Saturday, February 1, 2020

Douglas Coupland, Generation X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Douglas Coupland, Generation X - Essay Example It means that the American society is open for changes and innovations, unlike the Canadian society, which rejected the book at first. Generation X is positioned by Coupland as a distracted youth, free of moral stereotypes and prejudices. Moreover, Coupland claims that the Canadian dimension of literature does not present a blur of regional and national identity. This claim of the author plays an important role in the modern globalized, internationally blurred context. Moreover, it is argued that Generation X is a future prospect of the future social development of the contemporaries in technologically savvy world, freed from social bounds. Xers and their essence A tendency of escape from the strict bonds of the society is one of the most crucial issues of the novel. In other words, Coupland appeals for freedom and independence of the contemporaries. There is nothing, but individuals, who are technologically savvy and rigorous. A contemporary society is a society of consumers and cur rent communication implies nothing more than commentaries to the actions of other individuals. There is no need for the main characters of the novel to live in compliance with worn-out moral norms and ways of behavior. The contemporaries are ready to call for their earlier lives. There is a massive appeal of the author for the modern society to discard stereotypical behaviors and escape from monotonous lives. On the other hand, there is no evident possibility to escape from a socially stable reality: â€Å"...the realization that the smiles that they wear in their daily lives are the same as the smiles worn by people who have been good-naturedly fleeced, but fleeced nonetheless and who are unable because of social convention to show their anger† (Coupland 1991, p. 7).   It is essential and interesting to notice, that such kind of unusual arguments and a new air for the development of the Canadian minds was not readily accepted by the latter. The author appeals for the remov al of consumerist stereotypes or any other standardized types of behavior. It is not appropriate and even ill-mannered for the contemporaries to think and to act in accordance with irrelevant stereotypes. Coupland underlines a widening gap of generations’ split and there is a need to bridge the gap. The only way to do it is to become â€Å"naked† individuals with clear minds and create the modern reality, which is between reality and cyber space. Unlike earlier years, modern social templates of behavior are not linear. It is evident, that the modern society is being developed in different directions, blurring the borders and static limits of diversified development. Therefore, one of the greatest dilemmas, parent-children relationships is described by Coupland in an unusual manner. Modern youth is confident and they do not want their parents to be confident instead of them. Parental â€Å"crowbars† cannot be applied to reshape the lives of their children, as it used to be many centuries ago. Divided sections of text underlines dualistic development of the modern life: the modernity is being developed in accordance with the laws of computer technologies: a bipolar system of the modern society development reiterates binary system of computer technologies. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to have emotional features of human beings and the main characters Andy, Dag, and Claire have remained sensual humane characters and not computerized machines. There is enough courage among these characters and they are able to abandon a well-structured world, designed by the worn-out social system for them for life, which has no structure, templates and purpose. The modern culture is being develope

Friday, January 24, 2020

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She Essay -- Sign She

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She In life, it doesn't matter where you start, nor necessarily how you live, because in the end, fate will triumph over all obstacles and place you where you were destined to be.   Every individual has had some type of experience with an unexplainable force; on a larger scale, for instance, living through a physical disability or coping with the death of a loved one, but many times, on a smaller scale, fate mysteriously operates in everyday activities and situations.   The way in which fate functions in both extremes is undoubtedly unexplainable; however, the path in which fate designs for every person is predetermined and unavoidable.   It matters not if you are an all-time champion marathon runner or a poor, homeless vagabond, because fate has a charted course that is set in stone and impossible to alter.   For instance, the champion runner suddenly has a massive heart attack while on the homestretch of an important race and dies right on the spot, on the other han d, the homeless person haphazardly finds a winning lottery ticket on the ground and ultimately transforms his life.   These hypothetical instances are not chance, nor are they good or bad luck, they happen for a reason, a reason which cannot be understood, and one in which cannot be escaped. The idea of fate was covertly woven within the fabric of The Sign of the Four and She.   From Jonathan Small's wooden leg, the "solid iron chest of Indian workmanship" (221) containing the Agra treasure, to Ayesha's undying love (literally) for Kallikrates. Each situation vividly represents how the foundation of fate can inevitably shake up and change existence of being.   The character, Jonathan Small, in The Sign of t... ...cept what is handed to us on fates plate and learn to cope with it instead of avoiding the inevitable like the people in England when Queen Victoria ruled.   Throughout the ages, we have come a long way in understanding the dynamics of life: the progression of health and sciences, technology, and the uniting of diverse cultures and classes.   Time has revealed the hidden doubts of our predecessors, and with that, we have concluded that the future is wide open and bound to change at any given moment in time.   Nothing in life is fixed, but it is ever-changing, both on mental and physical levels.   We can attempt to improve the conditions in which we live, but when all is said and done, the final outcome is always what it is intended to be.   Our destiny is always intact and one, whether real or fictional characters, cannot escape the divine map of life.  Ã‚  

