Abnormal Psychology:The Difference between Nightmares and Night Terrors - Essay Example

Abnormal Psychology Unit V: Question The Difference between Nightmares and Night Terrors Although night terror and nightmares can at first be construed to mean the very same thing and some parents are seen to at times use the terms nightmare and night terror in an interchangeable manner, the two are actually quite different. According to Douglas (434-435), nightmares are seen to normally occur during periods of light sleep (dream sleep). In the event that a person or child happens to be having a nightmare, the individual may scream and cry but can easily be woken up and in the case of children, it is relatively quite easy to get them back to sleep as this will only involve giving them a little reassurance that the events in the dream were not real as young children often experience difficulties in their attempts at differentiating dreams from reality. However, night terrors differ from nightmares in that they are seen to occur when an individual is moving from a deep stage of sleep to a relatively lighter stage. In this case, In the event that a child happens to experience night terrors, the child might at times let out an extremely blood-curdling scream and then proceed to sit bolt upright in bed and exhibit some physiological conditions such as having their eyes wide open in a zombie like manner, heart pounding and body dripping with sweat. A child that happens to be experiencing this condition are also noted to not be aware of their current surroundings, this is despite the fact that at times, these incidents might at times last for up to about half an hour. However, the child will have absolutely no memory of this experience come morning. It has been found to be impossible to wake up an individual or a child who is experiencing night terror and any attempts to do so only result in prolonging the episode. The best thing for one to do in the event that a child happens to be experiencing night terror is for one to stay close to the child and prevent them from accidentally injuring themselves. Douglas (434-435) further points out that although night terrors are found to be relatively quite common among most three-to six-year-olds with an estimated 1 to 5 percent of children experiencing them, most children manage to grow night terrors by the time they are about four years of age. Episodes of night terrors will mostly found to reoccur when a child is agitated or overtired. Question 2: Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) in Substance Abuse Treatment MDFT is essentially a multi component, developmental-ecological treatment that is seen to commonly be used in the treatment of drug abuse and other related problems among teenagers. MDFT seeks to try and significantly reduce the drug abuse symptoms while undertaking to enhance developmental functioning via the facilitation of change in several of the behavioral domains. According to Liddle (229), a number of independent reviews have been seen to identify and subsequently recommend MDFT as being an exemplary model program that has been scientifically proven and provides effective treatment. Youth that happen to be receiving MDFT are often seen to abstain from any drug use. During the treatment process and the subsequent 12-month follow-up, youth receiving MDFT treatment were seen to have higher rates of abstinence from substance use as compared to the other comparison treatments used in the studies such as peer group treatment and cognitive behavior therapy. Liddle (234) points out that two studies conducted on youth receiving MDFT showed that after 12 months, the abstinence rates from substance use by youth stood at 64% and 93 %. This is as compared to 67% for peer group treatment and 44% for CBT. Question 3: Why Individuals with Bulimia and Anorexia tend to continue with their Eating Habits Despite of their Being Aware of the Potential Harm it Might Cause Eating disorders are considered to be complex and serious physical and emotional addictions. There are a number of eating disorders such as : Anorexia Nervosa: This is essentially a self-imposed starvation. The condition is quite serious as it is a life-threatening disorder that primarily stems from an individual having some underlying emotional causes. Bulimia Nervosa: This condition is normally seen to be characterized by the binge consumption of large amounts of food within an extremely short period. However, this food is immediately purged as the bulimic person self-induces vomiting or the consumption of laxatives to aid in ridding the body off the just consumed food. This condition is seen to be quite serious and if left untreated can even be fatal. Eating disorders are seen to be characterized by some severe disturbances in eating behavior and it is difficult for individuals with these conditions to change their eating habits as the practice of an eating disorder is commonly perceived as a form of survival mechanism by these individuals. This is similar to the use of alcohol by alcoholic persons as a coping mechanism. Eating disorders are also seen to have a number of underlying issues that contribute to making it even harder for individuals to change their eating habits. These issues include depression, identity concerns, low self-esteem, an inability to cope with emotions, a feeling of loss of