frontal lobes.

    How many alcoholics know that feeling of not being able to feel?  When my grandmother died, when my husband walked away, when my partner shut the door on my begging – I knew I ought to feel something, but I didn’t. Not much more than, “Hmm… that sure sucks!” Who knew my limbic system was screwed up? Really, by the end I could feel only one thing: when I was pouring the drink, when I was chopping the lines, when it seemed I was winning the conquest, I felt, “YES!”

    Alcohol directly stimulates release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is important in emotional expression, and of the endorphins, natural substances related to opioids, which may contribute to the “high” of intoxication and the craving to drink. Alcohol also leads to increases in the release of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter that plays a role in motivation and in the rewarding effects of alcohol.

    The trouble is, the brain recognizes this overload of pleasure transmitters and tapers its production of each as a result. In other words, you feel like shit without a drink; in fact, severe neurotransmitter imbalances my cause you to develop “seizures, sedation, depression, agitation, and other mood and behavior disorders.”

    The brain, of course, isn’t the only organ on the team to get fucked by alcohol. Every organ in the body suffers, but hardest hit is your liver. We all know the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the bloodstream gets compromised as alcohol overtaxes it. But did you know this?

    These damaged liver cells no longer function as well as they should and allow too much of these toxic substances, ammonia and manganese in particular, to travel to the brain. These substances proceed to damage brain cells, causing a serious and potentially fatal brain disorder known as hepatic encephalopathy, which can result in mood and personality changes, anxiety, depression, shortened attention span, and coordination problems, including… hand shaking…

    I think I might’ve had a spot of that…

    Well, that’s about the end of my rollicking review of alcoholic brain damage. Missing from this account, of course, is the self-destructive spiritual illness that makes us not give a shit whether we’re killing ourselves, because life’s worthless anyway.

    The good news is that studies also show all these physical processes can be reversed by long-term abstinence, while the spiritual malady – thank god! – can be cured via the 12 steps.  A healthy body is really just the means to an end – usefulness and the joy of living, which we’ve been granted in sobriety. source

    IF YOU SUFFER FROM ALCOHOLISM GET HELP. THERE IS GOD, DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS TO HELP YOU! YOU DESERVE A BETTER LIFE! MANY SUFFER LIKE YOU! YOU CAN CHANGE YOU WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND DISCIPLINE AND PROGRAMS THAT OFFER HELP

    Association between abnormal plasma metabolism and brain atrophy in alcohol-dependent patients

    Objective: In this study, we aimed to characterize the plasma metabolic profiles of brain atrophy and alcohol dependence (s) and to identify the underlying pathogenesis of brain atrophy related to alcohol dependence.

    Methods: We acquired the plasma samples of alcohol-dependent patients and performed non-targeted metabolomic profiling analysis to identify alterations of key metabolites in the plasma of BA-ADPs. Machine learning algorithms and bioinformatic analysis were also used to identify predictive biomarkers and investigate their possible roles in brain atrophy related to alcohol dependence.

    Results: A total of 26 plasma metabolites were significantly altered in the BA-ADPs group when compared with a group featuring alcohol-dependent patients without brain atrophy (NBA-ADPs). Nine of these differential metabolites were further identified as potential biomarkers for BA-ADPs. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that these potential biomarkers exhibited good sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing BA-ADPs from NBA-ADPs. Moreover, metabolic pathway analysis suggested that glycerophospholipid metabolism may be highly involved in the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced brain atrophy.

    Conclusion: This plasma metabolomic study provides a valuable resource for enhancing our understanding of alcohol-induced brain atrophy and offers potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

    Introduction

    Excessive and chronic alcohol consumption, caused by addictive behaviors in alcoholic patients, is closely related to the reduced viability of neuronal cells (neurons and glial cells) and axonal degradation, thus resulting in brain atrophy (Sutherland et al., 2014; Angebrandt et al., 2022). It has been reported that the degree of brain atrophy correlates with the rate and amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime (de la Monte and Kril, 2014). Moreover, the latest research has detected negative relationships between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes across the brain (Daviet et al., 2022). Abnormal patterns of macroscopic and microstructural changes in the brain, especially brain atrophy, are closely related to the cognitive dysfunction of alcoholics in the clinical setting (Zahr et al., 2011). Cognitive impairment, including deficits in memory, executive abilities, visuospatial processing, speed of processing and, to a lesser extent, attention and general intelligence, may dramatically influence a patient’s social function and quality-of-life (Godin et al., 2019). In view of the high prevalence of alcohol-related brain atrophy (ARBA) and its associated cognitive dysfunction, a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms underlying ARBA and the identification of potential biomarkers for this disease are urgently needed.

