Article Review on Mental Illness

Jennifer Tozier Compentency Assignment 1, Review #2 Dr. Besthorn 09/15/2012 I chose to write my article review on the article entitled, â€Å"How clinical Diagnosis Might Exacerbate the Stigma of Mental Illness. † It is a not new concept that people are consistently drawn to a labeling others with a stigma, and this article delves into how we as social workers can (unintentionally) either encourage that stigma or hinder it based on the presentation to the client and to the public. A key point to the article talks about three kinds of potential ways stigma hurts a client.The first was being label avoidance. Many people do not want to admit to a mental illness, let alone get it treated because of how they might be perceived. Those that can admit having a mental illness and seek services may feel a certain stigma that then draws them back, and they avoid treating the problem, after they have confirmed that they, in fact, do suffer from the illness. They are afraid of being labele d in society or among their peers. The second stigma is blocked life goals. When suffering from a mental illness, everyday life can be and often is hard for the client.Without treatment, the stress of daily life can inhibit the client from seeking opportunities such as work, school, family and friends. Without these life goals being fulfilled, the mental illness takes control of the clients’ life and they are fixed from advancing in the everyday life. The third way a stigma hurts a client is the self-stigma. This is where the client begins to believe what is being said about them and their problem. It further exacerbates the problem because they not only deal with the issue of mental illness but feel judged in every encounter; this changes their behavior and creates a greater issue.This article also discusses the diagnosis of a mental illness in regards to â€Å"groupness† and the â€Å"differentness† aspects of how the public distinguishes people with mental is sues. This looks into the stereotypes and over generalizations and how it relates with mental illness and the general public. Mental illness while it may be more prevalent in some groups, it is an equal opportunity illness and can affect anyone regardless of age, race, financial status, or occupation. The article does an excellent job of describing how once a person is diagnosed with a mental llness it draws diversity in how they might be labeled and construed in society, similar to how they might be treated if they were a minority group. Research shows that this stigma â€Å"groups† individuals once they have been diagnosed with a mental illness, regardless if the client demonstrations any abnormal characteristics. The author did a terrific job of discussing the different stigmas that mental illness produces. It talked about how society or the majority labels a person with mental illness and the way a person can label themselves, both which produce disastrous results.I can s ee that this is a relevant article in the field of social work, because social workers can shape the way the client is perceived, both by the majority and the client all in the way they identify the illness. I understand that the article is talking about how the diagnosis can exacerbate the stigma, but I did not get a strong hold on ways to diagnosis it in an improved approach. The paragraph talking about diagnosis as a continuum seems like the closest point of reference for me, as an approach, but as it suggested this dimensional approach is not familiar to most clinicians.It seems once again there is only so far workers can go, with the limited knowledge we have obtained through research to date. The theory that I associated with the article is social learning theory. I came to that conclusion for several reasons mainly, because social learning theory suggests that human behavior is learned as individuals. The article talks about how people who have been diagnosed at times will no t seek treatment solely because of how they will be stigmatized.The problem behavior will not be treated and will remain a problem because a stigma will be placed on that individual if they admit the problem and get treatment. I think that using the social learning theory as a mode of treatment can be possible if the social worker can convince the client that if they get treatment and function in a â€Å"normal† way they will have a better quality of life. The article talked about how the social worker defines the mental illness and relays the information not only to the client, but also to other mental health providers is a determining factor on how it will be perceived.It is our ethical responsibility treat the client with dignity and respect, therefor when discussing the mental illness we need to be sure to use professional terms and be 100% correct before we unintentionally put a stigma on our client, they may put undue hardship in their life. When engaging with a client with mental illness it is necessary to discuss with them what they can expect, from meeting with the mental health provider all the way through treatment. Also to find out what they expect from the process.It is vital to let them know that they will have issues to deal with such as social stigma, but a road to treatment will give them a better quality of life. Mental illness affects people every day. Simply because of the stigma attached to it, people do not want to admit they have a problem. This is an implication because if more people could be honest and upfront social workers and policy makers could be given more time, resources, and attention to create policies that would benefit those struggling. The more resources and policies available the better chance that people suffering from mental illness will not have to deal with a stigma.

