Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Blog Assignment - Week 12


Part 1:

Please note: Depending on the length of your response, you may have to split your response in two...you can leave the main response like you always do, and either just submit the rest via another comment or simply reply to the comment you already left (the latter is preferred!).

The next chapter covers the topic of psychological disorders.  For this assignment, I want you to get an in depth look at one psychological disorder of your choice.  Because I want you to get an in depth look, there will be no required comments this week as this assignment should take you awhile to finish.  Thus, this assignment is worth 20 points.

For this assignment, you will be utilizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM 5).  Please be sure you are using the DSM 5 rather than the DSM-IV-TR, as this revised edition was just released this summer!

Please complete the following:
  • Choose 1 psychological disorder listed in the DSM 5.  You have access to an electronic version of the DSM 5 via the library.  Please click here.  You should be prompted to login with your university login information once you click the link.  From there, you'll want to click on the "Section II: Diagnostic Criteria and Codes" link and choose a class of disorders that is of interest to you.  You'll then be shown a list of the disorders in that class and you can choose one of those.  Please note that the classes in the DSM 5 are different than what is discussed in your book, which covers the old classification system (particularly when discussing what the DSM-IV-TR referred to as "Mood Disorders").  
  • Briefly tell me what you know about the disorder before reading about it in the DSM 5.  
  • Describe the disorder, according to the DSM 5.  You may wish to summarize the diagnostic criteria here.  Please attempt to use your own words whenever possible.
  • After the criteria for each disorder are listed, there are a number of subheadings associated with each disorder.  The subheadings will vary by disorder.  For the disorder you chose, in your own words, summarize the following subheadings:
    • Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    • Prevalence
    • Development and Course
    • Risk and Prognostic Factors
    • Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
    • Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
    • Comorbidity (where applicable)
  • Find an associated video that shows the symptoms of the disorder or has somebody with the disorder sharing their experience.
    • Summarize the video, being sure to include some of the symptoms of the disorder discussed.
  • Did you learn anything new about this disorder?  Was there anything that challenged what you thought you knew?
Most students decide to major in psychology because they are interested in mental illness - hopefully this assignment will be fun and interesting!

Because Monday is a University Holiday (Veteran's Day), this blog assignment has a different due date than the typical Monday due date.  Because I want you to have enough time to complete this assignment thoroughly, I will extend the deadline to Tuesday, November 12th and 11:59p rather than pushing it up to Sunday.

In the spirit of Veteran's Day, and just because you deserve it everyday, thanks to all of you who have or are currently serving our country!

161 comments:

  1. The disorder I chose from the available list of disorders provided in the DSM 5 was obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea. I was aware of this disorder prior to reading more about it in the DSM 5 because I have been telling my father for years now that he needs to get evaluated for sleep apnea and of course is stubbornness wins every time. Based on his sleeping patterns I believe that sleep apnea affects a person’s ability to sleep a full night. People with sleep apnea are tired, or even exhausted, throughout the day and tend to take naps during odd hours. Also, when they lay down for sleep at night they typically awaken several times due to heavy snoring and even breathing problems. When I was living with my parents there were several times when I would hear my father stop snoring and I would have to come check on him to make sure he was still alive. After a few seconds of not breathing he would wake himself up with a heavy gasp for air. I chose to look further into this disorder so I can present my father with valid evidence with the hopes of convincing him to seek help.

    According to DSM 5, the diagnosis criteria for this disorder are fairly clear and easy to determine. In order to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea, one must participate in a sleep study using a polysomnography. For an individual to be diagnosed with this disorder the results of the polysomnography must show as least five apneas or hypopneas per hour of sleep in addition to snoring, snorting/gasping, breathing pauses, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, or unrefreshing sleep. If the person does not exhibit these additional symptoms they may still be diagnosed if they experience fifteen or more apneas or hypopneas per hour of sleep.

    As stated in the DSM 5, obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea usually has a subtle onset, gradual progression, and persistent course. For the typical individual with sleep apnea, the loud snoring has been there for years, often since childhood, but the increasing severity of such snoring may cause a person to seek an evaluation. The major risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea are obesity and male gender. With weight gain and obesity playing a significant role in the onset of symptoms it goes to show that as people age and gain weight, they are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. It also has a strong genetic basis; family members who are directly related to the individual suffer from sleep apnea are twice as likely to develop the disorder.

    Sleep apnea is a very common disorder that affects all age groups, more so in older individuals. Approximately 1 – 2% of children, 2 – 15% of middle-aged adults, and more than 20% of older adults suffer from this disorder. Trends show that there is a gender difference as sleep apnea is more common among males. This gender difference decline in older age, most likely because once females reach menopause their likelihood of getting obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea increases dramatically. When it comes to cultural differences research has found that Asian individuals are at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea. This may be questionable to some, especially since obesity is a contributing factor for this disorder; however, despite their relatively low body mass index, their nasal cavities are already much narrower than most.

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    1. Due to the several sleep disturbances that one experiences, it is quite common for people with this disorder to also report signs of insomnia. Other nonspecific symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea include heartburn, excessive urination throughout the night, morning headaches, dry mouth, erectile dysfunction, and reduced libido. People who have obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea also tend to suffer from one or more chronic diseases as well. Sleep apnea is commonly comorbid with systematic hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and increased mortality. Another startling statistic shows that as many as one third of the individuals referred for evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea report symptoms of depression, which is more prevalent in males than females.

      After gathering more information on sleep apnea from the DSM 5, I also found a short video clip that gives a better visual understanding of the disorder. The video provided gives a short, but clear explanation of what the body goes through when a person with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea attempts to sleep. The majority of my response describes what this disorder consists of, but does not go into much detail about what causes the excessive sleep disturbances. The video clip explains that the relaxation of muscles causes a narrowed airway and therefore resulting in heavy snoring and breathing difficulties. It shows exactly what an apnea is and how it happens. It also lists some of the common effects these apneas have on the human body: increased heart rate; raised blood pressure; and eventually cripple the body’s automatic response system resulting in even more severe apneas.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2H-deTALsY

      Prior to gathering information on this disorder I would consider myself decently knowledgeable about obtrusive sleep apnea hypopnea; now I would say that I have a full grasp on the disorder. Before this assignment I could give you the basics on sleep apnea and the very basic symptoms that accompany the disorder. I learned the prevalence rates of those suffering from sleep apnea and general causes of the disorder, which will help me better explain the severity of the issue to my father. I am unsure which sections challenged my knowledge base; however, it was quite shocking to me that it is more prevalent individuals of Asian ancestry since the majority of the description stated that obesity was a leading cause. Overall, I enjoyed this assignment.

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  2. From Vickie Lau:

    From what I know about obsessive-compulsive disorder is that it is two components. First, obsessive means that a person has an obsession of doing or saying something without being consciously aware of it. Obsessions can be washing ones hand, brushing ones teeth, or cleaning the house. Second, compulsive is when a person repetitively does an action and cannot control themselves from it. For example, before leaving a room a person may turn a door knob three times before opening it. This will occur every time they encounter a door knob.

    Obsessions according to DSM 5 are repetitive thoughts, urges, or images that a person experiences throughout the day. These experiences may be unwanted feelings and could cause anxiety or distress. Compulsions are defined as repeated behaviors or mental acts that a person performs. Reoccurring behaviors could be hand washing, ordering, or checking. Mental acts could be repetitive praying, counting, or saying words silently.
    Obsessive-compulsive disorder syndromes obstruct at least an hour a day, which can be come consuming for undesirable thoughts or actions.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    Obsessive-compulsive disorder is very individualized. A few common dimensions of this disorder are cleaning, symmetry, and taboo thoughts. This disorder affects many different cultures and has been consistent over time within adults. Researchers think that the disorder is associated with different neural substances within the brain. Individuals may suffer from more than one symptom, which can be emotionally draining. Depending on the individuals, certain experiences can influence anxiety and cause panic attacks. Compulsions can make a person feel unease until things look, feel, or sound “just right.” Since people are usually aware of what triggers their obsessions or compulsions, it is common for the person to avoid certain people, places, or things.

    Prevalence
    OCD affects females a little bit more than males in adulthood, whereas males are more prominently affected in childhood. The occurrence of this disorder is amongst 1.2% of the United States.

    Development and Course
    Within the United States, age 19.5 years is the mean for the onset of OCD. At the age of 14 years affects 25% of the population with OCD. The onset for OCD at age is 35 is rare within the United States. Untreated OCD can lead to a chronic disorder. There are 40% of children and adolescence who may experience remission by early adulthood. It is easier to detect compulsions within children easier than obsessions. Children and adults usually have both obsessions and compulsions.

    Risk and Prognosis Factors
    Temperamental risk factors would be that children could have negative emotions and behavioral incidents. The involvement of physical and sexual abuse within children could increase the risks of OCD. Another environmental risk would be stressful or traumatic events that may have occurred at a young age. Children with parents who suffer from OCD are two times more likely with onset of OCD.

    Culture-Related Diagnosis Issues
    Gender and age across all cultures is similar pertaining to OCD. Symptoms around the world are also similar throughout regions. Cultural factors can change some people’s obsessions and compulsions depending on the region they live in.

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    1. Comorbidity
      Adults who have this disorder usually have other psychopathology. Anxiety disorder is found in 76% of adults and bipolar disorder is found in 63% of OCD adults. Tic disorder affects up to 30% of OCD individuals. Tic disorder is when a person has uncontrollable body movements or noises that can be repetitive and quick. Other common comorbidities with OCD are hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania) and skin-picking (excoriation disorder). If an individual is diagnosed with one of the disorders previously then checking for OCD should be next.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSZNnz9SM4g

      During this 20/20 episode from ABC news, the news caster explains Howie Mandels symptoms and life with OCD. Off stage, Howie is unable to shake hands with people, touch a door knob, touch glass, or be around his family at certain times. Howie explains certain objects he is unable to touch, such as hand rails or food serving lids. During his show of Dear or No Deal, Howie was known as doing the fist bump. When his makeup and hairstylist works with him, he needs everything brand new. He explains that OCD is very hard and even embarrassing. Howie has been on stage for more than 30 years, yet his disorder has seemed to rule his life. While the cameras were following and interviewing him, he dropped one of his anxiety pills in the bathroom. He didn’t even take it because he couldn’t pick it up and neither could anyone else. He was embarrassed when his mental illness became public on radio broadcasting. There was a battle within his head he explained that occurred every day. His wife explained that his OCD has become even more within the years. Raising children was difficult for him and his wife. They created another house in the back yard for Howie’s sake. He cares for his family, but sometimes these symptoms are uncontrollable.

      I learned that this disorder can consume a person’s life. It is very sad to see him explain his symptoms because these are unwanted thoughts or actions that occur every day. It is interesting that this famous icon on TV has OCD and several people don’t even know it. From what I thought OCD was, from what it actually is similar but differs in many ways. OCD is not just actions a person does. OCD can involve thoughts, urges or images with a person mind. I also did not know that there were many other onset mental disorders along with OCD.

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    2. Remember that the obsessions are the thoughts, the compulsions are the actions (washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.)

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  3. From the list of disorders in the DSM 5 I chose bipolar and related disorders. From what I have briefly learned in the past, I knew that bipolar is a multiple personality disorder. A person who is bipolar can be completely happy and content at one moment but then the next minute they can snap and become very angry and aggressive. I also know from previous knowledge that there is more than one type of bipolar diseases.
    According to the description of the DSM 5, there are three different types of bipolar diseases. Bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder. Bipolar disorders are primarily based on depression. For Bipolar I disorder, the person experiences a manic, hypomanic, or a depressive episode to its full extent during their life. A depressive episode isn't needed in order to be diagnosed as bipolar I, though. The episodes that this person will experience will usually be for about 1 week and be almost every day for most of the day. For a person who is Bipolar II, they have experienced a major depression and a hypomanic episode. The hypomanic episode lasts 4 or more consecutive days while the depressive episode has 5 or more symptoms present during a 2 week period. Most of the time these episodes are a result of change in work or social functions. Cyclothymic disorders are when people have mania, hypomania or depressive episodes but not fully to the extent that it can be classified as bipolar I or II. The timeline for this disorder is usually 2 years and half of that time is spent in hypomanic or depressive periods. The symptoms of these periods does not stop for more than 2 month periods. Medications and medical conditions can be the cause for a lot of the diagnoses of bipolar disorders.
    For Bipolar II disorder, associated features supporting diagnosis is listed as impulse as being a main aspect. Sometimes the impulsive feeling may come from another personality disorder. During hypomanic episodes, the creativity of the person is increased. This can affect the treatment of the person because they are trying to avoid it. The prevalence for this disorder is 12 months. The development and course is usually during later adolescent years and mid-20s. The duration and course of this episodes for bipolar II are longer than that of bipolar I disorder. The risk and prognostic factors show that it can be genetic because it is more likely someone will get this disease if a relative had it. It is also more likely someone who is younger with a less severe case of depression to have this form. Some research has shown that females are more likely than males to get bipolar II disorder. Hypomania is also more prevalent with females than males along with depressive symptoms. The comorbidity of this disorder is that is more often is accompanying another or a few more mental disorders such as anxiety or substance use disorder.

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    1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMuH2gWx2Ho
      In this video, the girl describes that she suffers from bipolar disorder along with anxiety, depression, and perfectionism. She has had many instances where she has thought about suicide and has done self-harm to herself. She talks about having to fight against the disorder every day and that she was struggling with that. After attending psychiatrists and therapists she has gotten a lot better and now feels happy and not depressed any more. She says that one of the main reasons she has gotten better is from the help and support of her sister. She is now happy and not suffering like she used to.
      Some new things that I learned were the different kinds of episodes associated with bipolar disorder such as manic, hypomanic, and depression. I did not know that there were these different periods that someone would go through. I also did not know that there was a disorder that was milder than bipolar disorder because the episodes were not as severe as that of the actual bipolar disorder. I did not know much about these disorders so I wasn't really challenged in any way but all I knew before this assignment was that bipolar disorder was multiple personalities. I learned a lot about these disorders than I did initially and I found this information very interesting.

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    2. I wouldn't describe someone with Bipolar as having multiple personalities. There is a separate disorder for people who are thought to have multiple personalities. Check out Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder)!

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    3. Prevalence refers to how common the disorder is in the population in a given time period - rather than stating that "The prevalence for this disorder is 12 months" you should state that n% of the population will have Bipolar disorder in a given 12 mo. period.

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  4. According to the list of psychological disorders listed in the DSM 5, I chose to research the disorder that is classified by the name of Agoraphobia. This is an anxiety disorder that is marked as an intense, fear or anxiety, triggered by the real or anticipated exposure to a wide range of situations. I know very little about this disorder but the little that I do know is that these individuals do not like to be crowded, live in close quarters, and aren't very willing to adjust easily after being diagnosed with this particular disorder. An individual who will be diagnosed with Agoraphobia will have two or more of the following symptoms : A fear or anxiety about using public transportation, fear or being in open spaces, fear of enclosed spaces, the fear of standing in lines or being in crowds, and the fear of being outside or home alone. These individuals have the ideas in their head that terrible things might happen to them and they won't be able to escape. They constantly live with the idea that they will die once they are put into these particular situations. They fear these situations because of the thoughts that escape might be difficult or help might be available to develop panic like symptoms. This will allow for the agoraphobia individuals to always provoke fear and anxiety. They become very persistent and these fears can last up to six months. If the patient were to be diagnosed with a different medical condition, fear anxiety and avoidance become very excessive in agoraphobia. The individuals will then go into a state that is called active avoidance where they intentionally try to prevent or minimize contact with agoraphobic situations.
    The ways to approach diagnosing someone with agoraphobia are quite difficult because you have to take many things into consideration. First, what actually counts as avoidance maybe hard to judge because each person may have a different distinguishing factor that classifies as avoidance. Next, the older adults are more likely to over attribute their fears to age related constraints and are less likely to judge their fears as being proportionate to the actual risk. Finally, some people tend to overestimate danger in relation to panic like or other bodily symptoms.
    The associated features that occur with agoraphobia are they like to stay completely home bound, unable to leave their home, dependent of others for services, demoralizing, suffer from depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and they turn to self medication strategies to cope with their conditions. Agoraphobia patients prevalence is that about 1.7% of adolescence and adults have a diagnosis of agoraphobia. Females are twice as likely as males and it peaks in the late adolescent years and early adulthood. Research has shown that it does not vary within cultural and racial groups. The development and course of agoraphobia is that 30% prevalent of community samples and that 50% of clinic samples suffer from agoraphobia. Two thirds of the general population have the symptoms of agoraphobia before the age of 35 and have a second high incidence after the age of 40. The average age of a child with this condition happens around the age of 17. These individuals become very consistent and chronic with only a 10% chance of complete remission. The low prevalence rate in children is explained by the difficulty in diagnosing a patient that is so young. The adolescent males are less likely to discuss there fears with a trained professional so that factor also contributes to the ability for a proper diagnosis of agoraphobia.

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    1. The risk and prognostic of an individual can be temperamental. They will remain sensitive to anxiety, suffer from behavioral inhibition, and neurotic disposition. Environmental factors such as negative events in childhood such as events like being attacked, mugged, and rape will increase the likelihood for the individuals to reduce their warmth towards themselves and others and have an increase in over protection. The genetic and physiological issues that are presented with agoraphobia are heritability is 61% and it is the strongest and most specific association with genetic factors that represent proneness to phobias that will trigger this fear to become more apparent. The gender related aspects are the ability for females to have different patterns of cormorbid disorders than males but the males have a higher rate of cormorbid substance use disorders. Cormorbidity stars with other disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, alcohol and substance abuse, anxiety disorders (separation, phobias, panic disorder), and then precede with agoraphobia, depression, and alcohol abuse.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R1Ck_9YvD0
      The video I found was entitled Blurry Beating and it was a short film of the life of a young 32 year old man who was suffering from Agoraphobia. It starts off with the man and mother sitting at the kitchen table and the mother proclaims that her son needs to go back to his own place because he hasn't been there in weeks. The son tries to get the mother to understand that he needs medical help, something just isn't right. The mom addresses that her son needs to face his fears and she kicks him out of the house. The video goes on to show a scene of the son walking in public very awkwardly. He is shown on a public transit and is shown to be very nervous. A flashback to the train driving along and the people staring at him presents this image that he can't escape from all this pain he is feeling. The man then proceeds to sit down in the middle of a busy sidewalk and he starts crying. A young woman comes up to him and asks if anything is wrong and what she can do to help. The man denies her help but the woman does not leave. She is determined to help this man and gets him to stand up and walk with her. The video concludes with the man visualizing the image of the train driving away.
      I found this order to be very interesting because I had never heard of it before. I started with anxiety disorders and then I wanted to conduct my research just a little bit further. I was very fascinated with the information that was presented on this particular disorder especially with the idea that it is not very a hot topic on today's news. This disorder opened my eyes to vast amount of psychological disorders that I am unaware of and how many people probably suffer from this disorder as well as many that are unfamiliar to many individuals, including myself.

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    2. It may be that agoraphobia isn't well known because before the DSM 5 was released, agoraphobia couldn't be diagnosed on its own. Instead, you had to be diagnosed with Panic Disorder, and then specify whether agoraphobia is also present. Maybe we'll hear more about it now that it's its "own" disorder. Great job!

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  5. I chose the Obsessive Compulsive (OCD) and related disorders category because I find it to be very interesting. Some background knowledge I know about OCD is that people become obsessed with something and their everyday function is affected on some level by their obsession. I've experienced people with cleaning-related OCD, exercise-related OCD (also eating disorders), and people who HAVE to do things a certain number of times.
    According to the DSM 5, OCD is characterized as the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions can be defined as recurrent or persistent thoughts, and compulsions are acting on these thoughts/mental acts and feeling driven to perform them. Some of these can also include repetitive behavior.
    Associated features supporting the diagnosis can vary between individuals; however, often include cleaning, symmetry, forbidden thoughts, and harm, as well as hoarding. The range in which inviduals are affected varies; that is, some individuals experience much more anxiety than others. The prevalence of OCD in the US is only around 1% of the population, affecting women at a slightly higher rate. Development and course of OCD describes the average age on onset at 19.5 years, usually not occuring after the age of 35. Untreated, the course of OCD is usually chronic, with symptoms kind of coming and going at times. Some individuals have an episodic course, while some have a deteriorating course. Risk and prognostic factors can be temperamental, environmental, or genetic. OCD occurs around the world (culture-related), and more women are affected by OCD although males, if affected, have an earlier onset. Many individuals with OCD may also have comorbid disorders, msotly with anxiety, depressive/bipolar disorders, and most commonly, major depressive disorder.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykaWt3q-edo

    This video is called "I Pull Out My Hair", discussing trichotillomania, which is a type of OCD. It is characterized by an individual has an obsession with and a compulsion for pulling out his or her hair. The video discusses a young woman's personal story about her obsession. Starting at age 7, Sandy has been pulling out her hair (including eyebrows and eyelashes) for more than 32 years. She kept this behavior a secret for a long time, but since it has become more prevalent, she decided to seek help and tell her story.

    I've learned a lot about OCD in other psychology classes, but still learned more through this assignment. I thought OCD was more prevalent than just 1%, but I'm sure the percentage would be higher if milder forms (that we see more commonly) were included as opposed to those with more severe obsessions and compulsions.

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    1. Trichotillomania isn't necessarily a "type" of OCD, but they are definitely related in that they both involve impulse control problems. Nonetheless, trichotillomania is very interesting!

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  6. I selected major depressive disorder. Some of the symptoms that I would expect to be are sadness, hopelessness, lost of interest in things one used to enjoy, excessive sleeping, little sleeping, change in diet, anger, and withdrawing. Supposedly many people do or have suffered from depression at one point. Depression can be brought on my traumatic experiences or just be something that happens with brain chemicals are not at normal levels. The disease is no different than something like a simple infection. Something is wrong with the body and can be fixed. Depressed individuals benefit from counseling and/or medications called antidepressants.

    The DMS 5 states that major depressive disorder is a mood order. There is a list of nine main symptoms for major depressive disorder. Of these only five of them need to be met within any same two week period. A summary of the nine symptoms is as follows: depressed mood nearly every day (irritable mood in children and adolescents), reduced interest in activities, significant changes in weight, changes in sleeping pattern, muscular retardation or agitation, fatigue, fellings of worthlessness and guilt, decreased ability to think or concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. A person that meets the above criteria and does not have an outside explanation for the symptoms is most likely suffering from major depressive disorder.

    Associated features supporting diagnosis – Major depressive disorder is directly related to a high mortality rate. This is usually attributed to suicide, but it is also evident in a high death rate among individuals who have been admitted to the nursing home within the year. People suffering from depression are sometimes tearful, irritable, brooding, show obsessive rumination, anxiety, phobias, excessive worry (over physical health), and complaining of pain. Abnormalities in specific neural systems and in genetics are symptomatic of depression.

    Prevalence – In the United States, prevalence of major depressive disorder is about 7%. This number fluctuates between the population demographics. For instance, 18-29 year olds are three time more likely than 60+ year olds to suffer. Females are 1.5 to 3 times more likely to suffer than males.

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    1. Development and course – This disease is usually associated with puberty; however, it can happen at any time. Major depressive disorder does not take on the same course for everyone. There is much variation in the prevalence and longevity of remission. Typically, the longer the remission the more likely that depression will stay that way. Recovery occurs in suffering individuals anywhere from three months to a year. This accounts for about 90% of those suffering. There are no differences in male and female reaction to treatment.

      Risk and prognostic factors – There are four sections to this criterion. The first is temperament. Individuals that are more neurotic are more likely to experience major depressive disorder. The second is environmental. Typically an adverse childhood or traumatic events raise the prevalence. The third is genetic and physiological. This section states that family member of those suffering from major depressive disorder are also more likely to suffer. This section also states that heredity accounts for about 40% of the cases. The final section is course modifiers. This section states that depression is more likely in somebody already suffering from a present disorder.

      Culture-related diagnostic issues – There is not a huge variation in the prevalence across cultures. The only variation is in the symptoms present and the prevalence of treatment.

      Gender-related diagnostic issues – They number of diagnosis actually made seems to show a higher prevalence in females. However, there are no differences in the symptoms between a male and a female. One major difference is that men are less likely to try suicide but more likely to succeed than females.

      http://www.thevisualmd.com/health_centers/neurological_health/depression/what_is_depression_video

      This video includes a couple of people that do actually suffer from depression. It starts out by letting the people say feeling words about their cases. Some of the symptoms they brought up were dark, sadness, anger, withdrawing for society, hopeless, and having to push a big boulder up a hill just to get out of bed in the mornings. The video then interviews many psychologists and provides some scientific knowledge on the effects of depression on the body. The psychologists said the condition is treatable, but people need to be willing to get the help that they need. They discussed suicide prevalence is only on the rise and major depressive disorder along with it.

      I learned something knew about the disorder. I did not know that the increase in the stress hormone cortisol can lead to permanent negative effect on neurons. The neurons can become stagnant and erode. This is scary! It really made the disease seem much more real to me. Other than that, I feel like I knew about the disease quite accurately. However, there is always more to learn.

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    2. Awesome job, Ashley! It's a good thing that you think of MDD along the lines of it being a disease that is no different than an infection. Thinking this way can allow one to be more empathic and less likely to stigmatize mental illness, which is great!

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  7. I chose to look at Anxiety disorders. I know that people who have anxiety have a lot of stress and fear of an object. Some of them may suffer with panic attacks. Anxiety wears down a lot of the person. It can prevent the person from participating in normal activities and eventually cause them to stop going outside or in crowds. There are many different types of anxiety though. People have anxiety about tests, work, driving, being in crowds and what have you. It is another stress that just adds to a person’s life.
    After reading through the DSM 5 I learned that some of my thoughts of anxiety were true. DSM 5 classifies anxiety disorders as having fears and anxiety and being related to behavioral disturbances. It states that anxiety is separation anxiety is common within both males and females when they are kids but more common within females when they are adults. There are many different types of anxiety disorders listed within the DSM 5 and they all differ from each other. They differ from the time they are persisting to the fear, anxiety, or stress they cause. DSM 5 talks about separation anxiety where the individual is fearful about the separation from the attachment. Selective mutism is also characterized with anxiety with the failure to speak in social situations. There are also individuals who have phobias which can be to anything including animals, environment, blood, and other situations. Then there is the panic disorder where individuals experience unexpected panic attacks and they are constantly worrying about having another one. Next it talks about people with agoraphobia which is when and individual is fearful being out in traffic and in open places or being outside and in a crowded place.