    Metabolomics, a systematic method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of all low-molecular-weight metabolites, is suitable for identifying metabolic indicators and can provide a basis for individualized diagnosis and treatment (Ribbenstedt et al., 2018). Moreover, the discovery of new markers can provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of difficult diseases and can provide a useful guide for clinical diagnosis and treatment (Vuckovic, 2018). Metabolomic research based on untargeted/targeted mass spectrometry (MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy approaches may represent a valuable research tool to identify the underlying pathogenesis of alcohol-related disorders. Mittal and Dabur previously studied the influence of an aqueous extract of Tinospora cordifolia on the urinary metabolic signature of chronic alcohol using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS; Mittal and Dabur, 2015). In another study, Zhu et al. identified discriminatory metabolic profiles between healthy and alcohol dependent individuals by using metabolomics technology (Zhu et al., 2021). To our knowledge, no previous study has identified alterations in the metabolic and protein profiles of plasma samples taken from alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy.

    Machine learning, as a field of artificial intelligence (AI), provides intelligent data processing while facilitating reasoning and the initial settings to determine functional relationships (Deo, 2015). Due to the diversification of algorithms, machine learning is gradually emerging in the field of multi-omics, including artificial neural networks (ANNs), and random forest (RF) algorithms (Liebal et al., 2020). The main applications of machine learning in disease-related multi-omics data analysis include (1) the stratification of patients to discover various subtypes of human diseases and to discover different treatment/prognostic outcomes, and (2) the investigation of various diseases by identifying biomarkers of omics features under various state (Nicora et al., 2020). Traditional methods for processing metabolomics data tend to only focus on bridging sample differences within groups. However, in applied pharmaceutical research (such as candidate target discovery and drug sensitivity), we also need to consider data perturbation and sensitivity to sample size (Schrimpe-Rutledge et al., 2016). Based on their specific characteristics, a combination of traditional single evaluation and machine learning algorithms could provide an efficient means of evaluating the performance of metabolomics data processing from multiple perspectives (Mirza et al., 2019; Picard et al., 2021). Specifically, this strategy can achieve effective data processing from five relatively independent directions: reducing within-group sample differences, differential metabolic analysis, the stability of marker identification, classification accuracy, and the consistency of biological gold standards.

    In this study, we used a LC–MS/MS-based metabonomics approach to provide a robust technical platform to investigate the profiles of plasma metabolites in ARBA patients and identify characteristic metabolites that can be used to discriminate ARBA from non-ARBA. MetaboAnalyst version 5.0 was then used to identify metabolites and metabolic pathways showing significant enrichment in ARBA. Then, machine learning algorithms were used to identify the most important distinctive metabolites that might be associated with patients with ARBA. The findings of the present study may help to identify the molecular mechanisms that underlie ARBA.

    Materials and methods

    Study design and participants

    This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hunan Brain Hospital (Reference: 2016121). Signed and informed consent was obtained from each patient.

    A total of 126 patients with alcohol addiction were enrolled from Hunan Brain Hospital between March 2019 and January 2020. Brain MRI were performed in all patients to evaluate the extent of brain atrophy.

    The inclusion and exclusion criteria were described in our previous publication (Liu et al., 2020). Briefly, the inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age 18–60 years, Han Chinese; (2) no contraindications for MRI. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) patients had any general medical conditions or neurological disorders, including infectious, hepatic, or endocrine disease; (2) patients with a history of severe head injury with skull fracture or loss of consciousness of more than 10 min; (3) patients had any current or previous psychiatric disorder; (4) patients had a family history of psychiatric disorder. The diagnosis of alcohol dependence was made according to the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV criteria (Battle, 2013). Alcohol-dependent patients were divided into two subgroups based on whether they have brain atrophy (the experimental group) or not (the control group).

