Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) Essay

Up dates on the mental disorder panic disorder with agoraphobie (PDA) - Essay Example HelpGuide (2006) identifies the general treatments as â€Å"cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of the two†. Little is known on the recent developments on the study of these existing treatments. This paper then will attempt to evaluate some recent studies or new investigations that researchers have come up with to gain knowledge on the nature of PDA and its treatments. National Institute of Mental Health says that there are approximately 2.4 million of American adults having panic disorder within the age group of 18 to 54 years. Which is â€Å"about 1.7 percent of people in this age group† and about one third of this population have agoraphobia (as cited in Helpguide, 2006). Symptoms of this disorder feature physical symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, nausea or abdominal distress that are brought on by incidents that bring intense fear of being alone, dying and losing control in a public place. People with this particular panic disorder try to avoid or endure circumstances which they know they are not at eased with. Another indication is that they tend to become bound to their houses for long periods of time. Like other mental disorders, it is associated with many possible factors but the accurate cause of this disorder is yet to be known. One reason could be that physical symptoms of the anxiety attack of a panic d isorder with agoraphobia coincide with symptoms of other medical conditions. Treatment of PDA usually comes with cognitive-behavior therapies like exposure therapy. It is a very effective way of treating the disorder because first and foremost it makes the patient understand and accept the nature of his situation. In a study done by Asbahr, De Araujo, De Barros-Neto, Ito, Marks, & Tess (2001), self exposure to interoceptive or internal phobia cues were studied in comparison to self exposure to external phobia cues. This study was conducted because exposure therapy to external

Will Machines Replace The Human Race Research Paper

Will Machines Replace The Human Race - Research Paper Example The widespread phenomenon, however, provides a biased and one sided view. This paper aims to rebut this conception about human vs. robots debate. Waters and Waters (1995 p. 86) provides that the wide use of robots and machines in the modern environment may lead to massive amounts of unemployment. The computers, other machines and robots are able to tackle most of the tasks that were traditionally performed by human beings. This replacement of human tasks has reduced the need of labor force in the work environment. However, the complete replacement of human beings with robots or any kind of machinery is impossible to achieve. If we assume or take the position of people who presume robots as a replacement of human power and need for the organizations and other areas of life, it is quite obvious that robots are not able to perform every task which they are directed to perform. The main distinction between a human being and a robot is the ability to think, evaluate and form judgments on those thoughts and feelings. Human beings perform a task keeping their thoughts, views and personal likes influencing them. The Robots, however, perform the task in the exact manner that they are programmed to do so (Kids can press 2008 p. 37). Robots lack thinking and critical viewing which are essential for human beings in order to face, tackle and go through every situation in their lives (Shelly et al., 2010 pp. 209-216). Machines are man-made. The simple phenomenon which rejects any power or force given to the machines over humans is the reliance of machines on human beings for their performance, existence and instructions. The machines and robots are human made and they are incapable of performing any task which is out of their programming. A human, on the other hand, has the ability to perform every task assigned to them. They have the power to think, plan and perform the tasks assigned to them. Human beings are not reliant on any kind of programming to perform the entirely d ifferent tasks. They can perform home chores as well as the business activities which are totally different things yet they do not require any new programming or alteration in their regular mechanisms unlike machines. Machines and robots are entirely dependent on how human beings program and use them. They have a unlimited number of tasks which they can perform with new programs installed in them by the human beings. They can perform life-risking tasks which human beings cannot since robots are not living things. They are machine-based human figures (McMeans 2010, pp. 185-187). The media plays an important role in setting up views and altering the perceptions of human beings. The movies and shows which promote the view of robots and machines overrunning the human race are merely exaggerating the idea and use of machines. The concept of technologies and their use is not truly exposed in the movies and shows which recently portray how machines and robots may rule over human beings (Sc alzi 2005). The machines and technological advancements may be of less importance or benefit for one group but the group which is benefitting from them is much larger. The machines are promoted, developed and used by human beings. They have the power to create and destroy them, however, the extreme integration of machines in our lives leaves no space for us to eliminate the use of machines. The robots are developed to perform a particular task in any field. The robots are used in the households to help the mothers and other family members in the routine work. Robots are also used for commercial purposes like in the businesses in packing, data saving or any other field. The use of robots in battle fields is also common (Safford 1978). Robots are used in aircrafts in wars to keep the