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    1. Associated featured supporting diagnosis
      Children may experience social with drawl and sadness when they experience separation anxiety. Depending on how old they are they may experience nightmares and being afraid of monsters. If this persists the child may resist going to school and participating in normal activities. This may even cause the child to become aggressive and mad do to the frustration towards family.
      Prevalence
      Separation anxiety is common in males and females when young and only in females when they are adults. It decreases from childhood to their adulthoods and is most prevalent in children who are younger than 12 years old.
      Developmental and course
      Separation anxiety can develop as young as the age preschool. Many cases of separation anxiety differ in age with children. They not may stress their worries of going to school or other places to their parents or themselves. Therefore the anxiety will manifest into their adulthood and most of the time the adults will not remember having anxiety as a child but now feel the anxiety as the adult.
      Risk and prognostic factors
      Environmental- the separation anxiety can trigger from a death of a pet, relative, divorce, recent move or even illness. With young adults making the step into the real world is another big adjustment they have to make that may cause anxiety.
      Genetic and physiological- Heritable in about 73% of a community with higher rates in girls.
      Culture-related diagnostic issues
      There are culture difference in what is tolerable for separation. In different countries and cultures they respect the age at which when the child leaves the home.
      Gender related diagnostic issues
      Girls are more reluctant to go to schools than boys and boys show less expression of fear of separation
      Comorbidity
      It is more common for children to have separation anxiety where adults will face phobias, PTSD, depression, etc.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBNhsZD8o2M
      I chose this video because it shows how a dog even though they are not human reacts to their owner leaving. This shows that the dog has some separation anxiety because it gets anxious when the owner is getting ready to leave and starts to get upset when they are alone. The dog is worrying if the owner is coming back for them or not. In the video clip the owner shows the dog that they are coming back by walking in the house a few times after waiting outside when they hear the dog barking. This helps calms the dog’s anxiety and stops the barking by letting the dog know that they are coming back for them.
      I did learn that there are a lot more different types of anxiety disorders out there. Before I thought I had a good idea anxiety but now I feel that I can grasp the concept a lot better. I did not find anything too challenging when reading about separation anxiety besides the different types of anxieties.

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    2. Nice job summarizing the class of disorders and then choosing a specific one to focus on.

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  9. I chose to examine separation anxiety disorders. I think of anxiety disorders as always worrying about something or always living in fear. The person with this disorder always feels burdened by what they need to do or what’s happening in their life. The DSM5 explains it as having excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances. This type of fear is excessive and persistent. To be diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder one must have several symptoms. The patient must have a deep worry when ever leaving home or leaving people they have a strong attachment too. Secondly, the person may worry about losing loved ones or people close to them. Next, he/she may worry or refuse to go out, and they may have a persistent fear about being alone. They may have trouble sleeping alone or they may experience nightmares involving the idea of separation. Lastly, the person may experience physical symptoms like stomach problems like vomiting, nausea, and even headaches when away from family, friends or “attachment figures.” If these symptoms last longer than six weeks in adults and four weeks in children; one can be diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder. This disorder also has environmental, genetic and physiological factors. There are cultural variations in the degree of appropriate separation. Girls also have a greater reluctance to attend school. Boys however, fear of separation is more common in boys. Separation anxiety may lead to an increased suicide rate in children. This disorder often limits what a person can do, like jobs, college and even starting a family.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEkFp0Ux4OQ This video is a cartoon depicting a dragon talking to a boy. The dragon tells the boy that he will never see his parents again and that something bad will happen. The boy calls it his “worry dragon.” The cartoon is designed to show children that these aren’t realistic fears and that their parents will be okay. The boy was worried that he would never get fed or his parents wouldn’t get him once he took a nap.
    I found this assignment to be interesting. These are real fears that people have. I never knew that they could be so debilitating.

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    1. Try to be a little more clear about what disorder you are talking about. You start out talking about Separation Anxiety Disorder then seem to switch to talking about Anxiety Disorders in general.

      Also, you state that there are environmental, genetic, and physiological factors that play a role in the etiology of SAD...but try to be more specific...what about the environment contributes to the development of SAD, for example?

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  10. The disorder that I choose to look at is Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder). I actually work with adults that have intellectual disabilities and it can be quite challenging many days. Many of the adults that I work with are not able to communicate with staff because they either have no communication skills, or have very few communication skills. Many of them are also unable to complete daily living tasks without the help of staff. Daily living skills include bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom. Because of the intellectual disability they never developed the skills necessary to complete these tasks. Intellectual disabilities come in many different forms and two people never present the exact same way.

    According to the DSM 5, Intellectual disability is the inability to develop both intellectually and adaptive functioning, which occurs during the developmental period. Some of the diagnostic criteria that pertain to deficits in intellectual functions include deficits in “reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, and judgment.” Some of criteria that pertain to adaptive functioning include deficits in “developmental and sociocultural standards for personal independence and social responsibility.” The final criterion is that these deficits must occur during the developmental period.

    Associated Features supporting Diagnosis: One associated feature of intellectual disabilities is difficulties in social judgment and risk assessment. Individuals with this disorder have a hard time being able to judge social situations and determine is the situation poses a risk to them. They also have difficulties with managing their behaviors and emotions. When something upsets them, they are not able to walk away and cool down, instead they are likely to get aggressive and act out. Finally, individuals with this disorder have difficulties with motivating themselves in both school and work. Because school and work pose unique challenges to them, they have a harder time completing it which leads them to not want to try because of the challenges that school and work present.

    Prevalence: The prevalence rate for intellectual disabilities is extremely low with a population prevalence of just 1%, but the rates do vary by age.

    Development and Course: Depending on the degree of the intellectual disability, signs can be seen as young as 2 years of age, but as late as elementary school. While the signs can become noticeable at different times, this disorder always develops during the developmental period. Intellectual disabilities are using non-progressive throughout life, but the progressiveness of the disorder may be affected by other syndromes. Some syndromes cause this disorder to get worse and then stabilize, while others cause it to progressively get worse. Even though the majority of cases this disorder is non-progressive, it is a lifelong disorder.

    Risk and Prognostic Features: One of the main risk factors for intellectual disabilities is the presence of a genetic syndrome such as Down syndrome or Rhett Syndrome. Children born with these syndromes are at a much higher risk of developing an intellectual disability than children without one of the syndromes. Another risk factor is environmental toxins and mother behaviors, which include alcohol and tobacco use. A final risk factor for developing an intellectual disability is problems with delivery. The problems could include oxygen deprivation, traumatic brain injuries, or infections. Many of the risk factors for developing intellectual disabilities are not preventable unfortunately, but with early intervention many of the people diagnosed can still lead successful lives.

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  11. Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues: While this disorder affects all cultures equally, when assessing and creating treatment plans, cultural sensitivity needs to be used.

    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: According to the DSM 5, studies vary greatly on gender ratios, but overall, males are affected more often than females for both mild and severe intellectual disabilities. One possible cause for the difference in males being affected more is a sex-linked genetic factor.

    Comorbidity: Individuals diagnosed with intellectual disability are extremely likely to be diagnosed with comorbidity disorders. Some of the most common comorbidities include cerebral palsy, epilepsy, ADHD, bipolar disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz_VYZ5crSg

    The video I choose that shows an intellectual disability is entitled Living with Patrick. The video focuses on a mother describing life living with a son who has an intellectual disability. She describes how when Patrick was diagnosed she went through stages similar to grief (anger, denial). She also talks about how they had a fear of what will happen and about the future which many families who have children diagnosed with developmental disorders feel. Finally, she discusses how their life had to change to help support Patrick. Some of the changes included living a more structured life, helping Patrick to wear headphones so he does not become upset by loud noises, and working to help Patrick get support after he was out of school such as getting a job. Along with having an intellectual disability, he was also diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Some of the symptoms that Patrick shows include speech delays, did not respond to his parents or sister when younger, difficulties with daily tasks, and needed to be taught skills that many children pick up without being formally taught.

    One of the things that I learned about this disorder is how many children who are diagnosed with an intellectual disability are also diagnosed with a comorbidity. I did not realize that children were much more likely to also have one of the comorbidities if they were diagnosed with an intellectual disability. The other thing that I learned is that males are more affected. It surprised me, but after reading about why it does make sense why males are more affected. There wasn’t anything that really challenged what I knew, but because I want to be a pediatric physical therapist it is important for me to understand and be able to successfully work with children who are diagnosed with intellectual disabilities because I likely will see many children with this diagnosis.

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    1. Nice job, Alyssa! Researching something that you have direct experience with is always interesting and helps the subject matter stick with you better.

      Just a guess here, but it could be a surprise to you that more men are diagnosed with ID as opposed to women because you probably work with more women than men (again just a guess) because women tend to live longer than do men. You said you worked with adults, so I'm not sure what age range, but it's just something to think about. If you work with a more elderly population, this could explain why it seems weird that there are typically more men than women with the disorder.

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  12. Dissociative identity disorder is a mental illness where people create multiple personalities. Sometimes people or children’s brains do this as defense mechanism when they are in abusive situations or relationships. A person with this disorder may talk to themselves but are talking to one of their personalities. They can also alternate between personalities when talking to you and a lot of the time you can tell who is talking to you.

    Dissociative identity disorder is when there is a disruption in the normal integration if consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception of body representation, motor control, and behavior. These disruptions associated with the disorder can occur due to a trauma or major life event. The disorder is characterized by two or more distinct personalities and recurrent episodes of amnesia. Individuals experience intrusions in their conscious functioning and sense of self. This can come in the form of voices, dissociated actions and speech, intrusive thoughts, emotions and impulses. They can also experience alterations of sense of self. This would be when their attitudes and preferences change. They may also feel that their bodies and thoughts are not their own. Odd changes of perception are another symptom that occurs with this disorder. They may feel disconnected with their own bodies while doing everyday things. Stress often induces the symptoms and makes them more evident.

    Associated features supporting diagnosis
    People with this disorder often present with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-injury and non-epileptic seizures. Many times they try to hide their symptoms or are not fully aware of them. They can have dissociative flashbacks and feel as if the old event is happening in the present. At this time they may have a change in identity and complete loss of contact with reality, and have amnesia about the event they were remembering. People with the disorder report having had maltreatment during childhood and adulthood. Non maltreatment cases report having had long painful early life medical procedure. Self-mutilation and suicidal behavior are frequent in cases. Some individuals experience episodes. The parts of the brain that have found to be affected by this disorder are the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocapul gyrus, and amygdala.

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    1. Prevalence
      The 12 month prevalence is small among aduls in the US, 1.5%. 1.6% of that were mend and the other 1.4% women.
      Development and Course
      The disorder is associated with overwhelming experiences, traumatic events, and/or abuse occurring in childhood. The full disorder may manifest at any age. When it appears in young children it can affect memory, concentration, and traumatic play. Children do not usually have the multiple personalities. Adolescences may have sudden changes in identity which may be seen as turmoil or early stages of another mental disorder. When the disorder presents in older people it may be seen as a late life mood disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoia, or cognitive disorders. The changes in identity may be triggered by removal form the traumatizing situations, the persons children reaching the same age at which the person was abused or traumatized, other traumatizing events even minor ones, and the death of the abusers.
      Risk and prognostic factors
      Environment factors could be that the individual had been abused physically or sexually as a child. Other factors are neglect, traumatizing events such as childhood medical procedures, war, childhood prostitution, and terrorism. A poorer prognosis can be associated with ongoing abuse, re-traumatization, and delay in appropriate treatment.
      Gender-related Diagnostic issues
      There are more females during adult hood that have the disorder but not in childhood. Adult males may deny their symptoms and traumas and can lead to false negative diagnosis. Females present more often with flash backs, amnesia, fugue, hallucination, and self-mutilations. While males’ exhibit criminal or violent behavior. Males triggers can be combat, prison and or physical or sexual assaults.



      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aBPk46ZmV0
      the lady in this video believes she has 15 different personalities and can bring them up when ever she wants. The Dr’s are doing an EEG so check her brain activity when she changes personalities. The results showed not a change in brain activity but a change in heart rate and muscle tension. The Dr’s decided that her brain didn’t prove her belief but her body did.

      I learned that this disorder is not as cut and dry as I thought it was. I thought it was easy to diagnos but as I read I learned that the symptoms aren’t always to obvious. I also learned people with the didn’t always have abuse as a child. the lady in this video believes she has 15 different personalities and can bring them up when ever she wants. The Dr’s are doing an EEG so check her brain activity when she changes personalities. The results showed not a change in brain activity but a change in heart rate and muscle tension. The Dr’s decided that her brain didn’t prove her belief but her body did.

      I learned that this disorder is not as cut and dry as I thought it was. I thought it was easy to diagnos but as I read I learned that the symptoms aren’t always to obvious. I also learned people with the didn’t always have abuse as a child.

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    2. DID is definitely an interesting choice to learn about and interesting to watch videos on.

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  13. I disorder I chose was Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Before reading the DSM-5, I know that OCD is when a person has to have something a certain way or do something a certain way. For example, I watched True Life on MTV about people with OCD. One of the people on the show had an obsession with washing their hands over and over again. Another person on the show would have to touch the door handles in his house repeatedly. This disorder affects a person’s everyday life.
    According to the DSM-5, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can occur when a person has an obsession, compulsions, or both. A person with OCD has repeated and relentless feelings and urges. These can often cause people with OCD to have nervousness or misery. They deal with these urges by thinking or doing something else, such as a compulsion which is a recurring behavior. They engage in this behavior to help reduce the anxiety they are experiencing.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: This disorder is different for each person. There are certain themes that are common among OCD diagnosed individuals. Some common themes are cleaning, symmetry, forbidden or taboo thoughts, and harm. Many people have a sense of incompleteness until the thing is just right. Many people with OCD avoid people or places that trigger their problem.
    Prevalence: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder affects approximately 1.2% of people in the United States. In adulthood, females are affected more often than males. In childhood, more males are affected than females.
    Development and Course: The mean age of onset for OCD in the United States is 19.5 years. Males have an earlier onset than females. If the OCD is untreated it usually leads to a chronic condition. If a person is diagnosed with OCD in childhood or adolescence it can lead to a lifetime of OCD. In childhood, compulsions are easily diagnosed because they are more observable. Most of the time, children have obsessions and compulsions.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors: Some possible temperamental risk factors are greater internalizing symptoms, higher negative emotionality, and behavioral inhibition in childhood. Some environmental factors are various infectious agents, post-infectious autoimmune syndrome, physical and sexual abuse in childhood, and other stressful or traumatic events. OCD can also be genetic. If someone in a person’s close family has OCD, it increases the chance that they too may be diagnosed with OCD.
    Cultural-Related Diagnostic Issues: OCD is found across the world. There are similarities across cultures in gender, age, and comorbidity. There are also similarities in symptom structure. There are also some differences. Cultural factors may shape the content of obsessions and compulsions.
    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: Males have an earlier onset of this disorder compared to females. There are differences between the patterns of symptom dimensions. Females have more cleaning related types of OCD, and males have more symptoms in forbidden thoughts and symmetry dimensions.
    Suicidal Risk: In about half of people with OCD there are suicidal thoughts. In about one-quarter of the people with OCD there has been reported suicidal attempts. If a person with OCD also has a major depression disorder, it increases their chance of comorbidity.
    Comorbidity: People with OCD often have another psychopathology. Many adults with OCD have also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or a depressive or bipolar disorder. Onset of OCD is usually later for most comorbid anxiety disorders and PTSD. Comorbid obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is also common in people who have OCD. Tic disorder is also often found in people with OCD. A cormorbid tic disorder is most commonly found in males. Several obsessive-compulsive and related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, and excoriation disorder occur more frequently in people with OCD.

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    1. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU2JarMf4w0
      This video talks about OCD treatment and symptoms. The symptoms for each type of OCD may vary. Some symptoms include fear of dirt or contamination by germs, fear of causing harm to another, fear of making a mistake, fear of being embarrassed or behaving in a socially unacceptable manner, fear of thinking evil or sinful thoughts, need for order, symmetry, or exactness, excessive doubt and the need for constant reassurance, obsession, compulsions, and behavior in excessiveness.
      I learned a lot about OCD. I had somewhat of an understanding about OCD, but reading the DMS-5 helped me better understand this disorder. I didn’t know that OCD was characterized by a fearing something. I also did not know that there were other disorders associated with OCD.

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    2. Make sure you can distinguish between obsessions and compulsions - remember that the obsessions are the intrusive thoughts, whereas the compulsions are the behaviors people engage in to alleviate their thoughts. For example, someone may obsess over being contaminated, and therefore engage in compulsions like hand washing, showering, obsessive cleaning, etc.

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  14. The DMS-5 mental disorder category I chose was Feeding and Eating Disorders. The actual disorder I chose was Pica. Pica is when a person eats unhealthy substances such as chalk, clay, or I have heard drinking gasoline. The main fact I have previously been taught was the lack of nutritional value in a person's diet can be severe to a person's health. The lack of nutrition will eventually build up to needing medical assistance.
    After reading through the diagnostic criteria, I learned that I was correct about the nonnutritive diet. I did not know, however, that in order for it to be classified as a mental illness, this nonnutritive routine diet must go on for a month. A poor diet will put a toll on the body. The body will not develop in the ways it is meant to. As I assume this goes for most mental disorders, if the eating behavior goes on along with dealing with another mental illness, it will require additional medical assistance. The prevalence of Pica depends on the severity of the disorder. It changes from person to person. The way I look at it is it depends on how often/how much of the substance the person intakes on a regular basis.
    The development of Pica can take place in children, young adults, and fully grown adults. Pica is typically reported with younger children whereas adults normally do not get reported. It is said that women who are growing through pregnancy can sometimes develop Pica because of the bizarre cravings that take place during pregnancy. Those cravings do not always get acted upon. The course of Pica changes from person to person. Sometimes it can lead to emergency medical health, due to intestinal obstruction, poisoning, and/or actual weight loss. The disorder can also become fatal, once again depending on the situation.
    The few main events that heighten the risk and prognostic factors are: neglect ,lack of supervision (of the disorder), and developmental delay.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSM5W41jl74

    For my video clip, I searched through My Strange Addiction clips for I knew many episodes had to deal with Pica. The first clip I found was about a middle-aged woman who is addicted to eating couch cushions. A couch cushion is clearly nonnutritive and is not meant for the human body to intake. She said she eaten about seven couches and two chairs in her lifetime. She started when she was younger. For as often as she eats cushions and for how long she has been eating them, it is important for her to seek medical attention immediately for all the build up she must have in her body. Soon enough the toxins from the cushions with poison her and may lead to a result more fatal.
    I did learn quite a bit form this search. I have always known there was a disorder about people eating 'weird' objects instead of normal food but I had never known what it was called and what it all entailed.

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    1. In regard to your comment about getting medical assistance when having mental illness, it's true that we do look at medical histories (and suggest that people regularly visit a physician), but working with doctors is more important in cases such as Pica because of that nutritional element. Same goes with the other eating disorders as they undoubtedly have associated nutritional problems, among other health problems. For example, individuals with anorexia often have heart problems and stop menstruating, and individuals with bulimia can develop problems with their esophagus and can experience deterioration in their teeth from stomach acid they continually vomit.

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  15. PMDD is a depressive disorder. I read a brief article on it on the Mayo Clinic website. I also know it wasn’t a disease until the DSM-V.
    Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is the presence of
    - One or more of the following
    1. Marked affective lability (e.g. mood swings; sudden feelings of sadness or tearfulness, or increased sensitivity to rejection)
    2. Marked irritability or anger or increased interpersonal conflicts
    3. Marked depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, or self-deprecating thoughts
    4. Marked anxiety, tension, and/or feelings of being keyed up or on edge
    - One or more of the following, to reach a total of five symptoms when combined with above
    1. Decreased interest in usual activities (e.g., work, school, friends, hobbies)
    2. Subjective difficulty in concentration
    3. Lethargy, easy fatigability, or marked lack of energy
    4. Marked change in appetite; overeating; or specific food cravings
    5. Hypersomnia or insomnia
    6. A sense of being overwhelmed or out of control
    7. Physical symptoms such as breast tenderness or swelling, joint or muscle pain, a sensation of “bloating,” or weight gain
    The symptoms must significantly distress or interfere with everyday life. Another disorder cannot be the cause of these symptoms (although it is possible other disorders can co-occur). The symptoms cannot be caused by the effects of a substance or another medical condition.
    Associated features supporting diagnosis – In the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, delusions and hallucinations are possible but rare. A risk period for suicide is related to the premenstrual phase.
    Prevalence – between 1.8 and 5.8% of menstruating women are at risk for twelve-month prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Daily record of symptoms for 1-2 months may be less representative, as those with the most severe symptoms may be unable to sustain the rating process. 1.8% of women may have the symptoms meet the full criteria while being able to fully function and 1.3% of women may have the symptoms and meet the current criteria while having functional impairment without co-occuring disorders.
    Development and course – The onset of premenstrual dysphoric disorder is any time after menarche. As women approach menopause, their symptoms worsen. After menopause, symptoms cease unless cyclical hormone replacement is used and can trigger the re-expression of symptoms.
    Risk and prognostic factors – Environmental factors such as stress, interpersonal trauma, seasonal changes, and sociocultural aspects of female sexual behavior in general, and female gender role in particular. The heritability of premenstrual dysphoric disorder is unknown. Premenstrual symptoms, however, estimates the heritability range to be between 30 and 80%. Women who use oral contraceptives may have less premenstrual symptoms than women who do not use oral contraceptives.

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    1. Culture-related diagnostic issues – Not a culture bound issue.
      Gender-related diagnostic issues – N/A
      Comorbidity – Major depressive episodes are most often reported with individuals presenting with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Other medical or mental disorders may worsen in the premenstrual phase. Diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder shouldn’t be assigned in cases in which an individual only experiences a premenstrual exacerbation of another mental or physical disorder. It can be considered in addition to the diagnosis of another mental or physical disorder if the individual experiences symptoms and changes in level of functioning that are characteristics of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and markedly different from the symptoms experienced as part of the ongoing disorder.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ct5-YP3e50
      PMDD is a disease that’s symptoms leave as soon as they come. It’s a “dark and lonely place” with thoughts of killing yourself according to one sufferer. Days later, the feelings go away and your old self returns. Looking at a calendar, the symptoms arrived at the same time every month, around the time of menstruation. It begins one to two weeks before your period and ending a few days after your period ends. Irritability, depression, and mood swings are common symptoms. The symptoms, however, are so severe that suicide is a common thought during PMDD. Birth control pills are one of the only things that help control symptoms of PMDD. Keeping track of when symptoms should arrive and then writing feelings down are another way to help you deal with this depressive disorder.
      I knew nothing of this disorder before this assignment. PMDD is something new to the mental health field. There should be a lot more studies done and research planned for this disease that seems to so strongly affect women’s lives.

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    2. PMDD was actually a disorder back in the days of the DSM-III, but was taken out of the DSM-IV...and now it's back again.

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  16. The disorder that I decided to choose is Hoarding Disorder. Most of what I know about this disorder comes from television, mainly the show Hoarders. I know that this disorder entails people not being able to get rid of items for personal reasons or for absolutely no reason. They end up collecting so many things that their homes usually because unfit to live in, forcing them to not be able to use rooms of their house and sometimes leading to unsafe conditions for them or their families. I have also seen examples where the person doesn’t collect things, but animals. They feel like they are doing a favor for the animals that they have, but usually their homes aren’t fit for animals to live in and they become dirty and unsafe.

    The diagnostic criteria for Hoarding Disorder states that this disorder involves the difficulty of parting with items, no matter how expensive or inexpensive they might be. The act of discarding their possessions causes the person great distress in the areas of social, occupational, as well as the area of maintaining a safe and clean environment for other people. Because these people keep all of their possessions, their homes tend to be cluttered and the use of their home becomes compromised. Usually the only way to this person’s home becomes clean is if a third party intervenes. Hoarding is not caused by a medical condition, such as brain injury, and is not better explained by mental disorders. This disorder can be specified by excessive acquisition of items, good or fair insight where the person realizes that their hoarding a problem, poor insight where the person is mostly convinced that their hoarding is not a problem, or delusional beliefs where the person is convinced that their hoarding is not at all problematic.

    The associated features that support this diagnosis can include: indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, difficulty planning and organizing, and being distracted. Like stated before, the conditions that these people live in can sometimes be unsanitary due to the cluttered spaces in their homes. In addition, people who hoard inanimate objects can also partake in animal hoarding. Animal hoarding includes having a large number of animals in which the person is unable to provide the standard of care that these animals need. Prevalence studies of Hoarding are not available, although it has been suggested that there is a larger amount of males that have Hoarding Disorder. The development and course of this disorder may begin early in life and span into the later years. Symptoms can appear in the teenage years, affect everyday functioning by the early 20s, and be significantly impairing by the mid 30s. The severity of Hoarding increases as individuals age. The risk and prognostic factors of this disorder include temperamental, where individuals are usually very indecisive, environmental, where individuals report a life altering event occurring before their Hoarding Disorder occurs, and genetic and physiological, where %50 of individuals reported having a relative that also has this disorder. Data has suggested that Hoarding exists in all parts of the world. Males and females tend to have both difficulties discarding items, and having an excessive amount of clutter, but it is shown that females tend to buy more unneeded items than males do. As far as cormorbidity is concerned, %75 of individuals who have Hoarding Disorder also have a mood or anxiety disorder with the most common being major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. In addition about %20 of people who have Hoarding disorder also have OCD.


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    1. The video that I is linked to this disorder can be found at the link below. This video is an excerpt from an episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive. The woman in this video lives in a home filled with things she believes are collectables. She has to tiptoe to get around her living room, and her grandchildren are pictured doing cannon balls into huge piles of paper and other junk. She collects centerpieces and other miscellaneous items, and is very proud of the things that she owns. Her son is interviewed in this segment, and he explains how worried is he for his mother, and that if a fire was to ever start the entire house would be up in flames in a matter of minutes due to all of the paper.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAtdROgm_QI

      I can’t say that there was a lot about this disorder that shocked me, because it seems like a fairly straightforward disorder. However, it is a disorder that I find interesting to think about and talk about.

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    2. This disorder is a new addition to the DSM 5, probably because of societal awareness and changes in attitudes (maybe due to media influence) about the illness.