    Evaluation of brain atrophy

    Brain MRI were performed in all patients after blood samples collection. The extent of brain atrophy was evaluated by at least two independent neuroradiologists using the global cortical atrophy scale (Pasquier et al., 1996). Both cortical regions (frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital) and subcortical regions (peri-insular, basal, and vault) were assessed. The severity of atrophy (low, moderate, or severe) was detected by the widening of sulci and narrow of gyri, as well as the reduction in amplitude of the respective regions. Figure 1 shows examples of different severity of brain atrophy.

    FIGURE 1
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 1. Axial T1 weight (up) and T2 weight (down) magnetic resonance images showing different extent of brain atrophy in Alcohol-dependent patients. From left to right, columns represent absent, low, moderate and sever brain atrophy. In low brain atrophy, sulcal opening peripherally (yellow arrows) is observed. In moderate brain atrophy, widening along the length of the sulcus (green arrows) are observed. In severe brain atrophy, gyral thining (red arrows) is observed.

    Sample collection and preparation

    Blood samples were taken from all inpatients after hospital admission but prior to starting treatment. Blood samples were taken from the experimental and control patients between 6:00 and 6:30 am and placed into plasma collecting tubes. Samples were then centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 10 min at 4°C and the plasma was aliquoted into 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tubes and immediately stored at −80°C.

    For LC–MS, we removed 100 μl of each plasma sample and added 0.4 ml of pre-cooled 0.2% methanol-acetonitrile mixture (1:1, v/v); this was followed by vortex-mixing and ultrasonic extraction on iced water. Next, the solution was centrifuged at 13,000 × g for 15 min at 4°C; 400 μl of the supernatant was taken and dried with nitrogen. Finally, 100 μl of acetonitrile water (1:1, v/v) was added and the re-dissolved solution was injected into a sample bottle for detection. Quality control samples (a mixture of equal quantities of all sample extractions) were injected after every 10 analytical samples to monitor the stability of the LC–MS system.

    LC–MS data acquisition and processing

    Data acquisition was performed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS with the following parameter settings: an ethylene bridged hybrid C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm id, 1.7 μm; Waters), mobile phase A (water with 0.1% formic acid), and mobile phase B (acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid). The gradient of the mobile phase was consistent with our previous metabolomic studies (Zhang et al., 2020). The MS signal was acquired in positive-ion and negative-ion modes.

    Raw files for the acquired LC–MS/MS data were imported into the metabolomics-processing software Progenesis QI (Waters) to obtain matched and aligned peak data. Subsequently, peak data containing retention time (RT), molecular formula, along with accurate relative molecular mass and peak area information, were imported into Microsoft Excel so that we could normalize the peak area for further analysis.

    Analyses of metabolomics data and pathways

    Following normalization of the peak area, data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The variables showing the most significant differences were identified by selecting those with a VIP > 1 from an S-plot and p < 0.05 from an independent samples t-test. Based on the Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) and secondary fragment ions, we were then able to identify differential variables. Then, we performed metabolic pathway analysis for differentially expressed metabolites with MetaboAnalyst version 5.0 to gain insight into the pathogenesis of ARBA, as described previously (Zhang et al., 2020).

    Machine learning methods for biomarker screening

    Three machine learning methods (Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), and AdaBoost Classifier) were used to identify potential biomarkers from differential metabolites or proteins. The five most important metabolites were identified by XGBoost, RF and AdaBoost, and then combined for subsequent analysis. Machine learning was then performed using the Extreme Smart Analysis Platform.1

    The sensitivity and specificity of the combined biomarkers were further analyzed using logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In ROC analysis, the area enclosed by the curve and the x-axis (x = 1 line) was defined as the area under the curve (AUC). Logistic regression analysis was performed using OmicStudio.2

    Results

    Baseline characteristics of the study population

    A total of 226 participants were recruited for the present study: 62 were assigned to the NBA-ADP group, 64 were assigned to the BA-ADP group, and 100 were assigned to the Healthy Control (HC) group. Clinical and demographic characteristics were summarized in Table 1. The sex, age, and duration of alcohol dependence between NBA-ADP and BA-ADP group were equivalent. There was no statistical difference in Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) scores between two groups. However, the RBANS scores (including attention, delay memory, immediate memory, language, visuospatial) in BA-ADP group were all slightly higher than these in NBA-ADP group.