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

If I Had Power to Change 3 Things in World

Synapse:| 1. Introduction| 2. Poverty| 3. Terrorism| 4. Accidents and Natural Disasters| 5. Conclusion| INTRODUCTION: â€Å"Nothing is permanent in this world Other than the Change† -is a famous proverb. In this mechanical world all of us are moving towards the pursuit of money having not even single second to spare, to think of world. So I would like to bring to spotlight 3 most prickling things in my mind, which I think, given a power I will surely change, to make the world a better place to live in†¦. 1. POVERTY: Poverty according to my view is a thorn in flesh of the world. Society in India is very sharply divided between ‘Haves’ and ‘Have Nots’. With all the wealth of the country getting so accumulated in a few hands the rest of the population find it difficult to even make 2 ends meet. So obvious reason for poverty is ‘distribution of wealth’ which is too uneven. On one side India is leading gold importer in the world, whereas on other side India has most number of population that cannot even afford for a single meal as stated as follows†¦ â€Å"Rich continues to become richer-and Poor continues to become poorer† Recent news coverage in media focusses fully on Indians and their illegal blackmoney deposited in Swiss and Morocco banks, and a pitiful fact is that most of them having account are politicians of our very own country. Isn’t it a big shame for our nation? Harmful effect of poverty include mitigation of crime activities like theft, robbery, smuggling, kidnapping, cheating which have become a menace to society. Poor people in a pursuit of living, indulge in these kind of activities. All thieves who were caught redhanded state poverty as major reason for their act. If this is situation in India, situation across world is far more worse. Many countries in Africa and Asia are dying because of poverty. A shocking fact is that their total country’s income is not even equal to per capita income of a citizen in a developed country. So basis for all illegal activities is poverty. Owing to greed of wealth recent trend of â€Å"string of kidnapping incidents† happened. Smuggling drugs and other goods were also carried out by poor youth as depicted by Tamil film ‘Ayan’. Hence by solving this poverty problem, world would be a safer place to live upon. So if I had power to change 3 things in world, I would first eliminate poverty so as to make each and every common man feel as if ‘He is the king’. 2. Terrorism: Modern world has become a hotbed of hatred , violence and terrorism. Civilization has not made many people different from brute animals. The law of the jungle is, â€Å"might is right† In these days when nations and men swear by principles of peace and co- existence there are still elements who indulge in violent activities and who feel that solutions to problems can be got only through violence. The worst form of violence is terrorism. In my opinion, terrorism is something which is much worse than a regular war, for, against war all preparations are always ready at hands but these terrorist attacks being unexpected and unwarranted can just not be secured against. What can be done when people are travelling by train, getting ready to board a bus, or watching a cinema, and the terrorists strike. How can any prevention against this be arranged? It is this very uncertainty of time and place that makes terrorist attacks more dangerous than even a regular warfare. Another point that makes these attacks worse than war to some extent is that, these attacks are always against poor innocent people of the public. In a war also no doubt, the public suffers but, they are not the targets, they are given protection till it is possible. With these terrorist activities, today there is a continuous fear of attack and so, danger is always looming large on the horizon. Today terrorism has become a world wide phenomena, it is rampant in the Middle-East, most of the European countries. Some countries help in the development of terrorism in other countries and, since their boys are trained, their level of performance is flawless and absolutely