Road Accidents Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Road Accidents Malaysia Essay Nowadays, road accidents are very common in Malaysia. Everyday we read newspaper we also can saw many news about there are many peoples involved in the road accidents. First of all, what is means by road accidents? Road accidents are means that when some automobile crash together or the vehicle crash on the side of the road or the peoples at the road. According to the sources from Royal Malaysian Police (n.d), there is a statistic mentioning the number of the road accidents from the year 1998 until the year 2006. I realize that the total numbers of road accidents happen in each year of the year 1998 until year 2006 are reach six digit of number. This is huge and terrible numbers, and from the statistic it also stated that five to six thousands peoples dead in a year because of involved in the road accidents. On the other hand, it also means that, every year there is five to six thousands peoples losing of their love member such as, love partner, family members and so on. The number of road accidents is also increased from the year 1998 until the year 2006. The number of road accidents is increased from three hundred thousand until five hundred thousand. There are many types of vehicle on the road, such as motorcycle, bus, car, taxi and goods vehicle. According to the statistic from the Royal Malaysian Police (n.d), it claims that, car is like the water in a human body, it stand 75% to 80% out of all types of vehicle which carried the number two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand out of the total road accident happen in the year 1998 until 2006. As we know that, Malaysia is a multinational country, there are many different types of religion in Malaysia. All different types of religion will celebrate their own festival such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Years, Happy Deepavali and so on. Almost all Malaysian will go back to the hometown for the celebration. During the season of the festival, road accident will happen more often compare to the normal day. According to LegalMatch (n.d), they believe that, there are several causes of road accident such as, the behavior of driver, mechanical failure, road conditions and also weather. We as a Malaysian we need to reduce the number of road accident by some solutions and it will be discuss more detail in the following paragraph. Lets discuss about the first categorize of road accidents which is because of the driver behavior. According to LegalMatch (n.d), they agree that driver behavior is one of the causes of road  accident, and they also claim that there are 98% of road accidents happen because of the distracted driver. There are many types of driver behavior that will cause road accident and most of the driver would not realize that those actions are dangerous while driving. The first types of driver behavior that will cause road accidents are on phone while driving. Mobile phone now is very advanced in technologies even can watch television programs by online. Some of the drivers use this kind of technologies while they are driving. As we know that we just have a pair of eyes and we cannot watch the road and the phone on the same time. On this situation we will lack of concentration and it will cause us involve in the road accident. Beside that, some driver also use the mobile phone to sending Short Messages Services and on call whiles they driving. The second types of driver behavior are the driver adjusting the radio or the CD player while they driving. After we finish heard the CD we will change another CD for some different songs. Lets imagines if the car in on drive and the driver are trying to find for the other CD from the dashboard, this is will cause some of the moment the driver will not notice the conditions of the front road and this will cause the accident occur. There are also high possible chances of accidents will happen if we are trying to adjust the radio tunnel when we are driving. The third types of driver behavior are drunk driving. According to the articles by Alcohol Problems and Solutions (n.d) they insist that a driver with high blood alcohol content (BAC) has the higher risk will involve in car accidents. This is because when a person with high BAC will affect the person coordination and this have been proved by Alcohol Problems and Solutions (n.d). There is an experiment show that, a person is trying to write such words â€Å"Drinking doesnt affect my driving† before drunk and after drunk. The result show that, the person after drunk will write the words more blur and unallocated. On the other hand, it also means that if we are drunk driving we will drive in the blur condition, and it will cause road accident. Rubbernecking and tailgating also the causes of road accidents. First of all, what is means by rubbernecking? According to LegalMatch (n.d) they claim that, rubbernecking is the driver slow down their cars watching what is going on because of their curiosity and tailgating is means by the driv er are follow the front car with a very close distance. When on the highway there is an accidents happen, some of the people will because of  curios slow down their cars to watch what was happen, but if there are a person on tailgating the accidents will happen. This is because if there is highway all people are driving with speed and the situation is tailgating. Thus the person will unable to break their car immediately and the tailgating car will crash on the rubbernecking car. Mechanical failure is consider a category that will cause road accidents. When we talk about car, ask yourself do you service your car at the fixed particular of period. Do you even service your car? We cannot simply look down on the car maintenance. This is because some of the error will happen if we do not service our car and it will cause the road accidents. One of the errors is the lack of breaking system, when we do not service our car we do not know whether our break pad is still in a good condition. If the break pad is not in a good conditions it will ca use break failure. Which is also means that, we cannot stop our car when we on driving. This is very dangerous and will cause the road accidents. Beside that, car wipers out of function also make the road accident occur. Imagine that, when we drive on the road and suddenly heavy rain until we cannot look clear at the front of the road. In such situation if the car wipers out of functions we cannot even drive anymore which it also means that we need to stop down our car immediately. It will cause the following car crash on our car because of the heavy rain hard to control the car speed and handling the emergency stop situation that need to face. Tires are also one of the important parts of a car. Without tires the car cannot move, it also bring other means that, if a car suddenly face tires blow up the car will lost of control because of without the tires car cannot be move. When we lost of control it might cause us crash on the side of the road, even there is possible we will crash with other cars on t he road. Beside that, the road conditions also under the road accidents categorize. Oily road is one of the road conditions will cause road accidents. This is because if the road is oily we will easily lost of control because of the tires cannot move in a normal condition when face