    TABLE 1
    www.frontiersin.orgTable 1. Demographic and baseline patient characteristics.

    Global metabolomic profiling

    A total of 13,601 peaks were obtained, including 6,189 positive-mode features and 8,432 negative-mode features. A total of 178 positive-mode and 253 negative-mode metabolites were annotated and mapped to public databases. Corresponding to the two modes, 52 and 84 metabolites were, respectively, annotated and mapped to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. These metabolites belonged to 15 different KEGG compound classifications. Figure 2A shows that these metabolites were mainly classified as phospholipids. According to the KEGG database, these metabolites belonged to 25 different KEGG pathways (Figure 2B). Of these, the lipid metabolism pathway was the pathway that contained the most metabolites.

    FIGURE 2
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 2. The KEGG classification of metabolites identified in all plasma samples. The classification criteria were: (A) KEGG Compound Classification; (B) KEGG Pathway.

    According to the HMDB version 4.0 database, 431 selected metabolites belonged to 9 predominant super-classes (Figure 3A) and 21 subclasses (Figure 3B). The former included lipids and lipid-like molecules (63.03%), organic acids and derivatives (11.61%), organoheterocyclic compounds (7.21%), and organic oxygen compounds (6.98%). The latter includes glycerophosphocholines (10.00%), amino acids, peptides, and analo (9.07%), fatty acids and conjugat (8.14%), bile acids, alcohols and deves (6.98%), and glycerophosphoethanolamines (5%).

    FIGURE 3
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 3. The HMDB classification of metabolites identified in all plasma samples. Pie chart illustrating the abundance ratio of different classes of plasma metabolites detected with untargeted metabolic profiling. The classification level was: (A) Superclass; (B) Subclass.

    Identification of dysregulated metabolites

    A total of 172 significant differential metabolites (FDR < 0.05) among the three groups were detected by analysis of variance (ANOVA). To further identify group differences in the metabolic profiles between groups, we performed OPLS-DA score plots; these identified notable separations between both the BA-ADP and HC group and between the NBA-ADP and HC group (Figure 4).

    FIGURE 4
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 4. OPLS-DA score plots of alcohol-dependent patients (ADP) versus healthy controls. (A) OPLS-DA score plots of NBA-ADP vs. HC; (B) OPLS-DA score plots of BA-ADP vs. HC.

    Differentially expressed metabolites were identified using multivariate and univariate statistical significance criteria (VIP > 1 and FDR < 0.05). In total, 139 metabolites were identified to be significantly different between the NBA-ADP and HC group and 26 metabolites between the BA-ADP and NBA-ADP group (Figure 5; Table 2).

    FIGURE 5
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 5. Differential plasma metabolic profiles of alcohol-dependent patients vs. healthy controls. The hierarchical clustering and heat map in the left panel shows the top 30 metabolites that were significantly differentially abundant between NBA-ADP and HC (A), and 26 metabolites that were significantly differentially abundant between BA-ADP and NBA-ADP (B). The histogram in the right panel represents variable importance in projection (VIP) scores derived from the OPLS-DA model for each metabolite. ∗∗∗ indicates P < 0.001.

    TABLE 2
    www.frontiersin.orgTable 2. Differentially expressed endogenous metabolites detected by UHPLC-QTOF/MS.

    Functional analysis of differentially expressed plasma metabolites from alcohol-dependent patients

    To gain a further understanding of the metabolic disturbances between the NBA-ADP and HC group and between the BA-ADP and NBA-ADP group, we performed KEGG pathway enrichment analysis; we also used MetaboAnalyst version 5.0 to perform a functional analysis of plasma metabolites.

    As shown in Figure 6A, primary bile acid biosynthesis (map00120), taurine and hypotaurine metabolism (map00430) were the most important metabolic pathways that showed alterations in the alcohol-dependent patients (both the NBA-ADP group and the BA-ADP group) when compared with the HC group. In contrast, pentose and glucuronate interconversions (map00040) and glycerophospholipid metabolism (map00564) were detected in the BA-ADP group when compared with the NBA-ADP group (Figure 6B).