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  17. I chose social anxiety disorder. I don’t know a lot about this disorder except that its when a person is scared of social situations where there is possible social pressure where they could be under a close eye. According to the DSM 5 social anxiety disorder is a fear or anxiety about social situations where the person is exposed to scrutiny by others. The person fears they will act in a way that will be taken negatively such as embarrassing yourself. Their fear and anxiety is out of proportion so the actual threat of the social situation.

    Associated features include being inadequately assertive or overly submissive. They could very rigid body posture or a lack of eye contact and speak in a very soft voice. A person with this disorder will not release a lot of information about themselves. They might get a job that doesn’t involve much social interactions and tend to stay in the home longer. Men can be delayed getting married and having families and women tend to be homemakers and mothers. Drinking before going to a party is a type of self-medication they might go through.

    Seven percent is the is the United States 12 month prevalence estimate of social anxiety order. The prevalence rates decrease as the person gets older. Women have higher rates of having social anxiety order then men do
    .
    The median age for people with social anxiety disorder is 13. Sometimes this disorder happens because of social inhibition and shyness as a child. Young adults have a broader pattern of avoidance, like dating, then children do. Older adults are less shy but have more things they are shy about. About 30% of individuals that have social anxiety disorder stop having symptoms after about a year.
    Temperamental, environmental, and genetic and physiological are risk and prognostic factors. Behavioral inhibition and fear of negative evaluation are temperamental factors. Childhood maltreatment and adversity are two possible environmental factors.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WuwVWMaEEY
    This video talks about Andy. He suffered from social anxiety disorder and it stopped him from reaching his full potential, it eventually led to him committing suicide. A lot of people who have social anxiety disorder don’t get the help they need. It can put people in a dark place, leading to depression even panic attacks.
    I didn’t realize how sever this disorder could. I have a fear of speaking in front of people but nothing like these people have. Everyone is scared of making a fool of themselves in front of others but when it affects you in such a dramatic way, you know there is something wrong there.

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    1. Having a fear of speaking in front of people is an element of social anxiety disorder that a lot of individuals experience, even the most eloquent of speakers!

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  18. The disorder that I chose to research from the DSM 5 is the paranoid personality disorder. I believe that paranoid personality disorder is when a person distrusts other people and their motives. According to the DSM 5, paranoid personality disorder is a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. This disorder is present in the beginning of adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, including, that the person suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her. A second context is that the person is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates. A third context is that the person is reluctant to confide in others because of the fear that the information will be used against him or her. A fourth context is that the person has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of their spouse or sexual partner.

    According to the associated features supporting diagnosis, people with this disorder are generally hard to get along with and they often have problems holding close relationships with other people. Because people with this disorder lack trust in others, they have an excessive need to be self-sufficient. They feel as if they can only rely and trust themselves. In response to stress, these individuals with this disorder may experience brief psychotic episodes. These episodes can last anywhere from minutes to hours. Individuals with paranoid personality disorder may develop major depressive disorder and may be at increased risk for agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive-disorder.

    A prevalence estimate for paranoid personality based on the probability sample from part 2 of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication suggests a prevalence of 2.3%. While the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions data suggest a prevalence of paranoid personality disorder of 4.4%.

    According to development and course, paranoid personality disorder may first be apparent in childhood and adolescence with poor peer relationships, social anxiety, underachievement in school, and hypersensitivity. Males are diagnosed with this disorder most often.

    There is evidence for an increased prevalence of paranoid personality disorder in relatives of probands with schizophrenia.

    Members of minority groups, immigrants, political and economic refugees, or individuals of different ethnic backgrounds may display guarded or defensive behaviors because of unfamiliarity. These behaviors can, in turn, generate anger and frustration in those who deal with these individuals.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KraNwTSC9Vs
    The video talked about how people with paranoid personality disorder are very suspicious of others. This means that these people are constantly on their guard, waiting for people to show that they can't be trusted. People with this disorder are unable to acknowledge their own negative feelings toward other people.

    I learned a lot about this order. Before I researched paranoid personality disorder I didn't know much except for the fact that people who have the disorder don't trust other people. There wasn't anything that challenged what I thought I knew.

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  19. For this week blog I would like to discuss eating disorders. Eating disorders are psychopathologies characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors, disturbed perceptions of body size and shape, fear of being fat, and compensatory behaviors to lose weight or prevent weight gain. There are also partial eating disorders which are characterized by adolescents and adults who meet some, but not all, of the diagnostic criteria. Some people with partial eating disorders will develop full-blown disorders. Also most eating disorders have a high chance of remission. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are the two main eating disorders present today.
    Anorexia Nervosa is a perplexing eating disorder. Individuals with this illness also show an increase in physical activity and an inability to maintain healthy body weight. These individuals also have an obsession with weight and size and their personalities consist of perfectionists, obsessionality, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The DSM consists of four main points. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height in the first and most important the DSM mentions. The people who suffer from this illness feel an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though being underweight. The person experiences disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea or the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles is experienced. There are also two subtypes, the Restricting type where the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. And binge-eating/purging type in which the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. Anorexia is more prevalent in women but is rising in the male community. 70% of these people experience good recovery rates. Early bulimia predicts risk for bulimia in later years. Age onset peaks in early and late adolescents for Bulimia which represents major times of change among younger adolescents are more commonly associated with anorexia. Long-term medical conditions and death can also be experienced.
    Some medical conditions include, severe dehydration, possibly leading to shock, electrolyte imbalance cardiac arrhythmias, severe malnutrition, tooth erosion or decay, thyroid gland deficiencies, appearance of fine or baby-like hair, bloating or edema, osteoporosis, seizures due to fluid shift, due to excessive diarrhea or vomiting.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oxWpt7omA0

    The video summarizes a young girls experience and survival of Anorexia Nervosa. She went through therapy throughout the experience but it didn’t seem to help. You notice in the beginning of the video that she has a broken arm. Bones are weakened from lack of nutrients. She continually got thinner and thinner. She was often cold and experience hair loss. She also experienced a daily feeling of numbness and fainting. She experienced heart failure and was in intensive care for multiple weeks. She eventually recovered and is now healthy and happy. I did not learn many new things about the disorder. However I did learn more specific details and statistics which gave me an overall better view of the disorder.




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  20. Schizophrenia is known for its negative symptoms, such as hallucinations, delusions, and odd behaviors. My aunt suffers from schizophrenia and refuses to take her medication due to her paranoid nature. I have grown up watching her deal with the disorder and watching its impact on my family. The disorder impairs cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functions. Individuals with schizophrenia may not be able to function properly or appropriately in public due to outbursts of laughter or serious mood swings.

    According to the DSM 5, schizophrenia affects one or more major areas of functioning. The disorder usually begins in early adulthood or late adolescence, but can be seen in childhood. The symptoms have to last for a substantial period of time (certain time requirements listed) for proper diagnosis. Some examples of symptoms include: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms. Individuals will display an array of different features and symptoms because schizophrenia is known as a heterogeneous clinical syndrome. Diagnostic criterion includes two (or more) of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms. These must last for a one-month period, or less if successfully treated. Another criteria deal with a disturbance in the level of functioning in interpersonal, academic, or occupational areas. Also, continuous signs of disturbance must persist for at least six months. Other disorders, such as depression, bipolar, and schizoaffective disorder, must be first ruled out as another criteria. The disturbances must also not be due to affects of a substance or another medical condition. Lastly, if an individual has a history of autism spectrum disorder or a communication disorder of childhood onset, schizophrenia can only be diagnosed if prominent delusions or hallucinations exist. The DSM 5 also describes in detail how to determine the severity of the disorder.

    Associated features that support the diagnosis include: inappropriate behavior, dysphoric mood, a disturbed sleep pattern, and a lack of interest. Depersonalization, derealization, and somatic concerns are also possible. Anxiety, phobias, hostility, and aggression are also common features. Sometimes people with psychosis may not be aware of their disorder, a symptom, not a coping strategy. There are currently no radiological, laboratory, or psychometric tests for the disorder. Lifetime prevalence is about 0.3-0.7%, with reported variation due to race, location, and immigration.

    Psychotic features due to schizophrenia begin between late teens and mid-30s, onset before is rare. Diagnosing children is much more difficult because symptoms may be similar to other disorders. Majority of individuals experience a slow and gradual development of signs and symptoms instead of abrupt onset. Psychotic symptoms have the tendency to decline with age, possibly due to age-related diminishing levels of dopamine activity.

    There are many risk and prognostic factors. Environmental factors may include: season of birth or living in an urban setting. Genetic factors are a strong contribution to this disorder. There are certain risk alleles that have been found to be associated with other mental disorders, such as bipolar and depression. Complicated pregnancies and births dealing with hypoxia and greater paternal age have been identified as physiological factors.

    Culture-related diagnostic issues may include socioeconomic factors. In some cultures, hallucinations are a normal part of a religious experience. Language barriers may also prevent adequate diagnosis. Schizophrenia tends to be more common in males, but psychotic symptoms are seen more in females. Comorbidity with substance-related disorders is high in schizophrenia. Over 50% individuals smoke cigarettes and use tobacco regularly. Comorbidity with anxiety disorders, OCD, and panic disorders are increasing.

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    1. Delusions and hallucinations are positive symptoms, whereas negative symptoms are things like flat or blunted affect.

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  21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTUMt05_nCI

    This video by the Los Angeles Times shows a young girl named January who suffers from schizophrenia. This is a rare case due to the very early onset of the disorder. According to her parents, they have seen signs of odd behavior since she was born. She didn’t sleep as a baby and screamed constantly. As she aged, she started hallucinating imaginary numbers and friends. She started to talk to no one and her parents began to worry. She showed signs of antisocial behaviors around three as the number of imaginary friends grew quickly. She became very violent around age five, experiencing fits of rage sporadically. She doesn’t remember those moments when she acted out, frequently experiencing these moments of derealization. She currently takes a medication to help with the hallucinations and violent tendencies. January reveals that 400 and Wednesday are her bad imaginary friends that tell her to do bad things, such as hitting, screaming, and kicking. She says that Wednesday will bite her till she acts and 400 will scratch her. January’s family lives in two separate one-bedroom apartments to protect younger brother. Needless to say, this disorder has taken a toll on the family. January is now six years old and is still receiving treatment.

    I have read many books written by her parents so I am familiar with this particular situation. This disorder not only affects the individual, but everyone involved takes the impact. January’s friends, family, teachers, and therapists have all experienced schizophrenia first-hand and have to deal with it everyday. I did not learn anything new about this disorder, but it provides an innocent face to this debilitating disorder. This video gives just a glimpse into the life of this family. Schizophrenia is a terrible disorder that is difficult to diagnose and properly treat/control. It takes time, effort, and patience by all who are involved.

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  22. Social Anxiety Disorder I think is when a person has anxiety when they are in social situations. This could occur when that person has to talk in front of a group or in networking situations. I believe that this disorder is curable with medicine and therapy.
    Social Anxiety Disorder is when one has fear or anxiety about more than one social situation where the individual might endure scrutiny by others. Some situations are meeting unfamiliar people, being observed eating or drinking, and performing. Someone who suffers from this disorder fears that when they are in these social situations they will act in a way or who anxiety symptoms that will make other people evaluate them negatively. The situation may be embarrassing or humiliating which could lead to rejection. This fear and anxiety must almost always happen, and the person tries to avoid social situations or endure the situation with intense fear and anxiety. This usually lasts for six months or more. The fear and anxiety of these situations cause clinically significant distress in social and important areas of functioning. This disorder is not attributable to effects on another medical condition such as substance abuse. This disorder can be tricky to diagnose because it is so closely related to other disorders. So if one of the criteria is that the fear, anxiety, or avoidance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder. If a medical condition such as obesity is present the fear, anxiety, and avoidance is clearly unrelated or is excessive.
    The associated features supporting Social Anxiety Disorder are individuals that are shy and withdrawn. They usually don’t share information about themselves. They are usually not assertive or loud. Most people are submissive in social situations. They have very rigid body posture, insufficient eye contact, and speak with a soft voice. Jobs that people with Social Anxiety Disorder usually don’t include social contact. This is not true for people who only suffer from anxiety associated with performing. Men with this disorder delay marriage and woman usually live life as a stay at home mother.
    The occurrence of Social Anxiety Disorder varies. In the United States the 12 month prevalence is 7%. Less than 12 month prevalence around that world is clustering around 0.5%- 2%. Occurrence rate decreases with age. Females usually have higher rates than males in the general population. This gender gap is more common in adolescents and young adults. It is assumed that gender roles and social expectations play a significant role in explaining why gender rates are equivalent or slightly higher for males in clinical samples. American Indians have the highest prevalence in the United States, while Asian, Latino, African American, and Afro-Caribbean is lower compared to non-Hispanic whites.
    Development of Social Anxiety Disorder is usually at a younger age. The average onset in the United States is 13 years. The onsets of 75% of people are between the ages of 8 and 15. This disorder can develop during the early years of childhood. Usually this is the cause of shyness and social inhibition during early childhood. This disorder can also onset because of a humiliating experience as a child. It can also be subtle and develop slowly. Onset in adulthood is usually rare and typically occurs because of stressful or humiliating event that changes an adult life. An event that can onset this disorder is a job promotion or marrying someone from a different social class. Social anxiety disorder can diminish. This happens when an individual faces their fear and overcomes it. It can also happen the second time a person experience what induces their disorder. Older adults express social anxiety at lower levels and across a broader range of situations. Younger adults express higher levels of social anxiety for specific

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    1. situations. Adolescents have more fear and avoidance because of situations they endure such as dating, compared to younger children. In older adults the decline of their health may cause social anxiety. For 30% of individuals it takes one year or less to be cured. For 50% of people it can take a few years. For 60% of people who do not seek treatment for social anxiety disorder, it could take several years or longer to be cured. Detection in older adults may be challenging.

      Risk and prognostic factors vary from temperamental, environmental, and genetic and physiological. Temperamental risks and prognostic facts are underlying traits that predispose individual to social anxiety disorder include behavioral inhibition and fear of negative evaluation. Increased rates of childhood maltreatment or other early-onset psychosocial adversity is not a contributory role in the development social anxiety disorder. Childhood maltreatment and adversity are risk factors though. There are some genetic traits, such as behavior inhibition, that can predispose people to social anxiety disorder. These genes are subject to gene-environment interaction. Social anxiety disorder is heritable. First-degree relative have two to six time greater chance of having social anxiety disorder.

      There are some culture-related diagnostic issues for social anxiety disorder. Taijin kyofusho is often characterized by social evaluative concerns, fulfilling criteria for social anxiety disorder, that are associated with fear that the individual makes other people unconformable, a fear that is experience with delusional intensity. All of these characteristics are associated with social anxiety disorder. Immigrant statues is associated with significantly lower rates of social anxiety disorder in both Latino and non-Latino white groups. Cultures with collectivistic orientations have higher levels of social anxiety disorder but lower prevalence.

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    2. There are gender-related diagnostic issues with social anxiety disorder. Men are more likely to fear dating, have oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, and use alcohol and illicit drugs to relieve symptoms. Females have a greater number of social fears and comorbid depressive, bipolar, and anxiety disorders.
      Social anxiety disorder is comorbid with other anxiety disorders. Social anxiety disorder generally comes before other disorders. Chronic social isolation in the course of a social anxiety disorder may result in a major depressive disorder. Depression is high in older adults which social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder is frequently comorbid with bipolar disorder or body preoccupation. Performance social anxiety is often comorbid with avoidant personality disorder. In children there is comorbidities with high-functioning autism and selective mutism are common.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEJEfy5f50
      This video is a documentary about social anxiety disorder. They follow a few people with social anxiety. One case talks about a woman who prolongs staying at home before she has to leave for work. By the time she reaches work she is a mess and she dreads the work day. She is very shy at work. When she gets one look for someone her anxiety increases. Another situation was about how a man gets anxiety from going into stores. He is always worried about what people are thinking about him. He feels like he is always in the spot light. He has never lived anywhere but with his parents and hasn’t worked in four years. He is unable to be outside of the house for more than an hour. These are both very good examples of what people with social anxiety endure. Is video really talks about the difference between a person who is just shy and a person with social anxiety.
      I did learn a lot about social anxiety disorder. One thing that I found very interesting was how it usually evolves when people are young. This really makes me feel like people need to be aware of this and allow their children to speak out and express themselves. This way they will not have social anxiety disorder when they are older. I do think that we all have a little social anxiety. The key is to not it allow it to take over your life, and getting help right away is a great way to decrease the growth of the disorder.

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    3. awesome job! Good points in your final paragraph, I agree!

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  23. This week I have decided to look at Panic Disorders. When I think of someone having a panic attack, I think it means that they are uncomfortable with the situation they are in, and the person is very on edge. I think this also make cause them to not feel good, like maybe cause them to have stomach pain or stomach cramps. The DSM-5 says a panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, during this four of the 13 symptoms will occur (symptoms: pounding heart/accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling/shaking, sensations of shortness of breath, feeling of choking, chest pain/discomfort, nausea/abdominal pain. Feeling dizzy/unsteady/light-headed/or faint, chills or heat sensations, paresthesias, derealization (feeling of unreality), fear of losing control/”going crazy”, fear of dying). A person can have recurrent or unexpected panic attacks. Recurrent means there are one or more obvious cues that basically give them person a heads up they are having a panic attack, because they have had them so much the start to recognize the cues. And unexpected is a panic attack that shows no obvious cues or triggers at the time it is happening, this type of attack appears out of the blue like when a person is relaxing or emerging from sleep.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    In the United States, a nocturnal panic attack (waking from sleeping in a state of panic) has been said to occur at least one time in roughly one-quarter to one-third of individuals with a panic disorder, whose majority of attacks happen during the day. Many people with panic disorder report having constant or intermittent feelings of anxiety that are related to health concerns, for example thinking they have a heart disease or they have a headache and think it means they have a brain tumor. Some people are intolerant of medication side effects. There may be concerns about completing daily tasks or not being able to deal with daily stressors, or excessive use of drugs (like alcohol, prescribed medications and illicit drugs).
    Prevalence
    An estimate for panic disorders across the United States and several European countries is about 2-3% of adults and adolescents. In the Unites States there are lower rates of panic disorders in Latinos, African Americans, Caribbean blacks, and Asian Americans. Also, females are more affected them males, with a ratio of 2:1. Although panic attacks occur in children the overall prevalence of panic disorders is lover before the age of 14. The rates of panic disorders are gradually increasing in adolescence, mostly in females following on the onset of puberty.
    Development and Course
    The average age of people in the United States who develop panic disorder is between 20-24 years old. A small number of cases being in childhood and after the age of 45, but still can occur. The DSM-5 says the usual course, if the disorder is untreated, is chronic but waxing and waning. Some individuals may have episodic outbreaks with years of remission and others may experience attacks continuous.Only few individuals with have a full remission without relapse within a few years. The course of panic disorders typically is complicated by a range of other disorders, like anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and substance use disorders.

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    1. Risk and Prognostic Factors
      There are three things that come into play with the risk and prognostic factors about panic disorders, they are Temperamental, Environmental, and Genetic and physiological. Temperamental: negative affectivity (neuroticism) and anxiety sensitivity are some risk factors for the onset of panic attacks. If a person is having limited-symptoms of attacks that do not meet the full criteria, are at risk for a panic attack or a panic disorder. Environmental: If a person was sexually or physically abused while growing up, they are more likely to develop a panic disorder rather than any other kinds of anxiety disorder. Smoking is also a risk factor for panic attacks. A person can report identifiable stressors months before they have their first panic attack. Some stressors are related to physical well-beings, like having a negative experience with illicit or personal drugs. Genetic and physiological: The exact gene for getting panic attacks/panic disorders in unknown. If a child is born to parents with an anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are more at risk for developing panic disorders.
      Culture and Gender Related Diagnostic Issues
      Depending on the culture you are in there are different classifications of panic attacks. For example Vietnamese people can have a panic attack after walking out into the windy environment, may cause panic attack to exposure to the wind as a result of the cultural syndrome. There are worries about panic attacks and there consequences are likely to vary between different cultures. There are low rates of panic disorders in both African Americans and Afro-Caribbean groups, saying that the criteria for a panic disorder may be met only when there are substantial severity and impairment. As for gender, there is no evidence that shows that a man is more like to get a panic disorder over a women and the other way around.
      Comorbidity
      The DMS-5 says that while panic disorders often has an earlier age at onset then the comorbid disorders, the onset sometimes occurs after the comorbid disorder and may be looked at as a severity marker of the comorbid illness. Panic disorder is comorbid with a number of medical symptoms/conditions like dizziness, hyperthyroidism, asthma, COPD, and irritable bowel syndrome. But the association between a panic disorder and these conditions remains unclear.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32K-rEIbBgE
      This video does a good job showing what it is like for someone who is having a panic attack. It all started when the girl was shopping and then she looked at the price on the canned good, and then that is when the panic attack started. The girl the in the video experiencing a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, light-headed, rapid breathing, shaking, and more. Then she decided to go outside, once outside she started to feel like she was gaining control again. This is what it is like for someone to get a panic attack, they come out of no where sometimes, just like in the video.

      Reading about panic attacks was some what eye opening. I did not really think that they were as bad as what people make them out to be. I have saw someone have and panic attack and didn't really think it was too much of a bog deal, but now I do know that it is a big deal and its something to worry about. And I feel bad for the people who get them, because they have no control when it happens and it could happen at any time.

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    2. Panic attacks can most definitely be debilitating and scary, not only for the person having them but for people who witness them!

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  24. Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders I think are disorders that can cause a person to have an urge to do something all the time or complete certain tasks during the day. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and other related disorders I believe could occur at anytime in a person's life and if it is serious to the point that it could "take over" a person's life then therapy could help curb the urges to do something.
    According to the DSM 5, obsessive-compulsive disorder is actually two disorders put into one category. When DSM 5 was describing this disorder it states that obsessive means that a person has urges, thoughts, or images that are recurrent and persistent that tend to be intrusive and unwanted. While compulsion occurs when a person has certain behaviors or mental acts that they repeat due to the feeling to perform certain things at rigid times in the day. The description for the other types of disorders are described to be similar in nature; those with the other types of disorders have urges to repeat certain things such as hair-pulling disorder or skin-picking disorder.
    Associated features that support the obsessive-compulsion diagnosis depends on the individual. Some common diagnosis include cleaning, symmetry or having things in order, taboo thoughts, harm to oneself or to others, and hoarding of items. These common OCD diagnosis occur in many different countries and more consistent over time in adults who more than not have another disorder that is associated with different neural substrates. For a person who has OCD and they are in a situation that triggers them to complete their task of cleaning or putting things in order. Certain situations that trigger these responses can cause by panic attacks, a feeling of disgust, incompleteness, or an uneasiness until things are just right to their OCD standards. To avoid these situations the people that are diagnosed with OCD tend to avoid pubic places and people.
    Prevalence in a 12-month period in the US it shows that the percentage is 1.2 which is about the same internationally, between 1.1 to 1.8%. It is also stated that women are affected more than men in adulthood. However, men are more common to have OCD when they're children.

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    1. The course and development of OCD as stated before can occur to children under the age of ten. However, that is unusual as is adults who develop OCD after the age of 35. The mean age that men and women show signs of OCD is at the age of 19.5 years. In research it shows that OCD is a chronic disorder with waxing and waning symptoms. Without treatment it shows that adults are more likely to fall back into the pattern they were in previously while children who have the onset of OCD are more than likely to have OCD for their entire life. For development purposes is it easier to diagnose children with compulsion than obsessions because compulsions can be monitored.
      There are three types of risk and prognostic factors. The first is temperamental which shows greater internalizing symptoms, higher negative emotionality in children. The second is environmental which can include physical and sexual abuse or other stressful or traumatic events which have been associated with increased rick of children developing OCD, The third is genetic and physiological which means that OCD could be passed from parents to child through dysfunction in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and the striatum.
      It is proven that OCD occurs across the world with the same common types of OCD. However, the only difference that is found between those with OCD in the US compared to the rest of the world is that there is a variation in the symptoms of compulsions and obsessions mainly due to cultural differences.
      There is a gender difference, males are more likely to have an earlier onset of OCD along with a comorbid tic disorder than females. An example of how the common types of OCD that are more gender related is that females are more likely to have the cleaning OCD while males are more likely to have the forbidden thoughts or symmetry dimensions OCD.

      http://www.metacafe.com/watch/84755/true_life_living_with_ocd/
      I first saw this video on MTV's True Life: I Have OCD. I knew this was from True Life because I couldn't forget the part where the guy had to do a breathing thing just right for him before he could complete a task. In this video the man, Ryan, has a band gig in two hours. He explains that he has one hour to get ready for his gig and the other hour for him to complete his routine. One of the symptoms of this disorder is the need to do something just right before moving on to the next routine. Ryan has to complete his breathing exercise to the T before he can use the restroom. As stated in the DSM 5, people with OCD have a feeling of incompleteness or a feeling of distress until they get their task finished "just right". At 1:48 the video kind of pauses and there is a message at the bottom of the screen saying that the producer had to wait til Ryan really went to the bathroom, which could mean that he has other rituals that he had to get just right causing the camera crew and producer to wait for a long period of time.
      I learned that males are more likely to have OCD at a younger age than females and that there are types of disorders that are somewhat gender specific. I don't think that there was anything to crazy for me to have a hard time understanding. Everything made sense while reading about OCD and other types of related disorders.

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  25. Sleep-wake disorders is what I always understood as episodes of waking up continuously during the your sleep cycle. You are always trying to get enough sleep but it seems you can never get enough. There are a bunch of disorders and Insomnia is the one that I want to focus on. I was always told that insomnia is just where you don't get enough sleep. You have a hard time going to sleep and even if you have to get 3-4 hours of consecutive sleep it is not sufficient.

    DSM-V talks that it is constant complain of dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, people have a hard time initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep or returning to sleep after one has been awakened. The lack of sleep causes social, occupational, educational, academic and other important areas of functioning. The problems with sleep occurs at least 3 nights a week and has lasted at least 3 months. The person has the opportunity to sleep but is still unable to sleep. Also for the purpose of diagnosis of the patient it needs to be known if the patient is on any substances that might be causing the insomnia (e.g. Meth, Coke, Crack or any uppers). And this is where a knowing the patients history about any other possible mental disorders that could explain the insomnia.