control, family communication problems and feelings of unworthiness. Eating disorders are at times mere expressions of something that the individuals have not been able to find an alternative way of expressing. Question 4: How society and Culture have influenced Eating Disorders Eating is an essential requirement in the sustaining of our lives. In addition to its being necessary for an individual’s survival, eating is also a social activity that plays a prominent part in the celebration of most happy occasions. Both culture and society greatly impact and influence our eating behaviors. Our societies have what are seen to be relatively very strong attitudes and beliefs towards almost all the different aspects of life. Different groups within a particular given society are seen to generally adapt these behaviors, beliefs and attitudes. The beliefs and attitudes that we happen to have towards our bodies and ourselves are seen to primarily be shaped by these cultural influences. Both society and culture are seen to influence how people, and especially women, should look (Basavanthapa 505). The societal views on how people should look are seen to mainly be perpetrated by the media that frequently portrays women as having to be thin so as for their bodies to be desirable. This causes most people to not be happy with themselves if their bodies do not look like this widely advertised ideal of thin. According to Sharma and Atri (357), Eating disorders are found to be more frequent in industrialized western such as the United States and Canada. It is also seen to be prevalent in a number of other societies such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Sharma and Atri point out that this is primarily due to there being an abundance of food and where the notion of being thin is considered to be attractive and especially so for females. Sharma and Atri point out that female athletes involved in activities such as ballet dancing, gymnastics, running as well as male body builders and wrestlers are also seen to be at increased risk. UNIT VI Question 1: Schizophreniform Disorder Schizophreniform disorder which is generally a short-term form of schizophrenia is considered to be a serious mental illness that essentially distorts the manner in which a person tends to express emotions, think, perceive reality, act and related to other people. Similarly to schizophrenia, schizophreniform is a type of psychosis that results in an individual not being able to tell exactly what is real from what the individual is imagining. Although schizophrenia is fundamentally a lifelong illness, the symptoms that have been brought about by schizophreniform are seen to normally present for periods of less than six months. In the event that these symptoms happen to present themselves for longer than six months, this initial diagnosis is then changed to schizophrenia. Schizophreniform disorder has a number of symptoms that are found to be quite similar to those presented in cases of schizophrenia. This may variously include: Strange or odd behavior whereby the individual walks in circles, paces or writes constantly. A loss of interest in some of life’s pleasures, poor grooming habits and hygiene withdrawal from social activities, friends and family, and lack of energy. Disorganized speech where the individual uses a number of nonsense words or skips from one topic to another and not making any sense in their statements. Hallucinations whereby the victim feels, sees or hears things that are not really there. Delusions whereby the victim is seen to have a number of false beliefs that are not in any way based on reality and which they refuse to give up even if they are presented with concrete factual information. While the exact cause of schizophreniform disorder is seen to not exactly be known, researchers however believe that the disorder primarily originates from environmental, genetic and biochemical factors. Environmental Factors: There is evidence to suggest that a number of certain environmental factors such as highly stressful events and poor social interactions can potentially trigger schizophreniform disorder in persons that might have an inherited tendency to develop the illness. Genetic (Hereditary): A general tendency for one to develop the schizophreniform disorder may potentially be passed on from the parents to their children. Brain Chemistry: schizophreniform and schizophrenia disorder can at times be characterized by persons with the disorder having a general imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain. These chemicals that are commonly referred to as neurotransmitters, are essentially substances that work to aid brain nerve cells send messages to each other. An imbalance of these important chemicals can serve to interfere with message transmission a situation that can lead to the development of the symptoms (Webmed 2013). Schizophreniform disorder is seen to be present in an estimated one person out of 1,000 during their lifetime. The disorder is also seen to equally occur between men and women although it has been noted to strike men while they are at a relatively younger age of between 18-24 years while it mostly occurs in women aged 24-35 years. The diagnosis of the condition can be made if an individual display’s the condition’s characteristic symptoms for a period extending six months. The doctor can also