the oil on the road and will get in drift. Accident will be happen when the car lost of control. Hole on the road also will cause road accident. By the way, why the road will have hole? This is because the roads are long time ago and less of maintenance from government or even if the place is under construction the area of the road also will have many holes because of  construction lorry often use the road. Why do hole on the road will cause road accidents? Lets imagines when we using the road at the night and the road are lack of road light. Such road will cause the motorcycle easy get in the hole and injury because of motorcycle is lack of brightness looks clear the conditions of the road. Nowadays as we can se e that rubbish is everyway on the road. Lets seek for the truth, ask yourself do you throw rubbish on the road before? Just assume that a Malaysian just throw one rubbish on the road the road will full of rubbish. Accident will occur when the road is much rubbish. This is because when we using the road we will try to avoid the rubbish. In addition, if we do not notice the car from our back or side we might crash with them when we are trying to avoid the rubbish. The last categorize of road accident is because of the weather. Weather is a significant point that we need to view before we are going out to any place. In Malaysia there are only two types of weather which is raining season and muggy day. Raining season will cause us hard to looks in front of the road if there the rain is over heavy. When there is an over heavy rain it will make us hard to estimate the distance between our cars with the car in front of us. Even the road condition we also cannot estimate because of over heavy rain. This will cause the possibility of happen accidents getting high. Muggy day is also as a killer sometimes. This is because when we are driving in the muggy day, we will easily get to asleep because the light sharp into our eyes and the situation in the car is very comfortable because of the cool from air condition. When we fall asleep, we will easily get in to accidents because we do not know that we are driving to where and will cause us crash on the side of the road or crash with other cars on the road. We as a Malaysian we need to reduce the number of road accidents. We cannot let the number of road accident increase anymore. First of all, we need to do best on our own responsibility. There are some solutions to reduce the number of road accidents. â€Å"Car maintenance† is one of the solutions. We need to ensure our car is being service on the fixed particular period. This is for check out whether our car is still on safe conditions for us to drive or there is any mechanical failures occur such as break failure, tires, wipers, and so on. Beside that, â€Å"rest† it is also a very significant rule that we need to be prepare before we drive. We need to ensure that we have enough sleep before we are drive. This is to make sure that when the muggy day we  not easily get to asleep. Furthermore, with enough rest we can be more patient, put more effort to control our emotion and pay more attention while drive. Everyday before we go out we need to read the news of weather forecast. We need to ensure that the day is good weather and would not have any storming rain, if there are storming rain try to avoid go out. Mobile phone and cigarette should keep away while on driving. Try to avoid using mobile phone sending short message services and do not smoke while driving. As we know that, god just created a pair of hand for us to live in this world. If we use a hand to smoke or using mobile phone we would not have enough hand to control the steering while we take U-turn. The last matter we need to do prevention is not involved in drunk driving. Drunk driving is very dangerous we need to remember that, there is always some significant person in our life waiting for us to go back home with safety. Moreover, according to Nordin (n.d), he claims that government also takes lot actions to reduce the numbers of road accidents. The most popular actions known as â€Å"OPS Sikap†, this actions is take by government when there is festival season and the durations of this actions is fifteen day period during the main festival such as Chinese New Years and so on. This action is taking by the government for stop the people over speed when driving back to the hometown. If there is any person over speed limits driving will get summons from the policeman and the payments of the summons is higher compare to the normal day. Government also provides road maintenance such as patching the hole on the road to ensure the road is safety to use. Beside that, government also plan to build more street light on the road, this is to ensure the road are enough lightning and all people can be more safety to use the road. In addition, government also plan to build more pedestrian crossing to ensure all people can cross the road without taking the risk being crash by a car on the road. In the media side, government try to advertise some slogan to alert all people more careful when using the road such as, â€Å"Do not make the red colour become yours last view†, â€Å"Ensure your helmet are wearing properly†, â€Å"Make sure you have giving direction signal before you take a turn† and so on. As a conclusion, there are a lot causes of road accidents but the main causes of road accidents occur is because of driver behavior. I think moral are play a very significant role in our life, it teach us how to love other person and ourselves but before we love other  person we need to learn how to love ourselves and appreciate the life that have been given by god for us. We as a driver, we need to responsibility for what we have done, cannot done some actions that might cause accident occur or injury other person such as, on phone while driving, drunk driving and so on. Those actions are really dangerous if we do it when we are drive because we cannot control the car well with doing such actions. Remember that, our family member are always worried about us and carried about us. There is no peoples are wishing to involve in a road accidents, it is really a tragedy it make a lot of people lost of their family member. Beside that, all Malaysian should be cooperating to reduce the number of road accidents and our slogan â€Å"Malaysia Boleh†. REFERENCES Abdul Rahman, N, Road safety situation in Malaysia n.d. Retrieved: November 13, 2007, From:http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/Meetings/TIS/EGM%20Presentations/Malaysia_RSpresentation.pdf Common causes of car accidents lawyers n.d. Retrieved: November 12, 2007, From: http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/common-causes-of-car-accidents.html Royal Malaysian Police, Table 1.10 n.d. Retrieved: November 13, 2007, From: http://www.mot.gov.my/BM/stat/darat/JADUAL%201.10.pdf Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/road-accidents-malaysia.php#ixzz2GpUaznOM

