- History
- The Brain
- Nature v. Nurture
- Development
- States of Consciousness
- Health Psychology
- Perception
- Personality Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Dissociative Disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Other Disorders
Kenneth Morales
General Psychology
11:00
Injuries of the Brain
In sports players are at risk of causing serious injuries to their brain. Getting hit in the head is a concussion which a good percentage of all sports players will receive in their lifetime. Many people do not realize how dangerous these injuries are. “A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works” (http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/sports/index.html). A recent hockey player Mason Crosby who was suppose to be one of the greatest hockey player to ever play the game has had so many concussions in his lifetime that after is last one they said that he may never be able to play again. Hitting in hockey is the nature of the game, people won’t change the ways of the game because of people getting hurt. Even though the goal of the game is to get the puck into the net, people go to watch the human drama of physical contact. They don’t realize the consequences of the continual physical abuse.
The effects of concussions can cause memory loss, blackouts, blurred vision and later in life can be linked to Alzheimer’s. These effects are all linked to different parts of the brain it depends on where the damage takes place. If your occipital lobe is damage then your vision is going to be corrupted because it is the part of the brain that develops your sight. If your frontal lobe is damage by a blow to the head then your thought process and memory might be affected. This is why people who have played sports that are older and have receive a concussion report that they have problems with retaining information and memory loss.
Hockey is not the only sport with the dangers of brain damage. Football is played by all ages and all of them are in danger of concussions. In the NFL tackling and hitting is also the nature of the game. “A 2000 study surveyed 1,090 former N.F.L. players and found more than 60 percent had suffered at least one concussion in their careers and 26 percent had had three or more”(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/football/head_injuries/index.html). The N.F.L. has made strides to protect the players by providing better helmets. Even this has only slightly reduced the number of concussions and head injuries to the players.
I can understand why players put at themselves at risk when they play sports because I play college baseball even though it is not a high contact sport there is always a chance of getting an injury to the brain. Life is full of risks. As long as athletes take the proper precautions it is worth the risk.
The Cerebellum
Whitney Schultz
The cerebellum or “little brain” is located at the back of the brain, just above the brain stem. The cerebellum is relatively well protected from trauma and is the size of a baseball. The cerebellum makes up only 10% of our brain, but it holds up nearly half of the neurons in the entire brain, which is another reason of its importance to the human body. The cerebellum is involved in the coordination of voluntary motor movement, balance and equilibrium and even muscle tone. Although, recent studies have shown that the cerebellum plays an important part in other cognitive functions, like our attention, the way we focus and capture images. Breathing, sleeping, blood pressure and heart rate are also controlled by the cerebellum.
Injury to the cerebellum results in movements that are slow and uncoordinated. Individuals with cerebellar lesions tend to sway and stagger when walking. Damage to the cerebellum can lead to loss of coordination of motor movement, the inability to judge distance and when to stop, the inability to perform rapid alternating movements, movement tremors, staggering, wide based walking, tendency toward falling, weak muscles, slurred speech, and abnormal eye movements.
I have had damage to my cerebellum. If I was ever pulled over while driving and asked to perform the field sobriety test, I would fail. I have difficulty walking in a straight line and standing on one foot. I would probably appear to be totally drunk. I can thank my brain tumor for the “having-no-alcohol” alcohol side effects! Actually, my neuro-oncologist tells me all the time, “you know what alcohol does to a normal brain. With the damage to your cerebellum, you can not ever drink alcohol!”
Here is an interesting fact about the cerebellum: when you are driving your car it is your cerebrum sending signals to your hands and arms, ‘telling’ them how to move and it is your cerebellum that is actually coordinating them for accuracy.
When I go for check-ups at Children’s Hospital Colorado, my doctor performs a series of tests on me. They include standing on one foot then the other, walking a straight line, running down the hall, standing in one spot with my eyes closed, moving my fingers in a certain sequence, and touching my nose with the finger he tells me. The first time I tried doing these test, I completely failed. Gratefully, the cerebellum is a very forgiving part of the brain and a lot of things can be relearned. With a lot of practice, these tests are getting easier. I think I continue to amaze Dr. Foreman with my ability to perform the tests. Now, when Dr. Foreman makes me stand with my eyes closed he doesn’t even have to stand behind me! Even when you are sitting comfortably, with your balance intact, it is all due to the cerebellum, the magnificent brain structure that controls how we perceive things through our senses.
Pictures above are actual copies of my MRI’s. The first picture is the very first MRI scan I received after being diagnosed with my Medulloblastoma Brain Tumor in September 2007. You can actually see the tumor. It is the lighter spot in the lower middle of the brain. The tumor was the size of a walnut and it was blocking the spinal fluid from being able to move up and down my spinal column. That was causing the headaches and nausea I was experiencing.
The second photo is my MRI scan in May 2012 that shows there is an open space representing NO brain tumor! My doctor says with this picture, you can’t even tell I had a brain tumor.
http://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/cerebellum.php
http://www.cerebellum.us/interesting-facts-about-the-cerebellum.html
The Cerebrum
Brandon Parson
The Cerebrum which is Latin for the "Brain"is the newest (evolutionarily) and largest part of the brain as a whole.It is here that things like perception, imagination, thought, judgment, and decision occur.The surface of the cerebrum — the cerebral cortex — is composed of six thin layers of neurons, which sits on top of a large collection of white matter pathways. The cortex is heavily convoluted, so that if you were to spread it out, it would actually take up about 2 1/2 square feet (2500 sq cm). Like I stated earlier The cerebrum is a very important part of the brain because It controls your thoughts and emotions. The cerebellum controls involuntary muscle movement, and your brain stem control voluntary muscle movement. The cerebrum or telencephalon, together with the diencephalon, constitutes the forebrain. In humans, the cerebrum is the most superior region of the vertebrate central nervous system. Telencephalon refers to the embryonic structure from which the mature cerebrum develops. The cerebrum is also divided into approximately symmetric left and right cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum (or forebrain), is what makes up 75% of the brain by volume and 85% by weight, The cerebrum is covered by a sheet of neural tissue known as the cerebral cortex, which envelops other brain organs such as the thalamus and the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
In the cerebrum, there are fifty hundred to one hundred thousand neurons, the telegram of information is sent from place to place like a telegram. The different sides of the cerebrum do different things for the opposite sides of the body. The right side of the cerebrum controls things such as imagination and 3-D forms. The other side of the brain, the left side, controls numbering skills, posture, and reasoning. Each hemisphere is divided into four sections, the frontal, parietal, temporal, and the occupial lobes. The hemispheres also consist of a inner core called the white matter and the cortex, the wrinkly outer layer.
Thank you guy's for listening, I hope you'll enjoyed my presentation on The Cerebrum!!
Alcoholism
Christian Hillis
Alcoholism is defined as having sign of a physical addiction wherein the victim keeps drinking with disregard to physical health, mental health, family, social and job related responsibilities. Alcoholism may rule your life and responsibilities.
Alcoholism can be defined by four main characteristics:
1. Craving- a strong desire to drink.
2. Loss of Control- not being able to quit once you’ve started
3. Physical Dependence- symptoms of withdrawal: Shakiness, nausea or sweating after they’ve quit drinking
4. Tolerance- The need to drink more to get the desired effect.
Alcoholism may very well be considered an epidemic; affecting approximately 17.6 million adult Americans, the disease is spreading. The number of alcohol related deaths every year is increasing. In 2009, the CDC estimated that the rate for deaths related to diseased livers in alcoholics was 15,183, up from the 2001 number of just 12,201.
I’ve seen the effects of alcoholism firsthand. Alcoholism runs in my family. There are a good number of my family members that are alcoholics. By alcoholics, I mean that they wake up every morning and crack a beer or make a drink before they do even the basic things such as taking a shower or eating breakfast.
This is not to say that they are not good people or that they aren’t functioning members of society but I do believe it has some effect on even the smallest aspects of their daily lives. A lot of my elder relatives are all very shaky and they have trouble grasping and holding onto objects. My relatives that are older than me but are not elderly do not have so much in the way of weakness or shakiness but they are very quick tempered and belligerent.
Along with alcoholism, depression also runs in my family. I must suspect then since most of my relatives weren’t diagnosed as depressed before the age of 21 that alcohol may have played a key role in the appearance of their symptoms.
I have had family members become depressed and kill themselves and I believe that were it not for the alcohol clouding their judgment, they would still be here today. 75 percent of all suicides are depressed alcoholics.
Alcoholism is a widespread and life affecting illness that is extremely treatable and preventable and with the right publicity and awareness there is a good chance that all of these statistics could drop in the years to come.
Areas of the Brain Affected by Alcohol
Alcohols Effect on the Human Brain
Works Cited
"Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. Ed. David Zieve. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Mar. 2011. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000944.htm>.
"Alcoholism: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholism.html>.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm>.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm>.
"AFSP: Understanding and Preventing Suicide Through Research, Education and Advocacy." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage>.
Pictures
"Your Brain on Alcohol." Your Brain on Alcohol | Smart-Kit Puzzles and Games. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.smart-kit.com/s545/your-brain-on-alcohol/>.
"Alcohol Chemistry and You." Alcohol Chemistry and You. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.chemcases.com/alcohol/alc-07.htm>.
Alcoholism: Nature vs. Nurture
Derian Horinek
Intro into Alcoholism:
An alcoholic can be described as a person who continues to use alcohol despite knowing the consumption will produce negative results. Other ways to describe alcoholism is:
• Substance dependence- one developing a need to drink excessively to get a desired effect.
• Substance abuse- failure to meet obligations, may it be school, work, or family.
Alcoholism currently affects 4-5% of the population. A son of an alcoholic has a 25% more chance of becoming an alcoholic. In 1956 alcoholism was officially recognized as a disease. However, many people struggle to accept the disease concept due to the stigma attached to addiction and the misconception that one chooses to use the substance and could quit if they wanted to. There are several factors considered in classifying alcoholism as a disease. Such as:
- The illness can be described.
- The disease is predictable and progressive.
- The disease is primary, meaning that it's not just a symptom of another disease.
- It is permanent.
- It is terminal. If left untreated, alcoholism inevitably results in premature death.