    Associate features supporting Diagnosis: Insomnia is associated with cognitive arousal. People tend to get stressed out when they are getting tired and unable to sleep. So the more they stress the more it builds up and keeps interfering with sleep. When people start going without sleep they tend to do things like clock watch to see what the last time was on the clock before they go to bed so when they wake up they can see how much time they slept. This is also an interference in sleep and should not be done. People with depression and erratic sleep schedules also play a role in insomnia.
    Prevalence: Population based estimates that 1/3 of adults have insomnia symptoms. 6-10% of these people meet diagnostic criteria. Insomnia can be a symptom or an independent disorder, it is observed as a comorbid condition with another medical condition or mental disorder. 40%–50% of individuals with insomnia also present with a comorbid mental disorder.
    Development: The onset of insomnia can occur at anytime in a person's life. It is more associated with early adulthood. Different life events can cause the onset of insomnia. A tragic event in a persons life, or something more joyful for females is the birth of a child. The complaints of insomnia vary by age group: the younger adults complain about initiating sleep while the older adults complain about the amount and quality of sleep they received. So throughout your life it goes from not being able to fall asleep to not getting enough sleep.
    Gender Related: Insomnia is more common in females than in males. The ratio of females to males is 1.44:1. So you are looking at almost 2 females to every male having insomnia. The onset for most women is the birth of their first child or menopause.
    Comorbidity: Insomnia is common in with a lot of people who have medical pain disorders: fibromyalgia, COPD, diabetes, and arthritis. It is also common with mental disorders like bipolar, anxiety and depressive disorders. Along with this the patients are more likely to become substance abuser's because they start using their medications excessively and also start using alcohol to help them sleep at night.

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    1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIeTVVAEFn8
      I watched a video about Fatal Familial Insomnia...It was very interesting, it was talking about how these people was not able to fall into a deep RIM sleep and that they started using medication to try and help these people out and it still didn't help. It gets so bad that once they get diagnosed with it that several of the people only lived about 9 months after the onset. People start getting to the point that since they are not getting enough sleep so they can't walk, they can't talk and they just can't do anything after the disease started taking its full course. The onset usually doesn't come upon the patient the until later in life after child bearing years. They said only about 40 families Nationwide they get affected by this disease. It is a scary thought.

      I learned a lot about this disorder. The little bit I thought I knew about the disorder wasn't nothing that I learned after reading about it and learning more about it. For me being an ADS student this is something I am glad I chose because this could be the reason my client is at the stage of being a substance abuser. My eyes are wide open now from this.

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    2. Yes - the entanglement of Substance Use and mental illnesses can be tricky!

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  26. I chose feeding and eating disorders and the only two that I know about are Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. People who are diagnosed with these disorders tend to see themselves as obese when they look in the mirror. Their body images are distorted to them and they take drastic measures to change that. What I know about a person with Anorexia Nervosa is that they starve themselves to lose weight. They may eat every once in a while, but when they do the food that they eat has no substance at all; like a handful of popcorn. People die from this disorder due to the lack of nutrients. These people look sickly and when they are beyond thin, to where you can see their bones sticking out from their skin; they still see the imperfections of not being skinny enough. Bulimia Nervosa has some of the same aspects as anorexia, except bulimia ties into binge eating. Someone with this disorder also sees a distorted figure of themselves and in order to obtain their “perfect” body they binge and purge. They eat a lot of food at one time and then force themselves to puke it up. One can do this after every meal if they please. Doing this eats away at your teeth, lining of your stomach and esophagus. Both of these are extremely hard on your body. The main disorder I’m going to focus on in this post is Bulimia Nervosa. The diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa is recurrent episodes of binge eating and that can consist of just eating larger amounts than the average individual or having lack of control when eating where the individual cannot stop or control what they eat. This happens in attempt to avoid weight gain. Several methods used after binge eating can be self-induced vomiting, misusing laxatives, diuretics or other medications, fasting, and excessive exercise. Binge eating and performing one of these activities can happen at least once a week for 3 months. An individual uses a self-evaluation and examine their body shape and weight. There are different levels of bulimia nervosa depending on how severe the symptoms are, such as how many episodes one has in a week. They range from Mild to Extreme, with mild having an average of 1-3 episodes/week and extreme having 14 or more episodes/week.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis:The individuals who are more likely to have bulimia nervosa are those that have a normal weight or are in the overweight range. People who are considered obese most likely won’t develop this disorder. Between binges, foods that are low in calories or foods that won’t trigger a binge are consumed. Menstrual irregularities or amenorrhea can occur. Being bulimic can cause severe medical problems. Esophageal tears, gastric ruptures, and cardiac arrhythmias are some of the fatal problems that may happen. Those who abuse laxatives can become dependent on stimulation of bowel movements as well.
    Prevalence: Bulimia nervosa is less common in males with a 10:1 female-to-male ratio. Point prevalence is highest in older adolescence and young adults. The twelve-month prevalence among young females is 1%-1.5%.

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  27. Development and Course: Those diagnosed with bulimia nervosa are rarely before puberty or over the age of 40. Bingeing usually starts ager an episode of trying to lose weight, dieting, or even a series of stressful life events. This form of eating can last for at least several years. Its course can be chronic or intermittent and have periods of remission that alternate with recurrences of binge eating. Over a long-term follow-up an individual’s symptoms can diminish with or without treatment, but treatment has a greater impact on the outcome. If remission lasts longer than 1 year then they are associated with a better long-term outcome. The crude mortality rate for this eating disorder is about 2% every decade. Bulimia to anorexia cross-overs can occur, but those who experience it commonly revert back to bulimia or continue to go back and forth between the two. Some individuals continue to binge eat but stop using inappropriate compensatory behaviors and can be diagnosed with a different eating disorder. The diagnosis for an individual is based on the past 3 months of clinical presentation.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors: Temperamental: low self-esteem, concerned about weight, symptoms of depression, social anxiety disorder, and overanxious disorder of childhood are associated with increased risk for the development of bulimia nervosa.
    Environmental: internalization of the idea for a thin body increases weight concerns, and contribute to developing bulimia nervosa. Those exposed to childhood sexual or physical abuse have an increased risk for developing bulimia nervosa.
    Genetic and physiological: childhood obesity and early puberty can increase risk for bulimia nervosa. Familial transmission of bulimia nervosa may be present as well as genetic vulnerabilities for the disorder.
    Course Modifiers: Worse long-term outcome of bulimia nervosa comes from severity of psychiatric comorbidity predictions.
    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues: Most industrialized countries have similar frequencies of bulimia nervosa such as the United States, Canada, and many European countries, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. Those in the United States are mainly white, but can occur in other ethnic groups.
    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: It is more common in females than males and males are underrepresented in treatment-seeking samples for unknown reasons that haven’t been systematically examined.
    Comorbidity: Comorbidity is common in those diagnosed with bulimia nervosa and many individuals experience multiple comorbidities. There is an increase in depressive symptoms and bipolar and depressive disorders. Mood disturbance begins at the same time or after the development of bulimia nervosa and individuals relate those disturbances to bulimia. Anxiety or anxiety disorders can result from effective treatment. Stimulant use can begin to try to control one’s appetite and weight. A good amount of bulimia nervosa individuals can meet the criteria for several personality disorders or are on the borderline of being diagnosed with a personality disorder.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq8_Ue3HpxU
    This is a video/slide show that I found on YouTube about Bulimia Nervosa. It talks about all of the symptoms and signs of someone who has this condition. It also shows what side effects it can have on one’s body and statistics of people who actually fully recover from bulimia nervosa. Other statistics were shown as well and they were different topics about how many cases were men compared to women and age groups.

    After reading about this topic more I started to remember certain things that I learned back in health class in high school. I did learn new things though, such as how people in the obese category aren’t likely to develop this condition, but it’s the ones who are at an average weight or slightly overweight. That shocks me, because people who are at average weight or slightly overweight hardly have any fat on them at all. It’s just sad how being “skinny” is so important to people that they can’t even see their real body image.

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    1. nice job - it's always cool when reading things activates material you learned awhile ago :)

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  28. I choose Schizophrenia when looking through the different disorders in DSM-5. I have heard about this disorder many times, but I have never learned too much about this disorder. When I think of a person with Schizophrenia, I think of a person who has delusions and is not in touch with reality. I also picture a person who looks disheveled and is very skittish and cannot carry on a normal conversation with another person. I picture a person who is a loner and does not like being around others due to their disorders.
    To be diagnosed with schizophrenia a person must have two or more of these traits and must have been experiencing these effects for a significant period of time. These key disorders in diagnosing a person with schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or chaotic behavior, and/or negative symptoms. To be diagnosed with Schizophrenia a person must be experiencing symptoms for at least six months and it must be interfering with the persons work and personal life.
    Some of the associated features supporting diagnosis include that people with schizophrenia may display inappropriate effect, for example may laugh when nothing is said or may become very angry or agitated for no reason. People with his disposer may also supper from a disturbed sleep patterns and may not be interested in eating. Depersonalization, derealization, and somatic concerns may occur and sometimes reach delusional proportions taking over the persons thoughts. Which may explain why anxiety and phobias are common in people with schizophrenia. People with this disorder may also suffer from declarative memory, working memory, language function, and other executive functions, as well as slower processing speed. People with this disorder may also be fully unaware that they have this disorder which can lead to them not getting the proper treatment they need which can be dangerous for the person and the people around them. Schizophrenics can also be very aggressive and hostile but this is uncommon for most people with this disorder. Currently, there are no radiological, laboratory, or psychometric tests for the schizophrenia. There can be differences are evident in multiple brain regions between groups of healthy individuals and people with schizophrenia, including evidence from neuroimaging, neuropathological, and neurophysiological studies.
    The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia appears to be approximately 0.3%–0.7% and there have been reports that show variation by race/ethnicity, across countries, and by geographic origin for immigrants and children of immigrants. The sex ratio are different when looking at sample and population studies: for example, an emphasis on negative symptoms and longer duration of disorder (associated with poorer outcome) shows higher incidence rates for males but definitions allowing for the inclusion of more mood symptoms and brief presentations (associated with better outcome) show equivalent risks for both sexes.
    People with schizophrenia usually begin to show symptoms between the ages their late teens and mid-thirties. The peak age at onset for the first psychotic episode regarding schizophrenia is in the early to mid-20s for males and in the late-20s for females. The onset may be abrupt or insidious, but the majority of individuals manifest a slow and gradual development of a variety of clinically significant signs and symptoms and many complain of being depressed. A majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia still require formal or informal daily living supports, and many remain chronically ill, with exacerbations and remissions of active symptoms, while others have a course of progressive deterioration due to this disease. The Psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia tend to diminish over the life course, possibly due to the decline in dopamine activity as a person ages. Cognitive deficits associated with the illness may not improve over the course of the illness.

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  29. The risk and prognostic factors include environmental as well as genetic and physiological factors. Environmental factors show that when a person is born has been shown to the incidence of schizophrenia, including late winter and early spring in some locations and summer for the deficit form of the disease. The development of schizophrenia and related disorders is higher for children growing up in an urban environment and for some minority ethnic groups. Genetic factors and a large determining factor of a person developing schizophrenia although most individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia have no family history of psychosis. People with other disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, and autism spectrum disorder have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia. Also, pregnancy and birth complications with hypoxia and greater paternal age can lead to a higher risk of schizophrenia for the developing fetus. Other prenatal and perinatal adversities, including stress, infection, malnutrition, maternal diabetes, and other medical conditions, have been linked with schizophrenia but this is uncommon.
    Cultural-related diagnostic issues must be taken into account when a person is being diagnosed with schizophrenia. Ideas that appear to be delusional in one culture, such as witchcraft, may be commonly held in another. Also, some religions believe in hallucinations are a normal part of a religious experience. The assessment of affect requires sensitivity to differences in styles of emotional expression, eye contact, and body language, which vary across cultures.
    A number of features differentiate the clinical expression of schizophrenia in females and males. Schizophrenia tends to be slightly lower in females, particularly among treated cases. The age at onset is later in females, with a second mid-life peak of symptoms. Symptoms tend to be more affect-laden among females, and there are more psychotic symptoms, as well as a greater propensity for psychotic symptoms to worsen in later life. Other symptom differences include less frequent negative symptoms and disorganization. Females are better as social functioning tends when they are suffering from schizophrenia.
    Rates of comorbidity with substance-related disorders are high in schizophrenia. Over half of people with schizophrenia have tobacco use disorder and smoke cigarettes regularly. Comorbidity with anxiety disorders are also common with schizophrenia. The rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder are elevated in individuals with schizophrenia compared with people without the disease. Life expectancy is reduced in individuals with schizophrenia due to weight gain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular and pulmonary which are more common in people with schizophrenia.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWYwckFrksg
    This video tries to show what it is like being a schizophrenic and the thoughts that go through their heads. In the video, the person cannot sleep and is very paranoid and not wanted to go outside. The person in the video also does not want to eat the pizza he ordered because he is convinced that it is poisoned. There are also thoughts that the person is worthless and can do nothing right. These are all symptoms of schizophrenia.
    I learned a lot of new things about this disorder after doing this blog entry. I did not know that a person could have so many different symptoms and that they are constantly having thoughts go through their minds. I thought that people with schizophrenia were violent and not in touch with reality which is not entirely true. After learning about schizophrenia and watching the YouTube video I found, I have a new found respect and sympathy for people suffering from this disease and the daily struggles they have to endure.

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    1. It is unfortunately true that many people view some of the more pervasive mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (or antisocial personality disorder) as associated with violence (e.g., shooting sprees), but the great majority of the time this is just not the case.

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  30. For this assignment, I choose Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD. I chose this disorder because I would like to go into pediatrics and ADHD is something I will commonly found in my chosen field of profession. I do not know that much about ADHD. I know it is diagnosed in children and they are often given Ritalin for treatment. To my knowledge, children with ADHD have difficulty paying attention and often fidget. I think it is usually diagnosed in preschool age children, in part because the children attend school and teachers notice their inability to pay attention. I am interested to know more about this disorder because I hear about it often, but just realized as I was asked to write about what I know, that they knowledge I have about the particulars of the disorder is extremely lacking. I do know that it carries a certain stigma. I often hear individuals say, “oh I have ADHD” when they are unable to focus or become easily distracted.

    ADHD is classed as a neurodevelopment disorder according to the DSM 5. It lists a broad range of diagnostic criteria, each fall under two categories, inattention and hyper/impulsivity. Inattention is defined as the inability to focus, being disorganized, or the inability to complete tasks due to wandering off tasks. Hyperactivity refers to excessive motor movement. For example, a child constantly running around at inappropriate times. Finally, impulsivity describes an inability to delay gratification. Impulsivity can manifest socially. For example, an individual with ADHD needs to constantly interrupt another individual. Another component of impulsivity is acting quickly without thoroughly considering all options. These symptoms must present in childhood, before age 12. They list a range of symptoms. In order for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, they must have six or more symptoms that persist for more than six months to a degree that disrupts their daily life. They symptoms are categorized into inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Some examples for inattention include failure to pay close attention to details, leading to mistakes in schoolwork, inability to listen when spoken to, unable to follow instructions, easily loose objects, and is forgetful. Several criteria for hyperactivity/impulsivity are engaging in fidgeting, unable to quietly play, talks excessively, and is unable to take turns. It is also noted that these symptoms must be present in two settings (home, school, with friends or relatives) and it is evident that they reduce the child’s quality of life.

    Associated features with ADHD are a low tolerance level, easy irritability along with mild delays in language or motor development. Survey suggests that ADHD occurs in 5% of children (Polanczyk et al. 2007). Some parents may observe symptoms in toddlers, but ADHD is difficult to diagnosis until around four years of age. ADHD has been associated with increased novelty seeking. ADHD has been correlated to smoking during pregnancy. ADHD is not associated with physical manifestations. Cultural differences in criteria for diagnosis account for varying prevalence rates in different regions. In the United States, there is a lower prevalence of ADHD in African Americans and Latinos than Caucasians. ADHD affects males more, with a ratio of 2:1. Co morbidity often occurs. Oppositional defiant disorder co-occurs in about half the children while Conduct disorder co-occurs in about a quarter (Willcutt et al. 2012). Specific learning disorders also occur with ADHD.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue0zSycgbN0
    This is a good example of some symptoms of ADHD in an adult. He talks extremely fast, easily becomes distracted, and is constantly going. He also discusses how he tried Ritalin, a common drug prescribed for ADHD. He puts a fun spin on it which I enjoyed. I am glad I completed this assignment. I learned a lot of new things about ADHD, the symptoms, the criteria, and some other factors. I did not realize it affected males so much more than females.

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    1. It makes sense that it affects more males than females, as most of the time ADHD is detected because of behavioral disturbances. Because you are going into your profession, I suggest learning as much about ADHD as you can, especially in relation to medication for ADHD as that's a hot topic!

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  31. Autism Spectrum Disorder is when an individual doesn’t have the ability to recognize social cues and have normal conversations. They are also poor at deciphering nonverbal cues and developing and maintaining relationships.
    DSM V explains that autism is when someone lacks in social-emotional exchange and they are unable to have normal conversations. They also lack in nonverbal communication; like eye contact, body language and gestures. The lack of developing and maintaining relationships is another problem that that people with autism have. They also have behavior problems, whether that is restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. People with autism may have repetitive movements such as lining up toys and they also like sameness and an unchanging routine. They don’t react well to change or transitions and could cause a great deal of stress on them. They also usually have a fixation on a certain object or subject. A person who has autism is also extremely sensitive to pain, temperature, sounds, and light. In order for one to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, one must have symptoms at an early developmental period, symptoms must cause impairment in social or occupational areas, and one’s symptoms cannot be better explained by another disability.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    Impairments of both language and intellect are common for most individuals with autism spectrum disorder, even those with average to high intelligence. Shortages of motor skills, including clumsiness, often exists in individuals with autism. Self-injury, which includes head banging and biting, may happen and disruptive behaviors are more common in children and adolescents with autism than any other disorder, while adolescents and adults are more prone to anxiety and depression. Some individuals even develop catatonic-like motor behavior, but it is uncommon to be at the scale of a catatonic episode.

    Prevalence
    About 1% of the population across the U.S. and non-U.S. countries has autism spectrum disorder and it is unknown if that number has grown because of increased knowledge of the disorder or if it is a true increase.

    Development and Course
    The symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is usually recognized during the second year of life, but some can be seen earlier and some later as well. Early developmental delays and loss of social or language skills may point to ASD. During the first 2 years, slow or fast deterioration of language or social skills may be seen. However, they may have more usual losses as well, such as lose of self-care, toileting, and motor skills. Delayed language development is the first symptoms that is usually seen, which lack of social interactions or unusual communication patterns, odd play patterns, and unusual communication patterns can accompany it as well during the first year. Odd and repetitive behaviors and the lack of typical play may become obvious during the second year. ASD is not a degenerate disorder and symptoms are most likely noticeable in early childhood. Most improve during adolescence, but only a minority of individuals live and work independently in adulthood. Most adults suffer from anxiety and depression because of their effort to obtain a socially acceptable disguise. Only a few individuals get diagnosed in adulthood, but most have a family member give a detailed report on their childhood.

    Risk and Prognostic Factors
    The most recognized prognostic factor for individuals with autism is the presence or absence of related intellectual disability and language impairment and other mental health problems. An environmental risk factor for autism is older parental age, low birth weight, or fetal exposure to valproate. However, this disorder has ranged from 37%-90%+ hereditary and as many as 15% are caused by genetic mutation. Although, genetics plays a role in autism spectrum disorder, not all of it is based off heredity.

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    1. Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues
      Cultural norms different social interactions, nonverbal communication, and relationships, but individuals with autisms still have difficulties with the social norms. Cultural and socioeconomic factors also effect the age of diagnosis for an individual.

      Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues
      Males are four times more diagnosed with autism than females. Most females may be over looked because of their understated appearance of social and communication difficulties.

      Comorbidity
      Autism spectrum disorder is often paired with intellectual impairment and structural language disorder. Individuals may also have psychiatric symptoms and both diagnoses should be given. Specific learning difficulties are common and so is developmental coordination disorder. Another fairly common presenting feature of autism spectrum disorder is avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder.

      Video
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtvP5A5OHpU
      This video goes back and forth between a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and one without. It explains the early signs of ASD and how a child with this disorder doesn’t interact with others during play or make sense of simple gestures. They may enjoy tickling but do not look at the one initiating the tickling and if they are amused by something, bubbles in this sense, they flap their arms. The kids without ASD did none of those and interacted with the adults in the room.

      I learned that autism spectrum disorder can be diagnosed as young as one year. I also didn’t know that it affected individuals so much that they can’t be completely independent. Another interesting fact that I learned is that autism spectrum disorder is often times correlated with other disorders and it isn’t usually by itself. The fact that challenged me was that so many adults with ASD aren’t able to live on their own. I thought that the majority of them would grow up and figure out how to live with their disorder enough to live on their own.

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    2. That's a great video..sometimes it is hard to see the early signs of ASD but having a side by side like that is helpful!

      I suggest watching this video as well, it's excellent! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34xoYwLNpvw

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  32. The disorder that I decided to pick was the Narcissistic Personality Disorder because we had briefly talked about it in class and I was curious to find out more about it. There are a couple of people that I know that seem to be narcissistic in their behavior and I'm a curious to find out more about it and see if there's something up with them or if they were just purposefully behaving the way they are.

    According to the DSM 5, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a pervasive sense of greatness, need for adoration, and lack of sympathy for others. This behavior onsets by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts. The associated features supporting the diagnosis of Narcissitic Personalty Disorder include being insecure about their self-esteem, having a deep fear of defeat and thereby withdraw themselves from activities whereby there is a chance of losing, they sometimes tend to be antisocial and withdraw from society if their egos have been harmed or present a look of humility. The prevalence of Narcissistic Personality Disorder ranges between 0% and 6.2%. The development and course is mainly due to having difficulties with adjusting to limitation that are related to the aging process. Because a person has a narcissistic trait does not mean that they'll go on to have the disorder. The gender-related diagnostic issues of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is 50-75% of them are male. There are no culture-related diagnostic issues.

    This is a video of a "Level-9" Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The man shown in the video is a self-aware narcissist and in the video one can see his lack of empathy for the kids in the background and his constant demand for attention of the camera and for being in control, his lack of self-esteem by wanting to do things over and over again. He isn't ashamed to admit to his behaviors and sense of grandiosity. The video is quite funny but it is also sad because he would like to be free from his behavior but he doesn't know what to do. It was really quite surprising to see that he has a wife and they seem to argue quite often. I would definitely say that I definitely learned a lot more than I had originally thought such as people that are diagnosed with NPD 50-75% of men which was not really surprising after considering the attributes related to it. But one major thing that surprised me is how much their behavior changes through the course of a conversation as seen with Sam in the youtube video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCqry5Nuwsk

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    1. Push yourself to write a little more about the various aspects of Narcissism, it's an interesting disorder, probably because we all know somebody with such tendencies, and in all honesty, we all more likely than not have some of these tendencies as well!

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  33. My chosen disorder is Dependent Personality Disorder. Before reading the DSM-5, I was aware of the dependent personality type and its effect on attachment, but had not actually heard of it as being a disorder. I therefore chose this disorder in attempt to learn more about dependency and personality. In terms of attachment, dependency is associated with those who are reluctant to be left alone and find great comfort in having others take care of them; description of the disorder is not much different. To be diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder, the individual must express a prevalent and excessive need for care. This perceived need leads to behavior (such as being "clingy") and intense fear of separation. Dependent behavior can be present in several different contexts, such as the inability to make standard behavioral decisions without getting sound advice from others, putting others in charge of major personal areas of the individual's life, being incapable of disagreeing with others in order to avoid losing support/approval, and a severe lack of confidence in personal abilities that leads to failure to begin tasks on his/her own. Also, individuals with this disorder experience discomfort or helplessness while alone (due to the belief that he/she cannot care for oneself), a persistent need to be in a relationship abounding in care and support, and excessively afraid of having to take care of him/herself. A person who expresses at least five of these traits is said to have Dependent Personality Disorder.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis include a sought-after overprotection from those the affected individual is closest to. Critical comments from others are taken too literally and used to verify thoughts of worthlessness, leading to a lessened sense of self. Relationships are kept at a minimum, extending only to those on which the individual is most dependent. Various other mental and personality disorders seem to coincide with Dependent Personality Disorder, such as depressive, adjustment, and avoidant disorders. A childhood or adolescent history of either physical illness or separation anxiety are thought to be precursors to the development of this disorder.

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    1. According to information from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, there is an approximate 0.49% prevalence of this disorder.
      The DSM-5 states that excessive caution should be taken when diagnosing this disorder in children and adolescents. At such an early age, attachment styles are still developing, and behaving in ways that seem dependent may simply be part of the child's or teen's development.
      Varying cultural and age groups must be taken into consideration when diagnosing this disorder, as the standards for what qualifies as proper dependent behavior can differ greatly. Only when over-attachment reaches unrealistic levels in regards to the individual's cultural norms should behavior be considered for diagnosis.
      When it comes to studying this disorder between genders, dependent personalities are more often found in females. However, male-female similarities in prevalence still remain, according to some studies.
      Dependent Personality Disorder bases diagnosis on qualities that are also indicative of various mental/personality disorders or medical conditions; with that in mind, great care must be taken in 1) correctly diagnosing the disorder, and 2) prescribing appropriate treatment.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO5d8ig48XQ
      This video covers four of the eight symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder: fear of both making decisions without advice/support and losing the support of others as a result of disagreement with them, tendencies for replacing one serious relationship with another, and the discomfort experienced at the thought of being alone and having to take care of themselves. Also shown in the video is the subject's reliance on extreme parental support beyond teen years and into early adulthood. At the end, different forms of treatment, which range from group therapy to prescription medications, are listed.
      Reading about dependency as a personality disorder was a learning experience. Dependent attachment styles have come up as the subject of discussion in various psychology-related discussions, but never as a disorder. I learned that dependent attachment in early childhood, though normal, can lead to having this disorder later in life. Depending on cultural norms, the need for diagnosis and treatment will vary.

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    2. It's great that you mentioned diagnosing this in children with caution due to the idea that one's attachment styles are still developing - a lot of people dismiss normal developmental progression when looking at mental illness, which should definitely be something we consider! Great job!

