A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Running head: Effect of Traumatic Life Events on OCD A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health is an anxiety disorder that is distinguished by persistent, unwanted thoughts and/or compulsions (â€Å"NIMH,† 2007). OCD is one of the most expensive and persistent forms of psychopathology. Although OCD has been thought of as a fairly rare disorder, recent studies have found that 1. – 4% of the population has some form of OCD. While the understanding of this disease has been expanded over the past few decades there still remains much to be learned about the causes and origin of the disease. One factor that is thought to contribute to the onset or intensification of most psychiatric disorders is stressful life events especially traumatic life events (Cromer, Schmidt, & Murphy, 20 06, p. 2). However there has not been significant research on the relationship of stressful life events or traumatic life events with OCD. This study attempts to examine the potential correlations between traumatic life events and OCD, if any at all are present (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 3-4). Method A total of 265 participants, being at least eighteen years of age, all with some degree of OCD as their primary disease, participated in this study. Patients with schizophrenia, severe mental retardation, or currently depressed individuals were excluded from this study. The participants were interviewed and tested using four different methods. These methods included the Structured Clinical Interview with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID), the Yale-Brown Excessive Compulsive scale (Y-BOCS), a traumatic life event measure, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The SCID interview was carried out by a trained, as well as experienced, interviewer. Two independent doctors then reviewed the results before making their final blind diagnosis. The Y-BOCS measured how severe each participant’s OCD symptoms were in each of the four areas. These areas ncorporated hoarding, ordering/symmetry, checking/obsessions, and cleaning/contamination (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 4). The traumatic life event measure was in an interview-like setting, where the participants were given descriptions of various traumatic life events. After each description the participants were asked various questions about their own experiences with similar events. If the participant was still troubled by any of the events the int erviewer would continue with a posttraumatic stress disorder test, regardless if the participant met the qualifications for posttraumatic stress disorder. This was done in order to make sure that all traumatic life events were documented properly. The final test was the Beck Depression Inventory which, through a full set of twenty-one questions, determines whether or not a person is currently depressed and the severity of their depression (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 5). Results Out of the 265 patients who participated in this study, 143 of them (roughly 54%) had experienced at least one traumatic life event at the time of the study (Cromer, et al. 2006, p. 1). If more than one event encountered, the participant suffered an increase in the severity of their OCD symptoms. These results remained consistent even when crucial variables, such as age, presence of depression, and the age OCD first began were controlled. Of the four symptoms of OCD that were tested for ordering/symmetry and checking/obsessions were found to have the closest correlation with the presence of traumatic life events (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 5). Discussion The results of this study largely support the fact that the symptoms of OCD are intensified by the onset of traumatic life events (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 1). However the researchers believe that there still needs to be testing done to clarify the link between OCD and traumatic life events as there may be confounding variables creating false positives. For example, there is a chance that some of the symptoms (ordering/symmetry and checking/obsessions in particular) are linked to other mood and anxiety disorders which could be the cause of the higher correlation in the study (Cromer, et al. 2006, p. 9). To improve on this there would have to be a study done to observe how those symptoms react with other disorders. The traumatic life event data that was collected was based off what the patients could remember from the past. This suggests that this particular data is not entirely accurate. The strength in their research, however, is how the SCID test was performed. Not only were there professional interviewers, their work was double checked by two independent doctors to insure the utmost accuracy. The participants were tested and interviewed in four different ways to accumulate more data to create a more accurate experiment (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 4). There is something that the researchers mention that I do not entirely agree with however. Cromer, et al. , says that someone with OCD would be more sensitive to traumatic life events and this would skew the results (2006, p. 10), but it is to my understanding that a traumatic event needs only to be traumatic to the person it is happening to, no matter how another observer may be affected by the same situation. If the event is traumatic to the person they will respond to the event (both mentally and physically) just as another person without OCD would respond to an event that is traumatic to them. References Cromer, K. R. , Schmidt, N. B. , & Murphy, D. L. (2006) An investigation of traumatic life events and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavior Research and Therapy 45(7). Retrieved September 23, 2007, from ScienceDirect database. (September 28, 2007). NIMH  · Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Retrieved October 03, 2007, from http://www. nimh. nih. gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index. shtml.

