PTNS-501 Lessons

Black and white. The sight of all working benches covered by a cast of the Color Change Charm in a checkerboard pattern impacts your sight as soon as you step foot into the dungeons. You take a moment to process it all - after all, Professor Draekon is not typically one to resort to gimmicks or any unnecessary antics before beginning his lecture. It seems like you are not the only one wondering about the redecoration, though - people all around you discuss the new decor in muffled voices until the professor makes his way into the classroom.

“Duality is the key point to today’s lecture, both with regards to what our potion will treat and how we will prepare it. For that reason, I reckoned that a visual reminder could prime you all into discussing what being ‘dual’ could actually entail. Nevertheless, it is time to begin”, the man states.

Introduction

Today we are going to discuss two psychological disorders that are quite similar to depression; owing to that reason, I shall not repeat pieces of information that have already been explained in the past. Given the fact that you are expected to sit your midterms today, perhaps it is for the best that today’s lesson will be shorter than most - this should give you enough time to mentally prepare yourselves for the task and do your best in the examination.

To be more specific, today we shall discuss both bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder, which could be considered specific subsets of depression due to peculiar characteristics that are not present in the average depressive episode. Furthermore, we shall also study a brew called Placating Philtrum by the end of the lesson, which is used to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Do note, however, that seasonal affective disorder can be treated both with the Temperament Modifying Potion we studied last week and the brew we’ll see today, owing to reasons that will soon become evident.

Bipolar Disorder

Originally named “manic depression” due to its symptoms, bipolar disorder is characterized by very extreme mood swings that range from mania, or a period of abnormally high happiness and energy level, to depression. Despite its former naming, it was later discovered that certain forms of the disorder - such as cyclothymia - do not fully conform to that pattern. Owing to that reason and the fact the old name relied too heavily on the emotional symptoms rather than providing an accurate overview of the physical and psychological aspects of bipolar disorder, its name changed with the publication of the DSM-III in 1980.

Before we proceed, let me rectify a common misconception that some might have about bipolar disorder. A few people believe that the manic periods in bipolar disorder make the condition more manageable than clinical depression, as episodes of mania are linked to high self-esteem and happiness. However, that is far from the truth - although mania is indeed connected to these positive traits, it is also associated with recklessness and impulsive decision-making, as well as disruptiveness to daily activities due to the high levels of excitement.

Having said that, let us then take a deeper look at the three different forms of bipolar disorder. Simply put, bipolar disorder can be further broken down into bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder and cyclothymia, depending on how intense the episodes of mania and depression are and for how long they last. In the case of bipolar I disorder, a patient must present a full manic episode, thusly defined as “a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently goal-directed behavior or energy, lasting at least one week and present most of the day, nearly every day (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary)”. Three or more of the following symptoms must be present to a significant degree:

1. Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
2. Decreased need for sleep
3. More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
4. Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
5. Distractibility, as reported or observed
6. Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
7. Excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences

It should be further noted that the diagnostic criteria also requires that the episode cannot be explained by the presence of another psychological condition, such as schizophrenia, nor by the use of any substance, such as drugs or medications, that can impact a person’s normal functioning. Last but not least, the mood disturbance also needs to be significant enough to cause “marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features'' - in other words, the event must be sufficiently disruptive to one’s life in order to qualify as a manic episode.

On the other hand, patients that present bipolar II disorder experience a lesser form of mania aptly called “hypomania”, which is distinguished by a shorter period of at least four days with not as extreme goal-directed behavior. In more precise terms, hypomania can be defined as “a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy, lasting at least four consecutive days and present most of the day, nearly every day” and containing three or more of the same symptoms listed above. However, a hypomanic episode is, by definition, “not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or to necessitate hospitalization”, thus making these episodes significantly lighter on those that have bipolar II disorder.

I would like to emphasize that bipolar II disorder is not a lighter version of bipolar I disorder, however. Although the manic episodes are indeed much more manageable for those that have bipolar II disorder, the depressive episodes associated with that condition frequently last longer than they do in patients with bipolar I. For that reason, it is imperative for us to see both syndromes as related disorders, rather than the same disorder with different levels of intensity.

Last but not least, comes a third form of bipolar disorder named “cyclothymic disorder”, also called “cyclothymia”. In order for a person to receive a diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder, their mood fluctuations must be less intense than those present in individuals with bipolar I or bipolar II disorder; in other words, cyclothymia could indeed be considered a less intense form of bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, I would be remiss to not mention that, even though cyclothymic disorder poses fewer disruptions to a person’s daily life than the other forms of bipolar disorder do, that does not make the disorder any less valid or deserving of receiving its appropriate treatment.