Definition And History Of Foster Care Social Work Essay

Definition And History Of Foster Care Social Work Essay New World Enclopedia (2012) defines foster care as full-time substitute care of children outside their own home by people other than their biological or adoptive parents or legal guardians.] History of foster care Placement of children in foster homes is a concept which goes as far back as the Old Testament, which refers to caring for dependent children as a duty under law. Early Christian church records indicate orphaned children lived with widows who were paid by the church. English Poor Laws in the 1500s allowed the placement of poor children into indentured service until they became adults. This practice was imported to the United States and was the beginning of placing children into foster homes. [1] The most significant record of fostering was in 1853, a child was removed from a workhouse in Cheshire and placed in a foster family under the legal care of the local government.At the beginning of the 1900s only orphaned or abandoned children under the age of 11 years were fostered, and they had to have a demanding psychological profile well adjusted, obedient and physically normal. Until World War II, foster care was recognized as a charitable service. Two important events that pushed the state to look at the foster care system in a different angle was the first mass evacuation of millions of children and then the death of a child in a foster care in 1945. In 1969 research was carried out on the foster care system and it was found that foster families required training on how to deal with the foster children and make them fill secure in the placement. (Jeune Guishard-Pine, 2007) Foster care as a global concept Foster care is probably the most widely practised form of substitute care for children world-wide, depending on the needs of the child, the culture and the system in place. There are many different kinds of fostering and definitions of foster care vary internationally. It can be short -term, a matter of days ,or a child whole childhood. A review of foster care in Twenty-two countries found considerable diversity in the way of fostering in both defined and practised.(Hannah Johnson, 2005).Kinship foster care ,which is the most common form of fostering in African countries is not defined as foster care in all countries. In Ireland for example only children placed with no relatives are said to be fostered. In some countries foster care is seen only as a temporary arrangement ,whereas in others the norms is for long term and quasi adoptive placement.(Colton William ,1995) Hannah Johnson (2005) stated that the process to be registered as foster parents in different countries such as U.K , Australia, Uganda and South Africa is practically the same. In some countries foster care programme is managed either by the government or agency, and each country has their basic criteria that need to be fulfilled ,such as being physically and mentally fit and healthy, having a room for the child ,having time to spend with the child .The process to be registered as foster families can take approximately six months. Individuals who are willing to become foster families must make their applications to the agency. A home study is conducted by a social worker to assess the capability of the applicants for taking care of a child. The assessment form is then forwarded to the final panel who will decide whether the applicants are fit to become foster carers. Placement in Foster care According to zuravin Deponfilis (1997) children are removed from their homes to protect them from immediate abuses. In many situations, these children have suffered physical, sexual abuse, or neglect at home, and therefore they are placed in a safe environment. A small percentage of children are in foster care because their parents feel unable to control them, and their behaviour may have led to delinquency or fear of harm to others. Some children have been neglected by their parents or legal guardians, or have parents or legal guardians who are unable to take care of them because of substance abuse, incarceration, or mental health problems. These children are then placed into foster care until the parents or guardians are capable of looking after them.[1] In all foster care cases, the childs biological or adoptive parents, or other legal guardians, temporarily give up legal custody of the child. (The guardian gives up custody, but not necessarily legal guardianship.) A child may be placed in foster care with the parents consent. In a clear case of abuse or neglect, a court can order a child into foster care without the parents or guardians consent. Before any placement the foster care family is screened by the Government or agency through a psychologist or social worker that assess the foster care families under certain criteria such as emotional stability, motivation, parental skills and financial capabilities.[2] The government provides foster families with an allocation taking in foster children. They are required to use the funds to buy the childs food, clothing, school supplies, and other incidentals. Most of the foster parents responsibilities toward the foster child are clearly defined in a legal contract. Foster placements may last for a single day or several weeks; some continue for years. If the parents give up their rights permanently, or their rights to their child are severed by the court, the foster family may adopt the foster child or the child may be placed for adoption by strangers.