Intro into Nature vs. Nurture:
Nature vs. nurture is a debate which has been occurring for years. Addiction does not care if you have a large inheritance or if you grew up in a home where use was not a behavior displayed or accepted. Philosophers such as Plato Descartes said that certain things occur naturally, no matter what the environment is around. Others such as John Locke believed that you start with a blank slate and you see, act or learn through experiences.
Research has shown it can be both nature and nurture or it could not be a caused be either. It has been shown sons of alcoholic fathers have a 25% chance of having the same disease. Research also suggests that about 50-60% of the risk of developing alcoholism can be attributed to genetics. But studies of identical twins whom were separated at birth and raised by different families, supports that genetics are not the only contributing factor. Even though the genetics are identical addiction does not always develop.
As in Chris’s project, I too have alcoholics in my family. My biological dad has a drinking problem. My mom’s real dad also drinks excessively. So nature wise I have the “gene” to follow in their footsteps. Though, nurture wise, unlike my father and my grandfather I was raised in an environment where drinking doesn’t happen very often. My mom and step dad drink on rare occasions. They are very strict when it comes to drinking. I don’t drink but if I did there would be harsh consequences that I wouldn’t want to go through.
I believe alcoholism or addiction is genetically passed through parents to their children. However, simply having similar genetics does not guarantee you will suffer from addiction. I believe how you are raised and how you think can either contributing to or decrease your chance of developing an addiction.
Psychology and Aging
By RAMON SIHOTANG
Maybe this question comes to our mind, “How does it feel to be old?” On the age of 65 and older are the stage when our physical and mental starting to decreasing. Aging is the process of growing old and can be consider as a human nature. Society is in denial of aging and many are spending a lot of money to erase the wrinkles on their faces. Stereotypes of aging many people listed as old, slow, and also many different aspects. Aging toward psychology world can be considered as the serious topic and also, aging can be categorized on one of Erik Erickson stages on Integrity v Despair.
Majority older adults are enjoying a healthy life. But also there are many suffering mental and physical problem due to their past life. On the age of 65, many of older adults required to start exercising and in need to consume more on healthy diets. In the U.S. being there are many seniors living under health care. The government provides many facilities for the seniors for them to living a good life. Aging as today, can be consider as accolades to the seniors. It is because of the benefits that are given by government for providing care.
According to the U.S. Public Health Services in 1999, with improved diet, physical fitness, public health, and health care, more adults are reaching age 65 in better physical and mental healths than in the past. Trends show that the prevalence of chronic disability among older people is declining: from 1982 to 1994, the prevalence of chronic disability diminished significantly, from 24.9 to 21.3 percent of the older population. While some disability is the result of more general losses of physiological functions with aging (i.e., normal aging), extreme disability in older persons, including that which stems from mental disorders, is not an inevitable part of aging.
The common psychological problem among the older people is strokes. Strokes can be defined as sudden death of brain cell due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood flow or rupture of an artery to the brain. According to the Stroke Center, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S and more than 140,000 people die each year from stroke in the U.S. This can indicate that strokes are also highly rated and rapidly increasing each year.
Now how do we fight these things? According to MSNBC article, using a computer may protect against memory loss late in life, as long as you also make sure to exercise. This new study case can be solution to the unhealthy aging and can be consider the best way for it. Many older people think by being old can affecting their daily life and it is time for them to rest. For me, many older people more spending time at home watching TV and even sleeping. These behaviors can lead them into unhealthy lifestyle that can affect their health.
The first and main important thing maybe on aging can be on accepting the condition of it. As life move forward, we need to realize by living healthy before in life it will benefit you later in life. As we live young we need to alleviate the bad lifestyle by choosing the wrong diet that can harm you in many ways. As aging taking place in life we need to realize this is something natural and there are ways to slow it down.
Work Cited
http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/resources/guides/psychology-and-aging.aspx
http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/01/11488093-computer-use-and-exercise-may-help-fight-memory-loss?lite
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/genpsyaging.html
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Jolinda Dechant
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a range of mental, physical, and growth problems that may occur in a baby when their mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. Using alcohol at all has the same risks as using alcohol during pregnancy, but when pregnant the alcohol may cause harm to the unborn child. Alcohol easily passes through the placenta and straight to the fetus. Studies have not determined if any amount of alcohol is safe during gestation, not drinking at all is the best choice for the mother and the child.
Most infants with FAS are noticed almost immediately by health care providers. There are many symptoms, some physical and others mental:
• Vision difficulties or hearing problems
• Poor coordination
• Small head circumference and brain size (microcephaly)
• Slow physical growth before and after birth
• Deformities of limbs, joints, and fingers
• Delayed development or mental retardation
• Learning disorders
• Heart defects or organ deformities
• Abnormal behavior, short attention span, poor impulse control, hyperactivity, extreme nervousness and anxiety
• Facial deformities: Narrow, small eyes with large epicanthal folds
• Small head
• Small upper jaw
• Smooth groove in upper lip
• Smooth and thin upper lip
Children with FAS are likely to continue to show their symptoms later into life as well. Some FAS cases, children have problems with the law, following rules, and living dependently.
There are other alcohol-related disorders such as fetal alcohol effects (FAE), and alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder (ARND). Children with these disorders are usually not diagnosed. These disorders pertain to children whose mother’s drank, but the children only have the emotional and behavioral problems, with no signs of delay in development or physical abnormalities. These children are usually seen as simply hostility or being stubborn. Usually have normal IQ test scores and live normal lives on the outside.
There is no treatment for any of these disorders, especially full-blown FAS. The only way to prevent children from suffering bullying, and learning problems is for the mothers to NOT drink any amount of alcohol during pregnancy. We children have choices to!
Works Cited
© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Carlo WA. Fetal alcohol syndrome. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 100.2.
Cunningham FG, Leveno KJ, Bloom SL, et al. Teratology and medications that affect the fetus. In: Cunningham FG, Leveno KJ, Bloom SL, et al, eds. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2010:chap 14.
http://syndromespedia.com/fetal-alcohol-syndrome-symptoms-pictures-treatment-effects.html
Stephen Cornett
ADHD, Stimulants, and the Brain
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder best known has ADHD is a developmental disorder. People with ADHD have a very difficult time paying attention and staying focus. They also have a tough time sitting still. Another side effect people have with ADHD is a difficult time with impulsivity.
ADHD is not truly curable but there are ways to reduce the side effects. One way to do these is by taking a type of psychoactive drug called a stimulant. What is interesting people without ADHD who take stimulants have a reverse reaction. This is because people without ADHD have the right amount of chemicals in the brain. In result, when they take stimulants which release extra chemicals in the brain, which are not needed for people without ADHD. In the article How Do Stimulants for ADHD Work by Keath Low says what seems to happen in individuals with ADHD is the neurotransmitter is prematurely reabsorbed back into neuron. When this occurs that portion of the neural network cannot relay messages in an adequate and timely way. She also says stimulants help people with ADHD by increasing the release of dopamine, which block or slow up how much of these chemicals, are being reabsorbed back into the neuron from which they are released. As a result, more of the neurotransmitter is held in the synapse space between neurons long enough for it to properly bind to the receptor, thus messages within the brain are more effectively transmitted and received. There are several different types of stimulant to help manage ADHD. One type of stimulant is called methylphenidate also known has Ritalin, Metadate, and Concerta. Methylphenidate reduces how much of the neurotransmitter is being remitted back into the neuron so that more is left in the synapse. Another type of stimulant is called amphetamines also known has Dexedrine and Adderall. Amphetamine increase the release of dopamine and norepinephrine from their storage sites into the synapse. In the article ADHD with Medication: Many Effective ADHD Drug Choices by Dr. Douglas Cowan says stimulant medication for ADHD will increase the brain’s ability to inhibit itself. This allows the brain to focus on the right thing at the right time, and to be less distracted, and less impulsive. Stimulants increase the “signal to noise ratio” in the brain.
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/f/How-Do-Stimulants-Work.htm
http://newideas.net/adhd-medications
Damarius Lowery
ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
ADHD is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or a combination. For these problems to be diagnosed as ADHD, they must be out of the normal range for a child's age and development.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors: ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood. It affects about 3 - 5% of school aged children. ADHD is diagnosed much more often in boys than in girls. ADHD may run in families, but it is not clear exactly what causes it. Whatever the cause may be, it seems to be set in motion early in life as the brain is developing. Imaging studies suggest that the brains of children with ADHD are different from those of other children. Depression, lack of sleep, learning disabilities, tic disorders, and behavior problems may be confused with, or appear with, ADHD. Every child suspected of having ADHD should be carefully examined by a doctor to rule out possible other conditions or reasons for the behavior. Most children with ADHD also have at least one other developmental or behavioral problem. They may also have a psychiatric problem, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Symptoms: The symptoms of ADHD fall into three groups: Lack of attention (inattentiveness), Hyperactivity, and Impulsive Behavior (Impulsivity).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002518/
References
1. Pliszka S; AACAP Work Group on Quality Issues. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Jul; 46(7):894-921.
2.Prince JB, Spencer TJ, Wilens TE, Biederman J. Pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the life span. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008: chap 49.
Treatment: For attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has two important components — psychotherapy interventions (for both the child and the parents; or the adult with ADHD) and medications. There is a significant amount of research demonstrating that medication alone won’t really help address so many of the core issues a child (or adult) with ADHD has. So while a medication may help with immediate relief, the person with attention deficit disorder still often needs to learn the skills needed to be successful while living with the disorder. In the past, ADHD treatment has typically focused on medications. The specific class of medication most commonly prescribed for ADHD is stimulants. These stimulant medications — like Ritalin (methylphenidate) or Adderall (an amphetamine) — are commonly prescribed, well-tolerated, act quickly (usually soon after a person takes them), and in most people, have few side effects. These medications also have a robust research base supporting their effectiveness in treatment of attention deficit disorder. Children vary a great deal in their response to medication treatments. Finding the combination with the highest efficacy and fewest side-effects is a challenge in every case. A child’s prescribing physician (preferably, a
child psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner or pediatrician) will aim to discover the medication and dose that’s best for your child. If one medication doesn’t appear to be working after a few weeks of treatment, a doctor will often try another medication. This is normal and most people will switch medications to find the one that works best for them at least once.