Comapre 2 Grief theorists Essay

Grief and bereavement are different for each individual, that is no two people will experience a loss in the same way. A loss is the absence of something we deem meaningful. Over the years there have been many different theories of grief, but it is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The aim of this paper is to compare two grief models, namely Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief and Dr William Worden’s Tasks of Mourning including the Seven Mediators of Mourning. After comparing the two models the paper will then look at how the two models are different and finish with a case study using one of the models. Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was a Swiss born Psychiatrist. During her in psychiatry residency she was appalled by the treatment of patients who were dying. She began lecturing medical students and forced them to face dying patients. Her extensive work with the dying lead to the writing of her book ‘On death and dying’ (1969). In this book she proposed the Five Stages of Grief, being denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, which most people will feel when faced with death. Whilst this model was initially for the dying patient it has been later adapted for the bereft. Dr Kubler-Ross notes that these stages are not meant to be completed in a strict order or are indeed the only emotions the bereft will pass through. Other researchers studying the process of loss and grief have recognised these stages as well as the fact that they do not have to be experienced in any particular order but are all part of the grieving process. The bereaved may vacillate in and out of some stages before completing this part of the process. Grief begins at the moment a loss is recognised, long before death actually happens. Dr Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief will be explained in more detail below: Denial. Shock and disbelief that the loss is happening. Numbness and even a sense of isolation that takes over the bereaved and for brief periods of time. Do they remember that they have suffered the loss? Anger. Why me? The bereaved may find themselves angry at the loss or themselves for wishing it would all end. Bargaining. This is usually about making a compromise with God or other deity. â€Å"Just let my baby have a heart beat on this ultrasound and I’ll do whatever you want† or your friend asks God to let him live a while longer and he’ll promise to quit smoking. Depression. Becoming so sad that things just don’t matter anymore. Feelings of hopelessness, sorrow, and despair overwhelm the bereaved. Acceptance. Coming to terms with reality. Loss is part of life and cannot be avoided. If the loss is the death of a loved one then a feeling of calmness and peace that the berefts loved one is no longer suffering and is at rest or peace, having gone on to a better place. These stages can come in any order and can be intertwined. The bereft will experience grief in their own way and their own time. Some people will move through the grieving process quickly, and others take much more time to grieve. Some bereaved people may effectively remain in denial for a long time and put off their grieving. The Four Tasks of Mourning is based on research by Dr J William Worden, PhD, who is currently a professor at Biola University in California. Dr Worden (2009) theorised that the grieving process was broken down into four main tasks of grieving and seven mediators of mourning which could be addressed individually or at the same time. Dr Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning are: Task 1: To Accept the Reality of the Loss. During this task, the bereft must face the reality that the loss is real. In the case of a death the bereft must come to harsh terms that the deceased is never coming back. Task 2: To Process the Pain of Grief. This task is just as the title of the task suggests, that is, to process the pain and to find a way to cope with the pain until it passes. Task 3: To Adjust to a World Without the Deceased. Within this task there are three adjustments that need to be made; external adjustments, internal adjustments, and spiritual adjustments. Task 4: To Find an Enduring Connection With the Deceased in the Midst of Embarking on a New Life. ‘to find an enduring connection with the deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life’ (Field, Gal-Oz & Bonanno, 2003). Worden also identifies seven determining factors that are critical to appreciate in order to understand the client’s experience which he calls the Mediators of Mourning. These include: (1) who the person who died was; (2) the nature of the attachment to the deceased; (3) how the person died; (4) historical antecedents; (5) personality variables; (6) social mediators; and (7) concurrent stressors. These mediators include many of the risk and protective factors identified by the research literature and provide an important context for appreciating the idiosyncratic nature of the grief experience (Corr & Coolican, 2010). Issues such as the strength and nature of the attachment to the deceased, the survivor’s attachment style and the degree of conflict and ambivalence with the deceased are important considerations. Death-related factors, such as physical proximity, levels of violence or trauma, or a death where a body is not recovered, all can pose significant challenges for the bereaved. Dr Worden’s work is an important development in the understanding of the process of coping adaptively with bereavement as each task is clearly defined in an action-oriented manner. The writings of both Dr Kubler-Ross and Dr Worden have had a substantial impact in the world of loss and grief. Although the simplicity is surely attractive, Dr Kubler-Ross’ theory has not been supported by research and it has largely been abandoned by clinicians and researchers alike (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2011). Dr Worden (2009) suggested that we look at grief as a series of tasks rather than stages as detailed above. Both models have what could be defined as steps in the grieving