superb. As we have seen in India, in the process of the last one decade or more, our neighbour Pakistan is training, providing sophisticated weapons to spread Terrorism in India. A series of bomb blasts off and on, murders of prominent personalities, all go to show that this process being a continuous and silent war, is very difficult to curb. The killing, maiming and kidnapping of innocent and unconcerned persons in terrorist act, such as recent bomb blasts in Delhi, is just plain crime. United Nations has also now given its seal of authorization to this view. The bomb blasts are in addition to terrorists killing by gunfire and destruction of places of worship. There is no reason for the killings other than, apparently, to create panic and instability in the local administration. Innumerable killings by gunfire or bomb explosions have taken place in Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and in other parts of the north-east, and various other cities. Our whole educational system also needs to be restructured and streamlined. It should use each ounce of energy of youth for constructive purposes so that they may not be induced to adopt violence as their creed and dead. 3. ACCIDENTS AND NATURAL DISASTERS: A life undergoes nearly 10 months of struggle to evolve and enter our beautiful world. But within a blink of eyelashes it gets vanished. So I am going to finally depict the mayhems of accidents and natural disasters with the reason to eliminate them from our world. Many factors can play into accident. Road accident is a global tragedy. Air accident is worst nightmare of every pilot or passenger. We all are aware of the tragic end to ‘Titanic ship’ and to its crew members & passengers. No form of transportation is completely safe and no machine is completely fool-proof. Murphy’s law states that , â€Å"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong† In everyday newspapers we come across numerous incidents of accidents many of which may not be the fault of victim itself, such as a drunken driver vehicle running through a pedestrian or other stationary vehicles along the roadside. Thus road condition, mechanical failure, driver error or simply act of god! may lead to these tragedies. As we all know, our college witnessed a sorrowful incident a week ago, when a 2nd year EEE guy fell prey to jaws of accident, although fault was on his side. Natural disaster is a painful memory for victims that can be caused by nature, such as floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, lahars, landslides, sinkholes, blizzards, tropical storms, typhoons, tornadoes, wildfire, epidemics caused by bacteria or a biological threat by toxic fungi or locusts. Various disasters like earthquake, landslides, volcanic eruption, flood and cyclones are natural hazards that kill thousands of people and destroys crores of rupees of properties. Everyone knows about flood, but did you ever have been in that situation? Can you imagine how painful the victims feel? Do we think what is the thing we can do to help them or just sitting at home and watching victims suffering from flood? At first natural disasters cause physical damage. Secondly it causes contamination of water. Finally it causes economical hardship by food shortage. CONCLUSION: Just as a coin has 2 sides, our mother earth also has the above mentioned curses at her ugly side. Frankly speaking most of them are created by God’s wonderful creation â€Å"Humans† only! As stated by one of my poem, â€Å"America ambushed by Katrina, Indonesia illtreated by Tsunami, Europe saw eruption of volcanoes, India incurred loss of lives in earthquakes, Acid rains across the earth! World warned by lethal landslides! ‘Aren’t these an awakening call for us to stop Acting against nature? † So if I had power to change these 3 things, I am sure that my changes will benefit entire mankind and start a new chapter in human history. Afterall as we all know, â€Å"Nothing is Impossible Even the word IMPOSSIBLE says, I’m possible† ‘SO OFCOURSE I CAN BRING THESE CHANGES AND MAKE IT HAPPEN! ’

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Political Claims of Advancement of Women - 662 Words