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  35. Factitious disorder, which has also been known as Munchausen disorder, is a very interesting and rare disorder. This disorder is when a person goes to mild or extreme lengths to keep themselves sick or hurt. This allows them to receive medical attention and pity from those around them. Many of these people seek this attention and will go to extreme of contaminating their own blood samples or drinking poisonous liquids to make themselves sick. According to the DSM V, factitious disorder is a deception in a way of physical or psychological sign or symptoms; they may also injure themselves or give themselves diseases. The person will tell others that he/she have an illness, injured, or that they are impaired. This behavior is show even when there is an absence of obvious external rewards or attention. Their behavior is not explained by any other disorder, psychotic, or delusional disorder. There are two episodes, single or recurrent. Recurrent is when this occurs two or more events of falsification of illness and/or induction of injury.
    Prevalence: For factitious disorder, the prevalence is unknown, likely because of the deception of this disorder. There is estimated to be about 1% of individuals in the hospital setting that are thought to have this disorder.
    Development and course: This usually occurs when a person is in early adulthood, usuallt after hospitalization of the person’s child or others in their family. Though, single episdoes and episodes that are persistent are less common. As these episodes continue, the signs or symptoms of falsification for injury or illness, it causes them to keep receiving attention. The continual deceptive contact with medical personnel may become long lasting.
    Since this is not a very common of well-known disorder, there is not a whole lot of information on certain aspects of this disorder.

    This video is from Grey’s anatomy on factitious disorder.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze3KtUvDKR0
    This video shows a woman who takes pills and does other things to make herself sick. She does this to make herself have to stay in the hospital and to keep receiving treatment. All her tests keep coming back clear, yet she passes out, had visited over 4 hospitals in one year, and has much medical knowledge, passed what she normally should.
    Since, I have done much research on this subject I did not really learn anything too new other than it is now referred to as factitious disorder instead of Munchausen syndrome.

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    1. The DSM 5 delineates two types of Factitious Disorder - one in which they make themselves sick (or appear sick) or when they make others sick or appear sick.

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    2. Push yourself to write a little more about the various aspects of the disorder.

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  36. Since I know multiple people that have difficulty sleeping at night, I chose the disorder of insomnia. My father sleeps with a breathing mask to help him go to sleep faster, and I often have a difficult time falling asleep at night; however, neither of us has insomnia nor has been diagnosed with it. As a Community Advisor, one of my residents last year was actually diagnosed with insomnia, and I was interested on how they diagnose this and how to cure it. The easiest way that he described it was simply always feeling tired and never feeling like you got enough sleep. He said that it was very difficult for him to fall asleep and if he slept for two solid hours, it was a good night. I do not know too much about this disorder, but I am interested in finding out more, which is why I chose it.

    After reading through the DSM 5, I found out a great deal about insomnia disorder. Sleep-onset insomnia (initial insomnia) is when someone had a difficult time going to bed at a normal time. Sleep maintenance insomnia (middle insomnia) is when someone awakens during the night and has a difficult time falling back asleep or staying asleep (aka he or she wakes up repeatedly). Late insomnia is when someone wakes up very early in the morning and cannot fall back asleep. Nonrestorative sleep is when someone does not feel rested even after sleeping. The DSM 5 also described some of the signs and symptoms of insomnia including some of the following: daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, difficulty performing, personality changes, and mood swings.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: The more a person tries to sleep, the more frustrating it is when the person cannot fall asleep. Insomnia may or may not be paired with another disorder that keeps the person up at night.
    Prevalence: Approximately 33% of adults report of having insomnia, while only about 10% meet the criteria to be diagnosed with insomnia. Insomnia is the most prevalent of all other sleeping disorders, is more common in females than males, and is usually paired with another disorder.
    Development and Course: Even though insomnia can occur at anytime of someone’s life, the most common time someone notices a sleeping disorder would be during young adulthood. Insomnia can be situational (meaning only lasting for a few days or weeks) persistent, or recurrent. The data on children with insomnia is limited.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors: People are more at risk to insomnia if they experience reoccurring stressors or major life events that may cause stress. Some risk factors include temperamental, environmental, genetic, physiological, and course modifiers.
    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: Insomnia is more common in females than in males.
    Comorbidity: As mentioned previously, insomnia may be paired with many other disorders. Insomnia increases the risk of other medical conditions and other disorders.

    Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuPXB-dF1FQ

    The video I chose included five main reasons why people cannot fall asleep at night. The five reasons include the following: emotional causes, physical problems, behavioral issues, sleep routine, and environment. The video went into depth about each reason and described certain signs and symptoms that were associated with each reason. One thing that I found interesting about the video would be your sleeping routine and the behavioral aspect, because I pondered my sleeping routine. I don’t really have a routine. I fall asleep, whenever I fall asleep. I usually go to bed around 4:00am and get up around 7:30am. If I have time in the day, I take a two-hour nap, and if not, I just stay up. I don’t really have a good sleep routine.

    Since I didn’t know too much about the disorder to begin with, I felt like I learned a great deal about the disorder. The terms I used include the following: personality, insomnia, disorder, routine, behavioral, emotional, physical, and environmental.

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    1. Holy smokes! I wish I could function on that little of sleep, I'd be much more productive - 24 hours in a day doesn't seem to be enough!

      I noticed you said you don't have a good sleep routine - your sleep pattern definitely seems to be atypical compared to most people, but if it works for you then I wouldn't say that it is bad. Some people are just able to function with less sleep than others and in fact function better when they get less sleep than if they were to sleep more. Just something to think about - we shouldn't classify our behavior (in this case sleeping patterns) as good or bad based on other people, but whether it is functional for us!

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  37. I chose Gender Dysphoria. Gender Dysphoria is a disorder where the person is intensely uncomfortable with their birth gender and constantly wanting to be the other sex. This is not to be confused with being bisexual or lesbian/gay. This disorder has changed in the 1970s so a person can be bisexual or lesbian/gay with psychological disorders or bisexual or lesbian/gay and completely normal.

    The actual criteria is a person being incompatible with their primary sex characteristics and expressed gender. In adolescents it is their anticipated sex is secondary sex characteristics. The second is wanting to get rid of the primary sex characteristics because they are incompatible with the expressed gender. In adolescents it is wanting to rid of the anticipated sex characteristics. The third is the strong desire of sex characteristics of the other gender. The fourth is the strong desire to be the other gender. The fifth is the strong desire to be treated as the other gender. The sixth is that one has strong and typical feelings or reactions of the other gender. The disorder is associated with significant impairment or distress in social, occupational, or other areas that are important to functioning properly.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: Adolescents will hide their sexual characteristics when they are uncomfortable with their gender. This will include a variety of things. For boys, shaving their legs and binding genitals so they are less visible. For girls, binding breasts to make them less visible or walking with a stoop and wearing large sweaters so they are less visible. For both genders, they will change their first name to fit the gender desired, seek friendships with desired gender, have a hairstyle that fits desired gender, and they will not allow partners to see or tough genitals when sexually active. Both genders might use hormone treatment and seek gender reassignment surgery.
    Prevalence: For natal adult males, prevalence ranges from 0.005% to 0.014%. For natal females, prevalence ranges from 0.002% to 0.003%. But since not all adults seeking hormone treatment or gender reassignment surgery attend specialty clinics, these rates are likely underestimated.
    Development and Course: Since Gender Dysphoria varies with age, there are separate criteria for children, adolescents, and adults. Criteria for children is more concrete and behavioral than adolescents and adults. Young children are less likely than adolescents and adults to express extreme and persistent dysphoria. In adolescents and adults, distress may build up because of strong incompatibilities between experienced gender and sex.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors: Males with Gender Dysphoria without a disorder of sex development often have older brothers than do males with without the condition.

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    1. Culture Related Diagnostic Issues: The equivalent of gender dysphoria has also been reported in individuals living in cultures with institutionalized gender categories other than male or female. It is unclear whether the individuals would meet the criteria for gender dysphoria.
      Diagnostic Markers: Individuals with a somatic disorder of sex development show some correlation of final gender identity. The correlation is not robust enough to for a biological factor to replace a detailed and comprehensive diagnostic interview evaluation for gender dysphoria.
      Functional consequences of Gender Dysphoria: Children may refuse to attend school because of teasing and harassment of their gender. Relationship problems and sexual relationship problems are also factors. Functioning at school or work may also be problematic. Gender dysphoria is associated with stigmatization, discrimination, victimization, leading to negative self concepts of themselves. This can then lead to increased rates of mental health comorbidity, school dropouts, and unemployment.
      Differential Diagnosis: Gender Dysphoria should be distinguished from gender identity roles. Some include transvestic disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
      Comorbidity: In children with gender dysphoria, autism spectrum disorder is more prevalent than in adults. Adults that are clinically referred with gender dysphoria usually have a coexisting mental disorder with anxiety or depression.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3YMMOs4LY

      This video is a clip from a show called 16:9. It is a few different clips about young children who have gender dysphoria. The one I want to discuss is about a young pop star in Germany. She is a young woman but was born a little boy. She is the youngest person to undergo a gender reassignment surgery at the age of 16. Some of the symptoms she discussed were exact in the DSM 5. She wanted hormone treatment early, she dreaded going through puberty as a boy. She didn't want to wake up with a deeper voice or have facial hair. She didn't feel comfortable in the body she was in.
      I did learn new things about gender dysphoria. It is mostly the more detailed criteria and characteristics of a person with gender dysphoria because I have looked into gender dysphoria before so I wasn't completely surprised.

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    2. Nice job, Natasha!

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  38. I decided to research Antisocial Personality Disorders. I’ve always wondered how serial killers, rapists, and other outcasts of society came to be. What is so different about these people that cause them to be so completely disconnected with the rest of society? I view people with Antisocial Personality Disorders as individuals who engage in activities the rest of society looks down upon.
    The DSM-5 has very specific diagnostic criteria for individuals with antisocial personalities:
    - A persistent pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since the age of 15, as indicated by three (or more) of the following behaviors:
    1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to legal behaviors, shown by repeatedly performing unlawful acts
    2. Deceitfulness, shown by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal gain
    3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
    4. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
    5. Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
    6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
    7. Lack of remorse, shown by indifference to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
    - The individuals is at least 18 years of age
    - There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before the age of 15
    - The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively due to the side effects of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
    The underlying theme of antisocial personality disorder is habitual disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood/early adolescence and continues into adulthood. This theme of misconduct is also referred to as: psychopathy, sociopathy, or dissocial personality disorder. When diagnosing a patient with APD, it is helpful to acquire information through systematic clinical assessments or other indirect approaches because deceit and manipulation is a common, recurring behavior in individuals with APD. Individuals with APD exhibit abnormal behaviors that fall in four characteristic categories: aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness/theft, or serious violation of rules. Persons with this disorder disregard the thoughts, rights, or feelings of others. They use all the resources at their disposal for personal gain and profit. They show signs of aggressiveness towards others including friends and loved ones. Finally, individuals with APD tend to be consistently and extremely irresponsible, never taking responsibility for their actions and the results that they cause.
    Twelve-moth prevalence rates of APD are somewhere between 0.2% and 3.3%, with the highest prevalence of the disorder showing in the most severe samples of men with alcohol use disorder. This disorder has been shown to occur in social groups affected by adverse socioeconomic or sociocultural factors, meaning things like poverty or migration of culture increases its prevalence.

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    1. This is a chronic disorder that develops over an individual’s lifetime, usually coming to prominence in late adolescence and then remitting as the individual grows older. By definition APD cannot be diagnosed to individuals younger than eighteen years of age.
      This disorder is more common among immediate biological relatives of those with the disorder than in the general population. Females tend to be at higher risk of biological inheritance than are males; however males tend to develop ASD and abuse substances more while females develop somatic symptom disorders. Adopted children’s (whose biological parents had ASD) risk for these disorders is heavily influenced by the environment provided by the adoptive family.
      This disorder seems to be most prevalent among those with low socioeconomic status and living in urban settings. Interestingly enough, concerns that the diagnosis may at times be misapplied to individuals who engage in seemingly antisocial behavior as part of a protective survival strategy. In other words, some people engage in antisocial acts in order to fit in and avoid problems with their social group. (Gangs) This disorder is much more common in males than females.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRoqEWjc8I

      I chose a clip from the TV series Dexter. It is only the ending of the 4th episode of the first season of a show that would end with 8 seasons. Dexter was a Showtime series about man who lives two lives; brilliant blood splatter analyst by day, and serial killer of murderers and vermin by night. There are so many parallels between Dexter’s life story and the criterion of antisocial personality disorder that it is impossible to document them all in this short paper. A few however include how Dexter showed signs of conduct disorder from a young age. In the show, Dexter’s foster father recognizes this and tries to teach Dexter ways to handle his impulsiveness and urges. Repeatedly throughout the show Dexter alludes to his outward persona as a mask, not showing the true character underneath. He struggles with feelings. Throughout the series, he kills individuals whom he deems unworthy of life which shows blatant disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Finally, in the clip I left he refers to himself as “not a man, or a beast.” and “I am Dexter” showing how detached (antisocial) from society he thinks himself to be.
      I researched this disorder because wanted to know what we know about the minds of people with APD, but was able to complete the assignment without having to explore too deep into the topic. I did not learn anything new really, but it has piqued my interest further and I would like to explore this topic in more detail in the future.

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    2. You are right, by definition you can't get diagnosed with APD before age 18, but children who display similar patterns of behavior can be diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, which in turn typically gets "upgraded" to APD as they get older should their behavioral patterns still exist.

      Many people have the same curiosity as you - why do people kill people, why do they deviate so much from society? Curiosity about these things makes for good mental health professionals!

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  39. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  40. Agoraphobia is the fear of being out in public. From what I know of the disorder, people affected by it generally lead lives of seclusion, and not by choice. These people avoid all social interaction due to the anxiety that it causes. I don’t know a lot about the disorder, hence why I chose to cover it for this week’s blog post.
    Agoraphobia is a disorder that involves fear of being out alone, but not in the same way that afflicts people with social anxiety disorder. People suffering with agoraphobia are afraid of going out in public without a companion because they have irrational fears of something bad happening to them. If something bad were to happen, who is going to help? This is one of the major fears plaguing people with agoraphobia. To be classified as agoraphobic, one of the main criteria is that an individual fit into one of the the following five categories of fear: being afraid of using public transportation, open spaces, closed spaces, being part of a crowd, or being away from home alone. Due to these everyday experiences being nearly unavoidable, people with agoraphobia tend to lead lives of almost total seclusion. The anxiety associated with the panic-provoking situations listed above is unlike the anxiety associated with other disorders. This anxiety is strong and only comes up when the individual is alone in uncomfortable circumstances.
    If people suffering agoraphobia do have extreme fear to public situations, they could possibly quit leaving the home entirely and rely on other people to get them their groceries and other basic needs for living. These people also have a tendency to abuse alcohol or over the counter medications in an attempt to make themselves feel better, as they tend to also suffer from high levels of depression. Women are twice as likely to suffer from agoraphobia than men, and according to the DMV-5, 0.4% of elderly people are afflicted with the disorder. Race and culture do not seem to have an impact on prevalence rates.
    The disorder can develop as early as childhood, although this is extremely rare. These cases are practically nonexistent, but can still be found. Agoraphobia usually sets in around the age of 17 or from 25-29. The disorder is also likely to develop after the age of 40. Milder cases can be treated with few relapses. Individuals with high levels of agoraphobia may never see full treatment of their disorder, but instead see lapses of remission and chronic stress with it throughout their lives.

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    1. Risk and prognostic factors vary with individual temperament, environmental, and genetic/physiological standpoints. Those affected by agoraphobia tend to be very aware of anxiety and truly believe that anxiety is harmful and that bad accidents can happen alongside anxiety. Males and females also have different ways of dealing with agoraphobia. Men tend to turn more to substances, such as alcohol or medicines they can get their hands on, to deal with their symptoms while women are much less likely to do so. 61% of agoraphobic cases are inherited. Cases that are not stemmed from heredity often cite low levels of warmth in the home as a child and increased protectiveness from parents.
      Agoraphobia usually accompanies another disorder and is rarely seen by itself. If agoraphobia is the first disorder an individual is diagnosed with, depressive and substance abuse disorder diagnoses usually follow. Agoraphobia can also be a second or third disorder, often accompanying other social anxiety disorders, PTSD, depression, alcohol abuse, as well as other cognitive disorders.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0raMV9T6Mw
      This video shared the recovery story of a woman with agoraphobia. She starts out talking about how everyone told her to just snap out of it, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t that easy and no one understood it. She did not leave her home for four years, and what prompted her to seek treatment was her daughter’s engagement. This woman wanted nothing more than to be able to go to her only daughter’s wedding, but in order to do that, she was going to have to go through therapy. One day she sat down and did a search online and found a therapy that would work for her. It took her twice as long as it was supposed to, but she overcame her disorder. Her daughter’s engagement party and other wedding related events before the actual day were held in this woman’s home. On the day of the wedding, she had worked through enough of her agoraphobia to make it.
      Through this video and reading about agoraphobia in the DMV-5, I learned just how serious agoraphobia is. It is a real disorder that ruins the lives of many, leaving them with no one and in shambles and unable to do anything in public. These people have a hard time even getting groceries. This is a serious disorder and should not be written off as something that sufferers can just “snap out of.” Recognition of this disorder and acceptance of people with it need to increase in order to help these people live rich, fulfilling lives. No one should live in fear like this.

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    2. I think recognition of agoraphobia will come with time. Before the revision of the DSM to the DSM 5, agoraphobia wasn't its "own" disorder, and only existed within the diagnosis of Panic Disorder...now that it's it own thing, I think you may hear about it a little more.

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  41. I chose Bipolar disorder. My mother is Bipolar so there are some things I am aware of but it is a touchy subject so I still have questions that need answering or a more thorough explanation of things. From being with my mother, I know that she can quickly go from one extreme to the next in her mood and temperament. We can be shopping together and she can be in a great mood but then she sees something or overhears someone say something and her mood can change within seconds. Then shortly after she is fine just like nothing ever happened. Majority of the time she is in a hyper and silly mood and very talkative. She talks loudly and quickly and often repeats herself. She also can change subjects quickly and often. She doesn’t have a lot of rationale and common sense when it comes to her thought process. She is impractical and doesn’t necessarily have a lot of regard for the situation. She likes to go shopping and buy things, some of which are impractical. My mother has a lot of anxiety and is very self-conscious as well. Despite this, she doesn’t usually have a problem talking to strangers and trying to make conversation.

    There is Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Since my mother has Bipolar I, I will focus on that. In order to diagnosis Bipolar, it is necessary to meet the criteria for a manic episode. A manic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and long lasting elated or irritable mood and increased goal directed activity that lasts a minimum of a week and is present nearly all day every day. Three or more symptoms must be present during the period of the manic episode. Symptoms include: inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, highly talkative, experience racing thoughts, distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity, excessive involvement in things that have high potential for painful consequences. An expansive mood, excessive optimism, and poor judgment often lead to reckless behavior such as spending sprees, careless driving, or foolish investments. The mood disturbance is severe enough to cause impairment in social or occupational functioning. The episode cannot be attributable to effects of a substance or medication.

    During a manic episode individuals disregard the notion that they need help. They may change their appearance to something more colorful or showy. The estimate of occurrence of bipolar in the U.S. is 0.6% over a twelve month period. The average onset of the first episode is 18 years of age. Children’s cases need to be given more careful thought because they may be at different stages of development compared to other children. Individuals in high income countries are more likely to be affected than those in low income countries. The most prevalent risk factor for bipolar is a family history of it. The risk factor for developing bipolar increases when there is a high degree of kinship. There is sparse information on cultural differences of those affected by bipolar. Males are less likely to develop depressive symptoms and experience rapid cycling and mixed states. The risk of suicide in bipolar individuals increases up to fifteen times that of the normal population. The most popular disorders that occur along with bipolar are anxiety disorders, ADHD or related disorders, and substance abuse disorders.

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    1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmzs_hcJN3g

      The video I found was of a woman who has bipolar and she was doing her weekly video diary. She said she had a job interview earlier that day but since the interview she has had excessive thoughts over it. She said she is on medications and is starting therapy. The woman described how she hated the constant roller coaster of emotions. She said she will be angry, then happy, then angry again, and then content until the anger returns. She said she pushes her family members away and feels that they are invading her space a lot of the time. The woman said that blogging helps her and lessens her anxiety. She portrayed multiple symptoms of bipolar such as racing thoughts, going from one extreme of emotion to the next, talking fairly quickly, switching subjects fairly often, and having anxiety.
      I didn’t learn anything new necessarily but I did gain a better understanding of the disorder.

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    2. Gaining a better understanding is always great, even if you didn't learn anything "new" - especially if you are affected by a disorder. It can be very frustrating and difficult to know or live with somebody with a mental illness, especially Bipolar Disorder, but learning more about it can help us be more understanding and patient with our loved ones!

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  42. I chose Dependent Personality Disorder. In my opinion, this disorder is when someone is extremely dependent and clingy for the fear that they are going to be abandoned. The criteria stated in the DSM-5 for this disorder is: needs reassurance on everyday decisions, needs another person to assume responsibility for his or her life, difficulty with expressing disagreement with others due to fear of loss of support or approval, has a difficulty initiating or doing things on his or her own due to lack of self-confidence, goes to endless lengths to gain support and nurturance from others, feeling uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of fears of not being able to care for him or herself, immediately seeks another relationship when one close relationship ends, has unrealistic fears of being left to care of himself or herself.

    Within the Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis, people who have this particular disorder usually are also pessimistic and doubtful of themself; they tend to criticize their abilities and assets, while they may consistently call themselves “stupid.” They tend to take the criticism and disapproval from others as proof that they are worthless, and in turn, lose faith in themselves. They may seek dominance and overprotection from others. The social relationships they have are minimized to the people whom they are dependent on. The people who have this disorder are at an increased risk for other psychological disorders, such as: depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and adjustments disorders; this disorder often co-occurs with other personality disorders, but especially: borderline, avoidant, and histrionic disorders. Chronic illness and separation anxiety as child may incline the development of this disorder in an individual. In 2001-2002, from two different studies, the prevalence of this disorder is .49%-.6%. The Development and Course section states that a diagnosis should be made with great caution, if at all, because in children and adolescents dependent behavior may be developmentally appropriate.

    There are no risk and prognostic factors listed. There are Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues. The extent of which dependent behaviors are considered appropriate varies across age groups and sociocultural groups. Dependent behaviors should be considered characteristic of the disorder when it is clearly out of what is considered normal for the individual’s culture or if it shows unrealistic concerns. Particular societies may differentially stimulate or discourage dependent behavior in males and females. In a clinical setting, it has been said that the disorder has more frequently diagnosed in females, but some studies show that there is a similar prevalence between the two sexes.

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    1. The video I found just basically talked about the same things I found within the DSM-5. The guy talking in the video said the disorder was characterized by helplessness, submissiveness, a need to be taken care of, constant reassurance, and inability to make decisions. Along with the inability to make decisions comes with the idea that simple decisions for individuals with the disorder need to come with reassurance and advice from others. These people need others to assume responsibility for major parts of their lives, and they have trouble initiating and doing things on their own. Also he stated that these people are extremely passive and avoid disagreements, and some may even tolerate mistreatment out of the fear of being alone. The video also said that there was no particular cause for the disorder, but that over-protective or authoritarian parenting styles may lead to the development of this disorder. The disorder can be treated with psychotherapy though.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO6kaMiUrOg

      I did learn a lot about this disorder. I didn’t really know that the disorder had existed, and I didn’t realize when I picked it that it was so severe that it is. Also, I also had no idea that it was so hard to diagnose based on the different cultural behaviors.

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    2. Great job, Kristine! Not only can it be hard to diagnose, but can be hard to treat as well, because clients can become dependent on their therapist and have a difficult time terminating treatment even if their therapist feels they are ready!

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  43. The disorder I chose from the DSM 5 list was obsessive- compulsive disorder. This order is a fairly popular disorder that affects many people. From what I know about OCD is that it is sudden urges people feel. People feel the need to keep things in a specific order, to have everything organized to their liking, and once it is out of order they feel like a piece of them is unorganized and will fix everything that is wrong.
    According to the DSM 5, OCD regarding obsessions is defined by two criteria: 1) “Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress.” 2) “The individuals attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action. OCD is not caused by drug abuse or any other medical condition. I felt an important part of the diagnostic features was that the acts are not voluntary. These acts are said to be “intrusive and unwanted and cause marked distress or anxiety in most individuals.” The DSM 5 also gives associated features to further support a diagnosis. Things that were included in the further supporting diagnosis is common themes in OCD patients. These common themes are, symmetry, forbidden or taboo thoughts, and harm. Panic attacks are common among people diagnosed with OCD.
    Prevalence of OCD is about 1.2% in the United States. The article states that females are affected at a slightly higher rate than males in adulthood, although males are more commonly affected in childhood.
    In the United States the mean age at onset of OCD is 19.5 years old, with around 25% of the cases starting around the age of 14. The outlier for the age of OCD occurrence is around the age of 35 years old. If OCD goes untreated, the course will result in waxing and waning symptoms. Without treatment, remission is unlikely, however, in child OCD patients, remission is around 40%. Diagnosis in children is more than likely based on compulsions. This is because obsessions are difficult to physically see while compulsions are easily traceable, and can be seen in people based on their behaviors.
    Risk and Prognostic factors describes three types of factors. The first risk they described is temperamental. The temperamental risks that are described are higher negative emotionality, and behavioral inhibition in childhood. The second they describe is environmental factors. These factors include, physical and sexual abuse, infectious agents, and post-infectious autoimmune syndrome. The third is genetic and physiological factors.
    Culture related diagnostic issues are seen in OCD. This is because the symptoms are very similar. One notices cleaning, symmetry, hoarding, taboo thoughts, or fear of harm in OCD patients around the world.
    Gender-related diagnostic issues are very important to notice regarding OCD. This is because onset OCD is more prevalent in males at a younger age while it is more prevalent in females in adulthood.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2JAXAmXd2w
    This video is about a man with OCD. His compulsion was he had to time turning a door handle, and turning it at the exact right time. His obsessions were cancer and death. He said that he was afraid touching wires cause he thought that his brother would get cancer if he did not do the rituals he was supposed to do. He stated that after a while he was up to 100 different rituals. The doctor said that there were two different treatments that could be done for OCD. One being a cognitive speech treatment and a medication treatment. The patient in the video underwent a three-month in patient treatment due to his OCD being so bad.
    I learned a lot from the DSM 5 as well as this video. I only knew there were compulsions related to OCD, I did not know there were obsessions as well. I also did not know that OCD was treatable. I thought it was something that you had to live with.

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    1. There's usually always something we can do to help people with any type of disorder, even if it is just something small that just helps them improve their quality of life despite having to deal with these things for a lifetime!