[3] The Aim of Foster Care System According to Hayden (1999), the aim of foster care system is to protect and endorse the security of the child, while providing foster parents and biological parents with the sufficient resources and available services needed to maintain the childs healthy development. Foster care environments are proposed to be places of safety and comfort, and are monitored by several welfare agencies, representatives, and caseworkers. Personal caseworkers assigned to a foster child by the state or county are accountable for supervising the placement of the child into an appropriate foster care system or home. The caseworker also carries out regular visits to the foster care family home to monitor progress. Other agents involved in a childs placement into foster care may include private service providers, welfare agencies, insurance agents, psychologists, and substance abuse counselors. Types of Foster Care Parents may voluntarily place children into foster care for various reasons. Such foster placements are monitored until the biological family can provide appropriate care for the child, or the biological parental rights are terminated and the child is adopted. A third option, known as guardianship, is sometimes utilized in certain cases where a child cannot be reunified with their birth family and adoption is not a suitable solution. This generally includes some older foster children who may be strongly bonded to their family of origin and unwilling to pursue adoption. Voluntary foster care may be utilized in circumstances where a parent is unable or unwilling to care for a child; a child may have behavioural or psychological problems requiring specialized treatment, or the parent might have a problem which results in a temporary or permanent inability to care for the child. Involuntary foster care is implemented when a child is removed from their caregiver for his or her own personal safety. A foster parent receives monetary reimbursement from the placement agency for each foster child while the child is in his or her home to help cover the cost of meeting the childs needs (Dorsey et al 2008) stated that in many countries ,most of the children enter the foster care system due to neglect. Children may join the foster care system via Voluntary or involuntary means. Voluntary placement may happen when the biological parents are facing difficulties to take care of the child. Involuntary placement occurs when the child is being at risk under the care of the biological parents. Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System recorded , different types of fostering such as: (i) Foster family home, relative A licensed or unlicensed home of the childs relatives regarded by the state as a foster care living arrangement for the child. (ii) Foster family home, non-relative A licensed foster family home regarded by the state as a foster care living arrangement. (iii)Group home or Institution A group home is a licensed or approved home providing 24-hour care for children in a small group setting that generally has from 7 to twelve children. An Institution is a facility operated by a public or private agency and providing 24-hour care and/or treatment for children who require separation from their own homes and group living experience. These facilities may include child care institutions, residential treatment facilities, or maternity homes. Problems in Foster Care System [1]Foster children face a number of problems both within and outside the foster care system. Foster children are more vulnerable to neglect, abuse, family dysfunction, poverty, and severe psychological conditions. The trauma caused to a child when removed from their home is also severe and may cause depression, anger, and confusion. Studies have shown that psychological conditions of abused and neglected children are required to improve when placed in foster care, however the separation from their biological parents causing traumatic effect on the child. Children with histories of maltreatment, such as physical and psychological neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse, are often at risk of developing severe psychiatric problems and may be described as experiencing trauma-attachment problems. The trauma experienced may be the result of abuse or neglect, inflicted by a primary caregiver, which disrupts the normal development of secure attachment. Associated Problems with Foster Care Child In long term the foster care children suffer from psychological, cognitive and epigenetic effects. The Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study on foster care children showed that foster care children, were found to have double the incidence of depression, and were found to have a higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than combat veterans. Tarren-Sweeny (2010) reported that Children in foster care have a higher probability of having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and deficits in executive functioning, anxiety as well as other developmental problems. Neurodevelopmental Disorder A neurodevelopmental disorder is an impairment of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system. It refers to a brain disorder of brain function that affects emotion,learning ability and memory and that unfolds as the individual grows. Most foster care children are placed in foster care families at a very young age which is a critical period for the children as the development of mental and psychological processes occur during early childhood. According to kristen Rollins, the human brain does not develop fully until the age of 25, and one of the most critical periods of brain development occurs in the first 3-4 years. Therefore, the human brain is influenced by negative environmental factors such as emotional neglect, poor nutrition and exposure to violence in the home and any type of abuses. The study by McCrory E et al ( 2010) states that the negative environmental factors influences all areas of neurodevelopment: neurogenesis (creation of new neurons), apoptosis (death and reabsorption of neurons), migration (of neurons to different regions of the brain), synaptogenesis (creation of synapses), synaptic sculpturing (determining the make-up of the synapse), arborization (the growth of dendritic connections, myelinzation (protective covering of neurons), and an enlargement of the brains ventricles, which can cause cortical atrophy including decreased activity of the prefrontal cortex. Harden BJ (2004) reports that Foster children have elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone in comparison to children raised by their biological parents. Elevated cortisol levels can decrease the immune system. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) According to Dubber (1999) 60% of children in foster care who were sexually abused had post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD). 