Clinical lycanthropy is a psychiatric illness in which a person is convinced they are metamorphosing into a werewolf. Those affected by clinical lycanthropy believe they can transform into animals. Typically, the people affected assumed that they could turn into wolves and werewolves, although other species are sometimes included. Those who suffer from this disease often begin to act like animals and often find themselves in dark and isolated woods, living or hiding. Most individuals have not learned about lycanthropy because this condition is extremely rare. There were 56 reliable case accounts for people who believed they had transformed into a wolf after 1850, according to LifeScience.com. Among these, the criteria for clinical lycanthropy were met by only 13 reports. There are plenty of signs and some treatments for this syndrome that will be discussed later.  This disorder is studied to help eventually prevent it in the future.  In addition, the search for effective treatments for patients is currently being investigated. People affected by this disorder grunt, growl, claw, and feel their body is covered in long hair and that their nails have elongated. They strongly believe that they are in the process of becoming a wolf.

Lycanthropy is an unusual circumstance but not a new phenomenon.  In 1852, the first reported lycanthropy report was published. This report described a man who had been taken to an asylum in France, known as the Asile d’Aliénés de Maréville, because he claimed his body had undergone an abnormal change. Although the man seemed to appear perfectly healthy, he told his physicians that he had long claws on his feet and sharp fangs on his teeth and that his body was covered with dark, long hair. He was convinced that he had become a werewolf, and he was constantly asking the doctors to put him on a raw meat diet. Finally, the asylum nurses accepted, but he refused to eat what they offered him because it wasn’t “rotten enough.” Instead, he begged the physicians to end his pain by dragging him into the woods and killing him. They did not complete this request, and the man died years later in the asylum. The most recent case of lycanthropy occurred on April 30th, 2019. According to a report filed in March of 2019, a young Florida man was convicted of murdering a couple and biting one of their faces. Psychiatrists inferred that the convicted man suffered from “clinical lycanthropy delusions,” a diagnosis made throughout a mental health assessment by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick. Austin Harouff was charged with the murder of John Stevens III and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, at their home in Martin County. When the deputies arrived on the scene, they reported seeing Harouff, age 19, lying on top of Stevens, growling and chewing on Stevens’ face and neck. Such conduct is quite wolf-like, and it provides valid reasoning for physicians to conclude that Harouff has lycanthropy. These are only the oldest and newest cases. There are around 60 other cases that lie between these, waiting to be uncovered.

Since cases of lycanthropy are quite rare, those who have experienced a case first-hand have written information books about it for those who are interested in learning about the disorder.  A novel called Elephant in the Brain aims to encourage us to confront our hidden motives directly. This book highlights lycanthropy and its effects and possible causes. This informative text was written by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson. Another informational book on clinical lycanthropy is, Psychopathology; From Science to Clinical Practice. This authoritative text provides a rich understanding of the links between psychopathology research and clinical practice to students and practitioners. The book also covers the effects of clinical lycanthropy and the hallucinations associated with it. A book called The Book Of Werewolves: The Classic Study Of Lycanthropy is another informative resource regarding lycanthropy cases. This book shares information on werewolves, along with stories and recent and past cases of lycanthropy. This book is written by S. Baring-Gould. Clearly, clinical lycanthropy is extremely rare, but that doesn’t stop curious psychiatrists from researching this hidden, ominous disorder.

Clinical lycanthropy is a rare psychiatric disorder that affects less than 2% of the population. Lycanthropy is typically described as a rare psychotic disease that involves a delusion that the affected individual can transform into or has transformed into a wolf. This disorder is so infrequent that there have only been around 70 occurrences ever recorded. A patient diagnosed with lycanthropy would most likely get treated with a medication such as an antipsychotic or anti-tremor drug. Behavioral therapy, family therapy, cognitive therapy, rehabilitation, and group psychotherapy are conventional treatments for mental disorders. The symptoms typically are shown behaviorally, cognitively, psychologically, and through the mood or speech. Sometimes the affected patient will show their symptoms by acting like the animal they see themselves as. The patient might be rolling on the floor, grumbling, crying, and even growling. Despite the fact that lycanthropy is a rare disorder, further research is vital in finding the rooting cause of this syndrome. 