All three of the disorders listed above might vary in intensity and rate - however, they all present a common pattern that is not present in clinical depression. To put it plainly, bipolar disorder is characterized by the alternating presence of manic and depressive episodes, and for that reason using the Temperament Modifying Potion is ill-advised, as the brew would present negative effects if present in a patient’s bloodstream during an episode of mania or hypomania, intensifying the symptoms. It is for that reason that the Placating Philtrum was devised instead, helping those with bipolar disorder to manage their symptoms regardless of the current mood fluctuation they are experiencing.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

As we have previously discussed, changes in a person’s environment can have an impact on the presence of depressive episodes. This is true even in cases where a person does not typically present clinical depression, creating a condition that is called seasonal affective disorder.

Simply put, seasonal affective disorder happens when changes in the season trigger a depressive episode, which is then alleviated as soon as the season ends. This condition most commonly happens during late fall or early winter (winter-onset seasonal affective disorder), although some individuals present this condition during the warmer days of late spring or early summer (summer-onset seasonal affective disorder).

There are many reasons why seasonal affective disorder is theorized to happen, including changes in circadian rhythm (i.e., your internal clock) and changes in sunlight levels. It should be noted, therefore, that those who are more impacted by seasonal affective disorder tend to live in high latitudes, as their exposure to sunlight varies drastically from season to season.

As I mentioned earlier, the Temperament Modifying Potion is an apt solution to deal with this disorder in most cases. The reason for that is quite simple - differently from bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder does not present any type of manic or hypomanic episodes among its symptoms, so using the Placating Philtrum is not required. Having said that, having bipolar disorder is an added risk factor for seasonal affective disorder; in these cases, both disorders should be treated concomitantly with the Placating Philtrum instead.

Definition of Conglomerate Potion

As you may have picked up on by this point, the Placating Philtrum can be used to treat a number of mood disorders - including seasonal affective disorder and clinical depression - but it is not usually recommended in these contexts. For those that are asking themselves why that is the case, the reason lies in the fact that the Placating Philtrum is a conglomerate potion.

By definition, conglomerate potions are described as “the combination of two or more potions brewed at the same time, which are then mixed into one another and bound with the use of a specific charm”. Incidentally, the required charm to bind both potions is called the Conglomeration Charm and has the following spell elements:

Incantation: Fluidunctio (floo-eeh-DOON-kshioh)
Wand Movement: A semicircle with its ends pointing upwards, traced from left to right, followed by a clockwise circle directly below the semicircle, starting at its lowermost part.
Willpower: Moderate to high, depending on the volatility of the potions joined and how compatible they are with one another.
Concentration: High, on the effects the final potion should have.

Now that we have studied what a conglomerate potion is and how it can be joined, we must then consider why we have such a classification. The reason for that lies in the fact that sometimes, brews must contain properties that are somewhat contradictory to one another, to the point that we cannot make use of a single recipe - lest we create an ineffective or volatile concoction at the end of the process.

As you have probably surmised, the Placating Philtrum is one such potion, as the mixture deals with symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time. However, due to the opposite nature of the constituent potions, this brew also presents very dramatic issues - such as the potential for intense side-effects and the need for very specific doses - that are not frequently associated with the average potion.

Benefits of Conglomerate Potion Administration

All of the facts discussed above seem to illustrate that administering a conglomerate potion is a bad idea in most of the cases. However, that is far from the truth - when compared to all other alternatives we have when addressing a given issue, there are many circumstances in which the use of a conglomerate potion is the best option.

Take, for instance, the administration of multiple potions for different ailments. As you might recall from our studies in Year Three, administering multiple potions also has the potential for increased side-effects that can be quite intense; in addition to that, the side-effects are frequently unpredictable, as they depend on the potions administered and their ratios of administration. Owing to that fact, administering a conglomerate potion instead gives us a way to control the patient’s exposure to personal risk, as we know what side-effects we must pay attention to and how they usually present themselves.

Furthermore, the use of a conglomerate potion ensures that treatments are kept more or less consistent, as the properties of both brews are bound together after the use of the Conglomeration Charm. When kept separate, different brews might degrade at distinctive rates, meaning that the adequate ratios for potion administration might change over time.

