Schizophrenics and Schizophrenia: Drugs are NOT the Solution
Last month, I shadowed a physician for four days. When I arrived at her office on the first day, she said to me, "Prepare yourself, we are going to the Provident." The Provident is a nursing home for the severely mentally ill. Many of the patients living there are under fifty years old, some are as young as thirty. None of the residents have any money. All are receiving welfare and are on Medicare.
We entered the building into a room where approximately 15 people were sitting in chairs. Most were staring straight ahead, eyes glazed. Some were chattering quietly to themselves, some were walking around with an awkward gait. As I walked further through the floor looking into rooms, I saw many people sleeping in their beds.
I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if the people living at the Provident were suddenly not taking any medication. Would they be out of control? Was it possible that beneath all of the drug-induced stares, shakes and speech impediments that an alert person existed? Perhaps their diseases had prevented them from interacting with other people in what would be considered a "normal" way. But are they better off now that they are too drug-altered and often depressed to interact at all?
As a society, we try to get rid of things we are afraid of, things which make us nervous and things we don't understand. Perhaps mental illness is not so much a problem for the mentally ill, but for their communities who can not and will not empathize with them. I wonder if people suffering from a mental illness are not really suffering at all, but are simply a behavioral minority. Their behavior prevents them from being accepted by the majority. They can not find work or often even a place to live, as these things are controlled by the majority. Instead, for those that are ironically considered lucky, the majority gives them medication and often sends them away to a locked facility.
For this second web-paper, I will try to explore these questions by learning about schizophrenia, a common diagnosis at the Provident. Some have argued that people "afflicted" with schizophrenia have a damaged I-function. That is, schizophrenics are not capable of responding appropriately to their environment because their I-function is not fully grown or as well-developed as a "healthy" person.
Benjamin Banneker had made a written attempt to appeal to a White man in a position of authority to end slavery; to no avail. Banneker passed away on October 9, 1806.
Huntington’s disease is of great concern because it is a genetic disease that affects many people worldwide. Huntington’s is described by Wider and Luthi-Carter (2006) as the most prevalent inherited neurodegenerative disorder in humans, affecting between two to eight per 100,000 inhabitants of Western countries. Huntington’s also has a slow onset with an average age of onset around 40 (Wider & Luthi-Carter, 2006). Wider and Luthi-Carter (2006) note the cause of this disease to be a mutation in the huntingtin gene, which can be characterized by distinct symptoms. Chorea, from the Greek “to dance”, is the main distinguishing feature of this mutation and is described by Wider and Luthi-Carter (2006) as rapid involuntary movements that manifest as eyelid elevation, head bobbing, facial grimacing, and jerking of the limbs. Chorea is also noticeable in the way one walks, making an individual move in a zigzag pattern and appear to be thrown off balance by involuntary movements (Wider & Luthi-Carter, 2006). The disease duration is between ten and thirty years and is often first noticed in the early stages by symptoms including attention disorders, personality changes, and alterations in motor control (Wider & Luthi-Carter, 2006).
...t: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "GMO-Crop Crisis a Rapidly Growing Concern." Santa Fe New Mexican 21 Oct. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Huntington's disease affects three main areas of function: motor (physical), mood (emotional), and cognition (psychological). Motor function disturbances can fall into too much movement and too little movement. Chorea, involuntary dance-like movements, can affect any part of the body. It looks like restlessness, wrigg...
Although the United Sates and Saudi Arabia present the United States and Saudi Arabia’s relationship as excellent, there are actually two nations who have bitter disagreements but who allies through oil. The only thing that has held this alliance together is the US dependence on Saudi oil. The United States has felt and still fells that it is a necessity to have bases present in the Middle East to protect oil, and silently to protect Israel. The relationship began in 1933 when Standard Oil of California signed an agreement with the Saudi government. In 1943 FDR affirmed that the defense of Saudi Arabia was a vital interest to the United States and moved troops into the region. Future presidents would emulate this declaration and mobilization of troops to Saudi Arabia. Again in 1945 Abd al Aziz, the Saudi king, and FDR would cement this alliance, on a US warship in the Suez Canal. Soon after, airfields were constructed at Dhahran and other spots over Saudi Arabia; beginning a long tradition of US military facilities in Saudi Arabia. Abd al Aziz was the first of his line of successors to meet with US presidents. The relationship was only strengthened with the onset on the Cold war, as the US used the bases in Saudi Arabia as potential air force launch sites to the USSR and constructed more military facilities. In 1941 Harry S. Truman made another assertion of Americas protection and alliance with Saudi Arabia to Abd Al Aziz. Truman stated that “support for Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and political independence was a primary objective of the United States.” (Countrystudies.com) Another stipulation of this pact was that the US established a permanent military training mission in the Saudi Arabia. That mission lasted until 1992. Soon after the pact between Truman and Aziz was agreed upon the US-Saudi relationship would endure its first major disagreement. On May 14th, 1948 Israel was declared an independent state in the former Arab dominated Palestine. Israel’s independence was backed the United States. Saudi Arabia refused to acknowledge the country of Israel and to engage in any relations with them. The Saudis concerns of the Israel-US relationship were reinforced in the 1970’s and 1980’s when the US sold arms to Israel, but refused to sell arms to Saudi Arabia. In some cases congressional leaders refused to sell arms to Saudi Arabia on the grounds that Saudi Arabia might use them against Israel.