conduct MRI scans or even blood tests to aid in the ruling out of physical illness as the cause of the symptoms. The treatment for schizophreniform disorder is seen to primarily consist of psychotherapy and medication. However, individuals exhibiting the more severe symptoms might require hospitalization until when the condition is well stabilized. Of note is that there is currently no known way to help prevent the disorder and early diagnosis and treatment can effectively help in reducing the condition’s disruption to one’s family, life and friendships (Webmed 2013). Question 2: Why Rape was discussed as a Sexuality Disorder Rape is commonly discussed in the sexual disorders section as it is seen to commonly be both as a result of and can potentially lead to a number of sexual disorders. Sexual dysfunction is widely known to occur in a relatively large proportion of rapists during the actual assault. Bownes and O’Gorman point out that the most common dysfunctions are erectile insufficiency and retarded or absent ejaculation. Research conducted on this indicates that about 20% of the victims reported that their assailants happened to experience erective insufficiency at some point during the assault while a further 12% reported incidences of retarded or failed ejaculation. Rape is also discussed as a sexuality disorder as it at times results in a number of sexuality disorders for the victims. According to Doyle (2013), research conducted on a number of women who had previously been raped during their adolescent years showed that 30% of these women had pelvic floor hyper-tonicity as compared to 12 % of the non-victimized group. Rape has also been shown to result in a syndrome identified as rape trauma syndrome where victims experience psychological, physical and behavioral problems. These are commonly manifested by the victims feeling cold, becoming mentally disoriented, faint, trembling, and their experiencing a nauseous feeling that can at times cause them to vomit. Question 3: Why Schizophrenia is Considered to be one of the most Disabling and Puzzling Psychological Disorders Schizophrenia is considered to be one of the most complex, confusing and disabling mental illnesses. It’s symptoms which can be seen to fall into any of three broad categories are seen to include positive symptoms such as hallucinations, negative symptoms such as social withdrawal and cognitive symptoms such as memory problems. The negative symptoms of the disorder that in addition to social withdrawal are also seen to include blunted emotional expression, diminished motivation and extreme apathy are relatively hard to recognize as being part of the disorder and it is quite common for them to be mistaken for depression or laziness by persons who might not be aware that a given individual has the disorder. This is seen to be especially evident in the event that the individual was previously extremely socially outgoing, highly motivated and emotional as the symptoms of the disorder are seen to greatly inhibit these characteristics and the individual will appear to completely change all of a sudden (John Hopkins 2013). If the cognitive and positive symptoms of the disorder such as delusions, disordered thinking and hallucinations do not present themselves at the same time as the negative symptoms, it is generally seen to become even more difficult for one to make a diagnosis on the condition and the family and friends of the affected individual become greatly confused at the person’s character change. Unit VII Article Review Article 1 Approaches, Perspectives on ADHD According to London (2004), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is seen to have a number of symptoms, some of the symptoms that are commonly seen to be associated with this deficit are seen include, poor concentration on the part of the part of the individual, lateness, frustration and anger, distractibility, decreased self-esteem, forgetfulness, lateness and procrastination. In addressing this deficiency, London used the educational cognitive therapy perspective where he opted to use talk therapy in the patient’s treatment. Dr. London used only one treatment approach in the patient’s treatment although he alludes to there being an alternative option of using medication. The talk therapies used in the patient’s treatment involve discussions aimed at helping the patient relearn/restructure the manner in which he approached different situations and these were met with very positive results (London 2004). In the article, Dr. London is seen to evaluate the negative effects of ADHD from a sociocultural theoretical perspective, by highlighting some of the negative effects that the disorder has had on the patient. As the treatment option managed to avail very positive results without the use of medication, it is thus proved to be quite suitable in the treatment of ADHD, however, I would prefer to further enhance the results of talk therapies by the use of medication (London 2004). Article 2: 'Borderline' Label Needs a New Name According to London, the term borderline was initially used in a professional manner more than 120 years ago to describe a mental illness that was seen to not be quite as intense as schizophrenic psychosis but was merely seen to be on the borderline of this condition. Today, the term Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) diagnosis