process and these steps provide the counsellor a theoretical framework in which to work. Neither of the two models are designed to be linear in their process and in fact the bereft may swing back and forth between some of the steps in each model. The danger with these, and all other models, however, is that they can be normative and tell people how they ought to experience grief. Individuals are all unique and experiences of grief vary from person to person. Therefore, the emphasis on moving through the stages may not, in reality, respect where each individual is. After all, some may never actually want to â€Å"get over† the death of a loved one. Consequently, there is a risk that people who are not following these stages might be labelled as suffering from a â€Å"complicated† or â€Å"unresolved† grief and may be intervened with unnecessarily or inappropriately (Hamama-Raz, Hemmendinger & Buchbinder, 2010). Case Study Penny is 48 years old. She is in a defacto relationship with Leonard for the past seven years. She has three grown up children, one living nearby, the other living in Melbourne, and her daughter, Katherine (24 years old), living at home and working. She is healthy and has a steady job. She has limited contact with the husband from whom she had been divorced when the children were very young. Leonard is a magazine editor and had never married. When he had met Penny they seemed just right for each other. They were each other’s best friend. Leonard had not been feeling right for a short time before consulting his doctor. Tests showed a malignant mass in his bowel. He was operated on to remove the mass and he was to begin chemotherapy soon after. This weighed heavily on Penny and Leonard, despite the optimistic prognosis offered by Leonard’s doctors. In Penny’s life, the routine of the household was that she woke Katherine up in the morning, as she was notorious for sleeping through her alarm clock and arriving late for work. One morning, Penny bent over to shake Katherine awake, but this morning she could not be awakened. She had died during the night. Penny called an ambulance, and within minutes the paramedics were there but Katherine had been dead for several hours. The doctors were unable to establish a cause of death even after extensive testing. The next days were a total blank as Penny went through the motions of all that had to be done. The family gathered, the funeral took place, and Penny blocked most of it out. Penny has been unable to function. Her grief and depression are crippling and overwhelm everything. For the first few weeks, she could not eat or sleep. She was unable even to consider returning to work, as she was immersed in her grief. Leonard suggested that she should get some help, so Penny went for group counselling at a local agency. The group proved somewhat helpful and it enabled Penny to return to work about eight weeks after Katherine’s death. At work, she found herself short tempered, snapping at colleagues, she was preoccupied and could not focus and she was frequently late. She was able to get through the days, only to come home and cry. It was her anger that finally propelled her into individual counselling. She was unable to be civil to her work colleagues â€Å"who were idiots.† The few friends that she still had were objects of her wrath. She found herself irrationally lashing out at anyone who even slightly annoyed her, and she began to feel isolated and frightened by her own actions. She began individual bereavement counselling in December, eight months after Katherine had died. If I was counselling Penny I would assess which of Worden’s four mourning tasks were not complete and make an effort to address the gaps. If Penny has not accepted the reality of the loss, then Penny has to begin the letting go of the deceased. However, if the difficulty is in experiencing the pain, then I would help Penny feel safe enough to feel both the positive and negative aspects of his or her grief. This safety would be built up through the accepting relationship established between myself and Penny. If adjusting to the environment seems to be the hurdle, then problem solving would become the focus of helping Penny to make the needed changes to get back to living. If Penny were unable to engage in relationships and withdraw her emotional energy from Katherine, then I would have to work with her to help release her from the binding attachment to Katherine and to be free to develop new relationships. Often the bereft are afraid to let go of the deceased for fear that the deceased will be forgotten. It may be constructive for me to counsel Penny on how to build new connections to Katherine, new ways to think about her in a more spiritual or ethereal manner. I would also urge social connectedness with others by encouraging and supporting efforts in that direction. In conclusion, every person will experience grief and loss at some stage of their lives. It is the way that this grief and loss is handled by the counsellor that can help the bereft deal with their loss and move past it, incorporating the loss into their lives. An effective counsellor can only do this if they are familiar with the theories of grief and loss. References Beyond the five stages of grief. (2011). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 3. Corr, C. A., & Coolican, M. B. (2010). Understanding bereavement, grief, and mourning: implications for donation and transplant professionals. Progress in Transplantation, 20(2), 169-177. Field, N. P., Gal-Oz, E., & Bonanno, G. A. (2003). Continuing Bonds and Adjustment at 5 Years After the Death of a Spouse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 110-117. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.71.1.110 Hamama-Raz, Y., Hemmendinger, S., & Buchbinder, E. (2010). The Unifying Difference: Dyadic Coping With Spontaneous Abortion Among Religious Jewish Couples. Qualitative Health Research. doi:10.1177/1049732309357054 Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Macmillan. Worden, J. W. (2009). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner. New York, NY: Springer Pub. Co.a