The side effects of stimulants may include reduced appetite, headache, a “jittery” feeling, irritability, sleep difficulties, gastrointestinal upset, increased blood pressure, depression or anxiety, and/or psychosis or paranoia. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor.
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/resources-for-attention-deficit-disorder/
The medications for ADHD that seem to be the most effective for treatment are a class of drugs known as stimulants. Since some children may get better results from one medicine and some from another, it is important to work with your healthcare provider to find the right medicine and the right dosage. These medications don't cure ADHD; they only control symptoms on the day they are taken.
http://adhd.emedtv.com/adhd/adhd-medications.html
Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
Kolton Vogel and Derek Ridenour
Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are two different types of problem drinking. Alcohol abuse is when a person’s drinking causes problems, but not physical addiction. Alcoholism is when a person has signs of an addiction to alcohol and still drinks even though they have problems physically, mentally, and socially.
Nobody really knows the cause of alcohol addictions or abuse. Some researchers believe that there is certain genes that could increase the risk of alcoholism, but do not know which genes they are or how they work. Depending on how much a person drinks my influence their chances on becoming dependent on alcohol. These people include: Males that have 15 or more drinks a week, females that have 12 or more drinks a week, or anyone who drinks five or more drinks an occasion a week. If a person has had a parent that experience alcohol abuse or addiction they are at a high risk of becoming addicted. A person could also have a higher risk to become addicted if they: young adult experiencing peer pressure, have depression, can easily access alcohol, experience low self-esteem, problems with relationships, have a stressful lifestyle, or live in a place where alcohol use is common and accepted. The amount of people that experience alcohol abuse is rising continuously. In the United States about 1 out of 6 people experience a drinking problem.
There are many symptoms that people have who experience alcoholism or alcohol abuse. They may continue to drink even though they know that their health, work, or family is being harmed. Also, they may become violent when they drink and become hostile when asked about their drinking problem. They are not able to control their drinking amount and find any excuse to drink. They choose to miss school or work to drink and start to stop being a part of activities because of their alcohol problem. They become very dependent on alcohol and need to drink alcohol to get through their day. They may try to hide their alcohol use and start to shake in the mornings or after they haven’t drank in a while.
To see if you have signs of addiction or abuse a doctor will do a physical exam and ask the person questions about their medical and family history. They use the following questions from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to test for alcohol abuse or dependence: “Do you ever drive when you have been drinking? Do you have to drink more than before to get drunk or feel the desired effect? Have you felt that you should cut down on your drinking? Have you ever had any blackouts after drinking? Have you ever missed work or lost a job because of drinking? Is someone in your family worried about your drinking?” They may also do test one the person. They may test their blood alcohol level, complete blood count, liver function tests, and magnesium blood test.
Stopping the person completely from drinking alcohol is the main goal of treatment. They call this abstinence. To help the person who is addiction or abusing they need a lot of family support. Completely quitting and staying away from alcohol is hard for most people that experience alcoholism. These people should stay away from drinking as long as possible. Some people can just reduce the amount of drinking. They call this drinking in moderation. But, if this way of treatment does not work the person should just go cold turkey.
Most people with alcoholism don’t realize when their drinking becomes a problem. They best way is to help the person recognize that their drinking problem is harming not only their life but also the people they are around. Statistics show that people with alcohol problems are more likely to go in for treatment when their family and friends tell them they need help and are worried about the person. Withdrawal from alcohol can be very hard for most people. That is why it should be done in a controlled and supervised atmosphere. Withdrawal could be life threatening. Most people that stop drink and go through treatment also go to alcohol recovery or support programs. These programs offer counseling and therapy to explain its effects and how to control the person’s thought and actions, mental health support, and medical care. There are some medications that are sometimes giving to prevent the person from drinking again. Acamprostate is a drug that has lowered the rate of people relapsing. Disulfiram is a drug that has very bad side effects if the person drinks, even at small amounts of alcohol. Naltrexone is a drug that is said to decrease cravings for alcohol. Depending on whether or not the person can quit drinking depends on how well they will deal with the problem. Alcoholism can cause problems in every single part of the person’s life.
Alcohol problems can increase a person’s chance for many health risks. The person may start bleeding in the digestive tract, have brain cell damage, or get a brain disorder called Werkicke-Korsakoff syndrome. A person with alcoholism may get cancer of the esophagus, liver, colon, and other parts of the body. The person may also become depressed and have thoughts about suicide. They may also experience heart damage, high blood pressure, liver disease, nerve damage, and sleeping problems. Alcohol use also can increase a person’s change of getting STIs and violence. Drinking while you are pregnant can cause very bad birth defects in the baby such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
If you think that you may be experiencing symptoms of alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse call your health care provider immediately. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism sates that females shouldn’t drink more than 1 drink a day and males shouldn’t drink more than 2 drinks a day. One drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001940/
http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_abuse_and_alcoholism/article.htm
Students Need to Catch More ZZZ’s
Kelsi Conway and Sydne Massey
Studying all night, early classes, school functions, hanging out with friends: it is no wonder why college students do not get enough sleep. However, college students do not realize that effects that not enough sleep can have on their minds and body. Students can gain weight, hurt others, cannot function as well, and even depress their immune systems.
Recent studies show that those who do not get the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep a night will consume an average of 526 more calories than those who do get enough sleep (AFP). The body is not getting the energy from sleep to function, so people who do not sleep enough have to eat more to have the energy. They also eat more because they are awake more hours in the day. Now eating an extra 526 calories may not seem like a big deal to some people, but those calories will add up. If someone eats more calories but does not burn those extra calories off, he or she will gain more weight. When someone gains more weight it is hard on the joints. They are more likely to have sore knee and hip joints. Now with obesity on the rise, a person cannot help but wonder if it is because Americans are getting less than the recommended hours of sleep. This can all be prevented if college students would just go to bed at a descent time and get at least eight hours of sleep.
When people do not get enough sleep, the last problem they think it would cause is harming others. A test shows that those performing driving stimulating tests and using a hand-eye coronation, performed equal to or worse than those intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driving while sleep deprived causes an estimate 56,000 car accidents and about 1,500 deaths a year. Young adults think that drinking Rockstars or other caffeinated drinks will help; sadly, they cannot waken those up who is severely slept deprived (Sleep).
Those who do not get enough sleep, have a problem with their mind functioning properly. Without enough sleep it becomes harder to focus. If students cannot focus in class they will miss what the professor is lecturing about. Since they could not focus on the lecture, they will have a hard time on the test. Students who do not get enough sleep could potentially not do so well in class compared to their peers who do get enough sleep.
Along with not being able to focus, students will also lose their motivation. Instead of being motivated to go to class and perform well in the classroom, students would rather stay in the dorm room and go to that eight o’clock class another day and just text and friend to see what they missed. This will also cause a decrease in grades. On top of that, less sleep makes the sense of judgment decrease. Poor judgment can make students do things they never would have done before. They decide to go to that party the night before a big test. Copying and pasting an essay does not seem like a bad idea. They will just copy and friends homework just this once. All of these poor mental functions can be avoided if students would just sleep at night.
The biggest part of the brain affected by sleep deprivation is the frontal lobe. The function of the frontal lobe is speech and the thinking process. One test showed that test subjects, who have been deprived of sleep, has difficulties of coming up with imaginative scenarios. Also, the subjects also showed signs of “slurred speech, stuttering, speaking in monotone voice, or speaking at a slower pace than usual” (S.L.). Students do not realize the harm being done to the mind when they do not get enough sleep.
The most important effect of not getting enough sleep is that it lowers an individual’s immune system. The immune system is what helps protect the body from foreign antigens and helps fight diseases. When a student gets less than eight hours of sleep a night, there is a decrease in their white blood cell count. White blood cells are the cells in someone’s body that destroys the foreign antigen. It also helps with the healing process if someone cuts their knee, for example (Greene). The sleep deprivation can even mimic aging and cause hypertension. Hypertension means high blood pressure. It is dangerous because in some cases it can cause heart attacks, strokes, and poor blood supplies to the legs. This is why it is so important for young people to get the recommended eight hours of sleep a night.
College is full of late nights and early mornings, going out with friends and finishing homework later. However, college students need to realize the toll it is taking on their mind and body when they do not get the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep a night.
Works Cited
“Avoid Overeating by Getting Extra Zee’s.” March 17, 2011. AFP
Relaxinews. Web. March 26, 2011.
Greene, Gayle. “The Case for Sleep Medicine.” March 25, 2011.
The New York Times. Web. March 26, 2011.
"Sleep Deprivation Effects and How Much Sleep We Need: Babies,
Teens, and Adults." WebMD. WebMD, 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 May
2012. <http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep
requirements>.
S.L. "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and
Behavior."302 Found. 03 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 May 2012.
<http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1690>.
Stress
Tayla Kimball
As a college student, we learn to manage stress well, from class, to homework, to practice, to work, to trying to have a social life, we do it all. But, is there a point where too much stress can start having a negative effect.
First off, let’s start by defining stress. Stress is a normal physical response to an event that either upsets or threatens your balance in some way. The way stress affects you varies from person to person. Some people thrive under stress, while others will struggle to maintain their composure. In small doses, stress can keep you motivated to do your best and perform under pressure. The stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight reaction, is the body’s way of protecting you. It helps keep you focused, energetic, and alert. Stress also keeps you on your toes and helps you rise to meet challenges, whether it’s during a presentation at work, sharpening your concentration on the game winning free throw, or the drive to study for a test even when you’d rather be watching TV. However, after a certain point stress stops helping and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, relationships, and ultimately your quality of life.
It is important to know when your stress level is getting out of control. Stress can creep up on you very easily and most of the time you start getting use to it. After a while it starts becoming the norm, and it is often hard to notice the effects it is having on your mind, body, and behavior. Psychologist, Connie Lillas, describes the three most common ways people respond to overwhelming stress by using a driving analogy. “Foot on the gas – An angry or agitated stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still. Foot on the brake – A withdrawn or depressed stress response. You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion. Foot on both – A tense and frozen stress response. You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.” Too much stress is bad for your heart, creating high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Along with smoking, obesity, and high-fat diets, psychological factors of stress and personality also play a huge role in the cause of heart disease. Stress can also cause your immune system to weaken, making you more susceptible to disease and viruses.