This blog post is part of the CIMA law group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA law group specializes in Immigration law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. 

After 99 days of the lockout, Major League Baseball and the Players Association have reached an agreement on March 10, which will mean baseball will officially return. Major League Baseball’s last lockout was in 1994 when players went on strike until the 1995 season. Although the agreement almost did not happen, the union subcommittee voted 8-0 against the deal but the union’s larger executive committee voted 26 to 12 in favor of the new deal. Thus, games that were scheduled for this month will be rescheduled for the end of the season and Opening Day will be April 7th.

The new deal consists of many new benefits for players. For instance, a 162 game schedule will now be played. Players will have an increase of pay from $570,500 to $700,000. In addition, for the lost time, players will still receive their full salaries in 2022. The season will consist of an expansion of 12-teams for the postseason, with six teams from each league going to playoffs. Furthermore, jerseys are now allowed to have patches of advertisements along with decals on their helmets. Both the American League and the National League are allowed designated hitters. Additionally, there will be a limited amount of times a player can be placed in the minor leagues in one season. 

The MLB now has a 45-minute window to make any rule changes such as a pitch clock and larger bases. With the lockout finally over there is a surplus of free agent players like Freddie Freeman who are looking for a team willing to spend their money. Baseball fans are eagerly waiting to watch their favorite team play. Players as well have been anticipating being together again and hearing the fans cheer them on. Overall, the 99-day lockout proves how much the players are willing to pause the season to demand what they are owed.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been hard on everyone, adding new stressors to everyday life. We had to deal with death, supply chain shortages, constantly changing regulations, and not being able to see friends or family. While we adapted to the new way of life as a whole, all of these things have taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. Showing in a study from the World Health Organization that anxiety and depression increased 25% globally. The largest cause for this was increased isolation because of fear of catching the disease. The World Health Organization also found that women and children were the most likely to suffer from increased mental distress. 

This situation has highlighted some pre-existing issues within health care systems. Increased awareness of the fact that research and problems were going at different speeds. The research that scientists were conducting on cells, and mice was having little impact on what was actually happening in the world around them.  They were studying depression, while suicide rates were skyrocketing. One of the major problems in assessing the mental health of the country is that it is very different from other illnesses and the way we go about resolving these issues should be approached in a new way. Rather than approaching mental health by simply identifying the problem, there is a push from the scientists to find ways to deal with these issues instead.

In an attempt to fix this ongoing crisis, President Biden addressed his focus on mental health in his state of the union address. His speech focused on how proper mental health care affects everyone in the United States. While his comments inspired many people in the field, there are still doubts that other governmental roadblocks, like congress, will disrupt the plan. The president outlined his plan, emphasizing the mental health of children, encouraging development in the mental health sector of medical practices, increasing funding, and requiring insurance to cover mental health service cost coverage.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been arrested and now has ten charges against him. He has been charged with attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle, assault with firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, willfully discharging a fire arm from a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm to commit a felony. If he is found guilty, Velasquez will face a minimum of 20 years up to life in prison.

There is large controversy behind the arrest of Velasquez, considering, the man he was shooting at had recently been charged with molesting a “close relative.” This close relative was soon to be identified as his four year old son. The alleged abuser was released from custody over the district attorneys objection’s. Velasquez followed the man in his truck, pointed the gun, and opened fire. Those who are in support of Velasquez say he should be free, claiming he was defending his family and doing a job the justice system failed to do.

The man he was aiming for was, Harry Goularte, was released with a zero dollar bail. People are angry that the man did not face as many consequences as Velasquez has. Goularte was released from custody on February 25th, against the DA’s orders. He was ordered to stay in home detention and remain 100 yards away from any person under the age of fourteen. Along with this, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor at all times.