For instance, assume that bipolar disorder can be treated with the use of Potion A and Potion B at the same time, initially at a 1:1 ratio. However, Potion A loses its properties quicker than Potion B does, and for that reason the ratio will tend to increase over time. In that case, trying to mix Potion A with Potion B on the spot might produce a final mixture that does not address the patient’s symptoms - or, in a worst-case scenario, even exacerbate their issues. On the other hand, using the Placating Philtrum would prevent that possibility from happening, as the constituent parts of a conglomerate potion do not degrade at different rates after being bound to one another.

However, it goes without saying that using a single potion instead of a conglomerate potion is typically the recommended path of action when that possibility is present. This is why healers frequently administer the Temperament Modifying Potion when possible, even though the Placating Philtrum could also serve for the same purposes.

Today, you will have to make sure that your focus is on point, as you’ll have to brew two potions at the same time, and the mixtures might not be in sync with one another. For those that only have one cauldron, a spare shall be provided - make sure that you account for any differences in material, as I will be handing out pewter cauldrons today. Without further ado, let us begin.

Placating Philtrum

Estimated Brewing Time (based on Cauldron B’s material):
Pewter Cauldron: 1 hour and 52 minutes
Brass Cauldron: 1 hour, 41 minutes and 36 seconds
Copper Cauldron: 1 hour, 32 minutes and 14.4 seconds

Total Brewing Time (based on Cauldron B’s material):
Pewter Cauldron: 12 days, 1 hour and 52 minutes
Brass Cauldron: 12 days, 1 hour, 41 minutes and 36 seconds
Copper Cauldron: 12 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 14.4 seconds

Ingredients:
3 L of seawater
10 g of finely ground Knarl quills¹
5 mL of dog bile (yellow and black blend)¹
3 Wampus cat claws¹
8 g of boiled Devil’s Snare¹
2 strands of unicorn tail hair²
2 Flitterby wings²
½ of a small brick (砖茶) of Pu’er tea²
2 g of sterling silver²
7 g of coarsely chopped dark chocolate³
4 peony petals³
20 mL of acerola cherry juice³

Instructions

Part One:
1. With the heat still off, add 1.5 L of seawater to your first cauldron and 1.5 L of seawater to your second cauldron. From this point onwards, these cauldrons will be referred to as Cauldron A and Cauldron B, respectively.
2. Bring the heat to 378 Kelvin (104.85°C/220.73°F) on both cauldrons.
3. Add 5 mL of dog bile to Cauldron A, stir its contents three times counterclockwise, then let its contents simmer in your pewter cauldron for 7 minutes.
(This would be 6 minutes and 18 seconds in a brass cauldron and 5 minutes and 40.2 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
4. Add 8 g of boiled Devil’s Snare to Cauldron B, stir its contents twice counterclockwise, then let its contents simmer in your pewter cauldron for 6 minutes.
(This would be 5 minutes and 24 seconds in a brass cauldron and 4 minutes and 51.6 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
5. Stir the contents of Cauldron B three times clockwise and add 2 g of sterling silver directly into the whirlpool formed by the stirring.
6. Bring the heat of Cauldron B to 413 Kelvin (139.85°C/283.73°F) and let its contents simmer in your pewter cauldron for 13 minutes.
(This would be 11 minutes and 42 seconds in a brass cauldron and 10 minutes and 31.8 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
7. Stir the contents of Cauldron A twice clockwise add 2 strands of unicorn tail hair directly into the whirlpool formed by the stirring
8. Bring the heat of Cauldron A to 409 Kelvin (135.85°C/276.53°F) and let its contents simmer in your pewter cauldron for 14 minutes.
(This would be 12 minutes and 36 seconds in a brass cauldron and 11 minutes and 20.4 seconds in a copper cauldron.)

At this point, your potion in Cauldron A should be peach-colored and smell like rust, whereas your potion in Cauldron B should be light blue and smell like popcorn. Neither potion should produce any visible steam at this point.