So all in all, you need stress in your life to help you preform to your utmost ability, but you need to make sure you keep your stress level under control. Finding a balance between stress and relaxing will help you to live your life to the fullest. Don’t forget to take breaks from your busy life. I know being in college and an adult make us feel invincible, but if we don’t take time out from stress now, it will catch up with us later on down the road.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
Exploring Psychology: Eighth Edition in Modules by. David G. Myers
Psychology and obesity and society?
Mayosha Barus
Without we realize, Obesity is now an epidemic in USA. And it is characterize by excess body fat. We could say that obesity is a catalyst for many major illness and disease that our society faces it for this era such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, other condition and even death itself.
According to psychologytoday.com In the U.S., 97 million adults are overweight or obese. Believe it or not obesity results in an approximate cost of $117 billion in the U.S. Obesity have reached epic proportions. Rates of obesity have gone up from 12 to 20 percent of the population since 1991. This epidemic is not limited to adults: The sad things that ‘The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Sixteen percent of children and adolescents between 6 and 19 years old are considered overweight.
Right now obesity has cause impact not just in the health sector but in psychology, economy and many others. And this entire sector actually connected one another and how it change and reshape our society today. Statistics show that 65% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Even health care professionals report difficulty in working with obese individuals
Research studies show that obese individuals that seeking bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) have high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts directly related to experiences of weight stigma. Obese and overweight individuals in our culture are thought to be lazy, ugly, dumb and they to could experience prejudice in the many public place such as workplace, school and in many other areas of their environment. People that Experiences of weight stigma can lead to an increase in binge eating and overeating as a coping mechanism and since over eating can give the body our three major natural neurotransmitter (serotonin, dopamine and endorphin plus without taking illegal substance).
CBS news said “Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity, a study of 6,212 youngsters found”. And according the nationally representative study “The highest levels of fast-food consumption were found in youngsters with higher household income levels, boys, older children, blacks and children living in the South. The lowest levels were found in youngsters living in the West, rural areas, Hispanics and those aged 4 to 8, but more than 20 percent of youngsters in each of those groups still reported eating fast food on any given day”.
With all this many problem that obesity bring its not strange if we come out with a question “who is the culprit behind all this mess and problem in our society”?. Many people think that the deadly alliance of Fast food restaurant, sugar Water Company and the candy factory are the one that should get blame well we know they use dirty trick to convince people to bough their food and product. But our eyes all been get deceive and just seeing fata morgana that created by our own society, yes the culprit are our self, our nation. Since we are the one that control our own destiny. We should think together to solve the problem instead of blame it to whoever we feel like to get blame. Well for example try to make policy about limiting soft drink and snack food sales in schools, and to curb food advertising aimed at children.
References
http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/obesity
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/real-healing/201203/stigmatizing-obesity
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-591325.html
Anorexia Nervosa
By Lori Harshbarger
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological disorder that affects eating habits. Anorexia causes people to deprive themselves of food. This can cause many horrible side affects, up to and including death.
Proof of Anorexia
The kind of people with this type of disorder usually loses their weight by essentially starving themselves. Another way that anorexia is started is by exercising unreasonably. According to the Mayo Clinic website, anorexic people do control calorie intake by vomiting after eating, misusing laxatives, diuretics (helps you develop urine) or by using enemas (injection in the rectum to clear out the bowel). There are a lot of other types of signs and symptoms that are influenced by the emotional, physical, and behavioral side of life. The Mayo Clinic website has a list of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms and they are as follows: Extreme weight loss, thin appearance, abnormal blood counts, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness/ fainting, a bluish discoloration of the fingers, hair that thins/ breaks or falls out, soft/ downing hair covering the body, absence of menstruation, constipations, dry skin, intolerance of cold, irregular heart rhythms, low blood pressure, dehydration, osteoporosis, and swelling of arms or legs. For the emotional and behavioral symptoms they are: refusal to eat, denial of hunger, afraid of gaining weight, lying about how much food has been eaten, excessive exercise, flat mood, social withdraw, irritability, preoccupation with food, reduced interest with sex, depressed mood, and possible use of laxatives, diet aids or herbal products.
When do you need help?
Anorexic people tend to think about food all of the time, they seem indecisive on which foods to buy due to calories and things like that, or exercise way more than needed. On the physical side, Mayo Clinic feels that dizziness, constipation, fatigue and feeling cold are involved. They also feel, that irritable, angry, moody, sad, anxious and hopelessness feelings are signs of needing help.
What are the Anorexic Red Flags?
Unfortunately, these flags are terribly hard to notice because the person with this disorder works so hard to hide it that few can tell. Mayo Clinic also has a list of things to watch for and they are: skipping meals, excuse for not eating, safe foods (low in fat and calories), not eating in public, whine about being “fat”, mirror checking for flaws, weighing themselves constantly, and cooking elaborate meals but never eating them. Just like any disorder, psychological or physical, no one wants to admit they have a problem thusly meaning they won’t look for help.
What is the Root of the Problem?
Just like many other diseases there are combinations of the three categories (biological, psychological, and environmental) that help cause anorexia. The biological side includes genetics. With this, traits they get from their parents, may cause anorexia. With the psychological side Mayo Clinic used the “young women with OCD that make it easier to stick to strict diets” Since this might be the case, this will help them lose the weight a lot sooner. Unfortunately, with anorexia some people still find that they are not thin enough. The environmental side is very easy to describe. Everywhere we look there is a thin girl. This helps create the “image” we all want to look like. According to Mayo Clinic, females have a much higher rate of being anorexic than males. Other trends of anorexia include, young age (fitting in), genetics, family history, weight changes (comments made by others), transitions, sports, work, artistic activities, media, and society (Mayo Clinic).
Running into Hurdles
There are numerous amounts of problems anorexic people face. Death could occur, abnormal heart rhythms, imbalance of electrolytes, kidney problems, constipation, bloating, nausea, bone loss (increase of fractures). In females, absence of a period, in males, decreased testosterone. If a person becomes nothing but skin and bone every organ in the body becomes higher at risk for damage. The mental disorders are as follows: depression, anxiety, personality disorders, OCD, and drug abuse (Mayo Clinic).
What are the decisive factors?
The doctors have the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) they go by. The basic guidelines to see if you have anorexia is as follows: refuse to have proper body weight, scared of gaining weight, denying how serious the condition is, absence of 3 periods (Mayo Clinic).
What are the cures?
Medical care (need of feeding tubes), healthy weight (can’t be healthy until you are at proper weight due to your height), psychotherapy, family based therapy (making sure all of the guidelines are being followed) and group therapy. There is no specific medication that can heal anorexia.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606
Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology in Modules. New York: Worth, 2008. Print.
Fight or Flight
Kraig Tagtmeyer
Have you ever been in a situation where you don’t know what to do. Well, most likely you were debating to either fight your way through it or run from the problem. The fight or flight response is our body’s inborn, automatic response that tells our body to fight or run from an attack or harmful event that may threaten our life.
The physiologist that originally discovered the response was Walter Cannon from Harvard. He said that the response is hard wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect ourselves. The fight or flight response is activated by nerve cells firing and noradrenalin and cortical are released into our blood stream. There are over1400 physiological and biochemical changes that occur in the body at one time. These are activated because the hypothalamus tells the nervous system to kick into gear. When all of this happens, our body makes some changes. Our breathing rate increases, more blood goes to our muscles and limbs so that we have more energy in them to either fight or run, and our awareness of things increases. Our sight sharpens and our lungs also relax so that they can take in more oxygen.
There are two types of fight or flight responses, one is short term and then there is a long term response. The short term is the primary and it is triggered by short term threats. It is called SAM or (Sympathetic Adreno Medullary). This is a relaxation response that is triggered electrically. The electrical impulses from the hypothalamus stimulate the release of hormones. Now the long term response is HPCA or (Hypothalamic Pituitary Adreno Cortical). When this response happens, it happens hormonally, and the hypothalamus secretes a hormone called CRF(corticotrophin releasing factor) and this makes the pituitary gland produce ATCH. 
There are many stories of people being put into situations where they had to decide whether they should run for there lives or if they should fight there way out. For example, when the first plane hit the World Trade Center, many of the people started to run because they were scared and didn’t know what was going on or what to do. They were taking the flight response but then you hear of people, once they figured out what was going on, they started to go into the buildings and fighting to get people out of the buildings. So then those people took the fight response. Another fight or flight response happened that same day on the plane Flight 93. When the terrorists hi-jacked the plane, at first the people on the plane didn’t know what to do. So they were going to just take the flight response, but once they got the courage to take the plane back over they took the fight response and that is what they did, fought the terrorist for the plane.
So now that you know a little more about the fight or flight response, the next time you hear a story of someone that got into a situation where their lives were on the line, you will have more of a idea of what happened physically to their bodies while they were in that situation and how that affected their outcome.
Work cited: http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com/EducationCenter/fight.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/fear2.htm
http://stresscourse.tripod.com/id11.html
STRESS
Bryan Ayala
Stress comes in two forms good and bad and a balance between the two which is still considered good stress. Having stress is actually a good thing to have because it’s the body’s natural reaction in a physical response. This good stress helps you stay focused during stressful situations. The alertness and energy levels are heightened during the situations. Stressful situations could be working on a project at work, wiki projects and studying. Good stress helps all, even athletes in the same way and manner. The mind is sharper, being focused having your concentration and strength heightened, but there is more than just good stress.
Having too much stress becomes a bigger problem than you expect because stress not only affects your body, it affects your brain and personal life. Having too much stress can become fatal to some people. Anything can trigger stress for example the environment, work, school and a lot of distractions and when there are a lot of things going on at one time. Noise is one that disrupts your concentration even music. The body has a natural rhythm with the heartbeat and some music can go against that rhythm and cause stress without you noticing but music that fits with the rhythm can relax the body and mind.
Weather and a few outdoor situations can cause stress such as traffic and some people get road rate being overly crowded even finding a parking spot can cause stress. The most common way that people get stress is by financial problems like bills and rent. Inadequate sleep being tired can also lead to stress being hungry and having a poor nutrition diet. Having an illness or being injured or recently being injured and have something important you have to accomplish can rapidly increase stress. As for relationships and social media and events increase stress. Deaths in the family worrying about others and dealing with personal problems are all easy targets for bad stress. Teens and younger kids also get stress by not beating a level in a video game and some kids that have anger issues and losing to a game over and over can lead to bad stress believe it or not.
