Analyzing Psychological Disorders Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Psychological Disorders Essay Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is chronic and severe. It can be a disabling illness that affects men and women with the same ratio or frequency. This term is from a Greek word that means having a â€Å"split mind†. Though this usage in medical terms is not accurate. The Western perception of this illness is their belief that the term is equal to a disorder of split personality. They have been found to be very distinct mental disorders. People afflicted with schizophrenia do not manifest split personalities. Schizophrenia is an illness hat affects the mind and is characterized by the disability of perceptions and manifestations of reality. Schizophrenia has five classifications. The first is the paranoid type where hallucinations and delusions are present but there is absence of disorganized behavior, thought disorder and active flattening. The disorganized type of schizophrenia occurs when active flattening and thought disorder are both present. Catatonic schizophrenia occurs when there is evidence of psychomotor disturbances. There is the presence of psychotic symptoms in the undifferentiated type but there is also absence of criteria for the other types of schizophrenia. The residual type is wherein all the symptoms of the mental disorder is present at low level of intensity. Signs and symptoms for people with schizophrenia suffer from delusions and false faith in their personal convictions despite the presentation of evidence disproving the matter. This symptom is not explained by a persons cultural background and orientation. Those afflicted also suffer from hallucinatory perceptions that can manifest when there is a lack of external diversion. The most common type of hallucination is the hearing of voices and other sounds. There is also the manifestation of disorganized attitude, behavior and thoughts. Speech is also incoherent and disorganized. The person suffering from this type of mental disorder display catatonic behavior wherein the persons body may become rigid and unresponsive. The causes of schizophrenia are unknown. There are a lot of factors that are said to be involved with the formation of this illness. There is an interaction between genetics, biology, psychology and the environment that leads to the mental disorder. Medical science does not have a full understanding of all the causes and other concerns related to the mental disorder. Recent research and medical studies is slowly but surely shows improvement and progress that would help define the causes of schizophrenia and their explanation. An increase in the dopaminergic activity that is inside the mesolimbic pathway of the brain is a constant and significant finding (Bentall 2005). Data gathered from a PET study shows suggestions that the lesser frequency the frontal lobes are activated during a task that involves a working memory there is a greater increase in the abnormality of dopamine activity in the striatum that is though to be related to deficits in neurocognition in schizophrenia. While the credibility of the diagnosis has introduced many difficulties in the measurement of the relative effect of genes and the factor of environment, more and more evidence have suggested that environmental and genetic factors can combine and create a reaction that would lead to the mental disorder of schizophrenia. Suggestions have also been made regarding the diagnosis of schizophrenia had an important genetic composition but that is influenced by the stressors or factors relating to the environment. The concept of a vulnerability that can be inherited from by some people can be destroyed by psychological, biological and environmental stressors. This is known as the stress-diathesis model. The idea that psychological, biological and social factors is more significant is called the biopsychosocial model in analyzing the causes of schizophrenia (Goldner, Hsu 2002). The approximate degree and frequency of hereditary causes in schizophrenia has a tendency to vary because of the difficulty in the separation of the effects of the environment and genetics. Twin studies have both suggested that there is a high rate of cases involving schizophrenia caused by genetic factors. It is possible that schizophrenia is a mental condition that is complicated in hereditary nature with many genes likely interacting to increase the risk of schizophrenia or the separate parts that can also occur that will lead to its diagnosis. Studies in genetics have implied that genes that increase the risk for the development of schizophrenia are not specific and may also increase the risk of development of other psychotic disorders. A breakthrough in recent research also suggested that very rare copies or omissions of small DNA sequences within the genes that are known as copy number variants were also related to the increased rate of risk for the development of schizophrenia (Noll 2006). It has also been thought that factors that cause schizophrenia can combine in the early development of the human brain during pregnancy. This would later increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. One finding that raised a great amount of curiosity is that people who were diagnosed with the mental illness is said to have been more possibly born in spring or winter in those living in the northern hemisphere of the planet. There is current evidence that exposure to infections during the prenatal stage can increase the risk of the development of schizophrenia in the age of maturity. This finding provides additional proof that linked the utero-developmental pathology with the risk of developing the mental disorder. Social conditions also help the increased risk of schizophrenia. People who are living in a highly urbanized environment have been found out to be exposed to great risk of being afflicted with the mental disorder. Poverty, poor living conditions and social status has also been found to contribute to the risk factor. Migration of people that is related to social problems like racial discrimination, unemployment and people coming from broken families also become factors of developing schizophrenia. There has been an implication made regarding the risk factor of childhood abuse and trauma that can cause schizophrenia later on in life. Lack of support and family dysfunctions also increase the risk but not directly connected to parenting. Substance use have also been found to increase the risk of schizophrenia but