Opinions of Jane Goodall

The work of Jane Goodall has been recognized by many people around the world. Her contributions have been significant in our world today. Although most comments and opinions of her work have been positive, there are also people who oppose what she has done as well. She has studied chimpanzees and their behavior since she was of a young age, giving plenty of time for opinions to form regarding her as a person and her work as well. The positive opinions of Jane Goodall outweigh all the bad ones. Based upon interviews of my colleagues, the comments were all of the positive nature. They believe that Goodall has definitely made a difference in our world. She has helped us discover the theory of evolution and how this could actually be true. She also taught us where humans get some of their behavior based upon those of the chimpanzees. Moreover, people admire her determination and moral standards. She has founded the Jane Goodall Institute and devotes all of her time protecting the chimpanzees and their environment as well as supporting the research at Gombe. She is thought of as a role model because she is devoted to something that she does not have to do, she does her work because she cares and is determined to do what she loves. On the other hand, some primatologists have suggested flaws in Jane Goodall’s methodology which may call into question whether or not her observations are valid. Some say she did not use the right practices, for instance, naming the primates instead of numbering them, to eliminate the chance of having emotional attachment. Also, critics also say she did wrong by using feeding stations to attract the Gombe chimpanzees. It was suggested that the more aggression occurred because of artificial feeding, creating the â€Å"wars† that Goodall talked about. There were not many negative opinions of Goodall as a human being, she was just criticized of her work and the way she went about doing things. Like every person out there, there are people who approve or disapprove of someone and what they do. Jane Goodall made a difference in the way we think about evolution and our behavior. She helped us understand where we could have perhaps gotten some of our attributes and what affects our behavior. The chimpanzees were similar to humans, in the way that they behave and the way they go about in our daily lives. Jane Goodall has given everyone something to think about and continues to so, making amazing contributions even today.

Freezers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Freezers - Essay Example Thus investing in the production of freezers seems to be profitable. However, investing decision needs to be taken with due care. For making a business profitable, the most important thing is to make a right decision about the location of the firm. If a person wants to set up a new business or to expand his/her existing business, it is very important to conduct a rigorous analysis of economic, political, social and technological environments of various areas before selecting any particular area for locating his or her firm. The person should choose the best suitable area for setting up his/her business. This paper analyses the potential of three developing regions for setting up a business of freezers. These three areas are Egypt, Turkey and Dubai. This paper will attempt to analyze economic, political, social and technological conditions of these three regions and find out which out of these three will be best suited for setting up the business. But before moving into an in-depth an alysis of the issue under consideration, it is necessary to provide a brief overview of the business organization that wants to invest in one of these three regions. The business organization is based at New Jersey, USA. It is a freeze manufacturing company and is quite new in this business. It was established only in 2004. Presently it is quite small in its size and belongs to the SME (Small and medium enterprise) sector of the United States. Although it is small in size at present, it has a number of investment plans in order to expand its business in near future. It is a profitable firm and purely concentrates on providing high quality products at reasonable prices. Although it started as a very small firm, its production level has been increasing quite rapidly given the increasing demand for its products. Looking at its growth in the US market, it is hoping that it would be also successful in other countries as well. But, instead of adopting a strategy

Wk4(31)disc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk4(31)disc - Essay Example They also suggest that the furniture in the room should be inviting, which I agree. I think that the office of a therapist should reflect their own personality in some way and that books and paintings on the wall will give the client a "first impression" that will either make them want to stay or leave immediately. Carl Rogers said that listening was the most important skill that a counselor could have and I believe that listening can build instant rapport. Many times people who come to counseling have not been listened to and by listening; the therapist has brought them immediately into the space. Rogers linked listening with empathy, according to Intentional Interviewing and Counseling, and I feel that this does show empathy to the client. When I have been interviewed for anything, a person who listens intently makes me feel as though they understand me and want to get to know me better. This is a skill that I believe makes up a majority of the counseling profession. I think that when the environment matches the counselors attitude and personality that it is easi er for a client to stay focused and be at peace to share what they need to share in the counseling relationship. Although most counselors would want to believe that they do not have biases, I know that we all have them. I think that much of my bias comes from people that I do not know well or who go against my moral code. One of the groups that I have had to learn more about is those who are from the Middle East. Because they have been so much a part of the challenges that we face with the War in Iraq and because they have been accused of being terrorists, it is difficult to work with this client because I am never sure what they are really thinking. I am always hesitant to approach an individual who looks like they are from the Middle East because of this bias. If I felt