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  44. I chose to research more about Anxiety Disorder. A person with this would probably feel on edge a lot of the times, be worried, may have panic attacks, and sometimes not want to partake in social activities.
    According to the DSM, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is composed of six main headings. Excessive anxiety and worry must occur more often than not during a 6 month period about numerous events or activities. The individual finds it difficult to control the worry. The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms: restlessness or feeling on edge, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, sleep disturbance and/or muscle tension. Children must only exhibit one of these symptoms. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms may cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. These feelings must not be attributed to effects of medications or other substances. And obviously, the disturbances must not be better explained by a different disorder.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: Muscle tension, twitching, trembling, aches, soreness, and feeling shaky may all be a part. Somatic symptoms may also be present such as nausea, sweating, and diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome and headaches often are also correlated with stress level. Other effects of GAD are accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath, and dizziness; although these are more prominent in more specific anxiety disorders.

    Prevalence: Females are twice as likely as males to experience GAD during their lifetime. The prevalence of the diagnosis peaks in middle age and begins to decline from that point on. Interestingly enough, more people from developed countries have reported having enough of the symptoms to technically have GAD versus people from non-developed countries.

    Development and Course: Many people with GAD have reported that they have felt anxious and nervous most of their lives. In relation to other anxiety disorders, the median onset age is older and rarely occurs prior to adolescence. Rates of full remission are very low. Naturally, the content of someone’s worry tends to be age appropriate. For example, children and adolescents worry about school and sports performance, whereas adults worry about their career, finances, and family. Younger adults experience greater severity of symptoms in comparison to older adults. The earlier in life that individuals have experienced symptoms that meet criteria for GAD, the more comorbidity they tend to have and the more impaired they are likely to be.
    Children with the disorder may be overly conforming, perfectionist, and unsure of themselves and tend to redo tasks because of excessive dissatisfaction with less-than-perfect performance. They are typically overzealous in seeking reassurance and approval and require excessive reassurance about their performance and other things they are worried about. GAD is sometimes over diagnosed in children. Separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), and obsessive-compulsive disorder are often accompanied by worries that may mimic those described in GAD.

    Risk and Prognostic Factors: Temperamental-Behavioral inhibition, neuroticism, and harm avoidance have been associated with GAD. Environmental- No environmental factors have been identified as specific to generalized anxiety disorder or necessary or sufficient for making the diagnosis. Genetic and Physiological- One third of the risk of developing GAD is genetic.

    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues: In some cultures, somatic symptoms predominate in the expression of the disorder, whereas in other cultures cognitive symptoms tend to predominate. This difference may be more evident on initial presentation than subsequently, as more symptoms are reported over time.

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    1. Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: In epidemiological studies, approximately two-thirds are female. Females and males who experience generalized anxiety disorder appear to have similar symptoms but demonstrate different patterns of comorbidity consistent with gender differences in the prevalence of disorders.
      Comorbidity: Individuals whose presentation meets criteria for GAD are likely to have met, or currently meet, criteria for other anxiety and unipolar depressive disorders. The neuroticism or emotional liability that supports this pattern of comorbidity is associated with temperamental antecedents and genetic and environmental risk factors shared between these disorders.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eg695yLlEM
      This video features a young, adolescent girl who has GAD describes a day in her life and explains that she simply cannot help her condition. People with anxiety disorders oftentimes get looked down upon because they should just ‘suck it up’ or ‘get over it’. In all reality, they cannot do that. It is an actual disorder and the severity of it can be seen to others as overreacting or doing it to get attention. The gal in the video stated that she gets panic attacks a lot and it feels like she has enough air, but is not able to use it. At this time she gets really hot and sweaty, and feels like she just ran a marathon. Her fears are irrational fears and she knows that they cannot harm her, but GAD causes her to still be afraid of these things. I really liked how she described her condition. She breaks it down in a real way for others to understand that it can cause real life problems in people’s lifes.

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    2. Watching videos of these things is always beneficial...seeing a disorder as opposed to just reading about it helps you gain perspective!

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  45. The psychological disorder I chose to look into was Schizophrenia. I have always been curious about the disorder and somewhat afraid of it honestly. I have seen a few movies where people had this disorder and I found it quite interesting. I know very little about the Schizophrenia, but I do know that it is most like to appear in males in the early 20s and it entails powerful and realistic hallucinations. The human mind terrifies me, and I was hesitant to research Schizophrenia because it breaks the out of sight out of mind ideal.

    According to the DSM 5, one has Schizophrenia if they have two or more of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative emotional symptoms. Schizophrenia greatly effects the level one can function on major areas of their life, such as work or interpersonal relationships. The disorder is not attributable to the effects of substance abuse or other medical conditions such as depression.

    • Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis – Individuals with Schizophrenia may display any of the following features: inappropriate affect (laughing without stimulus), depersonalization or derealization, anxiety and phobias are common, cognitive deficits, social cognition deficits, and misinterpretation of menial events for meaningful ones. Unawareness of illness is also a typical symptom, along with lack of insight, hostility, aggression, impairment in motor coordination, and sensory integration.
    • Prevalence – Lifetime prevalence of Schizophrenia is approximately 0.3 – 0.7%. Males are more likely to have an emphasis on negative symptoms of longer periods of time, however, brief mood symptoms are equal in both sexes.
    • Development and Course – Schizophrenia typically emerges in sometime in the late teens to the mid-30s. The peak age for the onset of the first episode is in the early- to mid- 20s for males and the late-20s for females. The earlier the onset is, the worse the prognosis, and onsets are usually a gradual development. Roughly 20% of the individuals with Schizophrenia will recover completely, some have remissions in the active symptoms with only their cognitive abilities impaired, while many require lifelong living supports.
    • Risk and Prognostic Factors – Environmental factors that are more likely to develop Schizophrenia include seasonal factors where children born in late winter/ early spring, children growing up in urban areas, and some minority ethnic groups. Genetic and physiological factors include a strong connection to genetic factors, although most diagnosed have no family history of the disorder. Schizophrenics have alleles to mental disorders such as bipolar or depression. Prenatal adversities and both complications can also lead to Schizophrenia.
    • Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable) – Some cultures may see hallucinations as a religious experience, positive or negative (eg.. talking to god, or possession) Linguistically variations and problems may differ across cultures.
    • Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable) – Females tend to function better in society when they have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, especially in cases with the onset occurring later.
    • Comorbidity (where applicable) – Rates of comorbidity with substance related disorders are high in Schizophrenia. Over half use tobacco regularly. Paranoid personality disorder, anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders precede the onset of Schizophrenia. Weight gain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease are more common in Schizophrenia opposed to the general population.

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    1. Video
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYZauBSRuWQ - The Truth About Schizophrenia (Mental Health Guru)

      This video cleared some popular misconceptions about Schizophrenia. The first being the idea of the splitting of the mind. Split mind refers to a difference between thought and action, such as smiling when telling a disturbing story, and not to multiple personality disorder, which is the misconception of over 60 % of Americans. Another misconception is people with Schizophrenia are dangerous and unpredictable, Schizophrenics are more likely to withdraw from society. Another misconception was that people with Schizophrenia cannot lead normal productive lives. 57% lived independently and 41% percent were fully employed. The last myth debunked about Schizophrenia was that they can indeed get better. It is not curable, but the symptoms can be treated.

      Through the video, I learned more about the day to day living of Schizophrenia, compared to just the diagnosis and symptoms. I’m glad I watched this video. I felt afraid after reading just the DSM 5, and that it was a possibility of me coming down with the disorder. The video took a calmer, more realistic living POV and quelled my concerns. I did learn a lot about Schizophrenia, being that I had never really looked into the illness I had no major preconceptions about the disorder.

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    2. We all definitely have a tendency to try and "diagnose" ourselves or get worried when reading about the characteristics of mental illness, especially the more severe ones like Schizophrenia which typically have a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding them. But, in most cases, although most deal with schizophrenia throughout their whole life, it can be managed effectively. We unfortunately have negative media influences when it comes to these severe disorders which paints individuals with these disorders as violent, which is typically not the case.

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  46. I selected major depressive disorder. Some of the symptoms that I would expect to be are sadness, hopelessness, lost of interest in things one used to enjoy, excessive sleeping, little sleeping, change in diet, anger, and withdrawing. Supposedly many people do or have suffered from depression at one point. Depression can be brought on my traumatic experiences or just be something that happens with brain chemicals are not at normal levels. The disease is no different than something like a simple infection. Something is wrong with the body and can be fixed. Depressed individuals benefit from counseling and/or medications called antidepressants.

    According to the DMS 5, major depressive order is a mood disorder in which five of the nine listed main symptoms need to be experienced within a consecutive two week period in order to be diagnosed. One of the five symptoms experienced symptoms will have to be either a depressed mood, or a loss of interest or pleasure. Otherwise, the other four or more symptoms experienced could be: Significant weight loss or gain, or decrease or increase in appetite, consistent insomnia or hypersomnia , psychomotor agitation as observed by others, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or surplus/unfitting guilt, weakened ability to concentrate or indecisiveness, persistent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt/specific plan for committing suicide. To differentiate between a major depressive episode and normal feelings of loss, physicians should look at past history of traumatic events and coping styles. A MDE can also be differentiated from grief of loss by looking at attitudes in specific response or triggered by certain reminders of loss, consistency of feelings, and types of feelings. Also, you must consider substance-induced symptoms excused from normal symptoms.

    Associated features supporting diagnosis – High mortality and Major depressive disorder are associated with each other by suicide and other causes such as elderly patients dying in their first year of admittance. Tearfulness, irritability, brooding, obsessive contemplation, anxiety, phobias, excessive worry over physical health, and complaints of headaches, joint, abdominal, or other pains are common in patients.

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    1. Prevalence – On a twelve month occurance, major depressive disorder is at 7% in the United States. This number fluctuates among difference in population, examples being age and gender. 18-29 year-olds are three times more likely to suffer than 60+ year olds, and females experience major depressive disorder 1.5-3 times more likely than males.
      Development and course –The development of this disease is often linked to puberty, but can take place at any time in life. Everyone’s experience of major depressive disorder is different, which means that a lot of variation takes place in occurrence and length of remission. Remission is similar to addiction, in the way that the longer you are in remission, the more likely that depression will stay away. 90% of those coping with major depressive disorder will take anywhere from 3 months to a year to recover, and this isn’t affected by gender.

      Risk and prognostic factors – Factors can be temperamental, environmental, genetic and physiological, or course modifiers. Temperamental factors include neuroticism, which is negative affectivity. Environmental factors include childhood experiences, stressful life events, etc. Genetic and physiological factors include having a risk for major depressive order 2-4 times more than other people if you have an immediate family member who suffers from it. This makes it more likely for early-onset cases and recurrent forms of the disorder. Heritability of neuroticism is at 40%. When it comes to course modifiers, there isn’t a huge variation when looking at occurrences across different cultures, besides the symptoms present and the treatment.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gEFZ0TJ8o
      I hate the Twilight movies as much as everybody else, mostly for Kristin Stewart’s acting, but this scene shows the symptoms of disinterest, miserable emotions over a longer period than two weeks, and it also shows that she is having trouble sleeping and that she isn’t eating anything at lunch.

      What I learned about this that I didn’t know is the specifics of differentiating between grief and major depressive disorder, and that the disorder can occur in episodes.

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  47. Binge-Eating Disorder

    I do not know very much about this disorder but what I do know is that these people will eat a lot of food in a short amount of time without being able to control themselves.

    According to the DSM-5, binge-eating disorder is characterized in two ways. The first is eating within a certain amount of time, such as two hours, an amount of food that is much larger than most people would eat in that similar amount of time. The second is a lack of control such as not being able to stop yourself from eating this extreme amount of food. Some associations with binge-eating disorder would be eating faster than what is considered normal, feeling uncomfortably full, still eating even when you don’t feel hungry, not wanting to eat around others because of the embarrassment of how much you eat, and feeling depressed and guilty afterwards. For this disorder to be present, it should occur at least once a week for three months. The disorder does not have to be associated with other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. It can stand alone. Partial remission is considered when an episode of binge-eating is less than once a week for a certain period of time. Full remission is considered when no episodes are present. The severity of the disorder depends on how many episodes a person partakes in in a week.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis—Binge-eating disorder can occur in people of all different ranges of weight. The people who seek treatment are often times overweight or obese. Just because someone is obese does not mean that they have binge-eating disorder. An obese person with binge-eating disorder will consume more calories in laboratory studies of eating behavior than an obese person who does not have binge-eating disorder. The obese person with binge-eating disorder also were more impaired, had a lower quality of life, more stress, and greater psychiatric comorbidity.

    Prevalence—The prevalence for females is 1.6% and 0.8% for males within a twelve-month period. There is not as much gender difference as you would see in bulimia nervosa. The disorder is just as likely in a person from a racial or ethnic group as it would be in a white person. The disorder is seen more among individuals who are trying to lose weight.

    Development and Course—There is not much known as to why people get this disorder. Binge-eating disorder is seen in children and is associated with more body fat, weight gain, and increases psychological health. It is also seen in adolescent and college kids. Dieting may create binge eating in many people with this disorder. Usually this disorder starts at a younger age but it is not unusual to see it start in adulthood. Most people who seek treatment are older than people who seek treatment for bulimia or anorexia. It is a much easier path to recovery for someone with binge-eating disorder than for bulimia and anorexia. The disorder is pretty persistent and is very comparable to bulimia in the terms of severity and duration. Going from binge-eating disorder to another eating disorder is uncommon.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors-- Binge-eating disorder seems to run in families which points to genetic influences.

    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues—Binge-eating disorder occurs about the same in industrialized countries.

    Functional Consequences of Binge-Eating Disorder—This disorder is associated with consequences such as social role adjustment problems, impaired health related to quality of life and life satisfaction, increased health mortality, and increased health care use compared to BMI. It may also be associated with more risk for weight gain and the development of obesity.

    Comorbidity—This disorder is associated with significant psychiatric comorbidity that is comparable to bulimia and anorexia. The most common comorbid disorders are bipolar disorders, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. This is linked to the severity of binge eating not to eh degree of obesity.

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  48. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72gUn08L6qE

    This is a video about a girl named Lauren who suffered from binge-eating disorder and shows her journey to remission. Within the video she talks about how depressed she was. She also talked about how she would eat by herself because of the embarrassment of the amount of food that she would consume.

    Something new that I learned about binge-eating disorder is that you don’t have to be obese to have this disorder. Whenever I would hear of this disorder obese would come to mind but that is far from the truth. The disorder can also be genetically influenced which is scary because in some cases it could be out of your own hands.

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  49. My aunt, who was also my godmother, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her late 40s/early50s. She also had Alzheimer’s and passed before the age of 60 due to complications of the latter disease. Schizophrenia has many sides, from paranoia and thoughts of grandiose to extreme disorganization of thought and actions. So many people get Schizophrenia confused with bipolar or dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder) that I feel many do not have any idea what schizophrenia really is and how scary it can be. My aunt was a special case with paranoia and disorganization making her fear her family members and worry about small, unimportant details, but she also had the Alzheimer’s amplifying the symptoms of her psychotic disorder.

    Diagnostic Criteria and Features
    To diagnose schizophrenia, the patient must have experienced delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and/or behavior, or negative symptoms such as a decline in emotional expression in any combination of two that includes one of the first three. The patient’s ability to function must be impaired due to the condition. Special care must be taken to rule out Schizoaffective disorder, depressive or bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorders.
    People with schizophrenia vary widely from one another in their symptoms and signs. However, they must exhibit one of the following: clear presence of delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech. There is also a link between cognitive and functional impairment in patients with schizophrenia. These signs must occur for at least 6 months prior to diagnosis. In addition to delusions, individuals may have ideas of reference, magical thinking, and unexplainable perceptions.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    In addition to the previously mentioned signs and symptoms, individuals with schizophrenia can show inappropriate affect; showing the incorrect emotional response or an unwarranted emotional response. Disrupted sleep, depression, lack of appetite, depersonalization, and anxiety can all be associated with schizophrenia. Signs may also be present in the level of cognition shown by the individual. Slow processing, lowered attention, poor memory, and language use can all be support the diagnosis. Individuals may be completely unaware of their disorder/behavior, and this is usually a symptom of the disease, rather than a means of coping with it. This symptom can greatly impact treatment, easily displaying when treatments are not being adhered to.
    There are no “tests” for the disorder other than recognizing these symptoms.

    Prevalence
    The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is approximately half of one percent of individuals. There is variation according to race and geographic origin for immigrants. Sex ratios are skewed depending on the symptoms analyzed. Negative symptoms and longer duration of the disorder show higher rates in males whereas including mood symptoms and shorter durations equalize the ratio between males and females.
    Development and Course
    The symptoms of schizophrenia can usually be seen in the late teens/mid-30s with a slow onset of symptoms gradually building into the disorder. Earlier onset age can be correlated with a worse prognosis. Few people recover completely from schizophrenia, but 20% get “better” with time. Other individuals stay debilitated their entire lives, requiring living assistance while still others get worse throughout the entire course of their disorder. The disorder is more difficult to diagnose in children, as hallucinations may be less severe and other disorders, such as ADHD, may confound the diagnosis. Diagnoses after 40 years of age are more likely in females who have been married and it is not clear whether this is a special case, different from those diagnosed earlier in life.


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    1. Risk and Prognostic Factors
      Environmental risks include the season in which an individual is born. In addition, urban areas and some minority ethnic groups have higher incidences of the disorder.
      Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are determined in large by risk factor alleles. Older fathers and birth complications can also be associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia.
      Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
      Delusional criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia can have a culture-related issue. Some cultures may find an idea delusional that another culture finds perfectly normal (i.e. witchcraft, hearing the voice of God). Also varying across cultures is the use of language and body language as well as emotional expression.
      Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
      Incidence of schizophrenia is lower in females than males, but the age of onset is later in females, who experience more psychotic symptoms that worsen throughout the course of the disorder but experience fewer negative symptoms and retain more social functioning.
      Comorbidity (where applicable)
      Comorbidity with substance-related disorders is high in individuals with schizophrenia. Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders and panic disorders are also increased and schizophrenia may be preceded by schizotypal or paranoid personality disorder.
      Weight gain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular, and pulmonary disease are increased among those with schizophrenia, which may decrease lifespan.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e55AbDswe8
      This is a short clip from an ABC news story. This young girl was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after attempting to kill herself to escape the voices in her head. She is treated with antipsychotics to decrease her symptoms. The young girl says she hates her life and being herself, but most of all she hates that no one understands what she has to go through. Being a paranoid schizophrenic, this girl (Rebecca) constantly feels like things are going to happen to her that are not actually going to happen. She is also depressed and very disorganized. I think it is so hard for the general public to understand and connect with mental illness, and this girl shows that struggle, as someone with a mental illness.
      The most interesting thing I came upon while reading up on schizophrenia was the information regarding the increased rates of schizophrenia in females who are middle aged and are or have been married. This makes me think of my aunt, who was diagnosed in her late 40s and who was married. My aunt and uncle lived in New Orleans and no one was aware of my aunt’s problem until Hurricane Katrina hit the city and forced them to relocate to Iowa. It was then that we became aware that my aunt was not who she used to be. I wonder if she is one of those women who developed the disorder that late in life or if she had had symptoms long before that, and no one knew. I also wonder if the trauma of the hurricane set off her disorder, leading to the paranoid, quiet, fearful woman who was so different from the godmother I had known as a kid.

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    2. Yes, you are right that it is very possible that she may have been genetically predisposed, but the stress of Hurricane Katrina and having to relocate may have triggered the disease! Thanks for sharing your personal experience!

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  50. I chose antisocial personality disorder. What I know of this disorder has come from other classes, mostly in the Criminal Justice field. I know that many dangerous criminals exhibit antisocial personality disorder, that is, violent, with no regard for others.

    Diagnostic Criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder
    Criteria for this disorder must include at least three of the following: not conforming to the norms in respect to the law, repeated lying such as the use of aliases or conning, failure to plan ahead, irritability and aggressiveness manifesting as physical violence, disregard for the safety of self or others, irresponsibility, and complete lack of remorse. The individual must also be eighteen years of age, with signs appearing as early as fifteen.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    People with Antisocial Personality Disorder often have a artificially inflated senses of self worth and self confidence. Their lack of basic human understanding, inflated self appraisal, and charm are traits commonly associated with psychopathy. Individuals are irresponsible in and exploitative of sexual partners, often having many partners, while not being able to maintain a stable relationship. They are often irresponsible parents, wasting money, leading to malnourishment of children. Individuals often have a history with the armed services, where they did not perform particularly well, but always volunteered. After their service, they often become homeless and are more likely to die violently.

    Prevalence
    One year prevalence is between 0.2% and 3.3%. Antisocial personality disorder is greatest among males with alcohol use disorder and from substance abuse clinics, prisons, and criminal backgrounds. It is also higher in the poor and peoples who have migrated.

    Development and Course
    While being a chronic disorder, it becomes less of an issue as the individual ages, particularly after the age of forty. This remission can be measured with the individuals criminal record.

    Culture Related Diagnostic Issues
    This disorder is more prevalent among the poor and in a urban setting. There are concerns that this disorder may have been misdiagnosed to those whose antisocial behavior may be part of a protective survival strategy. While diagnosing, the clinician needs to consider the context from which the behavior has stemmed.

    Gender Related Diagnostic Issues
    This disorder is much more common amongst males as compared to females. There is thought that it may be under diagnosed in females because the aggressive and violent components of the disorder.

    Comorbidity
    Other disorders that occur with antisocial personality disorder include substance use disorders. If both antisocial behavior and substance use begin early and continue on into adult life, both should be diagnosed if criteria is met.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qyCR9tPDgM
    This is a TV news story about Tommy Lynn Sells, a killer who murder even children. He explains that he killed people because he did not want them to suffer as he did, and also blames sexual abuse as a child. He explains how he committed his final kills.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCBSU7CsYcc
    This is another clip about an antisocial person, although he is completely fictional, and the video highlights different parts of the disorder.

    I did learn some about the disorder, although I had a grasp of it from my other classes, I still find it very interesting.

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    1. APD is something a lot of people are interested in!

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  51. Panic disorder is a sudden attack due to a situation that a person is uncomfortable with or fear. The person can develop symptoms like his or her heart is racing, sweating, shaking, discomfort or distress, feeling out of control, and might feel like they are going to die.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis- There are a different types of panic attacks. In specifically talks about nocturnal panic attack where about a fourth to a third of American suffer from this type of panic attack. Panic attacks also bring up concerns about a person's mental and physical health. They also look at medication and the side effects a person may have a the specific medication.
    Prevalence- Panic disorder is more prevalent in white adults and adolescents. It is more commonly in females. The article states 2-3% adults and adolescents in the United States and several European countries have panic disorders.
    Development and Course- Generally the age for onset panic disorders is between the age of 20-24. It can chronic if not caught and a person can have readmission. Panic attacks are rare and children but can happen. The older generations can also get panic attacks generally due to the situations they are put in.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors- Anxious and negative attitude, abuse, smoking and genetics are risk factors for a panic disorder.
    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues- The beliefs in ones culture determines if it is an expected or unexpected panic attack due to the different situations that happened before the attack occurred.
    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues- They do not think there is a connection with either gender but they could be in sexual dimorphism.
    Comorbidity- Panic disorders is prevalent with disorders especially with anxiety disorders. They say that there is a connection with depression disorders and panic disorders but the depression comes first. The people still do not know the cause and effect relationship with panic disorders and other symptoms.

    I choose an anxiety disorder as my psychological disorder. I do not know a lot about panic disorder. It is not a disorder I know much about and that is why I choose it. I know it is from a fear the can cause a person anxiety that can cause a panic attack and be debilitating for a person.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kbrb7Xer-Q
    The video talked about how panic disorder has become more recongized over the years. People use to think that people were lazy or making it up. It is all in their head they would say. It is not something we can do tests for to look for specific chemicals and their are no obvious signs until someone does have a panic attack. They do not feel like they have control. Symptoms may include sweating, tunnel vision, anxiety, feeling faint, and wobbly legs. It is hard for someone to understand what a person with anxiety attacks/ panic disorder goes through. It made me think just because I can not see it I try to understand them.

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    1. Just to clarify - panic disorder isn't just having a panic attack per se...it's having multiple panic attacks. Panic attacks can occur in the context of any disorder, not just panic disorder...make sense?

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  52. The disorder I decided to look into was bipolar disorder. From taking a general psychology class, I learned that being bipolar is having extreme mood changed from mania to depression. I do not personally know anyone with this disorder, making myself not that familiar with this disorder. It is common for people to call someone bipolar because they change their mind frequently and have mood swings. But, being bipolar is much more complex than being indecisive and grumpy. Before reading the information on this disorder I only know the minimal characteristics and qualities about this disorder.

    According to the DSM 5 bipolar disorder is described in two different ways.
    The bipolar I disorder is the modern understanding of the classic manic and depression disorder. The majority of individuals whose symptoms meet the criteria for a fully syndromal manic episode also experience major depressive episodes during their life times. Like I stated earlier being bipolar causes someone to have episodes of mania.
    This is described as period of abnormally and persistently. These have shown to last about a week. Some qualities are that they seem to not need sleep and are much more talkative. There is also major depressive episodes people with this disorder can have. The main characteristic for this type is having severe episodes of mania. Bipolar II disorder is different in the sense that there has been at least one episode of hypomania and sever depression. Hypomania is different because it has to last for at least four days. Division one is much more worse than division two. These are the two subdivisions of the bipolar disorder described on DSM-5.

    Some of the associated features with diagnosis is that people that are going thru a state of mania do not realize they are. Also, it is common for people to change how they look in attempt to make them look more sexually attractive. It is also common for people to become physically threatening towards others during this state. Depressive states are also common to happen during states of mania. The 12-month prevalence estimate in the United States was 0.6% for bipolar I. 12-month prevalence of bipolar I disorder across 11 countries ranged from 0.0% to 0.6%. The lifetime male-to-female prevalence ratio is 1.1:1. The development for this disorder is approximately 18 years of age. Over 90% of people who have a single manic episode go on to have recurrent mood episodes. Approximately 60% of manic episodes occur directly before a major depressive episode. There are three different prognosis and risk factors with this diagnosis. The three include environmental, genetic and psychological, and course modifiers. An environmental risk is that this diagnosis is more common in countries with high incomes. A genetic and psychological risk is having the disease in your family tree. Lastly, a course modifier risk includes people being more likely to have psychotic features.