    FIGURE 6
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 6. Metabolite pathway changes identified using MetaboAnalyst 5.0. Pathway analysis of the differential plasma metabolites between NBA-ADP vs. HC (A), and BA-ADP vs. NBA-ADP (B). The y axis shows the p-values and the x axis, representing pathway impact values; node color is based on its p-value and node size reflects the pathway impact values.

    Screening of potential metabolic biomarkers for alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy

    The five most important metabolites selected by AdBooST were Sulfolithocholylglycine PC (16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), Allolithocholic acid, MG(0:0/22:1(13Z)/0:0), and Cyclopassifloic acid E (Figure 7A). The five most important metabolites selected by Random forest were PC (16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), N-[(3a,5b,7a)-3-hydroxy-24-oxo-7-(sulfooxy)cholan-24-yl]-Glycine, Cyclopassifloic acid E, 2,4-Dihydroxyacetophenone 5-sulfate, and Allolithocholic acid (Figure 7B). The five most important metabolites selected by Naive Bayes were Deoxycholic acid 3-glucuronide, Sulfolithocholylglycine, Cholic Acid, N-[(3a,5b,7a)-3-hydroxy-24-oxo-7-(sulfooxy)cholan-24-yl]-Glycine, and 2,4-Dihydroxyacetophenone 5-sulfate (Figure 7C). Nine metabolites (Cholic Acid, PC (16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), allolithocholic acid, sulfolithocholylglycine, N-[(3a,5b,7a)-3-hydroxy-24-oxo-7-(sulfooxy)cholan-24-yl]-Glycine, cyclopassifloic acid E, MG(0:0/22:1(13Z)/0:0), deoxycholic acid 3-glucuronide, 2,4-Dihydroxyacetophenone 5-sulfate) were identified as potential metabolic biomarkers for alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy. As shown in Figure 7D, the AUC of the ROC curve reached was 0.7719 for distinguishing between BA-ADP and NBA-ADP patients.

    FIGURE 7
    www.frontiersin.orgFigure 7. Screening of potential plasma metabolite biomarkers of alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy. The nine most important metabolites selected by Naive Bayes (A), AdaBoost (B), and Random Forest (C). The AUC value of the ROC curve of potential plasma metabolite biomarkers for distinguishing BA-ADP patients from NBA-ADP (D).

    Discussion

    It is well-known that alcohol can causes serious health problems, long-term abuse, and irreversible alterations in the structure and function of the brain (Rehm et al., 2017; Kranzler and Soyka, 2018). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that sought to identify potential plasma biomarkers of alcohol-dependent patients who have brain atrophy by applying non-targeted metabolomics and machine learning.

    In this study, a total of 26 metabolites were found to show significant changes between the BA-ADP and NBA-ADP group. Each of the identified metabolites were searched against synonyms in HMDB. These metabolites covered a range of chemical classes; lipids and lipid-like molecules were ranked highest and featured 22 of the metabolites. The obtained metabolites were classified based on the KEGG compound annotation database.3 Phospholipids and phospholipid metabolism were ranked first in the secondary classification category of KEGG compounds. As the main substance of the brain, lipids not only act as the building blocks of all membrane structures but also act as the repository for chemical energy and play a significant role in cellular signaling pathways (Holthuis and Menon, 2014; Van Deijk et al., 2017). Characteristic alterations in lipid—including structure, composition, or distribution—are thought account for alterations in neuronal function, synaptic signaling, and neurotransmitter transmission. A previous lipidomics study investigating the links between chronic alcohol infusion and whole brain lipid profile, demonstrated that specific lipid categories, mainly PS, PC and PE, appeared to be related to neuro-pathology (Wang et al., 2019). To further identify the potential metabolic biomarkers of BA-ADP, machine learning was used and nine metabolites ((Cholic Acid, PC (16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), Allolithocholic acid, Sulfolithocholylglycine, N-[(3a,5b,7a)-3-hydroxy-24-oxo-7-(sulfooxy) cholan-24-yl]-Glycine, Cyclopassifloic acid E, MG(0:0/22:1(13Z)/0:0), Deoxycholic acid 3-glucuronide, 2,4-Dihydroxyacetophenone 5-sulfate) were identified. The AUC of these metabolite biomarkers was 0.7719, thus indicating an acceptable correlation using metabolite biomarkers and an outstanding correlation using protein biomarkers.

