Abnormal Psych 1 and 2

Chapter 1 Question 1 On December 11, 1950, Thorazine was first synthesized. Known as a common anti-psychotic drug, it’s first use was as an antihistamine. Later was used for schizophrenics due to it’s remark ability to lower body temperature like cold water baths. March 13, 1947 Gerald P. Koocher was born. Recognized for his service to children’s legal rights and services to families of severely ill children, Koocher was awarded the APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions in 1992. Wilhelm T. Preyer's Die Seele des Kindes (The Mind of the Child) was written on October 6 in 1881. His book was dedicated strictly to child psychology. His researched was directly taken from daily observations of his son. Albert Bandura's book Principles of Behavior Modification was published on August 11 1969 and continued his work in 1986 with Social Foundations of Thought and Action. Ativan was approved by the FDA for uses in anxiety and sedation on September 30, 1977. Ativan is a benzodiazapine that is also used to treat depression and mild sleep disorders. Question 2. September 11, 2001 rocked the world. I was living in Albany, NY and 8 and a half months pregnant with twins. The shock of the situation sent me into labor and had the twins on September 19th, 6 weeks early. Devastation was unparallel in our society. Up until then, I honestly had never experienced anything of this multitude. Mental Health America states that 64.7 of the building survivors are reported experiencing a new onset of depression, anxiety or other mental health problem. I know that PTSD was a main diagnosis of pretty much everyone involved. Myself included, since I had family in assisting in the recovery process at Ground Zero! NMHA continues to attempt to assist with the mental health issues facing Hurricane Katrina victims. Even one year after this disaster, experts believe that 30% of the victims were experiencing symptoms of mental illness as a direct effect of their experiences. NMHA estimates that between 3-7% of school age children suffer from ADHD. Symptoms range from mild to severe and occur in adulthood as well. President of NMHA says that ADHD awareness day is to dispel misconceptions and remove stigmas. As a mother of 2 children with varied ranges of ADHD, I know personally this is something we need much more scientific research on. Chapter 2 Question 1. Why is family therapy effective for adolescents with behavior problems? With the rise in societal issues faced by today’s youth, the need for a more family centered approach to therapy is needed. Between wanting their independence and needing guidance, more teens are showing behavioral problems. (AAMFT, 2002) Between peer pressure, divorce, violence, and parental problems, today’s teens are faced with a multitude of reasons for behavior problems. Some are not as easily defined with the rise in mental health issues. Children and parents need each other, therefore family therapy is best for the family as a whole. Faced with mental health disabilities, both parents and the child need more support than the average family. Family therapy is most effective by involving schools, peers, communities as well as parental issues is by including all these issues into one goal oriented therapy. Family therapy meets the requirements needed for today’s rising challenges faced by our children who need us more than ever. Chapter 2 Question 3. What are some of the main methods used to treat anxiety disorders, from a cognitive-behavioral perspective? Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or CBT concentrates on three main areas. From the Cognitive aspect if a client has been trained or conditioned think and behave in a negative manner than he/she can always be counter trained to think in the positive. (Anxiety Network, 2006) There are several forms of treatment available to treat anxiety based disorders which may or may not include medication. Help in identifying the fears and triggers of these fears in one way CBT therapists help with learning to regain control. By including a slow, guided exposure to these fears, the client can become more equipped to deal with not only the fear itself but also where the fear originated. Changing some diet patterns can also help with some anxiety as well. By controlling arousal due to caffeine (coffee, teas, soda) and alcohol, some patients may see some improvement from agitation. (The American Institute of Cognitive Therapy, 2003) Relaxation is also an effective tool for gaining strength from these crippling fears. Deep breathing, walks, meditation and thought modification can help a client to remain calm enough to break down the overwhelming anxiety and making it more manageable. Having a mental health disorder is bad enough but coupled with the feeling the world is laughing at you can be a major cause of anxiety issues. One way of dealing with this type of anxiety issue is to teach the client to question the situation. Is the other person really laughing at you or could it be something else? By combining relaxation and coping tools, the client can then deal with outside influences on their fears. Medication can also play a role in combination with behavior modification. Common side effects of anxiety disorders are insomnia and depression. Worrying about the fears and social pressures can be debilitating. Therefore the need for anti-depressants and sleep medication can provide some relief but must be done not as a cure but to assist along with therapy. The American Institute of Cognitive Therapy. What is Cognitive Therapy. Jan 21 2007. http://www.cognitivetherapynyc.com/problems.asp?sid=243 The Anxiety Network. Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. Jan 21 2007. .http://www.anxietynetwork.com/hcbt.html