An Analytical Response to the 1978 film, F. I. S. T. Essay

The plot of the film basically revolve around the life of a worker who desperately seeks a better and a more comfortable life by working hard in a very low-paying job with a management who imposes very harsh and unjust rules and guidelines. The story also deals with the struggles of the workers to earn respect and the right and fair kind of treatment they deserve. The plot centers on the life and struggles of Johnny Kovac’s character which was played by Sylvester Stallone. The character was portrayed as a willful trucker who decided to join the Federation of Interstate Truckers (FIST) to fight and campaign for just treatments among all the country’s truckers like him (â€Å"F. I. S. T. 1987†). Through out the story, Kovac was challenged by a lot of more powerful individual since he was seen as a very strong threat to their deceptive intentions. He also received a lot of threats and physical tortures since he was actually fighting very powerful people. But despite all these challenges, Kovac was nevertheless able to prove that he is stronger than anyone who opposes his intentions to uplift the lives of simple truckers who just deserve fair treatment from their superiors. This was the major conflict and drive of the story. Kovac, as the main protagonist both serves as a hero and the base character of the story where all the other conflicts and highlights are based from. The story emphasized on Kovac’s principles and his efforts of fighting for their rights as truckers. Kovac and all the other characters in the story were portrayed to be simple and typical people with whom, viewers can easily empathize. However, his defeat and death at the end has put a rather distressing and saddening effect to the story. II. Issues The story was basically about the lives and struggles of truckers. Just like other workers, truckers have rights and privileges that they can demand from their superiors. However in this movie, the workers were rather treated unjustly by the management. They were given inadequate compensation and several unfair rules and regulations have been imposed on them. Kovac, as a trucker himself stood up and fought for his principles and afterwards fought for the influence of the labor union, FIST, which he became part of. The movie had a particular emphasis on the laborer’s rights and privileges. The unjust treatments to these workers portrayed in the film are one manifestation that in the real world, this undeserved treatment is also observable. Through the depiction of this issue it can be implied that some capitalist may really have been so fed up by their wealth that they forget that there are still other important things to consider aside from getting richer and this is the welfare of their workers. And because of this issue, the characters of the movie can be observed to seek for their rights and privileges in a rather aggressive way because of the unpleasant manner their company has used to treat them. The issues were basically about, (1) what implications can unjust treatment and deprivation of privileges causes workers; and (2) how well do labor unions actually help in eliminating the hostile relationships between workers and companies. And because this issue has been depicted to have taken all the patience of the workers, some of them have even developed stronger sense of selfishness and greed. Some also developed greed towards money. Kovac on the other hand became more and more obsessed of recruiting for member to join FIST since he wanted his mission and his intention to voice out the wants of the workers to be accomplished as early as he can. These implications may in some ways appear similar to the effects of unjust treatments to laborers people experience in real life. Just like in this film, people may indeed grow hostile and aggressive once their rights and privileges will be deprived of them. But nonetheless, if there is one lesson that this movie was able to send out, it is the fact that it is never just and acceptable to fight for one’s principle in destructive ways. III. Discussion In several ways, this movie appears to carry considerable significance to the real occurrences of unjust treatment among workers in the society. In real life, these incidents are undeniable that is why unions exist. However, the arguable thing is this movie is that Kovac and his other colleagues appeared to fight for what they believe in rather hostile and destructive ways which only made the situations worse. Aside from this, a lot of characters were also depicted to be deceived by wealth and power which made them turn their . backs to their moral perspectives. Thus, this can be considered as one of the moral threats unjust treatments can really cause an individual. In its entirety, the movie appears to be a total representation what goes on in a union and how its members fight for what they believe in. But what appears to be an upsetting and disturbing part of the story is the aggression and immorality which brought about . worse situations and events. IV. Opinion Truly, every person in this world deserved fair treatment as every person deserves equal rights and privileges as well. In a company, the relationship of the executive management to the workers can be considered very crucial. In order to form a pleasant relationship between these two, each party must respect and provide the deserved treatment and benefit of the other party. Because once this rule is broken, hostility might definitely spark which will eventually form an unpleasant relationship between the workers and the management. Personally, I think the movie had an interesting inspiration; however, the real message was not that effectively sent out to the viewers because of the distractions that came from all the unnecessary actions and violence portrayed in the film. But nonetheless, I see this film as a good depiction of how worse a situation may get once a worker’s rights and privileges be unjustly deprived from him or her. Works Cited â€Å"F. I. S. T. (1987): Plot Summary. † The Internet Movie Database. IMDb. com. (n. d. ). (14 May 2009). . F. I. S. T. Dir: Norman Jewinson. Writer: Joe Eszterhas and Sylvester Stallone. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, David Huffman, Kevin Conway and Tony Lo Bianco. Chateau Productions, 1987.