Addressing a group of teachers in Sultanpur on Tuesday night, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Varun Gandhi had said that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is doing good work through his self-help groups (SHG) for advancement of women in Amethi. While this exchange of words between bigwigs in Gandhi family is catching an attention of national media ahead of 16th general elections, the plight of SHG members in Chennai signifies the reality which is far away from these political claims of advancement of women through SHGs. â€Å"With one of the groups in our federation, bank did not sanction the loan even after the rating was done four months ago. There was a political influence. It has become usual story now, â€Å"complains Bhuwaneshwari, animator of SHG called ‘money plant’ situated in North Chennai. â€Å"Some members need the money on emergency basis considering the health and other family problems. They become helpless. It is their savings which they are finding difficult to get back when in need,’’ she adds. While Bala Karthika, Branch manager of Bharatiya Mahila Bank ,Anna Salai in Chennai explains the process of bank verification. â€Å"At the time of opening the account we have a look at their resolution paper, we check saving habit of SHG. Before sanctioning the loan, the branch manager is supposed to visit their meeting, check the members, see how many of them are poor, we see if they are working in any govt jobs, private companies etc.We carry out rating based on this,† saysShow MoreRelatedEconomic and Social Progress in Canada1720 Words   |  7 Pagesuniversal suffrage, women have made tremendous economic and social progress in Canada. Canada has been called a world leader in the promotion and protection of womens rights and gender equality, (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada). Yet a hundred years after universal suffrage, gender disparity continues to exist in Canada. Gender disparity is evident in the political, economic, and social spheres. Political dis parity refers to the lack of adequate representation of women in local, provincialRead MoreChinese Women Served As A Driving Force Behind The Economic1528 Words   |  7 PagesChinese women served as a driving force behind the economic miracle that transformed China from a rural, impoverished country into the world’s second largest economy. The domestic and social changes that permitted women ostensibly equal rights in the workforce played an essential role in China’s rapid development. Unfortunately, it seems that these reforms were not rooted in human rights principles, but merely initiated as a requirement for China’s own economic advancement. By alleviating the shortageRead MoreThe Debate Of Feminists And Cultural Relativists1712 Words   |  7 Pagesof women and work to assure the protection of women’s human rights. This essay will suggest that there is enough common ground between these two approaches to provide a solid foundation where feminists and cultural relativists can combine their insights to create a more inclusive, adaptable critique of the mainstream international human rights discourse. Working together, they can have a greater impact on international human rights discourse and the actualization of the human rights of women. BasedRead MoreWomen Demand Democracy : The American Civil War1157 Words   |  5 PagesKim History 271 16 February 2015 Women Demand Democracy The American Civil War was fought for freedom. However, even after the war, the concept of freedom was not universally understood. Freedom remained limited for certain individuals depending on their race, gender, and different class systems. The war especially had a great impact on the country’s social and political aspects of the entire population, particularly women. Essentially, it gave women the momentum to fight for their rightsRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?1340 Words   |  6 Pageslegal, there has been a great divide between those who support the advancement of the law, while there is a deep moral reserve for opponents who ethically challenge these regulations. Since the inception of the law, advancements in science, technology and healthcare have been made to support the safety of women’s health. However, advocates still argue that the procedures are dangerous physically and emotionally. Lately, political propaganda on both sides have focused on the techno logy utilized duringRead MorePolitics Vs Patriarchy : A Comparison Of The Feminist Movements From The 1900 S1316 Words   |  6 Pagesbicycle.† -Gloria Steinem Feminism; a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women. The history of feminist movements has been divided into three waves by feminist scholars. The first wave refers to the feminist movement of the nineteenth through early twentieth centuries, which focused mainly on women s suffrage . The second wave, generally taking placeRead MoreThe Woman Suffrage Movement809 Words   |  4 PagesSome scholars like Ellen DuBois, in The Radicalism of the Woman Suffrage Movement, argue that the vote was a complete necessity in order for women to assert their own foothold in the public sphere, defined by DuBois as â€Å"operating in the public world of work and politics.† Opposing this position, William O’Neill argued that the vote would provide no advance in the woman condition and that when the vote was gained, â€Å"feminists were in the s ame place they were before the movement even began.† HeidiRead MoreThe Study of Honor in the Renaissance Period1442 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant yet intangible resource that figured in social transactions between people who might have competing property claims, divergent political or marital aspirations, patronage ties, class differences, or simply grudges against each other. Although honor acted as a primary driving force in urban culture, its precise expressions and meanings varied according to social group, local political structure, and era. While duty and revenge stood at the heart of an enduring code of honor, the actual behaviorsRead MoreWomen Empowerment And Education : A Global Issue1548 Words   |  7 PagesWomen empowerment and education Women Empowerment is a global issue and discussion on women political right are at the fore front of many formal and informal campaigns worldwide. The concept of women empowerment was introduced at the international women conference at NAROIBI in 1985. Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to responds to the challenges, to confront their traditional role and change their life. So that we can’t neglect the importance of education in referenceRead MoreThe War For Women s Rights1208 Words   |  5 PagesMasses of these writers had political agendas on the mind. In the age where feminism was quickly gaining speed novels, journals, and pamphlets were all used as tools to disseminate the author’s thoughts, feelings, and even ideals on the subject. The war for women’s rights spread to pen and paper, and no form of literature was off limits. This period saw the rise of feminist writers, who decidedly used their work to comment on the shi fting political field for women. These feminist authors critiqued