Live long and prosper

I'll start by saying this. I was raised Christian my whole life. I've seen many people die over the years. Not once have I seen anyone live longer due to their belief, practice or faith. Yes, i suppose it may be possible to an outsider to say " well he/she lived a glorious life, no drugs, alcohol or tobacco. They were a true saint for Lord." Too bad they died at 25 due to cancer. Oxymoron anyone? Religion, paths, faiths are suppose to give us hope, a way to be a better person but... I'm a science major. I revel in facts not fiction and hopes and dreams. Statistics and control group get my attention. No amount of research can PROVE whether religion served as a go between for long life and death rates. If it's your time, then it's your time. I don't believe you are chosen when it's your time, it just is. It's like life. Unexpected and beautiful, but has some nasty curves ahead.

Societal Norms?

Beliefs and assumptions about mental illness affect the way people respond to someone who shows abnormal behavior. Those who behave in unusual ways or have been diagnosed as having a mental illness may be rejected by others. Many false beliefs exist about the causes and the outcome of mental illness. In general, what are your feelings concerning these issues? In addition to your response, be sure to respond to atleast two of your classmates. First off I'd like to say there is no such thing as normal as far as I am concerned. My normal day would look insane to most but it is my norm to say the least. Someone else may have a lighter load and that's their normalcy, not mine. So I dare each of us to attempt to define "normal" in this day and age! As for the topic at hand, I see the looks and snears for my son on a daily basis. Other kids laugh at him because his "voice" sounds funny. I hear things like "How come he acts so stupid like a baby" or "Jamie's a retard, look how he walks and acts". These things are cruel and unusual punishment for a child. Parents are to blame as well, not just the kids. I've had parents not allow their children around Jamie because he might hurt them etc. it's hard enough being a child, but when stereotypical mental illness assumptions are made by adults, it's quite enraging for this parent. When we come together as open_minded individuals with a common goal of understanding, then we will actually be a caring society.

Diet Wars

Frontline: Diet Wars I was 18, 102 ponds, fighting bulimia, recently married and pregnant. By the time I was 6 months pregnant, I had developed toxemia and packed on 27 lbs. Ending weight gain was 70 pounds, double the normal. From that moment on, I have struggled with my weight. After the first 4 children, I managed to take all the extra weight off by working out 5 days a week and during 3 of those with a trainer at the Albany Police Academy. However, shortly after, I became pregnant with my twins. Fifteen months after their birth was the birth of my seventh and last child. Having no time in between, I packed on the weight and was a staggering 200 pounds. Extremely obese for my 5'6 , very small framed body. Now I battle the weight again. Two years ago, I broke my knee and tore my ACL was put on steroids and once again gained weight. It seemed like a never ending roller coaster ride for me. I am now down to 170 lbs, size 13 from a 22 and working just a hard. But when does it end? How small do I have to be? Today's society teaches us sickly skinny is all the rave. I've fallen to the diet traps in my time. I've even starved myself to start the weight coming off. The Frontline video stated that over 40 million people are obese in this country. That includes me and not an easy thing to admit to ones self. I would have to apply conflict theory here. Not only do we as individuals have conflicting approaches to weight and what is "acceptable" in society. But society as a whole has this "image" of what makes a woman beautiful. Wrinkles on a man add character, for a woman it's that she's just getting old. Men can hold onto a few extra pounds and it's love handles, but for a woman it's she's fat. Conflicting interests indeed. Are the Victoria's Secrets commercials right? Are all women to be 5'9 and 100 pounds, gaunt with ribs showing? Or is it time we take a stand, accept we need to lose weight for health not societal views and be happy with " The Me I Be"?

Is America in a moral decline?