Is Radio Be A Catalyst For Social Change - 950 Words

Throughout history we have been assigned Gender stereotypes by society, especially since the 1940s when the male was seen as the breadwinner, the one who would work, also portrayed by the media as active, decisive, courageous, intelligent and resourceful, whilst the female would take on the housewife mentality which involved keeping up appearances essentially whilst looking after the family, who the media would most often depict as weak, ineffectual, victimised, supportive, laughable or ‘simply a token female (lone female in a group of males). In this essay I will be answering the question â€Å"Might Radio be a catalyst for social change?† by essentially pulling apart the gender stereotypes of both male female, doing this will allow us to see how society has developed in terms of attitude and diversity. Using this opportunity it will allow me to explore the feminist movement allowing me to see how its altered societies perception of the way women are portrayed throu ghout the media/radio industry, during which I will also be exploring radio advertising different variations of radio shows which carry the feminist agenda like such shows as Woman’s hour, The Week in Westminster. The media industry has enforced stereotypes for decades, creating trends, multi-media content, toys, perfume, makeup etc. which have been advertised and aimed at these gender stereotypes which still affect children and adults alike. From the 1940’s+ we have seen heard many gender-based stereotypesShow MoreRelatedWeakness and Greatness in Literature: The Enormous Radio by John Cheever968 Words   |  4 Pagesthe protagonist tends to create their own tragic flaws resulting in different consequences. In â€Å"The Enormous Radio†, John Cheever uses moral and personality degeneration to foreshadow Irene’s changes. 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The Fundamentals of the Intertropical Convergence Zone