Monday, December 30, 2019

Bipolar Disorder And Mental Disorders - 1249 Words

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic/depressive disorder once was a disorder that carried a severe societal stigmatism. It now has carries less stigmatism but is a disorder which has become difficult to diagnosis and extremely prevalent in today’s society. Due to the manic characteristic of the disorder it differentiates itself from the typical form of depression. Even though both depression and bipolar disorder can be due to an imbalance in brain chemistry and biology, genetics, or effected by traumatic stressors that happen in daily life, bipolar disorder has definitive treatment which applies solely to this specific disorder. Bipolar Disorder, as noted in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, is ranked Internationally as the 18th†¦show more content†¦These patient’s impairment is noticeable in social and work environments. The diagnosis of BD-II patients must have a history of hypomania and major depression. The diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder is given when hypomania symptoms are present but the depression present has not met the criteria needed to be considered a depressive episode. When the hypomanic and depressive symptoms both don’t meet the specific diagnostic elements a diagnosis of bipolar disorder not otherwise specified is given. It is the mania end of the spectrum in which bipolar disorder can be diagnosed adequately. Mania can be described as an elevation in mood that causes an impairment in normal functioning with the condition persisting for a minimum of 7 days. Hypomania is also an elevation of mood but without the characteristics of an impairment in normal functions, the condition persisting for a minimum of 4 days or less. Individuals who have experienced one episode of mania are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder I (BD-I) and individuals who experience hypomania are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder II (BD-II). The term bipolar was first used in 1957 by Leonhard7 for disorders comprising both manic and depressive symptoms. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980 replaced the manic depression term

Sunday, December 22, 2019

In Recent Years, The Prevalence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder

In recent years, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased greatly (Nevison 2014). For example, in 2000 the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network estimated about 1 in 150 children had ASD. Six years later in 2006, the prevalence increased to about 1 in every 110 children and then most recently in 2012 to 1 in 68 children. According to the CDC (2008) autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability. With the growing prevalence of autism, the society has been impacted in several ways. For example, the its prevalence has allowed for increases in advocacy, data collection and overall greater acceptance and understanding for autism spectrum disorder. To begin, the increasing prevalence of†¦show more content†¦For example, Grandin designed facilities that half the cattle in the United States are handled in today (2012). Another self-advocate is Owen Suskind. Owen’s story is portrayed in the movie Life, Animated. As show n in the movie, Owen also shares his story in conferences and speeches with people so they can better understand life with autism. For Owen, he did not communicate until him and his family used Disney animated films as a baseline for life events (2016). His story is interesting and inspiring because it shows how life can be taught in several ways and everyone’s point of view of it will vary. I enjoyed learning about his progression of speech and communication throughout the film because many individuals with ASD have a similar struggle and I liked how Owen and his family overcame the obstacle in a unique way. To add as the prevalence of autism has increased there has been a greater effort in collecting data about autism and the many components that are affected by the disorder. For example, as Dr. Sheehan discussed in her lecture about data collection and analysis, it is vital to include observations and data so that you can see if your interventions are working (2017). This semester I had the opportunity to experience data collection first hand and I got to see how important it is to keep records of everything, during my internship with work relating toShow MoreRelatedAutism Spectrum Disorders Prevalence766 Words   |  3 PagesAutism Prevalence Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) refers to a group of developmental brain disorders that affect a child’s cognitive, behavioral, and social abilities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There are several forms of ASD that have different impairments and levels of severity. Recent research has been looking at the increased prevalence of ASD and possible causes of this increase. In attempts to determine reasons for the increased prevalence of ASD, Schieve et al. examinedRead MoreVaccinations : A Science s Greatest Feats1400 Words   |  6 Pagesscience’s greatest feats. The World Health Organization estimates that immunization prevents 2 million deaths worldwide and according to Immunize BC, â€Å"[vaccinations] have saved more lives in Canada than any other medical intervention in the past 50 years†. Vaccinations work by transmitting a small amount of germs - or parts of a germ- into the patient. These germs cause the body to create antibodies in order to rid and protect the body of the foreign intruder. The germs are consequently destroyed andRead MoreIntroduction To Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )931 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Autism have been recognized as in existence since the 1940s but only in recent years it has been recognised under the standardized psychiatric diagnostic classification schemes. It is not unusual for people with ASD to be at risk of displaying challenging behaviours which could lead to offending behaviours, however, on the other hand they can also be at lower risk as they find rules helpful in surviving in the social world. This paper will look at whatRead MoreAutism Research Paper794 Words   |  4 PagesAutism Spectrum Disorders are developmental disabilities with lifelong effects for the person. They are characterized by the repetitive behaviors exhibited by the client with social and communication deficits as well. Clients with ASDs have unusual abilities to learn, they struggle with paying attention and may react inappropriately with extreme tantrums to different sensations. ASDs include and are not limited to autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, atypical aut ism and AspergerRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism1492 Words   |  6 Pageslife there are several different disorders that have been well known from many years ago. There is one disorder that was diagnosed in the early 1800’s but it wasn’t until a few years ago that it gained lots of attention. What used to be known as Autism was later renamed in the DSM to Autism Spectrum Disorder meaning, a neurodevelopmental disorder rather than a pervasive developmental disorder (Gargiulo, 2015). Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormal or impairedRead MoreAutism Is A Neurodevelopmental Disorder That Is Found To1103 Words   |  5 PagesAutism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is found to be affecting more people every day. Autism spectrum disorder is a term used to hold many levels of autism under it from high functioning to non-verbal. To fall in the spectrum there is certain criterion that must be met part of which is a co mmon set of behavioral and cognitive impairments. These behavior impairments, much of which are restrictive and repetitive along with being too focused or channeled on one thought, idea or activity. ActingRead MoreInside Autism Spectrum Disorder Essay1715 Words   |  7 PagesAutism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by a number of deficits in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction with others, and other behaviors. Usually diagnosed in early infancy, this disorder is the most impairing and severe of the neurodevelopmental disorders. Before the publishing and release of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Autism Spectrum disorder could be diagnosedRead MoreIs Autism A Developmental Disorder? Essay1619 Words   |  7 PagesExploring Autism in Children Rutgers University Atypical Adolescence and Development Professor. Stevie McKenna November 2nd, 2016 Autism Abstract Autism is a developmental disorder in which an individual has problems with communication and interaction. Autism Spectrum Disorder was adopted as a categorization in 2013 and begins in childhood and follows throughout the course of a child’s life and is actually a collection of developmental brain disorders. There isRead MoreHistory of Autism, ASD, and AD1632 Words   |  7 PagesHistory of Autism, ASD, and AD Leo Kanner, a doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the first self-described child-psychiatrist, first described what we now know to be autism in his 1943 paper titled, Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact. He described a disorder similar to, but distinct from childhood schizophrenia. Autism, taken from symptoms of schizophrenia, described withdrawn symptoms or social interaction problems, and was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersRead MoreExploring Ways of Conceptualizing ASD in Africa1439 Words   |  6 Pagesmental disorder, but really is that enough to become a revolutionary universal tool? Table of Contents Chapter 1: INTRODUTION 1 Background of the research 1 Aims and objectives of the research 4 Research Methodology 5 CHAPTER 2: 7 DIAGNOSTIC STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS 7 The History and revisions of the DSM 8 DSM-I (1952) 8 DSM-II (1968), (1974) 9 DSM-III (1980), DSM-III-R (1987) 9 DSM-IV (1994), DSM-IV-TR (2000), 10 DSM-5 (2013); Perspective of ASD ‘Neuro-developmental Disorders’ and