    Of the nine differential metabolites identified in this study, there were several different species of bile acids, including cholic acid, allolithocholic acid, and deoxycholic acid 3-glucuronide. Bile acids readily cross the blood–brain barrier and their receptors are expressed in central tissues, suggesting that they may have important functional roles (Romanazzi et al., 2021). The bile acid signaling pathway plays an extremely important role in diseases and is a target for drug intervention. Drugs related to bile acids include chenodeoxycholic acid and its derivatives, ursodeoxycholic acid and its derivatives, bile acid sequestrants (such as cholestyramine), and apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) inhibitors. In the nervous system, ASBT-mediated bile acid reabsorption significantly increases the level of bile acid in the serum and brain tissue, reduces the acidity of the intestinal cavity, increases the pH of the intestine, and promotes the conversion of intestinal ammonium into ammonia, thus resulting in abnormally increased levels of neurotoxic ammonia and cytotoxic bile acid in the blood and brain. Previous studies have confirmed that changes in bile acid occur in patients who progress from cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease, and the relationship between this change and cognitive decline is well documented. In addition, our study identified two metabolites related to bile acids. The expression of these two-acyl glycine and bile acid-glycine conjugates varied significantly between the BA-ADP and NBA-ADP group. Therefore, we assumed that bile acids may strongly associated with alcohol-related brain atrophy. And additional targeted absolute quantitative analyze of the bile acid spectrum in future studies may be helpful.

    Interestingly, another class of potential metabolic biomarkers here we identified are lipid metabolites. It is widely documented that the homeostasis of lipid metabolism plays a significant role in the central nervous system. Many lipidomic-based studies have reported the relationship between the dysregulation of specific lipids and pathological conditions, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and cancer. It has been reported that long-term alcohol exposure significantly modifies the serum lipid profile, especially the metabolic pathways involving glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid and glycerolipids. Alcohol exposure can dramatically influence the lipidome of both the prefrontal cortex and striatum, thus leading to alcohol-related neurotoxicity and neuroplasticity. In the present study, by applying metabolomics analysis, we found that some glycerophospholipid (GP) metabolites, such as PC(P-16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), were significantly altered in alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy. GPs are the main components of the membrane structure. Different cell types, organelles, and inner/outer membranes in mammalian mitochondria, are known to have distinct glycerophospholipid compositions; these differences relate to the specific biological functions of these structures (Klaming et al., 2019). As GPs provide neural membranes with stability, fluidity and permeability, they are necessary for the normal biological function of integral membrane proteins, receptors, and ion-channels. Our present results suggest that chronic alcohol exposure may lead to brain atrophy and affect brain functionality by altering the composition of GPs. Alterations of the GP composition in neural membranes could therefore be related to neurological disorders. In addition, we found that some glycerolipids, such as MG(0:0/22:1(13Z)/0:0), were significantly altered in alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy. Further research now needs to investigate the key metabolic enzymes that mediate alcohol-induced dysfunction of lipidome profiling in the brain.

    Based on the identified metabolites, we further identified two significantly altered metabolic pathways (primary bile acid biosynthesis, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism) that were most closely related to alcohol dependence irrespective of whether brain atrophy was involved or not. As endogenous signaling molecules, bile acids are synthesized in the liver and secreted into the gastrointestinal tract for postprandial nutrient absorption and to control the overgrowth of microbial growth. In addition, gut microbes metabolize bile acids and in doing so, determine the composition of the circulating bile acids, thus regulating host metabolism (Chiang and Ferrell, 2019). Patients with acute alcohol intake exhibit increased serum levels of bile acids and cholestatic liver injury; alcohol intake also increases bile acid pool size and reduces bile acid flow and fecal excretion (Donepudi et al., 2018). Wang et al. found that the abundance of firmicutes and clostridium was notably increased in alcohol-addicted mice, and the levels of secondary bile acids produced by firmicutes had increased (Wang et al., 2018). In conclusion, compared with healthy individuals, there are certain changes in the expression levels of bile acid metabolites (including tauroursodeoxycholic acid, cholic acid and allocholic acid) in alcohol-addicted patients. The analysis showed that regulation of bile acid biosynthesis is likely to contribute to the occurrence and development of alcohol-related diseases.