Relieving stress is very important and it can be done by balancing yourself changing your surroundings staying organized and most importantly relaxing. Relaxation is a very hard for some people because they never had to relax in this manner and learn how to calm themselves in certain situations. Since life hands everyone daily hassles and of course stressful situations that pushes and leads to bad stress. The most important thing is to recognize when you’re suffering from stress and only some people know when they are stressed, and for other people it can perfectly seem normal and bad stress creeps up on them. The APA give the following examples of stress management –Understanding how you stress, Identify your sources of stress, Learn your own stress signals, Recognize how you deal with stress, Take care of yourself, and Reach out for support.
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2007/10/stress-tips.aspx
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199601/stress-its-worse-you-think
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
Perception
Zach Arnberger
According to Dictionary. com the definition of perception as it pertains to Psychology is: a single unified awareness derived from sensoryprocesses while a stimulus is present (Dictionary..com). How does our brain take a group of colors and form an image? In the twentieth century a group of German psychologists noticed that when faced with a large amount of different sensations people tend to try and form them into a gesalt (German word meaning form or whole) (217). The psychologists observed during the tests the brain would form images within the images, and our brain does more for us than register information from our world, it also arranges that information in a way we can understand it.
Form Perception consists of two key concepts: Figure and Ground, and Grouping. In Figure and Ground, we perceive the object (the Figure) as different from its surroundings (the ground). The textbook provides the example of when a person reads. The words are the figure, and the white paper is the ground (217). The next key area is grouping. Grouping comes into play after a person makes the Figure-Ground distinction. He or she must then organize the object into a meaningful form. According to the book some of the things humans use to do that are color, movement, and light/dark contrast (218). While grouping, people follow a certain set of rules such as: proximity, similarity, continuity, connectedness, and closure. Proximity and Similarity are simply explained; what is close and what is alike. Continuity explains humans perceive smooth, continuous patterns, and not choppy disconnected ones. Connectedness describes perception of a connected object as a single unit. Closure explains that humans fill in gaps to create an object.
According to the text book, Depth Perception means is defined at the ability to see objects in three dimensions. It allows humans to estimate the distance of the object from us (219). Without Depth Perception people would not be able to do important tasks such as driving. Babies possess depth perception from the day that they are born. In 1960 Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk did their famous visual cliff experiment. They made a table that was half glass covered and put infants on the table right next to the glass. The point of the experiment was to see if they would perceive the potential dangerous drop off by looking through the glass or if they would crawl to their mothers anyway.
The majority of the 6-14 month old infants refused to crawl over the glass proving to Gibson and Walk the infants could perceive depth. In perceiving depth humans use binocular cues, and monocular cues. Binocular cues judge the distance of nearby objects. The average distance between human eyes is 2 ½ inches. Because of this, each retina receives a different image of the world. The difference between the images is called the retinal disparity. 3-D movies exaggerate retinal disparity, by shooting scenes with two cameras a few inches apart. 3-D glasses allow the left eye to see what was filmed by the left camera, and the right eye to see what was filmed by the right camera, which in turn gives the 3-D effect (220). Monocular cues help us judge things at a distance. Monocular cues also rely on using each eye separately.
As you can see a surprising amount of brain power goes into how we perceive things. In conclusion, it is astounding how out brain works and functions.
Sources: Exploring Psychology-Eighth edition in Modules pages 217-234, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perception
Drake Lovvorn
Cause and Effects
What are behavioral disorders and the reason and result of these disorders? Behavioral disorders usually develop during childhood or teenage years. Although the cause of behavioral disorders is not known, risk factors have been identified, such as family history of mental illness or substance abuse, exposure to tobacco or illicit drugs during fetal development, abuse, stress, lack of supervision, and inconsistent but harsh disdiscpline. Children with behavioral disorders may have other mental, emotional or behavioral disorders, such as neglect or child abuse. Child abuse and neglect have been shown, in some cases, to cause important regions of the brain to fail to form or grow properly, resulting in impaired development (De Bellis & Thomas, 2003). These alterations in brain maturation have long-term consequences for cognitive, language, and academic abilities (Watts-English, Fortson, Gibler, Hooper, & De Bellis, 2006). NSCAW found more than three-quarters of foster children between 1 and 2 years of age to be at medium to high risk for problems with brain development. Children with these disorders may develop personality disorders, depression, or even bipolar disorder as adults. Kids with behavioral disorders could throw frequent and extended tantrums, which may hurt themselves or cause them to get involved in criminal activities like, lie, smoke, use alcohol or drugs, are openly defiant, or engage in early sexual activity. Some behavioral issues may be normal in children, but those who have behavioral disorders may develop chronic patterns of aggression, disobedience, disruption and hostility. People who have behavioral or emotional disorders can exhibit a wide variety of types of behavior, including both internalized behavior (such as depression or an eating disorder) and externalized behavior (such as verbal outbursts). Other common characteristics and behaviors include these: Hyperactivity; Aggression or self-injurious behavior; Withdrawal; Immaturity; Learning difficulties. Including both internalized behavior (such as depression or an eating disorder) and externalized behavior (such as verbal outbursts). these: Hyperactivity; Aggression or self-injurious behavior; Withdrawal; Immaturity; Learning difficulties. The impact of neglect on a child may not be obvious at an early stage except in the most extreme cases. On the other hand, the effects of neglect are harmful and possibly long-lasting for the victims. Its impact can become more severe as a child grows older and can encompass multiple areas, including: Health and physical development; Intellectual and cognitive development; Emotional and psychological development; Social and behavioral development.
http://www.bettermedicine.com/article/behavioral-disorders
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
By: Tyler Jones
A personality disorder is a persistent pattern of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings that are significantly different from what is considered normal within the person’s individual culture. Antisocial Personality Disorder falls under the B Cluster of personality disorders which is characterized by symptoms of erratic and dramatic behaviors. ASPD occurs in approxomately one percent of women and three percent of men within the United States. Antisocial Personality Disorder is not diagnosed in children younger than 18 year of age; however, the individual must have shown symptoms since around the age of 15. Symptoms of ASPD include: The lack of guilty feelings about wrong-doings, the disregard for the safety of others and self, failure to plan or think ahead, a persistent lack of taking responsibility, a tendency towards anger irritability and aggression( repeatedly assaulting other and frequent fighting), and the lack of conforming to laws of society. In order to be diagnosed with ASPD, you must exhibit at least 2-3 of these symptoms. Like all personality disorders, and most mental disorders, ASPD tends to be the result of a combination of genetic/biologic and environmental factors. Although there are no clear biological causes for ASPD, research has indicated that individuals with ASPD tend to have a smaller amygdala(the part of the brain that is responsible for learning from ones mistakes and responding to sad and fearful facial expressions. Life events are believed to be the highest factor for individuals with ASPD usually being cause from such events as; physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment or deprivation, and having a parent who is either an alcoholic or antisocial. Other believed risk factors for ASPD include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance abuse, and a conduct or reading disorder diagnosed as a child.
Antisocial Personality Disorder does not have any definnative treatments or medications that could be considered a “cure”. It also has a tendency of making pretty much any other mood, anxiety, and personality condition more difficult to treat and problematic. Although therapy from a younger age has proven to be the most effective treatment, it does not work for all patients. Although there are no medications for ASPD, some can be useful in helping individuals help cope with co-occuring conditions such as depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. Many with ASPD will start to experience a remission of symptoms in/around the age of 50 years old, that is; as long as they are not already in an institution such as prisons or hospitals as a result of not seeking and receiving help or therapy. People who suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder have a higher risk of abusing drugs and alcohol and repeatedly committing crimes; while ASPD also leaves individuals more open and vulnerable to anxiety, bipolar, major depression, mood problems, self-mutilation, borderline personality, and narcissistic personality disorders, many end up dying from either accident, homicide or suicide.
I hope this has been informational to you and that you now have a little bit of a better understanding of ASPD and how it effect people.
Sources cited:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Treatment Revision. Washington, D.D.: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.
“Male Criminals With Organic Brain Syndrome: Two Distinct Types Based on Age at First Arrest.” American Journal of Psychiatry 158
“Treatment Response of Adolescent Offenders With Psychopathy Features.” Criminal Justice and Behavior 33.5 (2006): 571-596
“Reactions of Primary and Secondary Psychopaths to Anger Evoking Situations.” British Journal of Clinical Psychology 24.2 May 1985: 93-100
Claustrophobia
By Sunee Creighton
Every single person on the planet is different. Although our existence is unique in our own way, there are still traits that are shared among the population, one of which is fear. Everyone has something that they are afraid of. Whether it’s heights, the darkness, or spiders, even the manliest man is afraid of something. According to WebMD (reviewed by Andrew Seibert, MD), one of the most common phobias is claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed spaces.
What makes a fear a phobia?
Fear is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. The difference here is that phobias are typically exaggerated, debilitating, and illogical.
More about Claustrophobia
Being afraid of enclosed spaces is a very common phobia. People who suffer from claustrophobia have an extreme fear of being trapped or enclosed with no escape. Medical News Today explains that claustrophobic people report signs or symptoms such as accelerated heart rate, sweating, nausea, and fainting, among other things, when exposed to an enclosed environment.
A common misconception about claustrophobia is that it is only triggered by small spaces such as elevators or closets. Although these are some of the primary instigators of claustrophobic fits, they are not the only ones. Most of the people that suffer from claustrophobia feel the same kind of fear when they are surrounded by large groups of people. For example, a bus ride or a crowded lecture hall could be terrifying for claustrophobic people.
Sometimes it’s not just small spaces that cause the knee buckling fear. Sometimes, it’s just the idea of being trapped with no escape. Simply being left in a room with a locked door could trigger the panic attack that usually accompanies a bout with claustrophobia.