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Reaction Paper on Crazy by Free Essays

Ha Song Pham PSYCH 252 02/17/2012 Reaction Paper 1 on Crazy When talking about prison, one usually thinks of two kinds of people, the guards and the prisoners. But nowadays, when 16% of inmates have serious and persistent mental illness, it is not surprising to find psychiatrists working in prisons. The Miami-Dade County Pretrial Detention Center mentioned in Crazy was not an exception. We will write a custom essay sample on Reaction Paper on Crazy by or any similar topic only for you Order Now On the ninth for of Miami jail, we found mentally ill prisoners, guards, Dr. Poitier who was the chief psychiatrist of the jail, and the nurses. The medical staff and the prison officers hold opposite viewpoints about how the inmates should be treated. The great conflicts and complications between the justice system and the mental health system had made the job of the psychiatrists in prisons across the United States an extremely difficult task. Dr. Poitier and nurses on the ninth floor of Miami jail worked daily in a very unhygienic condition: â€Å"The air in C wings stinks. It is a putrefied scent, a blending of urine expectorant, persperition, excrement, blood, flatulence, and dried and discarded jailhouse food. When the jail’s antiquated air conditioning breaks down during the summer, which it often does, some officers claim C wing’s pink wall actually sweats. It’s decades of filth and grime bubbling up, rising through coat of paint†. I wonder how one could be expected to live, let alone work in a condition as such. Under such horrible conditions, I wonder how effective the doctors were doing their job. And even if they were trying to do the best they could, I don’t think the inmates’ conditions could get any better when they did not even get to live in basic living condition which has a standard level of hygiene. If the states were paying for the psychiatrists to treat the inmates, the first thing they should have thought about was the working conditions of the doctors and the living conditions of the inmates because those played a key role in the efficiency of one’s job and the recovery of one’s disorder. In addition to the poor working conditions, the medical staff were not treated well by both the officers and the inmates. The nurses got screamed at, threatened, and humiliated. In Crazy, Earley told the incident of one nurse having a prisoner toss a cup of feces and urine at her. Nevertheless, the nurse did not quit the job for she understood that she could not take anything personally at her work. Most of the nurses were women. Inmates frequently masturbated in front of them. They did not get any protection from such hazard because the state attorney thought that it was not a crime that was worth pursuing. Doctors and nurses saw inmates as patients, while officers saw them as prisoners. The officers (or correctional staff as referred to in Crazy) treated the inmates very badly when the doctors were not around. Due to the opinions that were at two extremes with each other, the efforts to help the inmates by the medical staff turned out to be useless by the poor treatment that the inmates received from the officers. On a larger scale, the psychiatrists received very little to no help from the state government. What’s more, they had to comply with the ridiculous, non-sense regulations that were originally constructed to protect the rights of the mentally ill. In Crazy, Dr. Poitier had no access to resources. The inmates were booked into jail without carrying their medical records. He had to prescribe medication based largely on what the inmates told him. Plus, he had to follow the Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust’s instruction to prescribe Risperdal first whenever possible rather than Zyprexa, which was much more expensive. He had no freedom to do his job even though he received sufficient psychiatric training, while those people at the health trust were only thinking about the â€Å"so-called† economic benefits. Civil right laws such as Baker Act prevented the doctors from forcing inmates to take medication unless they posed an imminent danger or a threat. Dr. Poitier was very disappointed by the Act. He stated that: â€Å"A person who is a chronic schizophrenic doesn’t have the full control over his thoughts. He can’t make rational decision. If you release him untreated back into the community, you aren’t protecting his civil rights. You’re condemning him to stay sick and a horrible life of suffering on the streets. † The Baker Act was particularly complex when viewing it at different angles. For psychiatrists like Dr. Poitier, it hindered them from treating the inmates. They believed that the inmates were not mentally healthy enough to make ecisions about whether or not they wanted to to treated. On the contrary, public defenders and civil rights attorney felt that they had to protect the constitutional rights of the mentally ill. But