18% of children who were not abused faced PTSD just by witnessing violence at home. These children then suffer from intrusive memories, flashbacks, avoidance, and psychological and physiological reactivity. Eating Disorders Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individuals physical and mental health. Hudson, JI; Hiripi, E; Pope Jr, HG; Kessler, RC (2007). According to Hadfield Sc (2008), Obesity in all age groups of children has become an increasing concern in recent years. Children in foster care are more prone to become overweight and obese, and in a study done in the United Kingdom, 35% of foster children experienced an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) once in care. The children also suffer from Food Maintenance Syndrome which is a pattern of excessive eating and food acquisition and maintenance behaviour without concurrent obsesity. The syndrome is said to be caused by stress and maltreatment of foster care children. Tarren-Sweeney (2006) study states that children in foster care also suffer from Food Maintenance Syndrome which is characterized by a set of aberrant eating behaviors of children in foster care. It is a pattern of excessive eating and food acquisition and maintenance behaviors without concurrent obesity; it resembles the behavioral correlates of Hyperphagic Short Stature. It is hypothesised that this syndrome is triggered by the stress and maltreatment foster children are subjected to. Northwest Foster Care Alumini study (2011) reports that Bulimina Nervosa is seven times more prevalent among former foster children than in general population. Epigenetic effects of environment According to Weaver (2004) negative environmental influences, such as maternal deprivation, child abuse and stress have a profound effect on gene expression, including transgenerational epigenetic effects in which physiological and behavioral (intellectual) transfer of information across generations-not-yet-conceived is effected. Neighh GN et al (2009) states that the effects of abuse may be extended beyond the immediate victim into subsequent generations as a consequence of epigenetic effects transmitted directly to offspring. Suicide -Death Rate Charles (1991) states Children in foster care families are at a greater risk of suicide. Children from foster care families as compared to general population have a risk ratio of suicidal attempts of four to five time greater. A study conducted in Finland have indicated that children in foster care have a higher mortality rate compared to the general population due to incidence of acute and chronic medical conditions and developmental delays.(Kalland M,2001) Academic Prospects According to Neild Ruth et al (2006) foster care children tend to underachieve academically with many never completing high school. The children have low concentration in class and perform poorly in exams. Very few children attempt University and obtain a degree. Barriers in foster care System Timing in Placement Children are more prone to experience insecurity in the foster home during the initial phase of placement, especially in the first six to seven months.(Mary Bruce Webb et al, (2010) Peter J Pecora, James K. Whittaker et al,(2010 )suggest that older children experience placement Stability during the initial phase compared to infants. In order to decrease the chances for placement disruption which children normally experience during the initial phase of placement, it is recommended that children develop trust and not feel lost in the system. Characteristics of the Home (Berridge Cleaver, 1987) stated that children have difficulty to adapt in foster home when they are placed with other children who are roughly the same age or if they are placed in foster homes where the foster parents have children of their own. Foster Children placed with other children may feel insecure and start competing for affection and materialistic objects eventually this leads to conflicts in the foster care family. Childrens mental and behavioral health According to J.Gavin Bremner Theodore D.Wachs (2010), Child behaviour problems is among the frequent reason that foster parents request the removal of a child in their care. Children over the age of four (4) are more prone to experience placement instability due to behavioural problems. (Strijker, Zandberg, van der Meulen, 2002) Foster Parent Characteristics Training and support for foster parents are of a paramount importance to avoid children experience disruption in their foster homeFoster parents who have bigger support system such as extended family are more possible to provide a secure placement for the child. .(Walsh Walsh 1990;Redding et al 2000). Furthermore, foster parents who seize suitable hope and understand causes and reason for a childs behaviour is predictive of placement stability.(Butler Charles 1999) Counselling in the Foster Care System Definition of counselling Counselling often described as talking therapy, is a process aimed at providing clients with the time and space to explore their problems, understand their problems, and resolve , or come to terms with their problems, in a confidential setting. The Royal College(2006 a) defines counselling simply as a type of psychotherapy which helps people address and resolve their problems and work through their feelings.(Jan Sutton William stewart ,2008) Counselling involves the development of a relationship between the client and a trained professional that focuses on the clients concerns and difficulties . it is a process in which individuals have the opportunity to improve upon their understanding of themselves ,including their patterns of thoughts ,behaviours ,feelings and the ways in which these may have been problematic in their lives. Counselling is a collaborative effort as it involves the client and the counsellor working together to identify goals. Throughout the counselling process the client is encouraged ,supported and empowered to look at himself/herself from a different perspective . The aim is not only to help the client cope with a current issue of crisis ,but to do so in a way that produces learning for the future ,so that the client can feel more in charge of his/her life.(M.Ravi 2008) 3.4.1 Foster Child Counselling Williams (1994) ,Children in foster care have often suffered abuse, neglect or maltreatment. Trauma will affect children in different ways, depending on age, family support, developmental level and basic temperament. The objective of child counselling (taken from Children and Trauma) include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The safe release of feeling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Relief from symptoms and post traumatic behaviors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Recovery of a sense of mastery and control in life à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Correction of misunderstanding and self blame à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Restoration of a sense of trust in oneself and the future à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Minimizing the scars of trauma à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Development of specific skills or coping tools The Therapy is meant to be a process to work through trauma and help a child understand what has happened to