the relationship of this link is found to be complex. There has been some difficulty in distinguishing a clear relationship of substance use and the mental disorder. There is also solid evidence that the usage of certain illegal substances can start the onset or relapse of the mental illness in some people. These people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia use these substances to overcome negative emotions that comes with the intake of anti-psychotic medication and the mental condition itself. Negative feelings of paranoia and anhedonia were considered to be primary characteristics. The ingestion of amphetamines can trigger the brain to release dopamine that would increase dopamine activity. It is this excessive increase in activity that it is known to be partially responsible for the manifestation of psychotic symptoms of the mental disorder. This is partially supported by the idea that amphetamines can worsen the symptoms present in schizophrenia. This type of mental disorder can be triggered by heavy usage of stimulants and hallucinogens. One study has suggested the that the use of cannabis contributes to the occurrence of psychosis though some researchers suspect that the use of this substance was only a small part of the many factors of schizophrenia (Green 2002). There is also a number of psychological reasons that have been implicated in the development and sustainability of schizophrenia. A number of cognitive biases have been named in those that have been diagnosed and those that are at risk especially when there is the application of stress or in a state of confusion overly increased attention to potential threats, arriving at conclusions and impaired reasoning. There is also the manifestation of difficulty in differentiating from inner speech mechanism to one coming from an external entity and difficulty in retaining concentration. Case Studies: Anxiety Tom is an engineer, he is happily married, and he is the father of three bright, healthy children. By all appearances, his life is stable and satisfying. Tom, however, suffers from continual worry that he has a difficult time turning off. His anxiety may center on anything from his perceived health problems (he has recently been to his doctor for a physical, but no health issues were discovered) to money and job responsibilities. At times his anxiety peaks to the point that it interferes with his ability to function on the job. Physical symptoms include muscle tension, headaches, and hot flashes that often accompany Tom’s anxiety. Tom often feels nauseated, and he becomes easily fatigued. When he feels anxious, Tom has difficulty concentrating, he becomes irritable, and he has difficulty falling asleep at night. All of these symptoms have been present for the last 6 months. Tom has tried to talk himself out of his anxiety, but this has not worked for him. Toms wife is supportive, but she does not know what to do for her husband (Hauser, 2005). Neural circuitry involving the amygdala and hippocampus is thought to underlie anxiety. When confronted with unpleasant and potentially harmful stimuli such as foul odors or tastes, PET-scans show increased bloodflow in the amygdala. Possible mechanism is malfunction in the parabrachial nucleus, a structure in the brain, that among other functions, coordinates signals from the amygdala with input concerning balance. The amygdala is involved in the emotion of fear. Biochemical factors come into play. Low levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces overactivity in the central nervous system, contributes to anxiety. A number of anxiolytics achieve their effect by modulating the GABA receptors.

Kosovo - East Timor :: essays research papers

Kosovo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe the Church would recognize the conflict in Kosova as a moral action. In the eyes of the church the situation in Kosova met the required criteria, and has turned to war to solve its political crisis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is real danger involved, since it involves thousands people, and thousands of innocent lives. The Albanians turned to war as a self-defense when the Yugoslav authorities began with beatings, arrests, and violence among the Albanians ever since they declared independence after the sovereignty referendum. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) decided to take military actions to achieve their independence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many actions were taken to try to resolve the problem without violence. NATO bomb threats forced the sides to try and work out a solution. Attempts were made to try and solve this in a political way but many politicians were killed or kidnapped in the doing. Little progress was made and talks fell apart and started a military war again. It was the last resort to end the struggle between these two sides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Albanians wanted to achieve their independence through other means than violence but they believed it was the only approach to achieve it. Since the Yugoslav government wouldn’t compromise and was only killing the Albanian people, the KLA had no other choice but to defend themselves and try to gain their freedom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The odds of success are much greater than the human cost of the war. There has been involved of other nations, which has calmed down the violence. Also a cease-fire agreement was signed which stopped most firearm violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my opinion, the Yugoslav government should acknowledge their independence and settle an agreement with the Albanians. They won the referendum, and they should be allowed to separate. It’s moral of them to fight for their rights and their country’s freedom. East Timor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a major conflict in East Timor between Indonesia. The Indonesian army invaded East Timor and has occupied it for more than 25 years. This has caused a great deal of violence between the settlers and the Timorese. More than one-third of the population (approx. 200,000) has died due to disease, starvation or murder. There has been an endless struggle to regain its land and freedom. Many peaceful demonstrations have ended up in bloody massacres, with deaths and unexplainable disappearances of citizens. Also, several political leaders have been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for leading the movement of independence in the land of East Timor.