Near the equator, from about 5 degrees north and 5 degrees south, the northeast trade winds and southeast trade winds converge in a low-pressure zone known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Solar heating in the region forces air to rise through convection which results in the accumulation of large thunderstorms  and plethora of  precipitation, spreading rain around the Equator year-round; as a result of this, combined with its  central location on the globe, the ITCZ is a key component of the global air and water circulation system. The location of the ITCZ changes throughout the year, and how  far from the equator it gets is largely determined by the land or ocean temperatures underneath these currents of air and moisture—otter oceans yield less volatile change while varying lands cause varying degrees in the ITCZs location. The Intertropical Convergence Zone has been called the doldrums by sailors due to the lack of horizontal air movement (the air rises with convection), and its also known as the Equatorial Convergence Zone or Intertropical Front. The ITCZ Doesnt Have a Dry Season Weather stations in the equatorial region record precipitation up to 200 days each year, making the equatorial and ITC zones the wettest on the planet. Additionally, the equatorial region lacks a dry season and is constantly hot and humid, resulting in large thunderstorms formed from the convectional flow of air and moisture. The precipitation in the ITCZ over land has whats known as a  diurnal cycle  where clouds form in the late morning and early afternoon hours and by the hottest time of the day at 3 or 4 p.m., convectional  thunderstorms form and precipitation begins, but over the ocean, these clouds typically form overnight to produce early morning rainstorms. These storms are generally brief, but they make flying quite difficult, especially over land where clouds can accumulate at altitudes up to 55,000 feet. Most commercial airlines avoid the ITCZ while traveling across continents for this reason, and while the ITCZ over the ocean is usually calmer during the day and night and only active in the morning, many boats have been lost at sea from a sudden storm there. The Location Changes Throughout the Year While the ITCZ remains near the equator for most of the year, can vary in as much as 40 to 45 degrees of latitude north or south of the equator based on the pattern of land and ocean beneath it. The ITCZ over land ventures farther north or south than the ITCZ over the oceans, this is due to the variations in land and water temperatures. The zone mostly stays close to the Equator over water. It varies throughout the year over land. In Africa in July and August, for instance, the ITCZ is located just south of the Sahel desert at about 20 degrees north of the Equator, but the ITCZ over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is usually only 5 to 15 degrees North; meanwhile, over Asia, the ITCZ can go as far as 30 degrees North.

The Hamilton Grange National Memorial - 1530 Words

There are many historical sites in New York City that have contributed and still contribute to America’s political history in some way. The historical site that I have decided to expand my research on is, the Hamilton Grange National Memorial located in Harlem, New York. This site was the home of Alexander Hamilton, one of the seven foreign-born Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He had a great influence on the foundation of the United States of America, the United States constitution and the Federalist Party. He was a Military officer, lawyer and member of the US constitutional convention, an American political philosopher, and author of the majority of the Federalist Papers. Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 in Charlestown, Nevis, in British West Indies. While working at a shipping company in Nevis, he gained recognition from local contributors who offered him a formal education. This led to Hamilton coming to New York at the age of seventeen (1772) to earn an education at Kings University, which is now Columbia University. During his college career, Hamilton caught an interest in American politics, specifically, the American Patriots. Eventually, he became a huge supporter of the patriots’ revolutionary movement against pro-British loyalists. Hamilton educated himself on the revolutionary movement enough to write political articles that legitimized revolutionary actions. These articles caught the attention of many people and political

The Four Noble Truths free essay sample

The Four Noble Truths are the basis of the Buddhist teachings. They are as follows: 1. Dukkha – the truth of suffering a. Says that all existence is characterized by suffering and does not bring satisfaction. Everything is suffering: birth, sickness, death; not obtaining one’s desires; etc. 2. Samudaya – the truth of the origin of suffering a. The cause of suffering is craving or desire (tanha), the thirst for sensual pleasure (trishna), for becoming and passing away. This craving binds beings to the cycle of existence. (Paticcasamuppada) b. Paticcasamuppada i. States that all phenomena are arising together in a mutually interdependent web of cause and effect. The interdependence and mutual conditioning of phenomena is critical to Dharma, which makes liberation possible. The Buddha applied this general truth of causal interdependence to the problem of suffering. 3. Nirodha – the truth of the cessation of suffering a. Through remainder-less elimination of craving, suffering can be brought to an end. We will write a custom essay sample on The Four Noble Truths or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4. Magga – the path that leads out of suffering is the eightfold path a. The truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering b. Gives the eightfold path as the means for the ending of suffering. The discovery of the four noble truths by the Buddha constituted his actual enlightenment. The Eightfold Path 1. Annatman – Perfect view. i. The view based on understanding of the four noble truths and the nonindividuality of existence. 2. Perfect resolve i. Resolve in favor of renunciation, good will, and nonharming of sentient beings. 3. Perfect speech i. Avoidance of lying, slander, and gossip. 4. Perfect conduct i. Avoidance of actions that conflict with moral discipline. 5. Perfect livelihood i. Avoidance of professions that are harmful to sentient beings, such as slaughterer, hunter, dealer in weaponry or narcotics, etc. 6. Perfect effort i. Cultivation of what is karmically wholesome and avoidance of what is karmically unwholesome. 7. Perfect mindfulness i. Ongoing mindfulness of body, feelings, thinking, and objects of thought. 8. Perfect concentration i. Concentration of mind that finds its highpoint in the four absorptions. Anatta â€Å"not-self† The Buddha used this term in teaching that all things perceived by the senses are not really â€Å"I† or â€Å"mine,† and for this reason one should not cling to them. One of the three marks of existence. (anatta – not self; dukkha – unsatisfactoriness; anicca – impermance) Anicca â€Å"impermanence† The Buddhist notion that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is in a constant state of flux. One of the three marks of existence. Human life embodies this flux in the aging process, through birth and rebirth, and in any experience of loss. The Buddha taught that because all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, attachment to them becomes the cause for future suffering.