    As for taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, taurine has already been shown to protect mice with alcoholic liver injury by reducing hepatic oxidative stress and interrupting the alcohol-induced renal inflammatory cycle (Tang et al., 2019). It is well known that taurine can also prevent and repair liver damage and balance liver lipid metabolism indicators in a mouse model of alcoholic liver disease. The mechanism involved in this protection may be related to the regulation of related enzymes and transcriptional regulators involved in lipid metabolism (Latchoumycandane et al., 2014). In another study, Xia et al. suggested that the metabolic pathways of ascorbic acid, taurine, and hypotaurine, may play an active role in the protection against Antrodin A secreted by Antrodia camphorata and thus protect against alcoholic liver injury (Yi et al., 2021). Our present study also found that the BA-ADP group showed an elevation in taurine, compared with the NBA-ADP group. Thus, those imply that the metabolic pathways of taurine and hypotaurine may be also associated with alcohol-related brain atrophy.

    To further identify the potential pathways that may be associated with alcohol-related brain atrophy, the KEGG pathway analysis using difference metabolites between BA-ADP and NBA-ADP was performed. We found that glycerophospholipid metabolism, along with pentose and glucuronate interconversions, were significantly associated with alcohol-related brain atrophy. This finding is in line with previous studies that demonstrated the impact of glycerophospholipid metabolism on neurodegenerative changes (Frisardi et al., 2011). Previous studies have shown that the degradation products of glycerophospholipids have pro-inflammatory effects and that their production is often accompanied by the activation of astrocytes and microglia and the release of inflammatory cytokines; these changes lead to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation (Bonelli et al., 2020). Changes in glycerophospholipid metabolism have also been shown to lead to changes in cell membrane permeability and ion homeostasis, thus leading to oxidative stress and neurodegenerative changes (Fuller and Futerman, 2018). Increased small vascular disease load was linked to changes in glycerophospholipid metabolism, as seen by increased white matter hyperintensity volume, decreased mean diffusivity normalized peak height, increased brain atrophy, and decreased cognition (Harshfield et al., 2022). Previous report has found that pentose and glucuronate interconversions is associated with the cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease (He et al., 2020). In the present study, we report, for the first time, that pentose and glucuronate interconversions are also associated with alcohol-related brain atrophy. However, the precise role of these two regulatory metabolic pathways in the pathophysiological mechanism of alcohol dependence-related brain atrophy requires further investigation.

    Limitations

    This study has several limitations that need to be considered. First, the metabolomic analysis performed in the present study did not provide absolute quantification. If this model is to be applied clinically, more rigorous quantification and extensive validation of metabolites would be needed. Targeted metabolomics could be used to validate these specific plasma metabolomic biomarkers. Second, the sample size of this study was rather small, particularly in proteomic analysis; thus, additional patients are required for future analysis. Third, only XGBoost, RF, and AdaBoost Classifier were used to screen for potential biomarkers. Other machine learning methods, such as Support Vector Machine and Boruta could be used in future analyses. Fourth, due to the complex genetic and microenvironmental backgrounds of our patients, other biofluids, such as urine, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid, could also be used to identify additional novel biomarkers. This will provide a more to comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of brain atrophy in alcohol-dependent patients. Last, we failed to reveal any differences in cognitive tests between control patients and those identified as having brain atrophy in this study, more detailed cognitive tests may be help in future research.

    Conclusion

    This was the first attempt to conduct a metabolomic analysis of plasma samples from healthy control groups and alcohol-dependent patients. Our data showed that patients with alcohol-dependent brain atrophy had distinct metabolic profiles compared with healthy controls and alcohol-dependent patients who do not have brain atrophy. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis suggested that alterations in the metabolome may be involved in disease pathogenesis. Although further research is needed, our results offer useful diagnostic and therapeutic clues for the management of alcohol-dependent patients with brain atrophy. source

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