Computerized Data Acquisition of a Second Order Reaction Essay

The rates at which reactions occur depend on the composition and the temperature of the reaction mixture. Usually the rate of reaction is found to be proportional to the concentrations of the reactants raised to a power.1 There are many reactions that have a rate law in the form of: (1) v = k[A]a[B]b According to reference1 the power to which the concentration of a species (product or reactant) is raised in a rate law of this nature is the order of the reaction with respect to that species. In equation (1) first order with respect to [A] and first order with respect to [B]; however, the overall reaction is the sum of the individual orders. Thus we have a second order reaction. In this experiment a hexacyanoferrate(III) ion ([Fe(CN)6]3-) oxidizes ascorbic acid (C6H8O6) by the following reaction: (2) 2[Fe(CN)6]3- + C6H8O6 = 2[Fe(CN)6]4- + C6H6O6 + 2H+ The reaction above is of a first order reaction at room temperature with respect to individual reactants; therefore the reaction stoichiometry and rate law at time t are: (3) aA + bBproducts and (4) -d[A] = k[A] [B] where [A] represents the concentration of ascorbic acid and [B] represents the concentrations of [Fe(CN)6]3- at time t. For this experiment we will use an integrated rate law in the form of: (5) ln [A] = b [A]0 – a [B]0 kt + ln [A]0 where [A]0 and [B]0 are the initial concentrations of C6H8O6 and [Fe(CN)6]3- and a=1 and b=2. From equation (5), it is possible to calculate the second-order rate constant k by plotting ln [A]/[B] against time (find slope of line where b=2 and a=1). EDTA in this experiment is used as a masking agent to hide metal ions that would normally interfere with the analysis in this reaction. Thus the absorbance of [Fe(CN)6]3- at time t is given by: (6) Absorbance = 1012 [Fe(CN)6]3- The oxidation of C6H8O6 by [Fe(CN)6]3- involves a mechanism that consists of 3 steps.2 In the first step, the ascorbate ion (AH-) is rapidly formed by ionization of the ascorbic acid. (7) AH2 AH – + H+ Following the ionization is the slow rate-determining step, the oxidation of the ascorbate ion to an ascorbate free radical (AH∙): (8) [Fe(CN)6]3- + AH-[Fe(CN)6]4- + AH∙ During the final step, an electron is rapidly transferred from the ascorbate free radical to the hexacyanoferrate(III) anion, producing dehydroascorbic acid (A): (9) [Fe(CN)6]3- + AH- [Fe(CN)6]4- + A + H+ The slow rate-determining step is an ionic reaction between [Fe(CN)6]3- and AH-. According to reference3, the specific rate constant of an ionic reaction in aqueous solution depends on two factors: the ionic strength I of the solution and on the charges ZA and ZB of the ionic species reacting to for the activated complex. (10) log k = log k0 + 1.02ZAZB I1/2 Experimental All reagents in this experiment were of reagent grade. Mass measurements were taken on a Shimadzu Libror AEG-120 analytical scale with an uncertainty of  ±0.0001. Manual data acquisition was taken with a Barnstead/Turner SP-830 spectrophotometer and a stopwatch. The computerized data acquisition was completed by a Cary 50 Bio. The experiment began by preparing four solutions of 1 x 10-3 M of K3Fe(CN)6 with varied concentrations of NaNO3: 0.025 M, 0.05 M, 0.1 M and 0.2 M. This was completed by dissolving 0.0329245 ( ±0.001) g of K3Fe(CN)6 with the specified concentrations of NaNO3 and deionized water in a 100 mL volumetric flask. A 25 mL aliquot of each solution was transferred into a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask and the temperature of the aliquot was recorded. Next, a 500 mL 2.5 x 10-4 M solution of ascorbic acid was prepared by using a standardized 0.01 M HNO3 solution dissolved in 0.005 g of EDTA and deionized water. A 25 mL aliquot was transferred into each of the four 100 mL beakers by using a 25 mL pipet. The spectrophotometer was set to 418 nm and the absorbance reading was zeroed by using deionized water as a standard. The ascorbic acid in the beaker was poured into the K3Fe(CN)6 solution and the timer was immediately started. The Erlenmeyer flask was swirled for 2-3 seconds before pouring the reacting mixture into a 1-cm cuvette. The cuvette was conditioned with the reacting solution 4 times before being placed into the sample holder of the spectrophotometer. An absorbance reading was taken at 30 seconds and every 30 seconds thereafter for a total of 6 minutes. The same process was implemented with the Cary 50 Bio except that each sample was analyzed by the computer for 7 minutes and 53 seconds. Data/Results

What to Expect on College Graduation Day