My Personal Experience with Claustrophobia
Being the youngest child of six (four of which lived at home) I endured my fair share of torment from my older siblings. One particular event that comes to mind was being locked in the coat closet when my parents weren’t home. Of course, no harm was done, and it was all in jest. However, I remember being scared for my life when I heard the latch click shut. To add to my misery, my brother would occasionally pound violently on the door while I was inside. Naturally, for a child of such a young age, I was traumatized. As I grew older, I felt that I had grown out of my phobia. That is, until I found myself trapped inside a dangerously defective elevator during my first semester of college. The excruciating 20 minutes that I spent inside made my mind race and my heart pound to the brink of a panic attack. It was the feeling of no escape with a side of impending doom that pushed my thought process out of fear and into excessive panic.
Treating Claustrophobia
There are many methods of treating phobias, some of which are more effective than others. Effectiveness varies on a case to case basis.
The Better Health Channel outlines many treatment methods, among which are flooding, modeling, and cognitive behavior training.
The flooding method consists of exposing the phobic person to their phobia until the anxiety passes. The idea here is to make them see that they can endure their phobic trigger, and that is causes them no harm. This is an intense, but very effective form of treatment.
Modeling involves making the subject watch other people face the thing they fear, then conditioning them to imitate the same confident behavior.
Finally, there is cognitive behavior training, or CBT. This method is usually done through counseling sessions, where the individual is encouraged to identify and change the thoughts that bring on the fearful emotions.
http://awilliams0320.tumblr.com/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37062.php
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/claustrophobia?open
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/lauracammarata/3287917891/
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
By: David Garcia
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD can be defined as an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions (Pudmed Health). People who are diagnosed with OCD have severe unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, and sensations of behaviors that make them feel driven to do something. Currently in society OCD is more common than it was before. Most people begin to show symptoms by age 30. There are countless theories about the causes of OCD, but none have been confirmed. Some reports have linked OCD to head injuries and infections. Other several studies have shown that there are brain abnormalities in patients with OCD. It is also known that about 20% of people with OCD have tics, which suggest the condition may be related to Tourette syndrome (Pudmed Health).
One’s own description of the behavior can help diagnose the disorder. Usually a physical exam can rule out physical causes, and a psychiatric evaluation can rule out other mental disorders. There are known questionnaires such as the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), that can help diagnose OCE and track the progress of treatment. OCD is treated using medications and therapy. Typical drugs which are prescribed to patients include; Celexa, Prozac, Luvox, paxil, and Zoloft (Pudmed Health). If neither of these drugs is showing progress a doctor may prescribe and older type of antidepressant called a tricyclic antidepressant. Patients who take these medications devolope an odd number of side effects, such as, difficulty starting urination, drop in blood pressure when rising from a seated position, dry mouth, and sleepiness.
OCD is a long term chronic illness with periods of severe symptoms followed by times of improvement. It is very rare that a symptom-free period occurs. The upside, most people improve with treatment. Long term complications of OCD have to do with the type of obsessions or compulsions. Some patients face some risks when it comes to their type of OCD. Constant hand washing by some patients can cause skin to break down. There is no known prevention for this disorder. Therapy will help to disorder and in time ease it.
Works Cited:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPFQMRx2l3Y, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001926/
Social Anxiety Disorder
By: Whitney Green
Social Anxiety Disorder, when someone feels self-conscious from the fear of being watched closely, judged, and criticized by others. This disorder can also be called social phobia. People that have this disorder, they fear that he or she will make a mistake, look bad, or be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. These people lack social skills or experience in social situations. All of this can build into a panic attack. Days or weeks before a social event, people with this disorder often suffer from “anticipatory” anxiety, which is the fear of a situation before it even happens. Commonly provoked anxiety situations include:
o Eating or drinking in front of others
o Writing or working in front of others
o Being the center of attention
o Interacting with people, including dating or going to parties
o Asking questions or giving reports in groups
o Using public restrooms
o Talking on the phone
This disorder can be linked to other mental illnesses, such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression. Most of the time, people with social anxiety disorder initially see a doctor with complaints related to these disorders, but not usually social anxiety symptoms. They feel like there is something wrong, but don’t recognize their feeling as a sign of illness. Some symptoms include:
o Intense anxiety in social situations
o Avoidance of social situations
Physical symptoms of anxiety including:
o Confusion
o Pounding Heart
o Sweating
o Shaking
o Blushing
o Muscle Tension
o Upset Stomach
o And Diarrhea
Children may express their anxiety by:
o Crying
o Clinging to a parent
o Throwing tantrums
The most common anxiety disorder is Social anxiety disorder, and the third most common mental disorder in the U.S. This disorder is often surfaces in adolescence or early adulthood, but can occur at any time. It is more common in women than in men. Approximately 19.2 million Americans have social anxiety disorder.
Researches have not found what causes this disorder. However, research shows that biological, psychological, and environmental factors may play a role in its development. In a psychological view, the development of social anxiety disorder may stem from being embarrassed or humiliated at a social event in the past. When diagnosing this disorder, doctors will ask questions about past medical history and performing a physical exam.
The most effective way to treat Social Anxiety Disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy. Which is a way to guide a persons thoughts in a more rational direction. This helps the person to stop avoiding situations that once cause anxiety. It makes them react in a different way to the situations that give them anxiety. Counseling also helps to improve self-esteem and with social skills. It also teaches relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, this can help a person to deal with social anxiety disorder.
Works Cited :
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-social-anxiety-disorder?page=2
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/disorder/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/social-anxiety-disorder/ds00595/dsection=causes
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
By: Kim Kramer and Norma Bingham
“Why do I have to listen to you?” “I don’t want to do my chores; I’ll do them some other time.” These may be some phrases a parent may experience from their child on a daily basis suffering from Oppositional Defiant Disorder, also known as ODD.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a reoccurring pattern of negative, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that continues for at least six months and that’s not related to a mood or psychotic disorder. This particular disorder is more common among boys than girls. Surveys conducted estimates the rate to be 2-16% in the general population. It usually displays by the age of eight years old. (SteinerH)
Symptoms are usually present at school and home. These symptoms include:
* Arguing with adults
* Losing temper
* Actively defies or refuses to comply with adults requests
* Deliberately annoys others
* Touchy or easily annoyed
* Angry or resentful
* Blames others for his/her mistakes or poor behavior
* Spiteful or vindictive
Although there is no known cause of ODD, it is assumed that there may be a combination of biological, to the condition. Other behavior problems can go along with ODD, such as ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, depression, and anxiety disorders. In severe cases, the child can also develop Conduct Disorder.
Conduct disorder has the same behavioral and emotional signs as ODD just on a much higher severity. These disorders can become and lead to much bigger problems in life as adolescence and adults such as Anti-Social personality disorder and even Sociopathic. The prognosis of these disorders is a very grim and bleak picture filled with unhealthy relationships with parents and peers, affective illnesses, and criminal behavior.
Biological and Genetic Aspects
Some studies suggest that abnormal amounts of neurotransmitters can have a contribution to ODD. If they are out of balance or not properly working, messages may not be making it through the brain correctly. Having a family member with mental illnesses such as personality disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders suggests that ODD may be inherited.
Environmental Aspects
Some children that encounter dysfunctional family lives, a family history of mental illness, inconsistency in discipline, and/or substance abuse can be contributing factors to behavioral disorders. The oppositional child feels the need to be in control and to have power. The search for power is associated with the motivation of fear. The fear of a parent’s disapproval, feeling unloved, or not being accepting. Psychologist Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanistic branch of psychology, suggests that human needs are physiological needs and the need of feeling safe; avoidance of pain and hurt. This helps explain the oppositional child. The need for the child to control everything and everybody they encounter. The fear of being hurt makes the child strive genetic, and environmental factors may have a to be “one up” and in control. Parents, however, could be the reason why defiance is occurring.
Things parents should avoid:
* Handling the child’s feelings in an unhealthy way
* Showing favoritism towards siblings
* Forms of competitiveness
* Spoiling
* Overprotection and over controlling the child
* Constant nagging
A child needs to know its ok to their express their emotions and they need to feel safe. If the child doesn’t feel these two basic needs aren’t being meant, they show their feelings through misbehaving and oppositional defiance.
Confronting ODD
For children with ODD, an argument is more meaningful to the child then the initial outcome. The child seeks to gain control over the situation, the parent’s emotions, and over the parent’s position of authority. Ignoring is the worst response an oppositional child can receive from parents; they see it as you don’t care what they do. The best treatment for the child is to talk with a mental health professional individually and eventually as a family. There isn’t a specific medication for ODD; however, there are some that will help suppress the symptoms. Parents have to take the lead role.
* Pick your battles. Avoid power struggles. It can only turn into a power struggle if you let it.
* Set limits and enforce consistent consequences
* Set up a routine
* Build time together. Once a week set time back for the parents and child to be together
* Assign the child household chore. Set the child up for success with the task
Conclusion
The main thing to keep in mind is that the child needs to be balanced. The child needs to have an encouraging emotional environment, at home, at school, and any other activity the child participates in. Parents need to express the balance between love and guidance. They need to encourage growth and independence while still giving guidance and direction so the child does still have the sense of being loved. Children need to know they belong and that they are appreciated, and that they have contributions that do matter and affect others. Letting the child know how their actions impact others, builds their conscience. The healthier the self-direction is, the less likely an oppositional child will go out of their way to obtain more power. Parents should seek to provide a nurturing, supportive, and consistent home environment with a balance of love and discipline. There is hope and a positive outcome for children with ODD, and with the endeavor of the parents, the child, and other family members, accomplishment is just around the corner.
Citations:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-disorder/ds00630/dsection=symptoms, You +1'd this publicly. Jan 6, 2012 – Hamilton SS. Oppositional defiant disorder. American Family Physician. 2008;78:861.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/918095-overview, Copyright 1994-2012 by WebMD LLC
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17195736, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Jan;46(1):126-41.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11064964, Barlow J, Stewart-Brown S. Behavior problems and group-based parent education programs. J Dev Behav Pediatr.
http://www.answers.com/topic/conduct-disorder, Copyright 2012, Answers Corporation
http://www.whatisoppositionaldefiantdisorder.com/2012/02/does-your-child-have-oppositional.html
www.youtube.com, Oppositional Defiant Disorder on WTNH 8, Dr. Robert Reynolds, February 4, 2011
Withstanding Emotional Battles among Yourself
Drake Moss
Have you ever felt like you were at war with your body and your emotions? The feeling that you can’t control being unhappy over such simple situations? Many people that receive this feeling can slip into a disease called depression. When most people think about depression they assume it’s in adults, because they have more stress; truth of the matter is that more teenagers are experiencing the symptoms of this sometimes life taking disease. One teen I personally know and study her behavior.