Schizophrenia as a Biological Disorder As well as the biological approaches there are physiological, psychological and environmental explanations. New theories of schizophrenia are constantly being developed each having their own advantages and disadvantages. How do we know however, which one is correct? The biological explanation suggests that schizophrenia is produced by an unfortunate combination of genes or is due to physical problems in the brain. Researchers favouring the biological explanation look at genetic factors, brain structure and biochemical explanations.
Miller, Marsha L. “HD Research – Past and Future.” Huntington’s Disease Society of America. 2011. Web. 23 March 2012.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis has grown to be the largest refugee crisis of modern history with two million Syrians who have fled and five million displaced still inside Syrian borders. (5) The refugee crisis is causing many economic issues in countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and others, scarcity in essential resources such as water, overcrowding, and also many social issues in countries where Syrians are taking refuge. Not only is The Syrian Refugee Crisis having a devastating impact on Syrians themselves, but it is also reaching out to hurt neighboring countries where the refugees are seeking shelter from the violence and unrest.
Why is there a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounding the subject? People with a mental disorder or with a history of mental health issues are continually ostracized by society. This results in it being more difficult than it already is for the mentally ill to admit their symptoms to others and to seek treatment. To towards understanding mental illness is to finally lift the stigma, and to finally let sufferers feel safe and accepted within today’s society. There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed.
Approximately 3.5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Schizophrenia and it is one of the leading causes of disability. Known factors in the development of schizophrenia include: genetic inheritance, structural abnormalities in the brain, unusual alterations in the levels of certain key brain chemicals, and the lack of adequate nutrition during the fetal development. Schizophrenia is a mental illness in which reality is perceived differently and has many different treatment methods.
The current world dependence on oil leaves much to be said about the impact of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East on foreign policy and international politics. Presently the world's largest consumer of oil, the U.S. depends on Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East for the energy to run its businesses, its homes, and most importantly, its automobiles. In the past few months U.S. consumers have felt the pressures of increasing gasoline prices as they struggle to commute and live their daily lives. This leaves the U.S. with important decisions to be made on behalf of its citizens and its position in the international realm.
"Syrian refugees in Lebanon still suffering." The Economist. N.p., 30 Oct 2014. Web. 20 Jan "The Refugees." New York Times 5 September 2013, n. pag. Print.
Twerking is not a new sensation, but the media portrays it to be. By the late 1990’s, hip-hop had been declared as the mainstream of American music. Both Destiny’s Child and other musicians recorded and released songs about twerking. In August 2013, American recording artist Miley Cyrus, caused controversy following a sexually provocative performance during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, in which she twerked during her performance with Robin Thicke. This was one of the most controversial performances on television in the year 2013, as she made it hard for the veiwers to forget. Critics accused her of cultural appropriation, but Miley states she had “hoped to make history” with that performance. "What 's amazing is… people are still talking about it," Cyrus said in an interview with MTV News. "They 're thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it. Like, I didn 't even think about it cause it was just me being me". Cryus knew she would make history, but probably did not expect the criticism about negatively demonstrating culture appropriation. On stage as well as in her music video, she had black women as her backing singers dancing in a sexual manner. Racism plays back into this performance, embodying black women to be sexual objects. Twerking has been on the rise ever since the media made it a sensation, steadily picking up speed
The war caused nearly 11 Million Syrians, half of Syria’s population, to flee the country. 94% of the displaced Syrians are living in refugee camps located in the nearby nations of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, whereas 6% are fleeing to Europe. When this occurs the policies of the United nations and the European Union take effect in order to deal with the refugees
Initially and primarily the US’s influence in the Middle East was to prevent a hostile power from gaining control over a vital resource. With the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, the perception of oil as a strategic commodity surfaced. The Arab states cut off all petroleum deliveries to the United States and forming cutbacks to other countries. At the same time, the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced a rapid increase in the pr...