what if what the mentally ill chose to do went against the wish of their loved ones, and negatively affected community. â€Å"Acting crazy is not a choice†. The men tally ill didn’t choose to be crazy. I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly these attorneys were trying to protect here. Were they trying to say protect a choice that no one wished to make? But after all, I did not experience a mental illness, which would invalidate any opinions I would have about how a mentally ill person would feel or react. In the end, there was a price to everything. One could not expect to do a thing without having to face a trade-off. The decisions should be made in a way that benefited most people as it possibly could. Even though I was fully aware that the psychiatrists in the prisons were doing their best to help the inmates, I believed it was better if they understood the job that they were doing involved more parties than them and the inmates. In Crazy, Dr. Poitier pointed out that: â€Å"My first concern is restoring this man’s mental health. But that is not the first concern of the lawyers, or of the judge who will be making this decision. This should be a medical matter, not a legal issue†. I didn’t think that was just a medical issue. Doctors alone would not be able to help the mentally ill without the support of other forces. Where would they find the resources such as medication, facilities, accommodation to assist the patients without the regulation or policy that allowed them to do so? It was never one man’s business. It took the cooperation of a whole system in order to effectively help the mentally ill who also happened to commit crime. Despite innumerable difficulties and controversies involved in their jobs, the doctors and nurses were getting paid much less than the medical staff in mainstream hospitals. For example, the nurses on the ninth floor earned an average of $2,000 per year less then their counterparts in Miami hospitals. Part of the reason was because they were recent immigrants who had received their formal qualifications in a country other than the US. Working in the section for the mentally ill in a prison was certainly not their first choice nor their second nor their third. It could be the only option that they had. However, they did not complain about their jobs. They did not go on strike. They did not sue the states for providing such little support. Instead, they were doing as much as they possible could to help the inmates. Dr. Poitier addressed inmates as â€Å"Mr. † to show them respect. He asked very common questions that a doctor usually asked a patient: â€Å"How are you feeling today? He was treating the inmates as patients who needed help, and did not care whether they were also criminals or not. For him, they were just very ill people who needed medical help. He once said: â€Å"Most mentally ill inmates do stupid things, not bad things†. Dr. Poitier believed that the inmates on the ninth floor needed help that they would not get there. I wonder if he ever felt hopeless when he knew these people needed help, and he could give help, but those two things certainly would not happen in the prison. The inmates were unable to understand that Dr. Poitier was trying to help them because of their dysfunction. Dr. Poitier was fully aware that he would not be able to do much to help the inmates because of messiness of the system and the daily conflicts between doctors and prison officers. They were stuck in a place where no one was better off. The question that baffled me the most was why they decided to stay at their jobs. There must have been something great and meaningful that made them almost irrationally continue their work. In Crazy, Dr. Poitier answered this question for me: â€Å"The inmates who end up here have been given up on. But some can and do get better. And that’s the driving force that keeps me coming to work each day – knowing I can make a difference. Knowing I do make a difference. Besides, if I didn’t do this, who would? † No matter how much trouble and confusion the job has brought, Dr. Poitier and the psychiatrists in general have managed to put their work ethics on top of everything else. Thanks to them, the mentally ill inmates get the support that keeps them through the days. Otherwise, the prison could actually become the hell hole on earth. It takes a lot of efforts in order to do good in any jobs. But for the psychiatrists in prisons across the United States, they have to go to extra lengths in order to help the mentally ill inmates. However, their efforts alone are never enough, every other force involved in the system has to do their best as well. In addition, it is importance that they all try to come to understand each other’s job and the reason behind it so that they can make the whole system work for the inmates instead of the current climate when the mentally ill are stuck in the revolving doors of the jails and the hospitals. How to cite Reaction Paper on Crazy by, Essay examples