In Psychology Today, Ellen McGrath’s “Teen Depression” article discusses the emotional battle in young girls. With statistical numbers going no where but up, finding ways to keep yourself and your teen clean of unhealthy thoughts is essential.
Anti depressants in my opinion can help to an extent. My girlfriend is actually proscribed an anti depressant because she gets really upset and freaks out on people very easily. Although there are days I think she could be bi polar, her taking the Zoloft (anti-depressant) really helps her out when she is on the verge of breakdowns. About 80% of her family as in her mother, sisters, cousins and Aunts are proscribed some sort of Anti-depressant. It turns out that women are two times as likely of suffering from depression as men as I found on www.psychiatry.wustl.edu. She does have a few uncles that take them as well. Being a teen and needing this just makes me wonder what she will have in store for her future. As far as I know she has never considered suicide at all. I believe that some people that do attempt suicide, but fail at it end up being just a call for attention. This is a disease that does need help although; two thirds of people suffering from depression do not seek medical treatment. It is necessary because if you do not receive any help, it could become life threatening. Teens are not the only one having these uncontrollable emotions though.
The graph above shows that the older that you get; the chances of being clinically depressed are increased steadily. Adults unknowingly slip into depression because of stress. As they are so busy taking care of everything else their body and mind start losing control of their emotions. Things that normally wouldn’t make you upset, do. Things that usually do not make you happy, (like self-inflicted injury) would. Managing your stress and keeping yourself mentally and physically healthy can decrease the chance of you becoming a casualty.
This may not be a big deal to you now but statistics show that by the year 2020 the World Health Organization (the WHO) believes that depression will be the number two cause of loss years of healthy life. This is only seven and a half years from now. I’m sure the last seven years of your life flew by; this next seven will not be any slower.
This is why we need to address the issue of depression immediately. Knowing someone that means very much to me that suffers from this condition has me questioning the future and how society will handle the depressed. Sometimes I feel as if I can’t handle her moods, but if the entire population was this way I would isolate myself or be depressed with them.
Bipolar Disorder
By Grayson Palmer and William Wright
What causes bipolar disorder? What are some of the effects of being bipolar? We will be answering these questions and many more.
Bipolar disorder is defined as a mental disorder marked by altering periods of elation and depression. It is difficult to say what causes bipolar disorder because there are so many different reasons why a person would get it. First of all a person could inherit this disorder. Although if a mother has identical twins and one of the kids is bipolar chances are the other twin does to. But if she has fraternal twins and one of the kids is bipolar it is less likely that the other one is too. Bipolar disorder can also be caused by stress. The death of a family member, or being laid off from a job is enough stress to cause some people to become bipolar. Some kids that are abused become bipolar because they create different personalities to escape the terrible things that are happening to them. Also drugs can trigger someone to become bipolar. Cocaine is one of the most common drugs to do this. Even over the counter medicine can trigger it if you take to many. Though there are many reasons that someone can get bipolar disorder it can often go unnoticed for very long periods of time because in many people the swings can be very small and the disorder can often be very insevere and in cases can go away in cases or can be overcome without treatment. However for those with severe cases of bipolar disorder medical treatment can be used and is often times required because if untreated many people who have it can turn to suicide in their most depressed times.
There are many treatments for bipolar disorder including mental therapy with a psychiatrist as well as that combined with treatment through medication. One of the most common medications used to treat bipolar disorder is a drug called lithium. This drug is used to stabalize a person's mood and decrease the severity of mood swings in individuals with bipolar disorder. For those patients who suffer from mixed episodes that are more frequent can benefit from the mood stabalizing anticonvulsants. These medications include depakene, stavzor, depakote, lamictal, and saphris. Hor those patients that don't benefit from anticonvulsants, antipsychotics can be the option to turn to. Abilify and Zyprexa are two examples of antipsychotics and are also types of mood stabilizers. Symbyax is a mixture of fluoxetine and olanzapine and just helps your moods become stable. Benzodiazepines are pills that help you sleep better and not have so much anxiety.
There are many symptoms that are created by bipolar disorder. One of the symptoms is a manic episode. Which means the person gets really hipper, they almost act like they are on speed. A bipolar person will also get very depressed. And will not feel motivated to do anything. Mixed episodes are also very common. When a person is having a mixed episode they can not make up their mind, and do not make very good decisions. And they can also get very depressed during this stage.
A bipolar person does just not effect him or herself, but their family as well. Some families are in denial and refuse to believe there is a problem. Some families mite even blame the bipolar person or blame themselves. The best way to handle this situation would be to just support the person and do whatever you can do to help. The families of bipolar people go through almost as much as the diagnosed person goes through just by being supportive. Families constantly have to deal with the uncertainties of not knowing how the bipolar person will be the next day. And also dedicating their lives to helping their loved ones have a better life for themselves. In conclusion there are many ways to become bipolar, and there are many symptoms. And we only mentioned a few.
http://bipolar.about.com/cs/bpbasics/a/what_causes_bp.htm, http://www.divinecaroline.com/22181/58622-effects-bipolar-disorder/3
Alzheimer's
Ashley Lanning
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. Dementia is the loss of brain functions that occurs with diseases such as Alzheimer’s. This disease is degenerative and irreversible. It affects memory, thought process, and behavior. This disease counts for about 50%-80% of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is the decline of mental abilities that eventually interfere with daily living. This disease is common, but it is not a normal disease for the elderly. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that starts off as mild memory loss and eventually causes a person to have no idea what is going on around them. They begin to not be able to carry on a conversation anymore, and can not react to the environment around them.
How to Treat Alzheimer’s
There is no cure for this devastating disease. Although, there is a few steps to take in preventing Alzheimer’s, regular physical exercising, maintaining a healthy diet, and genetic testing. Research shows that about 80% of dementia patients suffered from cardiovascular problems. Researchers show that exercising benefit’s the brain by increasing both blood and oxygen flow. Exercising and having a healthy diet is key steps in preventing this disease. Also, genetic testing could possibly show the results of a person having dementia later on in life.
“The long Goodbye”
Alzheimer’s is also known as the “long goodbye”. The victims of Alzheimer’s could potentially live up to eight years after the diagnosis. It is regressive, therefore it slowly starts to decline the memory and eventually the patient suffering from this horrible disease won’t remember their loved ones. Also, they won’t be able to do what they’ve always knew how to do. They eventually need help with everything from eating, bathing, and carrying out other daily living activities.
I’ve worked in a nursing home for the past two years. The majority of my residents have some sort of dementia. I’ve witnessed the resident’s from the time they were admitted until their final days. I’ve see their mental state decrease every day. This is a very sad disease. I’ve been kicked, hit, punched, bit, and pinched by some of these victims suffering with this disease. Of course, they don’t know what they are doing. Most of these people having this behavior were the most loving people. They get frustrated because they can not do everyday activities like they had before.
I’ve seen the heart break of family members coming to see their loved ones. This man comes to see his wife every day, at least twice a day. Some days she doesn’t even know her husband and they’ve have been together for 65 plus years. This disease is very devastating to family members. It basically makes their mental state, the state of a five year old. I’ve been asked by an eighty-six year old woman, where her parents where. This also could be considered a family disease, but cause it definitely affects their family members. Over the past two years, I’ve developed a new appreciation for the elderly. I now consider all of my resident’s my family members, also.
References
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001767/
Insomnia
By: Jake Nath
Insomnia is a common sleeping disorder that affects many things, including the quality of someone’s life. People with insomnia have trouble sleeping and staying asleep. There are two stages of insomnia, short-term and chronic. Short-term sleeping problems are linked to stress that has been troubling someone. This problem usually stops within a month or even weeks. Chronic sleeping problems are on going.
This problem is linked to other problems such as a chronic pain or if the person is depressed. There are many things that can cause insomnia. One of the most common causes of insomnia is stress. Stress can weigh a person down and when you try and go to sleep, all the stress can be multiplied with all of the time you have to think before you try and fall asleep. Some more factors into experiencing insomnia are depression, anxiety, stimulants, and lack of regular exercise. Most of the symptoms to know if you have insomnia are different for every person. The most common symptoms are; having trouble falling asleep, having trouble staying asleep, feeling tired when waking up, and waking up too early in the morning. Considering insomnia is not a disease, there are no tests to diagnose this problem. This problem as stated earlier is linked to other problems and a doctor will assess those problems before having you tested in a sleep study. To treat this problem there are many natural ways to help this problem go down rather than jumping straight to medication. One simple way to help this is going to bed at the same time on a regular basis and waking up at the same time. This will get your body in a pattern and will allow your body to start to rest around the same time and get up. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine is a huge factor as well. In this day in age a lot of teens and young adults are consuming a ton of caffeine and some are consuming alcohol on a regular basis. The caffeine will keep you up and tell your body to keep going when your body needs to do the exact opposite.
Insomnia has affected me since I was a sophomore in high school. I had many changes that year such as playing varsity baseball and starting to drive. These extra responsibilities put me in a ton of stress, which lead to me not sleeping as I normally would. I tried all the natural ways of fixing it and nothing worked, I would just lay in bed and not be able to sleep at all. Around he end of my junior year I got put on Ambien, one of the most common sleeping pills on the market today. The pill helped me a lot but it was not healthy for me to take because of my other health related issues. Slowly I have gotten over it with my busy college schedule. Insomnia caused much more stress in my life than it needed to, and just with staying busy and having a normal routine; it has helped more than medicine could.
http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20188381,00.html
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-facts-information/study-hall
ADDICTIONS OF DRUGS
by LUCKY ALAN
If we are talking about addictions, of course in our mind will think about, drugs, alcohol abuse, exercise abuse, or maybe gambling. Mostly, people that got addicted in a bad way are the drugs user. Why are people addicted to drugs? Or why some drug user become addicted and some others do not? Vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. It caused by genes from your family of addiction, abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood, or stress.