him/her. It also aims to help a child function better in the world around him /her. 3.4.2 Foster Family Counselling (Fernandez Elizabeth, 2010) Therapy does not change family dynamics. Placing a child in therapy will help the child but will not fix the problems in the family. Family counselling offers a better chance at successful family reunification. Nevertheless, steps need to be taken to provide assistance to the child and foster family who are in need of counselling. Thus, counsellors and therapists need to construct a relationship based on mutual trust for the counselling process to begin. According to Silva (1991), to establish therapeutic mutual trust, there need to be the following requirements: Accurate Empathy: The therapist conveys his or her understanding of the childs background and experience; Genuineness: The therapist is as spontaneous, tactful, flexible, and non-defensive as possible; Availability: The therapist is accessible and available (within reason) when needed, and avoids making promises and commitments he or she cannot realistically keep; Respect: This is both gracious and firm, and acknowledges the childs sense of autonomy, control, and responsibility within the therapeutic relationship. Respect is manifested by the therapists general attitude, as well as by certain specific actions Concreteness: Therapy should, at least initially be goal-oriented and have a problem-solving focus. Foster parents are into action and results, and to the extent that it is clinically realistic, the therapeutic approach should emphasise active, problem-solving approaches before tackling more sensitive and complex psychological issues. Counselling Strategies and Techniques Blau (1994) recommends that the first meeting between the therapist and the child establish a safe and comfortable working atmosphere by the therapists articulating : a positive endorsement of the foster parents decision to seek help; a clear description of the therapists responsibilities and limitations with respect to confidentiality and privilege; and Blau (1994) also delineates a number of effective intervention strategies for foster children including the following: Attentive Listening: This includes good eye contact, appropriate body language, and genuine interest, without inappropriate comment or interruption. Empathy: This therapeutic attitude conveys availability, concern, and awareness of the turbulent emotions being experienced by the traumatised children. Reassurance: In acute bahvioural situations, this should take the form of realistically reassuring the child that matters will be taken care of. Supportive Counselling: This includes effective listening, restatement of content, clarification of feelings, and reassurance. In appropriate cases, this therapeutic strategy can stimulate the officer to explore underlying emotional stresses that intensify a naturally stressful traumatic event. In a few cases, this may lead to ongoing psychotherapy (Miller, 2006).

Ken Keseys One Flew Over The Cukoos Nest and the Movie Essay -- Film

Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cukoos Nest and the Movie The film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, produced by Milos Forman, contains many similarities to the novel, however the differences are numerous to the extent that the story, written by Ken Kesey, is overlooked by anyone who only saw the film. Ken Kesey wrote the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, after experimenting with drugs and working on a psychiatric ward in 1960 and the novel was published in 1962. â€Å"Kesey became a night attendant on the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital psychiatric ward so that he could concentrate on his writing.† (Magill 1528) Kesey’s rebellious novel explores the world of mental patients struggling against authority and society through incredible imagery. He was able to describe this struggle because of his personal experiences. Kesey was â€Å"disturbed by the dehumanizing treatment of the patients† (Beetz 3089-3090), so he decided to write this novel about them. In his surrealistic life’s work, Ke n Kesey has managed to capture both the gloomy asylum atmosphere and the mental patients’ demented attitudes. Kesey’s novel proclaims a classic struggle between good and evil or the hero and the villain. This contemporary classic was brought to life through the film version in 1975 and is considered â€Å"one of the greatest American films of all time† (Dirks 1). It was the first film to receive all the major Oscar awards. These included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. The same name as the novel was chosen so that it would appeal to contemporary audiences, which proved to be a big hit at the box office. â€Å"Its allegorical theme is set in the world of an authentic mental hospital, a place of rebellion by a wise-guy hero against institutional authority and attitudes.† (Dirks 1) The initial difference between the novel and the film is the main character. In the novel, the story is told through the eyes of the narrator, Chief Bromden. Chief Bromden is the main character and â€Å"the most fully developed character in the novel.† (Beetz 3089) The Chief is a supposedly deaf-mute, half-breed Indian who is a very large and powerful man. He is a paranoid-schizophrenic who has been a Chronic patient on the ward for fifteen years. He is known as â€Å"Chief Broom,† because he is constantly pushing a broom around the ward. From the beginning, the reader... ...o is stripped of his dignity, significance, and freedom.† (Magill 1531) The theme leads a person through a whole different world. A world where paranoia runs wild and chaos is second in command only to Nurse Ratched, or society and how powerful a single authority can be. Chapter by chapter and scene by scene, the plot unravels, separating truth and insanity to reveal an amazing war of the mind. The power of strict, systematic control, verses the power of rebellion is a strong issue of the 1960’s and this issue works well as the theme for the novel and film. A powerful story is told where everyone’s individualism is essential to life. A person must meet life on its own terms or lose their individuality, dignity, and freedom. Even though McMurphy died, his legend lives on. An individual can find criticism with the â€Å"nest† or psychiatric hospitals or an individual can see how all of us are trapped in a restrictive and maddening "nest† of our own making. Although there are similarities and differences between the novel and film, it is an enjoyable version of strange human interaction with a battle against authority. The story is universal and it can be found in all aspects of life.