is seen to be used in a relatively large number of patient syndromes, signs and situations (London . Although there are a number of psychologists that happen to clearly understand what exactly is meant by the use of the term borderline in the description of patients, man psychiatrists, clinicians and a myriad of other members of the psychotherapeutic community now use the term as a judgmental and negative label to be used in referring to a serious mental illness. London (2007) argues that it is this perspective that indeed needs to be altered for one that places more emphasis on healing and not labeling. Some of the traits commonly associated with BPD include anger, disassociation, hostility, emotional deregulation, self-mutilating behavior and impulsiveness. Dr. London also points out that suicide is commonly seen to be quite prevalent among BDP patients. Article 3: Treating Avoidant Personality disorder In the third article, London (2007) describes his treatment of a patient that had been referred to him having the Avoidant personality disorder. London describes the patient as leading a relatively isolated life working as a bookkeeper in a large textile firm. The patient had a private office that helped him keep any socialization with his coworkers to an absolute minimal. Dr. London (2007) describes some of the symptoms exhibited by the patient that are seen to provide the diagnosis of the patient as having avoidant personality disorder. The key symptoms exhibited by the patient included the fact that the patient had always planned to go hiking but had never been able to do so. The patient had also subscribed for a gym membership but had been avoiding to attend the sessions due to a fear of being laughed at for not having enough muscles. Dr. London is seen to adopt a sociocultural approach in this article as he is careful to describe the negative effects that the disorder is seen to be having on the patient. The treatment used by London is seen to involve the utilization of all the facets involved in the learning, philosophizing and action (LPA) technique. This technique is seen to be quite appropriate as it helped the client develop a number of several short term goals that could easily be attained as he continued to work towards the development of additional long-term goals (2007). Article 4: Helping OCPD Patients Break Free Dr. London (2007) points out that making a breakthrough with a patient that happens to have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) can prove to be quite daunting. However, He points out that once one is able to begin to evaluate the particular patient’s depressive or anxiety symptoms, the patient is able to begin describing in rather exquisite detail the various events of his life not only longitudinally but also day to day that serve to cause the clarity of OCPD to emerge in many cases that subsequently aid in the directing of therapeutic intervention (London 2007). In this article Dr. London is seen to approach the effects of OCPD on the patient from a mostly socio-cultural perspective as he describes the manner in which the patient’s relationships seen to be affected as a result of his inability to cope with other person’s ineffectiveness. This is especially demonstrated by his inability to cope with the fact that the children in the soccer team that he happens to coach are sometimes unable to attend the practice sessions and games on time. The parents are at times also unable to pick up the children at the agreed time. In treating this particular case Dr. London focused on the learning aspect of his learning, philosophizing and action technique where he guided the patient in theorizing just what are the variables that caused the children to be late for practice as well learning how to cope with the inefficiency of others. To this end, Dr. London managed to achieve considerable results as although the patient eventually continued to have a preference for things to be perfect, he was eventually able to become more accepting of other situations and better able to organize different problem solving methods which aided in causing his life to get better (London 2007). Article 5: Treating the Dependent Personality Dr. London highlights the fact that persons with dependent personality disorder often describe they symptoms as uncontrolled anxiety and depression when they happen to seek treatment. He also points out that some of the other symptoms of the disorder also include a general difficulty in making decisions, as well as the patient experiencing feelings of loneliness, helplessness and abandonment (2007). Dr. London approaches this disorder from a sociocultural perspective where he describes the fact that fellow employees described it as being difficult to work around the patient with this order as he was too needy. While on a date, one of the patient’s acquaintances had also commented that the patient actually happened to drain all her energy (2007). In the treatment of this patient, Dr. London (2007) focused on the twin aspects of learning and action in his learning, philosophizing and action (LPA) technique. They first step pertained to the identification of what was causing the problems and developing methods of challenging the automatic thoughts that the patient happened to have about himself and his disabilities. This method is quite effective as it managed