The Effects of Schizophrenia on the Brain Essay -- Biology Biological

The Effects of Schizophrenia on the Brain Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects one to two percent of people worldwide. The disorder can develop as early as the age of five, though it is very rare at such an early age. (3)) Most men become ill between the ages of 16 and 25 whereas most women become ill between the ages of 25 and 30. Even though there are differences in the age of development between the sexes, men and women are equally at risk for schizophrenia. (4) There is of yet no definitive answer as to what causes the disorder. It is believed to be a combination of factors including genetic make-up, pre-natal viruses, and early brain damage which cause neurotransmitter problems in the brain. (3) These problems cause the symptoms of schizophrenia, which include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, and unusual speech or behavior. No "cure" has yet been discovered, although many different methods have been tried. Even in these modern times, only one in five affected people fully recovers. (4) The most common treatment is the administration of antipsychotic drugs. Other treatments that were previously used, and are occasionally still given are electro-convulsive therapy, which runs a small amount of electric current through the brain and causes seizures, and large doses of Vitamin B. (3) Due to neurological studies of the brain, antipsychotic drugs have become the most widely used treatments. These studies show that there are widespread abnormalities in the structural connectivity of the brains of affected people. (2) It was noticed that in brains affected with schizophrenia, far more neurotransmitters are released between neurons, which is what causes the symptoms. At first, re... ...scover the cause of schizophrenia. Is it caused by various genes, by a virus, or from trauma? This too is still a mystery. The only thing that is truly known is that the disorder is debilitating and that it affects nearly every portion of the brain. Obviously, much more research still needs to be done to help those who suffer from it. References 1)E-Mental Health, http://www.emental-health.com/schiz_function.htm 2) E-Mental Health, http://www.emental-health.com/schiz_structure.htm 3)National Institute for Mental Health, http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/shcizoph.cfm 4)Psychiatry 24 x 7, http://www.psychiatry24x7.com/bgdisplay.jhtml?itemname=nonprofbackschiz010 5) Society of Neuroscience, http://www.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainBriefings/schizophrenia.html 6)Health-Center, http://www2.health-center.com/mentalhealth/schizophrenia/causes

The Effects of Horror Movies on Children Essay

The implicit, and often explicit, intention of horror movies is to scare people. The fright engendered by horror movies can have residual psychological effects for years. Two studies, â€Å"Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media† and another, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both concluded that exposure horror movies may have long-lasting adverse effects on children. 1. Anxiety The NIMH study reveals direct evidence that in children 5 and younger, especially toddlers, scary movies can produce acute cases of anxiety. The symptoms of this anxiety include sleeping disorders, aggressiveness and self-endangerment. Avoidance Both studies indicated that children exposed to horror films avoided real life situations shown in a fictional manner on screen. The subjects exhibited dread of facing those situations. Some children not only avoided real life situations, but also come to avoid seeing other movies or TV shows dealing with the same situations that instilled the original fear. Obsession A common effect among older children and even tweens and pre-teens, upon viewing horror movies is to obsessively talk about the stimulus that produces the fear. The subject of the obsessive talk may be expressed in either a morbid fascination or a a need to alienate themselves from what they have seen through discourse. Nightmares Probably the most common effect that horror movies have on children is the production of nightmares. Many children as well as adults can be expected to have a nightmare after seeing a horror film, especially one that may be troublesome emotional or features particularly repulsive and upsetting gore. Gore The stimuli found to produce an adverse effect in children most often in  horror films was the representation of blood or physical injury. Almost two-third of respondents report being affected emotionally more by the presence of blood and injury over stimuli such as disturbing images, environmental disasters, scary animals, monsters and aliens. Most Common Symptoms Many symptoms are associated with a reaction to viewing horror films. Among the most common symptoms include crying or screaming, trembling or shaking, upset stomach, clinginess, paralysis, sweating, fever, chills and loss of appetite. The Short-Term Effects of Scary Movies on Children By Brooke Williams, How Contributor Because many children have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality, parents should not allow their youngsters to watch scary movies or television shows, according to Science Daily, an online science news resource. Although young children aren’t able to understand scary movies, that doesn’t mean they won’t have short-term effects because of the violent scenes. 1. Nightmares It’s typical for children to get nightmares from time to time, but watching scary movies can inspire bad dreams, according to Kids Health. Bad dreams can reflect the plot of a scary dream, and the typical horror movie characters, such as monsters, ghosts and aliens, can play roles in a little one’s dreams. In addition to getting nightmares, scary movies may cause children to have trouble getting to sleep. 2. Anxious Feelings Children who watch horror movies have a tendency to feel anxious and fearful, according to the University of Michigan Health Services. Because many children younger than 8 have a hard time understanding the difference between what is real and what is fake, scary scenes from movies seem realistic. Being nervous or paranoid that a character or situation in the movie can become reality is common after viewing a horror movie. Aggressive Behavior Young children who watch high-action, violent or scary movies are likely to act more aggressively than normal shortly after seeing the film, according to Media Awareness Network, a media education resource. Children imitate characters in violent movies by physically provoking their peers, using negative words and being more active. Because some children may find violent movie characters interesting and â€Å"cool,† imitating these characters may be a short-term effect of watching a scary movie. Intensified Fears It’s common for many children to be scared of the dark, loud noises and creepy-crawly bugs. While these fears typically dissipate with age, they tend to linger or intensify when children watch scary and violent movies. For example, watching a movie about ghosts may make a little one more scared of open closet doors in a dark bedroom. Fears are real to little ones, and if a child does watch a scary movie, it’s important for parents to talk to him about how scary monsters and other characters aren’t real. Remind him multiple times to soothe his fears. Reference http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061031113446.htm Effect of horror movies on student aggressive behavior

Substance Abuse Is A National Public Health Burden Essay

Substance abuse is a national public health burden that has significantly increased the rate of disability and mortality worldwide (Azizi, Borjali, Golzari; 2010; Wheeler, 2014; Wu, 2010). In fact, the most recent Global Burden of Disease Report estimated that almost twelve million people, who abused drugs, had moderate to severe disability (Wu, 2010). With regard to physical health, legal issues, social relationships, and occupational functioning, substance abuse affects all aspects of the individual s life (Azizi et al., 2010; Wu, 2010). Economically, substance abuse is a financial burden, which accounts for up to 3.3% of the health care cost and more than 6.4% of the safety costs (Wheeler, 2014). To address this problem, many treatment centers use a comprehensive approach for drug abuse treatment (Wheeler, 2014). Among the different treatment options, behavior therapy and counseling is one of the chief components in the patient s treatment plan (Wheeler, 2014). Based on current evidence, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), first developed for patients with borderline personality disorder, is as an effective therapeutic approach for individuals with substance abuse problems (Bornovalova et al., 2012; Gratz, Daughters, Hunt, Lejuez, 2012; Ã" ¦zdel, Ekinci, 2014). Therefore, the purpose of my paper is threefold: 1) review current literature about the effects of distress tolerance (DT) in substance abuse; 2) briefly discuss the efficacy of DBT in improving DTShow MoreRelatedMy Policy Change Will Be The Florida Stat e Board Of Nursing1544 Words   |  7 Pagesnursing and that is why for these and other reasons which I will later discuss, I have chosen this organization. The Florida board of nursing plays an essential role in health care regulation as the board members and staff interact regularly with other nursing associations affiliated with state legislators, as well as the National Council of State Board of Nursing. 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