Part Two:
1. Wrap ½ of a small brick of Pu’er tea with clean gauze on all sides, and submerge the wrapping into the contents of Cauldron B for 8 minutes, regardless of cauldron type.
2. Bring the heat of Cauldron A to 395 Kelvin (121.85°C/251.33°F).
3. Add 10 g of finely ground Knarl quills to Cauldron A, stir its contents once counterclockwise, then let its contents simmer in your pewter cauldron for 21 minutes.
(This would be 18 minutes and 54 seconds in a brass cauldron and 17 minutes and 0.6 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
4. Remove the wrapping containing the Pu’er tea from Cauldron B, then stir its contents once clockwise and bring its heat to 378 Kelvin (104.85°C/220.73°F).
5. Add the wrapping containing the Pu’er tea, 3 Wampus cat claws and 4 peony petals to a mortar, then crush all ingredients until you obtain a coarse paste.
(Note: Do not remove the gauze when first adding the wrapping to the mortar. The liquid imbibing the cloth helps temper the properties of the Wampus cat claws and stabilize the final paste. Failure to add the gauze generates a caustic paste that will burn through any surface that’s not made of animal bone.)
6. Remove the gauze from the contents of your mortar, add the remaining paste to Cauldron B, then stir its contents three times clockwise.
7. Bring the heat of Cauldron B to 474 Kelvin (200.85°C/393.53°F) and let its contents simmer for 1 hour and 11 minutes in your pewter cauldron.
(This would be 1 hour, 3 minutes and 54 seconds in a brass cauldron and 57 minutes and 30.6 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
8. Stir the contents of Cauldron A once clockwise, then add 2 Flitterby wings to its contents.
9. Stir the contents of Cauldron A once clockwise, then add 7 g of coarsely chopped dark chocolate to its contents.
10. Bring the heat of Cauldron A to 453 Kelvin (179.85°C/355.73°F) and let its contents simmer for as long as it takes for Cauldron B to finish Step 7, regardless of cauldron type.

At this point, your potion in Cauldron A should be pitch-black, smell like tar and emit white steam swirls that spiral above the surface of your potion, whereas your potion in Cauldron B should be platinum white, smell like moth balls and spin around in a constant whirlpool inside your cauldron.

Part Three:
1. Bring the heat to 378 Kelvin (104.85°C/220.73°F) on both cauldrons.
2. Add 5 mL of acerola cherry juice to each cauldron, for a total use of 10 mL, then stir the contents of each cauldron twice clockwise.
3. Siphon the contents of Cauldron A into Cauldron B with the Siphoning Charm.
4. Add 10 mL of acerola cherry juice to Cauldron B, then stir its contents twice clockwise.
5. Bring the heat of Cauldron B to 516 Kelvin (242.85°C/469.13°F) and cast the Conglomeration Charm on its contents.
6. Let the contents of Cauldron B simmer for 14 minutes in your pewter cauldron.
(This would be 12 minutes and 36 seconds in a brass cauldron and 11 minutes and 20.4 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
7. The potion must mature for 12 days before consumption. 

The final potion should be beige and smell faintly like rubbing alcohol. Its taste strongly resembles milk pudding.

Storage:

The Placating Philtrum should be kept under moderate light and temperature conditions, preferably in a cabinet whose internal temperature is close to 25°C. The potion can be stored for one year before expiring, although it is not recommended to use a potion that was brewed more than seven months ago if the patient’s case is severe.

Usage:

Administer (W/50) + (A/20) mL of the Placating Philtrum every seven days in order to control a patient’s symptoms of bipolar disorder, with W being the patient’s weight in kilograms and A being the patient’s age in years. For example, a 30 year old patient weighing 70 kilograms should drink 70/50 + 30/20 = 2.9 mL of the Placating Philtrum weekly to address their symptoms.

Caution:

Do not consume the Placating Philtrum without healer recommendation. Side-effects of this brew consumption include heart palpitations, bradycardia, temporary sealing of one’s eyelids and/or mouth, increase of intracranial pressure and swelling of blood vessels. In case any of these symptoms begin to appear, consult with a healer immediately.

Closing

I would like to bring your attention to Part Two, Step Ten in order to make a final observation. The more astute of you probably realized that, depending on the cauldron combinations, this step might take longer or shorter to complete. As a general rule, this is not an issue for most cauldron combinations - however, it is not recommended for the brew contained in Cauldron A to be heated for periods longer than one hour and one minute, and for that reason a set up in which Cauldron A is made of copper and Cauldron B is made of pewter is ill-advised.

I assume that you are all ready for your Midterms, then. Luckily for you, this means that you won’t need to complete a specific quiz for this lesson, although that does not mean the workload will be any lighter this week. For your tasks, expect an examination covering the content spanning from our first lesson to this very moment as well as an essay prompt devised to test your ability to see patterns in all of the potions studied so far in Year Five.

Dismissed.

Original lesson written by Professor Vaylen Draekon
Image credits here, here and here