Graduation day is everything youve worked so hard for, all rolled up into one super-charged day. So how can you make sure youre able to relax and enjoy your celebration instead of just running from one chaotic situation to another? Knowing what to expect on graduation day can make sure that the memory of you have of this important milestone is one of great joy and calm instead of chaos and frustration. Expect to be challenged as you try to balance everything All of a sudden, all of your worlds are going to collide. Youll have friends you want to see and say goodbye to, youll have family in town, and youll have all kinds of logistics to work out. You will likely feel pulled in a bunch of different directions, all at once, by the people who mean the most to you. Realize that this will likely feel a little overwhelming at times and that youll just have to roll with it. Expect the administration to be busy If you think you can take care of some last-minute to-dos like talking with the financial aid office, you might be surprised to learn that graduation day is one of the worst days to try to get things done. Many offices are super busy with student and family requests at a time when theyre also expected to be involved with graduation itself. If you have things you need to get done before you graduate, plan to do so before graduation day arrives. Expect to serve as a guide for your family You may have no problem knowing where to park, where to get food, where the bathrooms are, and where all the buildings are located on campus...but your family doesnt. Expect to serve as their guide and plan accordingly, either by being available physically to show them around or by being available via cell phone. Expect not to have much time with your friends You and your friends might plan on all seeing each other, eating together, and overall hanging out, but—just like you—everyone will be pulled in a million different directions. Do your best to cram in as much time with your friends as possible before graduation day arrives. Expect a challenge when youre trying to find people Even with cell phones, campus maps, and text messages, it can be a serious challenge to find your family, especially in a large crowd. Plan in advance to meet at certain places (e.g., next to the large tree by the church) instead of out front after the graduation ceremony is over. Expect large crowds around town Even if youre graduation in a major city, the restaurants and hotels nearby will likely be crowded before, during, and after graduation. If youre hoping to go out to eat afterward, make sure you have reservations in advance. Expect to see people for only a short amount of time Aha! You finally found your sorority sister after graduation. You say hello, introduce her to your family, and then...shes disappeared among the crowd. With so much activity and so many people on campus, its likely that youll only have a few moments to cherish with those who mean the most to you. Consequently, keep your camera handy (and fully charged) so that you can capture some amazing graduation pictures before they fade away. Expect to be on your cell phone—a lot The night before graduation is not the time to forget to charge your cell phone. Your friends will be calling and texting you; youll be calling and texting your friends; your parents and/or family will also be in touch; and even your grandmother, whos 1,000 miles away, will want to call and congratulate you. Consequently, make sure your cell phone is charged and ready. Expect a lot of conflicting emotions After all youve worked for and as ready as you thought you were to graduate, graduation day can be an emotional experience. You might very well find yourself not wanting to leave while also excited, and nervous, about what the future holds. Instead of trying to ignore your emotions, just let yourself feel and process whatever the day brings. It is, after all, one of the biggest days of your life, so why shouldnt it be an emotional one, too? Expect things to run late No matter how well you, your friends, your family, and the campus administration plan, things will inevitably run late. Taking it all in stride can help make sure you still enjoy yourself, no matter how far behind schedule things seem to run. Expect the day to be one of the most memorable days of your life Think of all the hard work you put into earning your degree; think of all your family has contributed and sacrificed; think of all the ​benefits of being a college graduate, both professionally and personally. When youre old and gray and looking back on your life, your college graduation will probably be one of the memories you are most proud of. Consequently, do your best to take a few moments throughout the day to absorb everything thats going on. It can be challenging, but after all youve done to make your graduation possible, youre definitely worth the few extra moments it might take to relax and congratulate yourself on a job well done.