to achieve some very positive results in the particular patient’s treatment. Article 6: Is Decluttering a Form of Therapy? In this article, Dr. London points out that in recent times, there has been an increase in the number of requests placed for individuals who happen to be severely disorganized and surrounded by clutter. The members of the DSM-5 work group are seen to be recommending that a new diagnosis called hoarding disorder to be developed and included in either the DSM’s main manual. Dr. London approaches the this order from a psychodynamic perspective where he describes patients as feeling anxious, shy, embarrassed and depressed due to this condition. In treating the condition, the Dr. London indicates that a cognitive-behavioral therapy method is used where the patient must display a willingness to surrender the mess and get organized. This involves the patient losing some autonomy and be willing to clean up one item at a time. This approach is seen to be quite effective although implementing a learning approach would also seem to be of great aid in helping the patient learn what is the root cause of the hoarding tendency so as for the patient to be able to more effectively tackle the disorder. Unit VIII Question 1: Learning and Communication Disorders Associated with Childhood Learning and communication disorders in children can essentially be classed into a number of categories. These are: Phonological Disorder: These are seen to cause children to experience difficulties with articulation or the production of language sounds. Expressive Language Disorder: Children with this condition experience problems with using words to communicate their feelings, desires and thoughts. Reading Disorder (Dyslexia): Children suffering from this disorder experience difficulties in recognizing basic words and the condition can involve letter reversals and omissions. Mathematics Disorder (Dyscalculia): children with dyscalculia experience difficulties in mathematics including struggling with memorization, organization of numbers, number facts and operation signs. Cook (2010), points out that learning and communication disorders are normally found to be strongly genetic and normally relate to the manner in which the brain happens to function. In most instances these disorders eventually correct themselves or the child is able to develop or learn a way with which to compensate for the difficulties. Speech therapists can be able to successfully train children with phonological disorders. With help, families can also learn how to be able to provide more effective support to children that happen to have these disorders. Of note is that most individuals that happen to have these disorders eventually manage to find a way with which to be able to compensate and thereafter manage to live normal lives. All children that happen to be born with autism are found to different, this is commonly referred to as being a spectrum disorder as there are multiple variations via which autism is able to express itself. The most common learning difficulty for autistic children is that it is quite difficult for these children to be able to successfully learn the important social skills and language. Autistic children are seen to not be able to easily learn from the environment as other children do and although they are often quite capable of learning, these children are seen to require a very structured environment to accomplish this (Siegel 220). Question 2: Culture and the Perception of Abnormal Behavior in Childhood Abnormal behavioral problems are seen to not only occur among adults, but also among children. Some of the more common abnormal behavioral characteristics seen to be exhibited by children includes, hyperactivity, anxiety and disruptive behavior disorder. Cultural beliefs essentially serve to determine exactly what whether people view the behavior exhibited by a child as either being of a normal or abnormal nature (Haviland 144). As a result of the fact that children are seen to rarely label their own individual behavior as being of an abnormal nature, the actual definition of normality is seen to largely be dependent on exactly how a given child’s behavior happens to be filtered through the particular family’s cultural lenses. Different cultures are seen to greatly vary in regard to the behavior types that will be classified as being unacceptable as well as establishing the threshold to be used in the labeling of a child’s behavior as deviant (Haviland 144). There are a number of risk factors that are seen to variably be involved in childhood psychological disorders. These include: Biological Influences: These influences are at times not necessarily found to be synonymous with those pertaining to inheritance or genetics. These can include poor nutrition, low birth weight, injury, exposure to toxins, alcohol and drugs. Stressful Life Events: These can include incidences such as parental death(s) and divorce. Psychosocial Influences: These can include large families, parental relationship problems, exposure to violent acts, overcrowded homes, abuse, a parent’s criminality or psychopathology. Child Maltreatment: The mistreatment of children by their parents, guardians or other persons in the society can also serve as a risk factor for childhood abnormal behavior (Jones 124-126). Unit VIV Question 1: Dementia due to Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s disease is a medical condition that is essentially caused by there being a general lack of cells that work to produce dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter chemical that aids in the transmission of messages in the nervous system and the brain. The disorder affects an individual’s movement by creating a large amount of tremors that involve a lot of trembling and shaking which are sometimes seen to be limited to a certain given part of the body such as the legs or arms, however, the shaking and trembling might at times affect the entire bodies of persons afflicted by the disorder. Parkinson’s disease also affects the body’s rigidity as well as well as causing a number of other problems affecting motor skills and balance. According to Steckl (2013), an estimated 20-20% of persons that develop Parkinson’s disease eventually also develop dementia. Dementia caused by Parkinson’s disease is seen to cause the affected person to experience depression, relative difficulty in retrieving memories and carrying out some of the simple daily tasks and problems in making proper decisions. Of interest is that the brains of persons with Parkinson’s disease often appear to have similar damage to that which is seen with people having Lewy Body Disease or Alzheimer’s disease during autopsy. Question 2: Psychiatric Commitment and Patient’s Rights A committed patient is described as being a patient who is essentially under probate court and has been compelled to in hospital and receive treatment, the court’s decision in this case is seen to primarily be based upon its receipt of an application from the hospital requesting for the patient’s involuntary commitment, as well as the receipt of two sworn certificates from two impartial physicians that have been selected by the court in regard to the particular case. While under psychiatric commitment, the patients are not deprived of any of their own personal property or civil rights (State of Connecticut 2013). Insanity defense is essentially a plea in criminal case in which the defendant is seen to plead not guilty primarily on the basis of insanity. In this case, the burden of proof to prove insanity is normally borne by the defendant. In general, individuals that happen to commit criminal conducts are not held responsible in the event that at the time of the given conduct, the individual had some form of mental illness or defect or happened to lack a substantial capacity that could enable the individual to properly appreciate the criminality of his conduct. However, the two terms of mental disease or mental defect are seen to not apply to an abnormality that is seen to be manifested only by repeated criminal and antisocial conduct (Brakel and Brooks 13). Works Cited Basavanthapa B. New Delhi : Jaypee Brothers Medical Pub., 2011. Print. Bownes and O'Gorman. Assailants' sexual dysfunction during rape reported by their victims. Med Sci Law. 1991 Oct;31(4):322-8. Brakel Samuel and Brooks Alexander. Law and psychiatry in the criminal justice system. Littleton, Colo. : F.B. Rothman, 2001. Print. Cook J. Problems with Academics: Communication and Learning Disorders. Nov 24, 2010. Web. Oct 12, 2013. Douglas Ann. The mother of all parenting books : the ultimate guide to raising a happy, healthy child from preschool through the preteens. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2004. Print. Haviland William, et al. Cultural anthropology : the human challenge. Belmont, CA: /Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. 2014. Print. John Hopkins. Schizophrenia. John Hopkins med.Org, 2013. Web. Oct 15, 2013. Jones Jeffrey et al. Psychiatric-mental health nursing : an interpersonal approach. New York : Springer Pub. 2012. Print. Liddle, H. A., et al. Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT): An Effective Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse. The Eating Disorder Foundation. About Eating Disorders. 2013. Web. Oct 13, 2013. Sharma Manoj and Atri Ashutosh. Essentials of international health. Sudbury, Mass. : Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print. Siegel Bryna. The world of the autistic child : understanding and treating autistic spectrum disorders. New York : Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. State of Connecticut. Your Rights in a Psychiatric Facility: a P&A Self-Help Publication. Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. Feb 2 2013. Web. Oct 12, 2013. Steckl Carrie. Medical Conditions that May Cause Dementia. Gulf Bend Center. 2013. Web. Oct 13, 2013. Section VII APA References References London R. (2004). Approaches, Perspectives on ADHD. Clinical Psychiatry News - Volume 32, Issue 6, Page 28 June 2004. London R. (2004). 'Borderline' Label Needs a New Name. Clinical Psychiatry News, Vol. 32, No. 7. July 1, 2004. London R. (2007). Educating people on short-term therapeutic approaches to life's problems. Clinical Psychiatry News - Volume 35, Issue 6, Page 18 (June 2007). London R. (2007). Helping OCPD Patients Break Free. Clinical Psychiatry News - Volume 35, Issue 7, Page 19 (July 2007) London R. (2007). Treating the Dependent Personality. Clinical Psychiatry News - Volume 35, Issue 8, Page 23 (August 2007) London R. (2010). Is Decluttering a Form of Therapy? Clinical Psychiatry News - Volume 38, Issue 9, Page 7 (September 2010) Read More