    Other factors that go into this diagnosis include culture related diagnostic issues. Some of these for this diagnosis is very little information exists on specific cultural differences in the expression of bipolar I disorder. A gender related diagnostic issue is that females are at a much higher risk to have this diagnosis than males. This can lead to a high risk of alcohol use as well. With all of these risk factors it makes people with this diagnosis fifteen times more likely to commit suicide. Plus, bipolar disorder also account for one-quarter of all completed suicides.The comorbidity with this diagnosis states that most frequent disorders being any anxiety disorder occur in close to 3/4 of individuals. Also, half of individuals whose symptoms meet criteria for bipolar disorder have an alcohol disorder.

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  53. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s46QDKd6_AI

    This video made the point that it is mostly important for people to become education about this mental illness so no one goes untreated. When people do not realize they are suffering from a mental illness they will go undiagnosed and never receive treatment. Also, people don't feel comfortable talking about the illnesses. The female in the video with the diagnosis treats herself by being on medication and receiving therapy. She said her symptoms were never ending mood swings. The main point of the video is for people to be aware of the illness and to erase the stigma attached with it.
    Before this assignment I never realized there was two divisions of bipolar disorder. Also, I did not know there was a problem with people being uneducated about the illness. Lastly, I never knew people with this diagnosis were at such a high risk for suicide and alcoholism.

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    1. In general, depression is related to suicide and alcohol use risk, so it makes sense that Bipolar disorder follows suit as there are bouts of depression in Bipolar disorder.

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  54. Before reading this information, I don’t really know all that much about hoarding, besides what the basics of it are. Someone has a problem getting rid of items they have collected and continue to collect to the point where their life revolves around it. The DSM adds to this significantly in saying that hoarding involves more than just keeping all items, but rather people are caused distress when they are forced to get rid of them regardless of the value of those items, and that the items they keep begin to clutter their homes and areas of living unless affected by third parties.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis:
    There are some other effects on living that can be credited to hoarding including avoidance, indecisiveness, and the inability to plan or organize events. Also there is an increased chance of acquiring a large amount of animals and both not giving the animals an appropriate environment and also living in an unfit environment for themselves.

    Prevalance
    There is no national prevalence available for the study of hoarders, however the simple studies done in community surverys show that approximately 7% of the US are hoarders.

    Development and course
    Hoarding begins in the early age around the age of 15 and continues throughout the lifetime of a person. It is not until the late adulthood that moat people get diagnosed for hoarding because that is when it starts to become noticeable to family and friends. Studies show that the severity of hoarding increases through age and is much harder to correct.

    Risk and prognostic factors
    There are three categories to be considered in this case. As far as a temperamental aspect, hoarders struggle making decisions another aspect is environmental, and people with hoarding generally report stressful and traumatic living environments. Finally it seems that hoarding is associated with addictive genetic factors.

    Culture related diagnostic issues
    As far as it seems, there is no correlation between culture and hoarding, and it is universal between all.

    Gender related diagnostic issues
    As far as gender goes, hoarding is also universal between the sexes. The only difference is that females tend to hoard more items that they buy compared to collect through life.
    Commodity
    About 75%of hoarders also have some sort of mood or anxiety disorder, most likely sever depression, social anxiety or generalized anxiety.

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    1. Don't forget to do all parts of the assignment (including a video).

      Nice job, though...hoarding is definitely interesting - I like to view my "hoarding" tendencies as me being a collector :)

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  55. I chose the psychological disorder Schizophrenia. In Psychology 101 my freshman year we watched a video of a women who had the disorder and it was hard for me to watch. Before that I really knew nothing about the disorder other than they have hallucinations and I simply had a lot of questions and have been interested in the disorder since. It is stated in the DSM 5 that to have Schizophrenia you must have two or more of these symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, negative emotional symptoms, catatonic behavior or grossly unorganized, disorganized speech.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis- People with Schizophrenia may not even be aware of their illness;other things that are displayed could be social cognition deficits, hostility, impairment in motor coordination, depersonalization, and lack of insight.
    Prevalence- Though both sexes express brief mood symptoms it's more likely for males to have an emphasis on negative symptoms when it comes to longer periods of time. Lifetime prevalence of the disorder is roughly 0.3-0.7%.
    Development and Course- The peak age for the onset of the first episode of the disorder for females is in the late 20s and early to mid 20s for males. But anywhere from late teens to the mid 30s is typical for Schizophrenia.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors- Most diagnosed with the disorder have no family history. There are environmental factors that can play a roll including when and where a a child is born and grows up.
    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues- Some cultures see hallucinations as religious experiences such as talking to God, although views differ across cultures.
    Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues- After being diagnosed with the disorder females tend to function better in society.
    Comorbidity- Compared to the general population individuals with Schizophrenia are more likely to have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, weight gain, metabolic syndrome and pulmonary disease. There are also disorders that precede the onset of schizophrenia like anxiety disorders, paranoid personality disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorders.

    Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYZauBSRuWQ
    -Mental Health Guru--The Truth About Schizophrenia

    There are a lot of common misconceptions about Schizophrenia, many I believed to be true myself before the video. A major one the video discussed was that they can be cured with is not true. Schizophrenia is not curable although symptoms can be treated. One that I thought was true was that they are dangerous and unpredictable. Which in fact they are more likely to withdraw from society.

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    1. Schizophrenia definitely is one that is very much misperceived!

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  56. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  57. In this week’s discussion, I chose to research Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. From what I have learned, Post Traumatic Stress disorder is having anxiety or depression, as well as nightmares and flashbacks, about a traumatic event in ones’ life. According to DSM-5, there are certain criteria to the definition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post Traumatic Stress disorder can come from exposure of death, sexual violence or serious injury whether these happen directly, as a witness or learning about a loved one.
    There are a number of symptoms that occur after the traumatic event. The symptoms include recurring, disturbing memories of the event, recurring, disturbing dreams of the event, dissociative reactions, such as flashbacks and intense psychological distress when something symbolizes the event. Prevalence includes avoidance of the disturbing memories or thoughts associated to the traumatic event and avoidance of external reminds such as people, places or things. Negative alterations in moods accompany the aftermath of the traumatic event such as inability to remember certain aspects of the event or persistent negative emotional state.
    I chose a video about soldiers with Post Traumatic stress disorder. The soldier in the video talks about having dreams about war and waking up thinking that it is real. His nightmares were unpredictable. The sister said his brother is now a more dry and rustic person. It is affecting his professional life and personal future.
    Throughout schooling in my life I have read books and learned about Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Nothing that I read or watching in the military video stuck out as new information to me. Watching the military video just reminds me again as an American how affected solders are from war and what they go through when they return from war, physically and mentally.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssZ-yRS7Hlc&list=PL4AE41EF4573733BD

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    1. Try to write a little more in relation to the various subheadings in the DSM!

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  58. The disorder I chose was Schizophrenia, and I know that it is a hallucination disorder, but that is about all I really know about it. Schizophrenia as described in the DSM – 5 is having one or more criteria for a long period of time (more than 1 month). These criteria are A. 1 Delusions 2 Hallucinations 3 Disorganized speech 4 grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior and 5 Negative symptoms. B. there has to be a significant downward change in function in an area of one’s life such as work or self-care that is below the level they were at before the schizophrenic episode. C – Continuous signs of disturbance must be maintained for at least 6 months. D – Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder must be ruled out. E – the psychological affects cannot be due to a substance abuse of some kind, like alcohol or drugs. And F – schizophrenia can only be diagnosed for someone who has already been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder or a communication disorder if the more prominent delusions or hallucinations, combined with the other required symptoms, are present for at least one month.

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    1. Associative features supporting diagnoses would be things like a change in sleep pattern (sleeping days, and doing things at night, or not sleeping for long periods of time), changes in mood, such as depression, anxiety, or anger when not otherwise shown. Not wanting to eat a lot, or not eating at all. Phobias are common, and insufficiencies in things like working memory and language function can result. Some people may not realize that they have schizophrenia, and this is usually a symptom of the schizophrenia itself and not a coping strategy. Aggression can be an effect of schizophrenia but it is actually a lot less common than people think. The prevalence of schizophrenia is 0.3%-0.7%.
      Development and course-Schizophrenia usually develops between the late teens and the mid-30s. Schizophrenia before this time is rare, but not unheard of. It may come on abruptly or it can slowly get worse over time. The majority of the time it progresses slowly, although it does differentiate between genders. Some people with Schizophrenia will have it completely go away, but for the majority of people it will be a lifelong battle that they will have to deal with, and need help for. The psychotic symptoms seem to decrease over time and cognitive deficits connected to Schizophrenia may not improve throughout the course of the illness. The same symptoms affect children with schizophrenia but it is harder to diagnose because the fantasy play has to be distinguished between the hallucinations, and some of the symptoms, like disorganized language can be categorized as other DSM – 5 disorders.
      The Risk and Prognostic factor, Seasons of birth have been associated with schizophrenia as well as a link to genetics although a lot of people diagnosed have no family history of psychosis, and pregnancy and birth complications as well as older mother age has been linked to it as well.
      Culture related diagnostic issues need to be thought about during diagnosis. In some cultures eye contact is viewed negatively. Also things in one culture, like witchcraft, are viewed differently than in other cultures. The person who is diagnosing must be very cautious in the differences of culture and things of that nature.
      Comorbidity rates associated with Schizophrenia are high. Over half the individuals have tobacco use disorder. Other disorders connected with schizophrenia are OCD, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders. The life expectancy of Schizophrenics is lower because of the other conditions they may have. Things like weight gain, diabetes, the medications they take, and their hygiene status all are contributing factors to their lower life expectancy.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35gcBL1ZwY4&list=PL9vtxoHcfx7Z7DcQKMvUobzXY99t8S1li
      This video is a compilation of a number of videos about a girl with schizophrenia. I believe this documentary was made when she was 8 and then another was made when she was 10. This just explains her life, and how her parents have dealt with it, and the inevitability that her little brother may have it as well. In this case, Jani can be violent toward herself and others, and she has a lot of hallucinations, number 7 and 4, and ticks that she does, such as rubbing her hands together. I watched both of these documentaries and I thought they were extremely good. I did learn that the severity and the symptoms you have with schizophrenia can be a wide range and can change throughout the course of the person’s life.

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  59. i chose delusional disorder i currently know nothing about this disorder but would assume it would be the problem of a person continuously misperceiving reality or having delusions.
    According to the DSM-5 Delusional disorder- is having persistent delusions that last over one month that are not from use of psychoactive substances nor another medical condition. could be love delusions, jealous delusions, self aggrandizing delusions, or most commonly paranoid delusions.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
    social, marital or work problems may occur, from there experienced delusions. Also they may be able to recall others telling them there beliefs are irrational but are unable to except it themselves. Many can become angry or dysphoric due to there held delusions which can also sometimes cause violent outbursts.

    Prevalence- lifetime prevalance of delusional disorder is estimated at .2 % and the most common type is persecutory, males are more likely to have jealous type however it is evenly distributed as a disorder between males and females.

    Development and course- average global function is better than schizophrenia, however it can turn into the former in rare cases. It can happen to young people but is probably more prevalent in the older population

    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues- a persons cultural and religious backgrounds must being taken into account, as it may vary across cultural backgrounds.

    Functional consequences of delusional disorder- impairments are usually more limited when compared to other disorders but could have poor job functioning and social isolation. a common characteristic is them seemingly being normal and functional when there delusions are not being talked about or acted upon.

    http://youtu.be/jbwmzcnCF50

    this video overviewed delusional disorder and basically restated what i had just learned emphasizing paranoid delusions like feeling you are being watched or poisoned. and said the beliefs on was having must be non-bizarre to qualify but with the help of some visual aid and a list of prescriptions that would be applicable.

    I came into this not knowing anything at all about delusional disorder and now im able to grasp the concept. I also found reading about this disorder to be entertaining.

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    1. I'm glad you chose something you knew nothing about...my guess is that you had more knowledge about it than you thought you did, perhaps you just didn't know what it was called :)

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  60. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder common in people who have experienced either mild or severe traumatic events in their life. Such events may include, witnessing a murder, seeing a loved one die, being in a terrible accident, or even fighting in the military. There are a lot of different traumas that bring on PTSD, but it is most likely seen in people who are, or have been, in the military. Some of the symptoms of PTSD are hypervigilance, restless sleep, and becoming easily startled. I, myself, do not know of anyone who suffers from PTSD, but the disorder has always been an interest of mine.

    According to the DSM 5, some of the traumatic events resulting in PTSD can be exposure to war as a combatant or civilian, threatened or actual physical assault, threatened or actual sexual violence, being kidnapped, being taken hostage, terrorist attack, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war, natural or human-made disasters, and severe motor vehicle accidents. In these instances, and in others, the person sometimes re-experiences the traumas in a variety of ways. One of the most common ways is that some people have recurring flashbacks of the incident that are so vivid they think that they are actually there. These flashbacks may cause people to become closed off from things that may have triggered them in the first place. This can make the person more hypervigilant of their surroundings. It can also cause the person to avoid people and situations that might trigger feelings or memories about the trauma.

    The prevalence of PTSD varies among different ethnicities as well as development. According to the DSM 5, children and older adults are less likely to have PTSD than middle age adults. There is also a higher risk of PTSD depending on the vocation of a person. These include veterans, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Some symptoms can show up right after the trauma, whereas others may take a while to become noticeable. The duration of symptoms also varies; some can come and go within three months’ time and others can last longer. Some of the symptoms can come back or even intensify due to stressors, reminders of the original trauma, or even new traumatic events.

    For PTSD, risk factors are separated into three different groups: pretraumatic, peritraumatic, and posttraumatic. Pretraumatic factors include early childhood emotional problems and previous mental disorders, lower socioeconomic status and lower education, and being of the female gender or experiencing the traumatic event at a younger age. Some of the peritraumatic factors are the severity of the trauma, interpersonal violence, and being a perpetrator or killing the enemy as military personnel might do. Finally, the posttraumatic factors include bad coping strategies, development of other stress disorders, and the amount of social support one is given. There are also a few different culture-related and gender-related factors. The severity of traumatic events may be perceived differently across cultures as well as the risk for PTSD of particular exposures may vary across cultures. As with most disorders, PTSD is more prevalent in females than in males and females generally experience PTSD for longer durations than males. Unfortunately, people with PTSD are 80% more likely to have symptoms that meet the criteria for at least one other mental disorder. Even though it involves both children and adults, there is still a difference in patterns of comorbidity.

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    1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I63tfwO4FI

      This video depicts a veteran and his struggle with PTSD. He described having nightmares, panic attacks, and he even tried to commit suicide at one point in his life due to PTSD. However, his family was supportive and he has been slowly getting better and living his life to the fullest. I chose the video because there is a lot of negativity around this disorder, but this video proves that not all stories have sad endings to them. Yes, PTSD is a serious disorder, but there is a way in which people can overcome it. I knew a lot of the information already, but I did not realize just how many different symptoms were associated with PTSD. It was definitely interesting to read about.

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    2. Great job...PTSD is definitely going to be a hot topic for awhile!

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  61. I chose the disorder labeled Bipolar II disorder. I know a little bit about what it means to be bipolar because I had to help a friend in high school through it until she realized that she might need more than just me to help her with this. A few things that I learned from helping her was that people with bipolar disorder have really high days where they are almost overly emotionally happy and then they have really low days where they are almost depressed. Her moods would change every couple of days and sometimes she would lash out so much that we feared for her own safety. I know that the moods change very quickly with people who have bipolar disorder, however I do not know what causes this change or really what there is to help these people besides some medicine.

    By reading the DSM5 I learned a lot about bipolar II disorder. The DSM5 describes two phases of the disorder that were similar to my theory of having really high and really low days. The ‘high’ day is called a Hypomanic Episode. This usually lasts about 4 days. There are a few things that occur during the hypomanic episode. Some of these things, or behavior changes, include high self-esteem, less sleep, more talkative, ideas are constantly racing through this person’s mind, easily distracted, and more likely to be involved in potentially painful activities. This mood swing is often times very easily noticed by others. Many people think that these outbreak episodes are caused by psychological substances or drugs that are prescribed to these people but this is only a myth. The opposite of the hypomanic episode is the major depressive episode. In this stage there are many symptoms that are present but in order to be diagnosed, one must have at least 5 of them. Some of these symptoms include a depressed mood for most of the day, a significantly lowered interest in pleasurable activities, a big weight loss or weight gain, extremely agitated, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, lack of concentration, and constant feelings or ideas of death.

    A common feature with this disorder is impulsivity. Where we see this most is with the suicide attempts. There are other disorders besides bipolar II that have impulsivity as a common feature. Many people are aware that people with bipolar disorder have a very high level of creativity during their hypomanic stage but that this tends to come and go and is non- linear. This coming and going could contribute to the fact that many who suffer from bipolar disorder refuse treatment. Bipolar disorder has a 12 month prevalence rate internationally of 0.3%. In the United states, the 12 month prevalence is 0.8%. There is a higher prevalence rate in children who are 12 years and older. This rate is 2.7%. The average age for the beginning stages of bipolar II disorder is mid-20’s. Usually this disorder begins with a major depressive episode that goes unrecognized until there is a hypomanic episode. Most of the time people with bipolar II disorder experience more than one episode of major depression before they go into their hypomanic episode. There are certain factors that complicate detecting this disorder such as depression, substance abuse, or anxiety. Bipolar II disorder is different from major depressive disorder and bipolar I disorder. People with bipolar II disorder tend to have more episodes, especially hypomanic episodes.

    Another difference between bipolar II disorder and other major depression disorders is that the number of hypomanic episodes and the number of major depressive episodes is significantly higher in bipolar II people. Around 5-15% of individuals with bipolar II disorder have at least 4 and sometimes even more episodes within the previous 12 months of being diagnosed. Diagnosing a child with bipolar II disorder is very challenging. Children who are highly irritable are especially hard to diagnose. In order to consider a child to have a hypomanic episode, they must have acted out of sorts from their developmental stage.

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    1. Those who have relatives with bipolar disorder are more likely at risk to develop bipolar II disorder as well. The age of the onset of the disorder may have some genetic factors. After being diagnosed, those who are younger of age are more likely to return to normal functioning than individuals with depressive symptoms. Bipolar II disorder is more likely in females than in males. Females are more likely to report having more hypomanic episodes with mixed depressive features. The trigger for some of these hypomanic episodes may be childbirth. However, it is hard to distinguish during the first stages of having a child whether the lack of sleep is due to the disorder or due to the child. An onset of depression is likely in new mothers as well. Those with bipolar II disorder have a very high suicide risk. Around 1/3 of individuals with bipolar II disorder reported a history of suicide attempts.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0_m6zOVdj8

      Jason talks about dealing with bipolar II disorder. He said that for the longest time, five years, he had no idea what was going on but that he always was around friends who had it and then he eventually realized that he was going through it as well. He has been suffering for about 20 years. He said that as a child he was experiencing depression, anxiety, and OCD symptoms. He has had family members with severe anxiety and depression which could be connected to why it happened to him. Jason talked about facing multiple problems with anxiety and that is what bothered him the most. He said that he could deal with his hypomanic episodes but the anxiety was very hard. He said that the depression was not horrible, that he kind of learned to deal with it. The depression was only a problem for him within the last five to ten years. He said it was hard to make the bipolar connection with anxiety because he had done some research and never really saw the connection to anxiety which kind of threw him off so he thought that he only had anxiety issues. He said he felt nervous and would have anxiety attacks. He had constant social anxiety and OCD feelings along with lots of physical anxiety. Jason had severe panic attacks about ten years ago and overcoming those was very hard to deal with. He began to look into different medications and diets that he could try to help him. He said that one day his anxiety was so bad that he took a root herb to help and it kind of relieved his anxiety but boosted his hypomania. He said it did not work for too long but that the boost helped him feel a little more normal and he was able to get his anxiety under control. He finally realized that he had bipolar disorder by doing some research.

      I was surprised to find out that there was more than one type of bipolar disorder. I also had no idea that so many other symptoms that could be connected to other disorders were involved in bipolar II such as anxiety and depression. Now that I have learned more about it is very clear to me why my friend was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I do not know if she had bipolar I or II but she definitely fit in with the characteristics being described.

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  62. I work at a mental hospital and I work with individuals who have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, behavioral issues and many other mental illnesses. Since I already have a relatively good grasp on those illnesses I wanted to study something that I haven’t worked with. At HSC we don’t often deal with individuals with body dysmorphic disorder so I decided to study that. All I really know about body dysmorphic disorder is that it affects the way one views their body. In the DSM 5, it states that individuals with body dysmorphic disorder might experience an obsession with one or more supposed flaw in their appearance but these aren’t apparent or seem small to others. This can cause these individuals to experience repetitive behaviors. These behaviors include comparing themselves to others, excessive mirror checking and grooming, picking at the skin and seeking assurance from others. Many may experience behaviors and thoughts like this but what makes it body dysmorphic disorder is the presence of distress or trouble functioning in their lives. There is a subtype of this known as muscle dysmorphia. In this subtype they are preoccupied with the thought that their body build isn’t big enough or the muscle is not sufficient.
    Associating features supporting a diagnosis is that some individuals with body dysmorphic disorder may believe that others take special notice of them and make fun of how they look. Those with this disorder tend to experience increased anxiety, social avoidance, depression, perfectionism, neuroticism and low self-esteem. Many feel a lot of shame about their appearance and do not like to reveal their concerns to others. Some people undergo cosmetic treatment to try to fix these flaws. Sometimes it becomes so extreme that these individuals attempt to perform surgery on themselves.
    The prevalence in the US among adults is 2.4%. It is relatively seen equally in men and women with males being 2.2% and women being 2.5%. In dermatology patients the prevalence is 9-15% and in cosmetic surgery patients 3-16% is the prevalence. Orthodontia patient’s prevalence is 8% and oral or maxillofacial surgery patients are 10%.
    Generally the mean age of onset is around 16-17 years of age. The median age of onset is 15 years. The most common age is 12-13 years. Some patients gradually experience the full disorder, while others experience sudden onset of the disorder. The disorder can be chronic, but they can improve through therapy. This disorder can occur in elderly individuals but this age range is not studied very often. When the onset of the disorder is before 18 these individuals are more likely to attempt suicide and have more comorbidity.
    An environmental risk factor is high rates of neglect and abuse as a child. When an individual has a first-degree relative that has obsessive-compulsive disorder they are more likely to experience body dysmorphic disorder.
    Cultural values may influence the symptoms of the disorder but it is reported internationally.
    Females and males have more similarities than differences within the disorder. Both genders tend to dislike the same body areas, types of behaviors, severity, comorbidity, suicidal tendencies and receipt of cosmetic procedures. Males however are more likely to be preoccupied with genitals, and females are more likely to have comorbid eating disorders. Muscle dysmorphia occurs mainly in males.
    Major depressive disorder is most commonly comorbid with this disorder. It generally occurs after the onset of body dysmorphic disorder. Comorbid social phobia, OCD, and substance-related disorders also occur.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WjCFxqfF4s
    In this video it shows a woman in Russia who had tons of surgeries to make herself look like Barbie. It was a pretty short video but in it a plastic surgeon discusses why he would never agree to perform these surgeries. He states that individuals with body dysmorphic disorder are so displeased with themselves that they would never be pleased with the work done no matter how many procedures they have done.

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    1. I'm glad you chose something that is unfamiliar to you, that's what learning is all about :)

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  63. I chose to research Borderline Personality Disorder. This disorder interests me because I know individuals diagnosed with it and I wanted to learn more about it so that I can be more understanding of their actions. This disorder falls under the personality disorders, and can be related to severe and unstable mood swings. The individual may also display have extremely unpredictable and or odd behaviors.

    The DSM 5’s actual definition of Borderline Personality Disorder is a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, starting by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) diagnostic criteria. It falls under the Cluster B category. This disorder is often comorbid with other disorders from other clusters. (A and C)

    Diagnostic Criteria:
    1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment (does not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior)
    2. Pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
    3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
    4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging ( for example budgeting, sex, alcohol or substance abuse, etc)
    5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior.
    6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (for example irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).
    7. Chronic feelings of emptiness.
    8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger
    9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideating or severe dissociative symptoms.

    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: Individuals with borderline personality disorder may have a tendency to severely regress on progress made on reaching a goal when the goal becomes reachable. Some individuals may develop psychotic-like symptoms such as hallucinations when they are presented with extremely stressful situations. They may feel more empowered and in control with transitional objects like a pet or inanimate possession rather than in personal relationships. Suicide rates are fairly high with individuals with this disorder, especially individuals whom are also diagnosed with substance abuse disorder or depressive disorders. Abuse and neglect among other things are associated in the childhood histories of those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

    Prevalence: The median population prevalence is estimated between 1.6 & 5.9%. This disorders prevalence may decrease in older age groups.

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    1. Development and course: There can be a lot of variety in the course of this disorder, however the most common course is one of chronic instability in early adulthood. This course deals with episodes of serious affective and impulsive dyscontrol and high levels of use of health and mental health resources. Individuals who participate in therapeutic intervention are likely to improve sometime during their first year. Once an individual is in their 30’s and 40’s, it appears they are more likely to have developed more control over their disorder. After ten years of the disorder, as many as half of the individuals diagnosed no longer meet the full criteria for the disorder.

      Risk and Prognostic Factors: This disorder is approximately five times more common for first-degree biological relatives than those in the general population. There is also an increased risk for individuals whom are diagnosed with other disorders such as substance abuse or depressive disorders which were mentioned above.

      Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues: This disorder has been identified in many cultures around the world, so is not specifically related to any one.

      Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues: This disorder is diagnosed mostly in women (75%).

      Comorbidity: Already discussed above

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdPuSnP8YY8

      This video was very informative of BPD and also discussed treatments for the disorder which I have not yet discussed in my comment. Group therapy and medications can sometimes be prescribed to deal with symptoms of BPD. The video also gave celeb examples of individuals, which may help to associate actions of someone who has BPD (for example Britney Spears). The video also discussed that individuals with BPD may have abnormalities in the brain, resulting in aggression and hostility. Dialectical behavior therapy is used to tread BPD specifically and can e either individual or group setting.

      What I originally knew about this disorder is basically what I learned about today as well, only now I understand BPD in more detail and the different diagnostic criteria that goes along with it.

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    2. BPD is a hard disorder for many to understand, as it can be exhausting to work with or associate with others with BPD...but gaining more knowledge about it can help one understand it and be more empathic toward these individuals!

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  64. I know a lot of anorexia nervosa, but will tell you the basics. People who suffer from anorexia nervosa are extremely afraid of gaining weight or being fat. They are very underweight for the height and age. They have very strict requirements for food intake regarding calories, fat, sodium, etc. They may or may not engage in binge/purge behaviors and excessive or increased exercise. They also tend to have a poor body image, feel the need to be perfect, obsessive, and very anxious. To be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, it depends mainly on your BMI and the percentile you are in.