Judge Brown, who has been assigned to hearing this case, denied bail for Velasquez. The judge says that it is too dangerous and that it involves extreme recklessness to human life. The judge believes if Velasquez received bail, he would do the same thing and maybe worse. When looking at this case, the judge will be referring to Article 1, section 12 which looks at the level of risk that the court must take into consideration. With that being said, the court said the risk is too great and there will be no bail set at this time.

This blog post is part of the CIMA law group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA law group specializes in Immigration law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations

El Segundo Blue Butterfly

The El Segundo blue butterfly can be found in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. This butterfly lost approximately 90 percent of its ocean-side habitat due to the construction of LAX. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “the remaining habitat was highly degraded and overtaken by exotic plants.” The butterfly’s population declined from about 1,000. Thanks to restoration efforts, the butterfly can now be found at seven Southern California sites instead of only two. These sites include Ballona Wetlands, El Segundo, Dockweiler, Torrance Beach, Pt Vicente, Redondo Beach, and Malaga Cove. The El Segundo Blue Butterfly was saved from extinction by these restoration efforts. By 2011, the butterfly had seen an astounding increase in population by an incredible 22,000 percent.  

Tricolored blackbird

The Tricolored Blackbird can be found in the Central Valley of California, extending south into northern Baja California. Though these rare blackbirds continue to form large colonies, the number of Tricolored Blackbirds has decreased significantly since the 1930s. Studies performed in the 1930s estimated that there were around 2–3 million Tricolored Blackbirds. Recent research shows that now there are an estimated 300,000. The tricolored blackbird prefers wetland and grassland habitats which don’t exist in many parts of California. Most of the bird’s native habitats have been lost over the years. Within the Central Valley, breeding colonies are located in Sacramento Valley and in the lower Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley.

Southern Sea Otter

Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the southern sea otter has seen a notable decline in population due to unavailability of prey, entanglement in commercial fishing gear, oil spills, contaminants, disease, and shark predation. There are only about 3,000 southern sea otters left in the wild today. As stated by Defenders, “as top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments, and estuaries. Without sea otters, sea urchins can overpopulate the seafloor and devour the kelp forests that provide cover and food for many other marine animals.

This blog post is part of the CIMA law group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA law group specializes in Immigration law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued for the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to open investigations against certain gender-affirming care for transgender children because in his interpretation of the law that is “child abuse”. Within the week of Governor Abbott’s announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton assured that this new interpretation of the law applied to all elements of transgender care which includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery as being considered a form of child abuse. Furthermore, the agency has taken down all information about gender identity and a hotline for suicide prevention from their website. Although the Texas legislature has not passed a law banning treatment for transgender children, the governor, and the attorney general are currently investigating families participating in these supposed forms of child abuse.

An example of these investigations that have already begun against families, involves an employee of the state protective services agency and their 16-year-old transgender child. Ironically, the employee reviewed reports on abuse and neglect and was put on administrative leave while the investigation continues. The A.C.L.U of Texas and Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization with an emphasis on the L.G.B.T.Q community, are challenging the legitimacy of the investigation and seeking for the governor to change the definition of child abuse.

As of March 2, 2022, in the case filed by the ACLU for the employee, Texas Judge Amy Clark Meachum partially blocked Governor Abbott’s interpretation of gender-affirming care as child abuse. In the cities of Houston, Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio, the DAs have publicly announced they are not going to be prosecuting families with transgender patients. All in all, Governor Abbott’s new order is putting the lives of transgender children in danger and is especially stripping away resources they have the right to access. Moreover, it is a denial of healthcare for these children. His interpretation of the law is setting back the country 10 years. Lastly, it is shocking that someone’s opinion of the law is somehow considered legal despite what the state law discusses.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.