Creature or Monster? How does Shelleys presentation of the Creature Es

Creature or Monster? How does Shelley's presentation of the Creature and Frankenstein create sympathy or horror at different stages of the novel? Who is the real monster? The novel "Frankenstein" was written by Mary Shelley as a teenager during the 19th century. It was set in Germany in the 18th century, as this was a time of exploration and discovery with scientists and astrologists challenging the accepted order of things and breaking through new boundaries with their discoveries. Many were beginning to question the existence of God, the creator of life and the universe, too. This was in keeping with Shelley's novel because it is a story about a young man who discovered the secret of life, which is the equivalent of doing what only God can do, how to create it and the problems his discovery led to. This man was called Viktor Frankenstein. He came from a wealthy family who were both loving and supportive. He falls in love with Elizabeth, his adopted sister, and all is well until his mother dies of Scarlet Fever. This tears him apart as they were very close and influences him and his future greatly. He determines to become a doctor to find the secret of life so no one need ever die again. This leads him to Ingolstadt University where he is further influenced when he finds out that one of the professors there has also experimented with creating life. He uncovers the truth and ignoring all warnings, begins making his creature from the parts of dead bodies. His unhealthy obsession leads him to neglect his family, friends and studies while he works day and night in a hidden attic. It is this unnatural obsession that gives the novel its first spark of horror. Frankenstein is shocked, horrified and disgus... ...r, he was kind and caring and compassionate just like any other human being, and due to his loneliness and grief he became something that he deeply despises. It is this tremendous guilt that leads him to die with his creator. As he says, "Polluted by crimes and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death?" He knows that Frankenstein should never have created him and decides it would be best for everybody, including himself if he no longer lives. I don't think either Frankenstein or his creature were monsters. I just think that Frankenstein was a misguided man who made a tragic mistake, albeit a large one to which he had to accept the consequences. The creature was also misguided, his treatment from others led to him becoming a monster but he realized this and did the right thing in the end, showing that he was just misunderstood.

Pampered Child Book Review

Mamen also identifies he â€Å"symptoms† of the pampered child that mimic those of genuine emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric disorders and explains the dangers of misdiagnosis. While reading this book many things were brought to my attention, it connected to many related topics that were discussed in my child development course. Some topics that were related were; how to care and nurture children, disorders in children, and mainly how to control children's emotions.In my child development course my professor made it very clear to us that when caring for a child â€Å"parenting† is a very important factor in a child's life. It has also been suggested that parents most definitely matter. â€Å"In fact we are the most powerful instruments of change in a family. † There was only a small section the book where it talks about parenting. Which I thought was a little downfall for parents reading this book. There is a bigger section in the book about disorders. In my child development course we took quite a decent time going over several disorders.One specific disorder that was mention in the book was anxiety. When reading over this section of the book I was very connected to what I have learned in my course about anxiety. In the book, Mamen entions that there are three compents to anxiety which include; physiological which deals with your autonomic nervous system, cognitive which is through yours thoughts and behavioral which is related to avoidance. When looking back to my notes from class these 3 components are also mentioned.Mamen also talks about different types of anxiety, which was also talked about in my course. Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety are very common in infants and toddlers. Another topic in the book that I connected to my child development course was the section about temper tantrums. â€Å"Temper tantrums are not fun! As Mamen states that temper tantrums are not fun I can relate to my professor stating the same. The book mentions that there are two types of tantrums one being a temperamental and the other manipulative.Mamen states how to react to each of these tantrums. Just as I was reading I remembered my professor stating to â€Å"never give in† during a manipulative tantrum. The book states the same. Mamen states in her writing when dealing with manipulative tantrums, â€Å"that you must stay consist, if you're not consist you will never see the end to these tantrums. † One negative that I thought while reading about isorders she didn't explain how to deal with temperamental tantrums as well.She discussed the differences but when looking back to my notes, I noticed that my professor stated that you must â€Å"remove the cause† when dealing with temperamental tantrums. I thought Mamen could have had something along those lines while discussing temperamental tantrums. I thought that these two topics, anxiety and tantrums is where I felt connected to what I have learned th roughout my child development course. I believe that the book correlated very well with the information that I learned about each of these two topics.All in all, Mamen is very descriptive in her writings about each topic that she discusses. While reading I was very engaged in each of her topics. I did find that her topics about tantrums and disorders were very affected on how to cope with each of them. I would definitely rate this book as being useful. I would recommend it to any parent or professional trying to cope with â€Å"pampered child syndrome. † Mamen does an effective way on not only how to recognize this syndrome but also how to manage it.