Malcom X Essays - Community Organizing, Counterculture Of The 1960s

Malcom X MALCOM X THE TRUE HERO OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. WITH HIS LONG-TERM VISION BEING DISTORTED BY MARTIN LUTHER KING.JR, AND HIS DISIPLES OF MASS DISTRUCTION OF THE GOOD BLACK PEOPLE LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES AND PERSONS EVERY WHERE. Malcom X and his contribution to the world. Malcom X born Malcom Little was a very deviant youth with a criminal out look on life in his young years. Then when he was locked up for robbery in prison some time he had a revelation always knowing that the treatment of black folks back then was just criminal injustice. His father introduced him to Marcus Garvy and his back to Africa philosophies. While in prison he was introduced to a black version of the Muslim religion. It was his sort of say initiation into real manhood and becoming responsible for his actions. While in prison he wrote out the dictionary by hand for the sole purpose of learning to use the same tools that the same people in power were using to distort things to their will. Malcom X bought things a little further and was far more dangerous to civil rights leaders than he was to the establishment. I think that Malcom X was far more respected than MLK. Malcom Xs basic philosophy was lets clean up our own communities no government help, No welfare, no interference from groups other than the black folks themselves. He was for black owned schools, black owned businesses, black owned towns, etc. He saw that we were basically not going to go anywhere taking hand outs from the same people who oppressed us for years. He was not a person who was all talk, on a meager salary he set up organizations in the black communities like Muslim school where children learned to speak some of known African languages. He set up an area of black owned businesses. There are some of his predictions, which have come true for the black people in the United States. Like he knew that the civil right leaders were not going to change a damn thing for black people he says that they cant possibly do anything with the help of a government that oppressed you in the first place, and that these civil leaders will of course be held in high regard because they are not proposing that black people get off their asses and make something of themselves. They would rather give out money to a select few to show that there is a fairness in the system. In one of his speeches he directly point out the fallusies. For the past fifteen years the struggle of the Black man in this country was labeled as a civil rights struggle, and as such it remained completely within the jurisdiction of the United States. You and I could get no kind of benefits whatsoever other than that which would be forthcoming from Washington D.C. Which meant, in order for it to be forthcoming from Washington, D.C., all of the congressmen and the senators would have to agree to it. At that time the most powerful congressmen and the most powerful senators were from the south. Most of the Black people were enslaved in the south. So in other words civil right leaders were asking the same persons who would not let them vote, for privileges, which were never really given. He would constantly refer to the civil right leaders as uncle toms. He never said that directly to a newspaper, but you knew whom he was talking about. Especially when he was in a debate with them. An Uncle Tom is the as the slaves see it. Is the person in the Masters house, he told on the other slaves just to please his master and did nothing that would lead one to believe that he had any self-respect for himself. I guess that it was a way to deal with the stress of being a slave. Persons like that get publicly killed in Africa for doing the same thing, but my point being that they did every thing to please the master and even lived in the masters own house. He would answer the master by saying, how our WE doing today? and is WE sick master? Malcom X