    According to the DSM 5, what I have already explained pretty much describes the disorder. There are different subtypes of anorexia nervosa such as restricting type and binge-eating/purging type. They things they feel and do are: fear gaining weight and being fat, restrictions on food intake, possible binge and/or purge behaviors, and others. Restricting type is simply as it sounds, they restrict their food intake but dieting and fasting along with exercise. Binge-eating/purging type is where the person engages in a large amount of food and then purges (vomits) it out. Other behaviors to do that are with diuretics and laxatives. To be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa you have to meet certain criteria such as low body weight or your height, strong fear of gaining weight or being fat, and poor body image. They also must be below a certain BMI for the height and age.

    Associated Feature Supporting Diagnosis: Most people who suffer from anorexia nervosa will harm their body in many ways. Some damage is reversible but some are not. It is important to get help when needed because if you wait too long, it can be life threatening. When severely underweight, most people with AN will develop some sort of depressive behaviors, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, social withdrawal from eating, increase of exercise, and use some kind of diuretics or laxatives.

    Prevalence: Females are definitely more likely to suffer from an eating disorder than males. It is said that it is about a 10:1 female to male ratio. However there is less than 1% of prevalence in a 12-month period in young females.

    Development and Course: People who have fit anorexia nervosa criteria are typically in their puberty and early adult years. The ‘cause’ of this disorder is said to be from stress. Recovery from this illness is different. Some may recover faster than others but it depends on how long they have been struggling with it and the severity it became. Some can recover without going to the hospital but others are required to attend inpatient-outpatient programs or actually being admitted to the hospital. Relapses can and do occur. The CMR from anorexia is about 5% per decade and most deaths occur from suicide or medical complications itself.

    Risk and Prognostic Factors: People from childhood who have anxiety or obsessive behaviors are more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa. The media and cultures play a role in the onset of this disorder as well. Depending on where you are form and how thinness is valued. Family also has a role in chances of becoming anorexic. Family members who have had an eating disorder and/or bipolar or depressive disorders relate to this disorder.

    Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues: The prevalence of AN is high in high-income, post-industrialized countries such as the US and European countries. Although having AN is low in the African American, Latino, and Asian populations, clinicians want to emphasize that health service is lower for those ethnic groups. Depending on the different countries views, weight concerns are different as well.

    Comorbidity: Individuals with AN often say that they also have another disorder such as bipolar, depression, or anxiety disorder. It may occur during the time they were anorexia or before. OCD is also seen in people who suffer with the restricting type. Those with binge-eating/purging type may have some sort of substance abuse problem as well.

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    1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4hPVRs9NFc
      This is the story of a girl who suffered from anorexia and still suffers after. She has improved though, but it is hard to overcome something like this. She started off not feeling perfect and just dieting. However, the dieting turned into something much worse; ED (eating disorder) took over. She talked about how she did excessive exercise. She also talked about her heart problems. She said how she was skinnier than her 10 year old sister. This is a good perception on what a life is with anorexia nervosa.

      I did learn some knew things regarding which cultures and ethnicities AN is most common. I mostly knew the information, but I am so interested in it that I wanted to do this blog over it. Something I was not aware of was the CMR of 5% per decade. I would have thought it to be higher than that.

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  65. The disorder I have chosen is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Before looking at the DSM-5 classification I know that ADHD is a disorder that manifests itself in varying levels of inattention and hyperactivity. I know that the severity of ADHD can be broken down into one of the three following classifications mild, moderate, or severe. ADHD is generally diagnosed in adolescents but adult diagnosis is not uncommon. I know quite a bit about ADHD since I myself have been diagnosed with moderate ADHD. According to the DSM-5, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is considered a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. Two areas characterize the disorder, the first is inattention and the second is hyperactivity and impulsivity. The disorder can favor both areas or lean predominantly towards one or the other. The severity of the disorder is ranked mild, moderate, or severe. Associated features supporting diagnosis: Mild delays in the development of certain skills including language, motor, or social often co-occur but are not specific to ADHD. Those suffering from ADHD will often show cognitive problems on tests of attention, executive function, or memory. Those who suffer from ADHD are also at a higher risk for suicide attempts, especially when combined with substance use disorders. There is no biological marker for ADHD. Prevalence; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects about 5% of children and roughly 2.5% of adults. Development and course: The majority of parents identify ADHD during the elementary school years and this is when inattention becomes more noticeable and begins to affect learning. The disorder is overall fairly stable throughout early adolescence. The disorder becomes harder to notice in later adolescence and into adulthood but the difficulties with inattention, poor planning, and impulsivity can still be present. Risk and prognostic factors: Temperamental factors that are affected are inhibition, effortful control, or constraint these traits may predispose children to ADHD but are not specific to the disorder. Environmental factors that increase the risk of ADHD include smoking and drinking during pregnancy. First-degree biological relatives of people with ADHD are at an elevated risk for having the disorder. Culture-related diagnostic issues: The higher occurrence rates of ADHD in certain regions across the world may be caused primarily by methodological practices. In America the Caucasian population has a higher rate of ADHD than the African American and Latino populations. Gender-related diagnostic issues: The general ratio of ADHD in males and females in the general population is 2:1.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u82nzTzL7To

    The video I have chosen gives a brief overview of ADHD and where in the brain is believed to be the primary issues. A lot of the material that is covered in this video is still speculative because the primary cause of ADHD is still unknown. The video addresses how it is believed that the occurrence of ADHD is closely related to how chemical reactions take place in the brain. Those with ADHD have lower levels of dopamine and this can be a factor that causes ADHD. The video looks at how those with ADHD are often found to have a smaller frontal lobe. The frontal lobe plays a role in impulse control, socialization, reason, and judgment.

    I did not really learn anything new about ADHD but I did gain a better understanding of the classifications looked at when diagnosing the disorder. I find it interesting because I can relate to a lot of the information since I have ADHD. Thinking about the common symptoms of inattention and impulsivity especially I can relate them to things I do in my daily life.

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  66. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder wherein the individual receives auditory or visual hallucinations, or in rare cases both. From what I’ve learned in the past, it is a hereditary disease, generally passed from the maternal side to a male offspring. Those that develop this disorder are generally in their 20s, however earlier onset does occur in rare circumstances. Although schizophrenia is generally believed to be a disorder in which hallucinations constantly occur, the real trauma to the individual is determining reality from the surreality that the mind creates.

    According to the DSM 5, schizophrenia involves a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions. However, no single symptom charecterizes the disorder. The dysfunctions must combine with an impairment with occupational or social function. The diagnosis for schizophrenia is extremely specific, and very time specific as well.

    Some common associated features concerning schizophrenia include a display of inappropriate behavior, the DSM 5 refers to laughter without a proper stimulus. Schizophrenic individuals are also more susceptible to dysphoric moods, these can include depression, anxiety, or anger. This may also lead to a disturbed sleep pattern and a lack of interest or complete refusal of food. Other common disorders that can be associated with schizophrenia are anxiety and phobias and depersonalization or other somatic concerns that may become delusions. Cognitive deficits are strongly linked to vocational and functional impairments which are key to the diagnosis of this disorder, these deficits can be decrements in declarative and working memory, language or other executive functions, and can result in a slower processing speed. Some schizophrenics may lack the awareness of their disorder, which is the difficulty differentiating between realities I mentioned earlier. It is generally a symptom rather than a coping method for this particular case. Hostility and aggression can also be associated with schizophrenia, however spontaneous or random acts of violence is uncommon. It is more frequent in younger males, particularly those with a history of violence, difficulty with treatments, substance abuse, and impulsivity. There are currently no radiological, laboratory, or psychometric tests for the disorder. Although there have been studies on the different regions of the brain affected by schizophrenia, as well as the cellular architecture, white matter connectivity, and gray matter volume in such regions. Reduced brain volume has been observed as well as increased brain volume reduction with age. Again, impairments in motor coordination are highly common within schizophrenic individuals.

    The lifetime prevalence, or expectancy for those that develop schizophrenia, is approximately 0.3%-0.7%. Reports of variation by race, ethnicity, countries, and geographic origin for immigrants and children of immigrants shows multiple variations, however. This is due to the sex ratio that differs across sample populations.

    Schizophrenia typically emerges within individuals between the late teens and mid-thirties, and early onset (before adolescence) is highly uncommon and usually indicates a worse prognosis. Peak age for initial episodes is in the early to mid-twenties for males but generally late twenties for females. Onset may also be abrupt, but is generally a slow manifestation. The symptoms tend to diminish over the course of the individual’s life, which may be in association with the related declines in dopamine activity.

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    1. Risk and prognostic factors tend to be environmental and genetic and physiological. Environmental factors include time of birth and environment of upbringing for the child. There is a strong correlation between genetic factors for those at risk with schizophrenia, although several individuals that are diagnosed have no family record of psychosis. Pregnancy and birth complications with hypoxia and a higher age of the father have been associated with higher risk of schizophrenia development.

      In some cultures the hallucinations that are associated with schizophrenia are a normal part of a religious experience, therefore unassociated with the diagnosis of psychosis. This can be included with disorganized speech as well.

      Schizophrenia seems to occur less in females. Symptoms for women tend to be more affect-laden with more of the psychotic spectrum of symptoms as well. These tend to worsen in the course of the life in females rather than lighten, as is the tendency for schizophrenia.

      Over half of those diagnosed with schizophrenia have tobacco use disorder and smoke regularly. Comborbidity with anxiety disorders is becoming increasingly recognized as well as OCD and panic disorder.

      The video I selected is a simulation type video. It shows a typical day with a schizophrenic who suffers from both auditory and visual hallucinations, although most of them are auditory. I found it extremely interesting, and although it might not be exactly what was assigned it clearly shows the difficulties that a schizophrenic might go through on a daily basis with the hallucinations, as well as one that may develop a panic or anxiety disorder.

      http://youtu.be/LWYwckFrksg

      I learned quite a bit about schizophrenia, although I am already very familiar with the disorder. The thing that perhaps interested me the most was the simulation video that I found, it’s one thing to understand the diagnosis on an academic level and a complete other to experience it (on a certain scale).

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  67. What I know about ODD, or Oppositional Deviant Disorder, is that it's exactly what it sounds like. It is a sustained pattern of negative, hostile, and defiant behavior usually seen in children and adolescents. Kids'll cry, scream, throw things, and just be as ornery as they can just because.

    ODD, according to DSM-V, requires 3 patterns of behavior lasting at least six months in order to be diagnosed. The 3 patterns of behavior are anger/irritability, argumentative and deviant behavior, and vindictiveness and a person must show at least four systems hitting these criteria. For example, a child that loses his temper often, deliberately annoys others, blames others for his mistakes, and is vindictive towards his siblings would fit the criteria for ODD.

    The Associated Features with this diagnosis is it is usually consistent with a harsh, inconsistent, and neglectful child-rearing. It is highly co-morbid with ADHD and Conduct Disorder, and there's a high risk for suicide due to increased impulsiveness.

    The Prevalence is about 3.3% (1-11%) overall although it is slightly more common in male children at a rate of 1.4:1.

    The Developmental Course is it usually presents in early childhood about preschool age. ODD is highly likely to turn into other disorders as the child ages especially the more serious conduct disorder; however, it doesn't always. The person is also at risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders as they age due to the increased impulsiveness and irritability associated with the disorder.

    The Risk and Prognosis is split into three categories, temperamental, environmental, and genetic. Temperamental factors related to problems in emotional regulation are common. Basically, they have difficulty controlling their emotions. Due to the harsh, inconsistent, and neglectful child-rearing practices that are often seen in these children, environmental factors often play a large role in the prognosis of the children. There's inconclusive results as to whether there's any genetic component to ODD or any physiological effects.

    The Culture related diagnoses isn't really notable. ODD is pretty much found everywhere; and as for the Gender Related Diagnoses I mentioned in prevalence, ODD is more common in males than females.

    For comorbidity, ODD is very comorbid with ADHD and conduct disorder. There's also an increased risk for developing anxiety disorders and MDD, major depressive disorder, and an increased risk for substance abuse.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hjVSVzF3L4

    Since ODD is usually seen in children so its hard to find short videos that have children talking about their experiences. This one shows a kid acting out by cussing at his mother, threatening to kill her, punching her and kicking her, knocking things over in the store, etc...obviously some symptoms shown in the video.

    It was interesting to see how ODD is described in the new DSM and to explore the new DSM.

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    1. I encourage you to keep exploring the DSM 5!

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  68. Although a lot of the disorders in the DSM-5 really interested me, I chose to research schizophrenia. Before this blog assignment, I didn't know a whole lot about schizophrenia. I knew schizophrenia was a psychotic disorder and that it was characterized by delusions and hallucinations. When I thought about somebody whom has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, I thought of somebody who was quite regularly very skiddish, impressionable, insociable, and violent. I thought of somebody who needed heavy medication and who was regularly hospitalized or institutionalized for life. I feel as though schizophrenia has a stigma associated with it that for whatever reason tends to scare people, including me.
    According to the DSM-5, the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia is as follows: Two, or more, of the following (at least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3)): Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence), grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms (i.e., diminished emotional expression). These signs must also persist for at least a six month period. The disturbances can also not be attributed to another medical condition or substance (i.e. drug abuse). Levels of functioning in areas such as work or self-care must also be markedly below what they were prior to onset.
    Associated features supporting diagnosis: According to the DSM-5, schizophrenia can involve a range of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dysfunctions. The DSM-5 describes schizophrenia in a variety of ways in regards to these dysfunctions. For example, individuals with schizophrenia may inappropriate affect, moods of depression, anxiety, or anger, and a disturbed sleep pattern. They may also display a lack of interest in eating, depersonalization, and vocation and functional impairments. These impairments may include decreases in the following: declarative and working memory, language function, and various other executive functions. Some individuals may lack insight of awareness of their disorder. This is usually more of a symptom of the disorder itself, rather than a means for coping. Hostility and aggression may also be associated with schizophrenia, but the vast majority of individuals with schizophrenia are not aggressive. Individuals with schizophrenia may have impairments in areas such as: sensory integration, motor coordination, and motor sequencing of complex movements. In addition to these neurological, emotional, and behavioral impairments and dysfunctions, individuals with schizophrenia may also have minor physical abnormalities of the limbs and face.
    Prevalence: The lifetime prevalence for schizophrenia is 0.3%-0.7%, approximately. These percentiles hold true even for variations of race/ethnicity, across countries, and by geographic origin for both immigrants and their children; however, the sex ratio differs across populations. For example, both negative symptoms and a longer duration of the disorders are more prevalent among males than females, whereas mood symptoms show equivalent risks among both sexes.

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    1. Development and course: Psychotic features of schizophrenia usually emerge somewhere between an individuals late teens and early-30’s. Females usually experience their first psychotic episode in their late-20’s, whereas males usually experience their first psychotic episode in their early-to-mid-20’s. Onset of psychotic episodes may be quick, but usually individuals will gradually experience various symptoms(s). Generally the earlier and more abrupt the symptoms are the worse the prognosis. The course for schizophrenia is only favorable for about 20% of individuals who’ve been diagnosed. A very minimal number of those diagnosed with schizophrenia are said to completely recover, but this is rare. Most individuals will require daily living supports (formal or informal) and many remain chronically ill with varying increases/decreases in active symptoms. Some individuals even have a course of progressive deterioration. Overall, psychotic symptoms tend to diminish over the life course and negative symptoms tend to be the most persistent. In childhood, the essential features of schizophrenia are generally the same just harder to diagnose because hallucinations and disorganized speech may be attributed to other aspects (i.e. if hallucinations are real or being used for fantasy play or ADHD).
      Risk and prognostic factors:
      Environmental: One important environmental risk factor is season of birth, which has shown a direct link with schizophrenia. Late winter and early spring tend to be the seasons with the greatest risk. Another environmental factor that increases the incidence of schizophrenia is urban environments. Children growing up in urban environments, as well as some minority ethnic groups, have a higher incidence of schizophrenia.
      Genetic and psychological: Schizophrenia does have a strong genetic component, but a majority of individuals who’ve received the diagnosis have no family history of psychosis. Schizophrenia can also be linked to pregnancy and birth complications (both with hypoxia and greater paternal age). Stress, infection, and maternal diabetes are all also conditions that, though not likely, can affect a fetus and increase the likelihood of schizophrenia.
      Culture-related diagnostic issues: It’s always important to take cultural and socioeconomic factors into account because ideas that may appear delusion to one culture may be a very important aspect of another culture. Differences in eye contact, body language, and emotional expression need to be taken into account across cultures. Assessments need to be made to determine what is normal (based on different cultural aspects) and what may be of concern.
      Gender-related diagnostic issues: In females the incidence of schizophrenia is lower than it is in males. The age of onset of the disorder is also later in the female population than it is in the males. Females tend to suffer from more psychotic symptoms and their symptoms tend to get progressively worse. Overall, female social functioning tends to be more preserved than males.
      Comorbidity: Schizophrenia has a high rate of comorbidity is regards to substance-related disorders. More than 50% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia also have a tobacco use disorder or regularly smoke cigarettes. Individuals with schizophrenia have an increased rate of having a panic disorder or OCD. Associated medical conditions decrease the life expectancy of those with schizophrenia. Weight gain and both cardiovascular and pulmonary disease are at a higher rate in those with schizophrenia.

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    2. http://youtu.be/48YJMOcykvc
      This video is an uplifting video by the LEAP institute. It has stories from both individuals with schizophrenia and the healthcare professionals that treat them. It’s a very uplifting, interesting video because it shows how people with schizophrenia can lead normal lives despite their diagnosis. In the very beginning of the video, individuals discuss the stigma and stereotypes placed on those living with schizophrenia. This really spoke to me. I personally viewed schizophrenia as being violent and scary, but after watching this video I realized just how mistaken I was. The video discusses individuals “first break,” which is usually where they come to medical attention. Josh, an individual that works as a counselor, talks about his ‘first break’ and diagnosis at the age of 17. He talks about how he was put onto medication, but then went off them, and how he became very suicidal and started making poor decisions. He talks about how taking his medication and family support really helps him be a functioning part of society, and how without these things, he wouldn’t be here today.
      I feel like I learned a lot about this disorder through both the DSM-5 and the video I watched (along with other videos I watched as well). I never knew that schizophrenia could be divided into having both positive and negative symptoms. I also didn’t know statistical information about the age of onset, the likelihood of being diagnosed with schizophrenia, or the differences in regards to various gender aspects. Before this blog, I was scared of schizophrenia. I stereotyped schizophrenia in a negative manner and believed the stigma carried around by the disorder. I believe now I am educated enough to see this disorder as it really is, instead of how society perceives it.

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    3. great job...lots of good detail! Learning more about disorders allows you to be more understanding, and hopefully less likely to stigmatize, which is great!

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  71. I chose to explore BorderlinePersonality Disorder. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with BPD a year ago, so I felt as though I had a relatively good understanding of it before researching further, based on the personality and actions she portrayed, although she is the only one in my life who has received a diagnosis, to my knowledge. I was aware that the disorder inflicts an extreme sense of low self-worth, depression and suicidal thoughts and tendencies, as well as unnecessary irritability over seemingly minor issues. My initial assumptions were confirmed by both my friend and by the DSM-5, as well as fear of abandonment, resulting in rejection of impending relationships out of fear of being later abandoned. Further confirmed in the DSM-5 were the slight notions I had that those with BPD had perceptual swings of idealization and devaluation of those they come into contact with- close relationships, new acquaintances, and strangers alike. That is, a person with BPD with consider a person in their life to be flawless at one moment, and terrible the next. Also, the concept of self-image and self-worth come into major play, confirmed in the DSM-5. I, among many others, consider my friend to be intelligent, attractive, funny, with excellent morals, but often I have repeatedly found her telling me how little she thinks of herself, how little of value she has, and how unattractive she is.

    Diagnostic features reiterate much of what was stated in diagnostic criteria. Most all with BPD partake in unstable relationships, idealizing friends, caregivers, and intimate partners early on, but becoming extremely upset when they are not around, or feel even remotely unattended to. Self-image is a major problem, as most who suffer from BPD devalue themselves, change their perceptions on who they are, as well as who they want to be and what they want to do. They often flip the perceptions of themselves from feeling as though they are bad people, to feeling as if they are nobody at all. Individuals with BPD are also characterized by their impulsivity, including substance abuse, unsafe sex, binge eating, gambling, or recless driving.
    In associated features supporting diagnoses, we find that individuals with BPD often sabotage themselves due to their low sense of self-worth, most often upon the close accomplishment or realization of their worth, similar to the "Jonah Complex". Individuals with BPD often tie themselves more closely with inanimate, or animal beings, out of the realization that they will never be abandoned by those things, unlike the people in their life who they believe to constantly do. Separation and divorce are recurring instances in people with BPD, as are disruption in education, or job loss.
    In prevalence and gender tendencies of BPD, we find an estimated 1.6% for the general population. It is most frequently found in females, at approximately 75% compared to males. In regards to culture, it is found worldwide across multiple cultures. It often comes to manifest in early adulthood, and those who suffer from it tend to find greater stability in their disorder in their 30's and 40s.

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    1. Don't forget to complete all the part so the assignment (posting a video). Great job though...it's always interesting to learn more about illnesses when you know somebody with one!

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  72. Bipolar and related disorders are disorders that cause people to change moods very quickly. In a this change could be take place in a short time or they could go a couple days. I think this can also cause depression as people go through these intense mood swings. For Bipolar 1, criteria for a manic episode needs to be meet in order to diagnose bipolar 1. Manic episodes can include any abnormally and persistent mood or goal directed activity or energy lasting at least 1 week. In this period 3 or more of the following symptoms must be noticeable; inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than usual, flight of ideas (racing mind), distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity, excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences. If any of the mood cause harm to themselves or others, and the episode is not cause by an outside source are all diagnoses of bipolar 1. A bipolar 1 could also be defined by hypomanic episode is the same symptoms but as manic but the episode only needs to last for 4 days not a week. Another way to define bipolar 1 are major depressive episodes which include, 5 or more of the following symptoms that are present in the same 2 weeks, and one symptom is either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleaser. These symptoms are; Depressed nearly everyday all day, diminished interest or pleasure, change in weight without trying, insomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation every day, fatigue or loss of energy, feeling of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, lack of ability to concentrate, recurrent thoughts of death. Along with these symptoms if the person is in significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning, and the episode is not related or cause by an outside source like drugs.
    Diagnostic features are an abnormal, persistent elevated, expanse, or irritable mood that increases day after day. A manic episode is described as happy, the joy of a child with rapid shifts of irritability, during these episodes new projects can start to overlap one another. Another factor is inflated self-esteem, decreased in need for sleep or experience insomnia and not sleep for days. Also speech can be rapid, pressured, loud, and difficult to interrupt, you can tell how they are feeling by what they are saying if such as telling jokes compared to using hostile words. Along with a fast speech rate the persons mind can race but be distracted from the things they are should be paying attention too. They are also have increase in goal-directed activity but show less sociability, but they write excessive letters, emails, text messages. Manic episode must result in marked impairment that requires hospitalization, these may be attributable to the effects of drug abuse.
    Prevalence- 12 month is was about 0.6% in the continental US but the 12 for 11 countries ranged form 0.0 to 0.6. And life time male to female prevalence ratio was 1.1 to 1
    Development and course- the Mean age of the first symptoms is approximately 18 for bipolar 1. It is difficult to tell what is “normal” so it is judged according to his or her own baseline. More than 90% of individuals who have one manic episode has more. Individuals with bipolar 1 disorder have 4 or more episodes within 1 year.
    Risk and Prognostic factors- Environmental, bipolar is more common in high-income, separated, divorced, or individuals who are married of have never been married. Genetic and physiological family plays a role in have bipolar
    Culture- related diagnostic issues have not been well defined and little information exists on it.
    Gender Related diagnostic issues- Females are more likely to experience repaid cycling and mixed states, and have patterns of comorbidity that differ from men. Females are at higher risk them men when it comes to depressive symptoms and alcohol related disorders.
    Comorbidity- bipolar is most frequent compared to anxiety disorders.

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    1. don't forget to complete the whole assignment (posting a video)

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  73. I chose posttraumatic stress disorder. This interests me because I have almost been diagnosed with it. I was in a rollover accident where I was ejected from the back seat resulting in months of nightmares and re-living the accident and also anxiety when being a passenger in a vehicle. I know that this disorder happens after a traumatic event and the symptoms are similar to the ones I experienced, but also can include an emotional numbness or even self-destructive behavior.
    According to DSM 5 Posttraumatic stress disorder is a development of certain symptoms, such as nightmares, flashbacks, or anxiety after going through or witnessing a traumatic event. Some criteria listed for this disorder include having intense or prolonged psychological distress when exposed to cues related to the initial traumatic event, persistent avoidance of stimuli that cue the previously mentioned distress or anxiety, persistent negative emotional state, feeling detached from others, and persistant inability to experience positive emotions.
    Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis: The loss of language in young children sometimes occur, along with having a sensory experience as if you could hear your own thoughts spoken by multiple voices, and difficulty in regulating emotions or maintaining stable interpersonal relationships.
    Prevalence: In the US, the projected lifetime risk for PTSD at age 75 is 8.7% with the probability of veterans or other people with jobs that increase the risk of exposure to traumatic events even higher.
    Development and Course: PTSD can occur at any age but usually begin within the first three months after the traumatic event. Though the possibility of it taking years to develop PTSD is also prevalent.
    Risk and Prognostic Factors: The pretraumatic factors include emotional problems by age 6 or prior mental disorders. Peritraumatic factors include the severity of the trauma, personal injury, and perceived life threat.
    Culture-related Diagnostic issues: the risk of PTSD differs across cultural groups as a result of the variation in the type of traumatic exposure. One example listed is that PTSD may be interpreted differently because of the cultural experiences such as panic attack symptoms going unnoticed in Cambodians or Latin Americans because of the constant attacks on their culture.
    Gender-related Diagnostic Issues: PTSD is more prevalent in females and usually lasts longer with females also. This is because females are more likely to be exposed to traumatic events such as rape or other interpersonal violence.
    Comorbidity: Individuals with PTSD are 80% more likely to have symptoms that meet diagnostic criteria for at least one other mental disorder. Comorbid substance use disorder is more common among males than females. US military and veterans’ co-occurrence of PTSD and TBI is 48%. There is also considerable comorbidity between major neurocognitive disorders and PTSD due to overlapping symptoms.

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