Is America in a Moral decline? Statistically speaking, according to the text book, no we are at a rise. Have we actually looked around lately? More children are in the juvenile justice system than ever before. Why? Because mom and dad are working more than ever to make ends meet and not enough attention is put on our future. The children! Abortion is just about America’s number one form of birth control. Smacking your partner is ok if they had it coming. Children are allowed to watch whatever they want, whenever they want regardless of the violent or sexist prevalence. Computer time isn’t monitored but allowed til all hours of the night. What exactly do you think they’re doing on that thing that late? Homework? Now, more than ever, we find literally thousands of pornography sites on the web. And we wonder what they do all night long online? Nuked foods are the wave of the teenage world. After all, they have to eat too. Mom and/or dad are out, working or non existent. Family dinner at the table is a thing of the past. As for family night? What exactly is that? Between school sports, hanging out with friends, running the streets, today’s youngsters are losing out on the very family network they require for proper growth. Is this societies fault or is it personal? We are all to blame. At sometime, somewhere we are all guilty of wanting a little quiet time from the kidlets. The 5 minute shower is a luxury. Unfortunately, we cut corners where it is needed most. We as a society fail to see the very importance of the family time. Do you realize what 30 minutes playing outside with your children would mean to them and this world as a whole? It screams I love you from the top of its lungs. I see it like this. I have 7 children. My oldest and only girl is 18 years old and just started college. My boys are 16, 14, 10, 5 year old twins and 4. The 14, one of the twins and 4 year old all have identical Congenital Heart Disease. The worst being the 14 year old who had a transplant 4 years ago. My 16 year old has more mental health disorders than we can account for. I can’t spread my time evenly but I can spread it out according to which child needs what. I can’t play football with all of them, a few can’t even play. But I can push a mean swing, and pick a wild flower even if I am allergic. I can hold the one who had a bad dream, take them in the back yard, sing a song and show them the stars. I do a lot of Cardiology appointments for the three boys but that gives us some quality alone time too. It’s a matter of perspective. Everywhere you look, you can find small tidbits of time to share. On the way to school, turn that radio off and sing abc’s for all I care. Share something. Learn something. Yes learn something from your child. They are our future. If they don’t realize that they have the world to offer us, they will hide behind their own minds. Then where will we be?

Social vs. Personal

I have encountered far too many personal problems in my life. However, I feel these personal issues had given way to societal issues. At the age of 7, my mother married my step-father who immediately became my worst nightmare. Through physical, mental, psychological and emotional abuse, he turned my childhood life into a prision where I was always terrified to live. I remember wishing I had never been born, prying for another adult to see the bruises on me, hoping one day I would just die and be rid of it all. Tough things for a child. I was raped for 7 years by his odest son. By the time I admitted it to my mother I was 15. His father punched me in the face and told me to never lie about his son. I married at 18 and had my first child at 19. I honestly knew nothing of this man. He was a recovering alcoholic and cross meth addict. I swore i loved him and him me. yet the warning signs were right in front of me. I did nothing to leave when he began to beat me when i was 8 months pregnant. I stayed for 5 years of this and 3 children. This is where I know it became a sociaetal issue not just my own. I went on welfare when i left him. I had no way to support myself and 3 children. I stayed on welfare for 3 years as my youngest was very ill with heart disease. i became a drain on society due to the personal mental anguish i was put through. It's no longer personal, it's societies issue as well. Although things are different now, I still feel a loss there. Time lost, warning signs I missed, time I could've have spent not being locked in a house like a prisoner. We as individuals have a responsility to each other to maintain the wellness of society. Takes a kind heart, a few nice words, and maybe just maybe, letting that rude driver go without flipping the bird! Melissa

Theoretical approaches

1. Which of the theoretical approaches do you think explains a women's situation in our society and why? I would have to agree with the Progress Theory. However, saying that progress is made from generation to generation is also misleading. The old saying children live what they learn is too true. Therefore if a female at a young age learns to be submissive and takes that with her into adulthood and never learns the difference, how much can she contribute to the progress needed. Now if every girl broke a cycle and took that information to the next generation, we'd have a true progressive mark on our hands. Women wouldn't be afraid of men and their power, we'd take it from them and know it was ours for the taking. Domestic violence would cease since we'd know we can fight back and take a stand. Oppression of the female gender would be a thing of the past. Low wages wouldn't exist as we'd hold the higher court. What I believe we must do is start now with our children. Show them, not teach them, the right way to be a woman in today's society. Give them the keys to a future and let them rise up above all the negative issues we still hold today.