My friend and I used to smoking before. I think it was last year when we completely stop using it. First time was really hard for my friend, for me it was okay because maybe I am not really addicted to smoking. I have been smoking since I was 15, but I always on and off. I never really addicted to it. I saw my friend he was feeling suffocating. He got a headache so many times, and fever, or his lips always dry. But he still can survive until now. With the treatment you will be stop using drugs. In reality, drugs addiction is a complex disease, and is really hard to quit. It’s about 23.3 millions Americans are using drugs, so nearly 2 in 10 Americans over the age of 12 classified with substance drugs addictions.
There are the classification of Mood-Altering Drugs by frequency of use, 1) Caffeine, 2) Alcohol, 3) Nicotine, 4) Despressants, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, 5) Opioids, 6) Stimulants, 7) Hallucinogens, and 8) Inhalans. The modified by chemical substances called the neurotransmitters acting to the brain and also to the nervous system.
People use or experiment with drugs by many different reasons. You try because your friends are doing it, or you stress out because family problems, or you just try it just to get have fun. It does not matter how much you consume the drugs, as long as you use it and if causing problems in your life, you mostly have a drug addiction problem.
Addiction is called a chronic, means that relapsing the brain disease that can causes compulsive drug seeking and use. It is dangerous to the people that are using it. Although the people that making the decision to taking it, the brain changes him or her through the occur over time challenge a person’s self control and ability to resist intense the impulses urging them to take drugs. It’s really hard when you try to not taking it anymore. So are there any treatments? Of course there are. One of them is by the therapy, you can find the treatments by call or online, next, choose your good friends that absolutely not using drugs. Another one is by eating right, or change your lifestyle. And try to do something positive, such as exercise, get a girlfriend or boyfriend that are not using drugs is really help for you.
Using drugs is really bad for you, obviously. Especially when you addicted to it. Maybe you are okay with it, but later on or sooner, when you getting older you will feel suffocating.
REFERENCES
-Office of National Drug Control Policy (2004). The Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in the United States, 1992-2002. Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President (Publication No. 207303).
Rehm, J., Mathers, C., Popova, S., Thavorncharoensap, M., Teerawattananon Y., Patra, J. Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. Lancet, 373(9682):2223–2233, 2009.
-http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm
-http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-abuse-addiction
Cotard Delusion
Michael Pettibone
This disorder is known by other aliases such as Cotard delusion, Cotard’s syndrome and/or Walking Corpse Syndrome. This syndrome was names after Jules Cotard (1940-1889), who is given credit for first describing the condition. He was a French neurologist and called it le délire de negation, which most directly translates to “negation delirium.” Basically any person who suffers from this disorder has problems in knowing if what they are seeing is true, so seeing their body must be false because they are stuck on the fact that they are dead. Jules Cotard believed that this syndrome was most directly related with depression and/or despondency.
Cotard delusion is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder in which the person suffering is under the assumption that they have died or are dead. In some cases, patients have had the feeling that they have no blood, or internal organs. Although there is treatment it is very difficult, and nothing seems to be very promising, physicians have used tricyclic and serotoninergic antidepressant drugs, Electroconvulsive therapy, as well as Dialectical behavior therapy. This disorder has been classified as a more cognitive, linguistic and or intellectual disorder rather than biological. A majority of patients that suffer from this disorder are women. The latest patient was a pregnant women who believed that her heart was absent and her liver was “putrefying.”
Some of the symptoms of this syndrome/disorder include but is not limited to depression, suicidal or negative thoughts, a belief that their body does not exist as well as the thinking that they are already dead. They believe they have no blood, their body is rotting, and they don’t have internal organs. The people that suffer from this are so set in their thinking that it takes quite a bit of treatment to take care of these patients.
Works Cited:
http://cotarddelusion.com/
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/cotard_syndrome/intro.htm
http://www.bizarremedical.com/delire-des-negations-cotards-syndrome/#more-212
MARIJUANA
Mikarla Swann
Now-a-days drugs can be found everywhere, and it may seem like everybody is doing it. Lots of people are doing it because they want to feel free and escape their problems for just a little while. Drugs such as Marijuana are ADDICTIVE! People smoke it for a lot of different reasons: to feel good, to feel better, to feel different, or to fit in. Researchers showed that 9% or about 1 in 11 of new beginners that start marijuana become addicted. The rate for this seem to climb higher very quickly, now 16% or 1 in every 6, in starting in their teen years accelerates up to 25-50% among daily users.
Driving under the influence if Marijuana is unsafe. It is known to be the most common illegal drug, and 14% of accidents were cause by this drug. Marijuana effects a lot of skills that is necessary for driving such as; alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction timing. Marijuana in the school has a major effect on the students as well. The NIDA also stated that “Marijuana's negative effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for days and sometimes weeks—especially if you smoke often. Someone who smokes marijuana daily may be functioning with a "dimmed-down" brain most or all of the time. Compared with their peers who don't smoke, students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. Also, long-time marijuana users themselves report being less satisfied with their lives, experiencing memory and relationship problems, poorer mental and physical health, lower salaries, and less career success.”
During your pregnancy drugs can cause several mishaps for the baby and mother health. Studies have showed that using drugs during your pregnancy can cause miscarriage, low-birth weight, premature labor, placenta abruption, and foetal death and so on. Marijuana is similar to cigarettes that are filled with toxins, and this is very poisonous for the baby because the supple of oxygen is not healthy for the baby to grow. It can also affect your baby with abnormal birth and may also cause down syndrome. Smoking without knowing that you are pregnant can still harm your baby, According to Dr. Richard S. Abram, author of Will it Hurt the Baby, "occasional use of marijuana during the first trimester is unlikely to cause birth defects." Once you are aware you are pregnant, you should stop smoking. Doing this will decrease the chance of harming your baby.
Marijuana also has a major effect on your body. Compared to tobacco, Marijuana has 50%-70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons. Many people may ask the question if this drug is not good for you why do people have marijuana medical cards. It is also said that marijuana has the potential to help with some medical conditions but they try not to use it also because it has a long lasting effect and your body id still developing. But the bottom line is that this plant contains more than 400 chemical substances. And about 60 of them are unique and aren’t found in any other plant. Those substances are responsible for the physical and psychic effect of the people.
Work Cited
www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-facts-teens
www.americanpregnancy.org
www.abovetheinfluence.com
Autism
By: Abby Miller and Marci Scripter
Have you even seen a child in a local store acting differently than any other kid would? There could be different possibilities as to why they are behaving the way they are. Not focusing to what their parents are asking of them or simply going from one toy to the next. This could be a disorder call autism, or ASD.
Autism is a disorder of the brain that is typically started to see in the first 3 year of a person’s life. This disorder is a developmental disorder and this means that there is something wrong with the chemistry and the biology of the brain or parts of the brain do not work together. Now own knows the reason why this disorder happens, but it is it known to run in some families. Those genetic factors are important; you see that a child with autism has one more alleles then a normal child has. A normal child has twenty-two alleles when an autism child has twenty-three. There are some people that believe some vaccines that children receive can causes autism but this has not been proven true.
You can tell when children have autism when they have pretend play, verbal and nonverbal communication, and social interactions, some kid my never be about to speak at all and some will repeat what they say over and over. A lot of parents can see this start around eighteen months and get help around the time the child is 2 years of age. When the child is of the age of 1 or 2, they can suddenly lose their language and there social skills that they have leaned over there life time plus the children appear to be deaf but when they are checked out there hearing in normal. This type of autism is called regressive. Some other things autism people can do it perform repeated body movement, can show unusual attachment to different objects, they can get unusually distressed when their routines are changed on them, and they can be over sensitive to sight, smell , touch, hearing , or taste. Some Children’s intelligence is below normal and with teens can be depressed and have anxiety. All of these symptoms can be in different magnitude for different children. With a child is having a hard time communicating they tend to have a difficulties starting and keeping a conversation going, and there language gets slower or not talk at all. The child may not make friends with other children or not play with interactive games at all and stays to them self’s. Some children with autism my treat other people as they are different objects. They can even act up and throw tantrums, and have really short attention spans. This would be is if they were playing with a toy and after 5 minutes they will throw it down and want to do something else.
It affects people in different ways and they have to learn how to cope with it. There are many symptoms and medications that can help maintain an easier lifestyle for children, along with their parents or guardians. Not every child that is diagnosed with autism will act or be treated the same way. Some children may have different sensitivities to the five senses.
It is known that every 1 in 110 children have autism and they usually inherit it through genetics or the environment they are raised in. Scientist can often find irregularities in parts of the brain to diagnose the child with autism, or ADS. When a parent starts to notice behavioral issues such as their child throwing a tantrum or being very aggressive, the certain behaviors from their child are usually looked into. The first thing the doctor usually does, is prescribing some form of medication.
There is no specific medication that can be taken to cure autism, but there are medicines that can help with certain side-effects. Most medications that are given are usually not approved by the FDA and are known as “off labels.” Risperidone (risperdal) is medicine that is used for irritability for a child suffering autism. Zyprexa, Fluoextine, and sertraline are also recommended. A child with autism may also suffer from OCD and Prozac is used to help with that. As the child gets older, they may need to transition into another form of medication to help with other symptoms.
The symptoms that usually come along with autism are improved with treatment and with age. Another way to tell if a child is suffering from autism, is if the speaking skills are decreasing before the age of 3 and the child is also at a higher risk of developing seizure-like brain activity according to the pyschentral.com website. Symptoms that people also experience are depression or behavioral problems. People with ADS will continue to need services and support as they get older according to Psychcentral.com/lib/2010/medications-for-autism/.
For a person that suffers from autism, does not mean that they can not be successful. Such as, for an older person, they are able to carry on a career but have very independent when it comes to living on their own. They will continue to live in a supportive environment.
One person that suffers from autism is Temple Grandin. She was diagnosed with autism in 1950 when she was 2 years old. When her mother noticed that she was having speech problems, she took Temple to the doctor and the doctor suggested speech therapy. Even though she suffered from ADS, she was very successful and went to college. “She later became a renowned animal scientist and she received her B.A. from Frankin Pierce College and her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University and invented improvements to the animal handling systems found in meat plants that decreased pain animals experienced”, according to http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Temple_Grandin.htm.
Work Cited
-Psychcentral.com/lib/2010/medications-for-autism/
-autism.about.com
-Temple%20Grandin.webarchive
- http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Temple_Grandin.htm
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/
-http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-topic-overview