Air pollution around the i710(Long Beach) Freeway Term Paper

Air pollution around the i710(Long Beach) Freeway - Term Paper Example Infect, they are not aware of the biggest danger, which is going to affect them in the forth coming years. According to Robert Hotz of the Wall Street Journal, "Congested cities are fast becoming test tubes for scientists studying the impact of traffic fumes on the brain" (Coker para. 1). The experience with air pollution can be associated to brain damage, fretfulness, gloominess, dementia and autism and also probably intensify the threat of Alzheimer's disease and fasten the outcome of Parkinson's disease. The latest report of the public-health management and the laboratory studies suggests that, overexposure to impure air has extensively been connected with asthma and elevated rates of cardiac syndrome, malignancy and respiration problems. The West Long Beach Site:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The west long beach, which is identified as an important gift of nature, is a residence to the main drivers of air pollution in southern California. About 29,000 inhabitants and 8 public schools are operating with more than 9,000 students; they are compressed among the 710 freeway to the east. The Long Beach/Los Angeles port compound, the 103 freeways and main oil plant to the west; the 405 freeway to the north; the port and a main engineering to the south. A major producer of air pollution is the harbor compound, which include ships, trains, and trucks. As the basis for more than 40% of the nation’s import, above forty thousand trucks trips a day are required for the movements of the goods from the docks and terminals. â€Å"Some trucks head for the massive truck-to-train ‘intermodal’ facility adjacent to Westside area schools, where the containers are transferred to trains running north to the rail yards east of Los Angeles. Other trucks make their way to the I-710 and rail corridor, what residents call â€Å"cancer alley,† before hooking into the region’s vast transportation matrix. The research site is highlighted in the map to the rig ht† (Hytrek 5). Air Pollution around the 710 Freeway:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The port of Long Beach are the lone prevalent source of air pollution in southern California leading to increased asthma rates for kids existing in port-adjacent community such as Long Beach, to be approximately twofold as elevated as the rest of the U.S. Pollution associated to the ports and movements of goods in California causes more than 2,500 early deaths per annum and malignancy threat rates up to 20 times superior to central clean air standards. The inhabitants are basically economically backward class. In a current economic study of school absence and ozone stage in Southern California, the researchers identified that $68 million a time can be secured if ozone altitudes in the south Coastal Basins been further minimized, so as to get better with the health matters of the children. Health Impacts of Air Pollution among Children: Air Pollution is found to have an inconsistent effect on inhabit ants near the coastal areas, where they belong to the economically weaker class of the society. Children are identified to have census problem and the regular headache and tiredness are the consequences as the result of the same. Children in those areas are prone to be identified with asthma, and other bronchial infections. The children are also found to have diagnosed with the risk of cancer and the risk of experiencing poisonous air contaminants. Various studies

Exploring Entrepreneurship in Dubai Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Exploring Entrepreneurship in Dubai - Coursework Example The secondary research tool used was the internet. The website of the MOBH group covers all essential aspects of the company background, mission and vision, and future projects. It focuses on all areas of the company and served as a helpful resource. Gulf News and other articles on the group's acquisitions and deals assisted in getting a background on the company. The most important source of primary research was Mr. Mohammed Omar bin Haider, who agreed to a discussion and is the major source of research. The detailed discussion dealt with all the topics that were to be covered in the report as well as most issues faced by him and the corporation. The limitations faced were that the discussion could have been more objective and straightforward and it was difficult to get real problems out on the table. Third party sources and information from and about major customers was difficult to find. Most statements from the entrepreneur were biased or ambiguous. Mohammed Omar Bin Haider Group (MOBH) is a Dubai based corporation run by Mohammed Omar bin Haider. His father Omar Ali bin Haider was the founder of the company in the early 1950s along with his son. He started with a factory for gas production from 1964 to 1971 was the exclusive provider in Dubai. Mohammed Omar bin Haider is the current chairman of the group and is actively involved in its operations, direction and overall strategy. The company’s vision is to be the best at everything. The mission is to be a high growth company and diversify into various sectors.