Answer the following:
1) Watch the video entitled “Crash Course on Psychological Disorders”, located in the Module Learning Activities.
Share with me ONE SPECIFIC NEW FACT that you learned after watching the video which was surprising information to you. At one point in the video, the presenter stated that “Definitions are powerful” when it comes to mental health. What did he mean by this and why would this be an issue of concern in treating mental health issues?
2) Look at the following case scenarios and using the criteria in the textbook, are these people abnormal? Explain your answers in detail. Look at the description of the disorders in the textbook.
a) Harmony is 14 years old. She grew up in a commune in Calif. Her parents felt that she needed to be socialized and decided to put her in a public high school. She is very quiet and also reserved around her new peers. She does not shave her legs, or her armpits, or wear deodorant and this has led to some ridicule. She speaks very slowly and has a limited vocabulary that includes odd, ritualistic ways of speaking that she learned at the commune. She is happy at home, but cries when she is at school and begs her mom to let her stay home. She was happy and content with her life before this change.
b) Jason is in prison for stealing, drug trafficking, and assault & battery on a woman. He has not been able to keep a job because he keeps getting fired due to absences or altercations with other employees. He says he is fine with himself, that everyone else is the problem and does not seem to have any desire to change his ways. He says he will do his time and then get out and continue his life the way he wants to.
c) Nancy is hearing voices and seeing people that no one else can see. She is often seen carrying on conversations with people that are not there. She is content with her life, yet must be taken care of by her elderly mother because she forgets to eat or bathe or clean the house or feed the cat. She has medication but is not compliant with taking it.
d) Tommy had a bad car accident and broke both his legs. He was given Morphine in the hospital and Percocet to take home. Tommy found that when he was taking the medication, the problems that he had with his wife were not so huge. He had his prescription. refilled twice and then began to get pills off the street and from different doctors. In a matter of 6 months, he was taking 80 mg. of Oxycontin per day. He began to worry and tried to stop but was in so much pain that he couldn’t. He still works, has had no problems at work or at home as long as he has his medicine.
e) Whenever Jordan has to give a speech at work, she begins to sweat and her heart pounds and she feels dizzy to the point where she has to sit down. She often feels the same way when she is in Publix or driving in the car. There are times when she feels as if the person in the other car next to her is staring at her and thinking that she is ugly. Jordan has not told anyone about this and she has been able to carry on with her life without anyone knowing, but it is tearing her up inside. Sometimes on the way to work she imagines having a car wreck, just so she wouldn’t have to go. Last week she had to pull over because her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding, she felt nauseous and thought that she was going to go crazy.
f) Clarissa was only four years old when she witnessed her father kill her mother in a domestic violence dispute. There was also allegations that the father had physically abused Clarissa and she was finally taken away from him when she told a neighbor (in a very childish voice) that one of her dad’s friends “put something inside her”. She was in foster care for the next year until she turned 18 and then went away to college. She was very quiet, but stayed to herself, never causing problems, but seeming very happy either. When she was in the freshman year at college her roommate began to notice that she would often forget where she was or not know what day it was. She said she suffered from horrible nightmares and that Clarissa would often wake up and ask her for the date and the town they were in. The final straw came when Clarissa referred to herself as Donna and became angry and aggressive.
2) Now look at these cases again and tell me what you think may have caused this problem. (Look at the textbook on pages 543-544 and choose one of the three factors). Explain your answers in detail.
3) What is learned helplessness? Give me a real life example of how this may look. NOT AN EXAMPLE FROM THE TEXT.
Description
Discussion topic, Psychological Disorders.
In the attachments are files related to the DIRECTIONS, Assignment questions, and supporting references.
Crash Course on Psychological Disorders Video
