Body Dysmorphic Disorder Essay -- Differential Diagnoses

Regina is a teenager who’s living in a college dorm. When she was younger she broke her nose and afterwards a tiny bump remained. By the time she was a legal adult, Regina thought she had a facial deformity. She became obsessive and refused to go in public. Even after she underwent plastic surgery she still found something else wrong with her face. All this (along with other symptoms) has led me to diagnose Regina with body dysmorphic disorder. People who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder exhibit certain symptoms. Some of these include social isolation, seeking surgery, camouflaging (trying to hide their perceived flaw with clothes, makeup, etc.), and comparing body parts to other peoples appearances (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Regina first thought the small bump on her nose was a monumental flaw that had to be corrected. Without that fix, she became socially isolated and wore clothes (giant sweatshirts and hoodies) that would cover up this perceived imperfection. Furthermore, Regina couldn’t face â€Å"normal† looking people. She compared herself to others and deemed herself a â€Å"hag.† Everyone else was so much better looking and she was too ugly to be seen in public. After her surgery she began to act normal again, but only for a short while. Soon after she thought her forehead was rife with â€Å"worry lines.† She begged her parents to pay for more plastic surgery, which t hey declined. She even went to great lengths and opened a credit card account to pay for the surgery. Now Regina is in the unfortunate position of not being able to keep up with all her bills. Even after all that, she’s still obsessive and has started to skip college classes. All of this due to her â€Å"appalling† wrinkles on her forehead (which others do... ...things they found positive and attractive about her appearance. I would try to introduce her to positive things (such as small social outing with friends and family) to try and get her to change how she responds around others. Slowly, I would introduce Regina back to her college campus and try to show her that it’s only her way of thinking that is causing her disorder (since no one else can see her flaws). My main goal of treatment is to get Regina away from her harmful thoughts and see her in a positive light. Cognitive therapy is all about changing thoughts and emotional responses. Hopefully though repeated effort and altering her thoughts to positive ones, Regina could begin to recover. Works Cited American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Foundations Of Mythology Essay

Foundations I think that the word myth gets used quite a bit these days, and in the wrong context. You often hear people say â€Å"it’s a myth† to refer to something that is too good to be true. Or some outlandish story such as a big fish story. Traditionally, a myth is a story that offers an explanation to something such as â€Å"enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways?† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) In an academic context, according to the text, a myth is â€Å"the study of myth is a field of inquiry that ranges from the earliest known history of humanity up to and including contemporary cultures and societies and even our own individual senses of self in the world.† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) My interpretation of the definition is that they are stories that have been passed around for years about and forming our culture and beliefs. Commonalities â€Å"Some of the recurring themes include a Golden Age, a fall from a heavenly state, resurrections from death, virgin births, worldwide floods, creation stories in which â€Å"one becomes two,† and a future apocalypse.†(â€Å"Analyzing Mythology†, n.d.). Many different cultures have some of the same stories with different details or characters. Usually they have the same outcome though. These myths help form the society and culture that they live in. It is they view certain things. According to Rosenberg, â€Å"In their theory,  innate psychological characteristics, common to all human beings, determine how people throughout the world and throughout history experience and respond to the process of living. The contents of the collective unconscious are divided into archetypes—such as the mother, the child, the hero, the trickster, and the giant—but these are simply image frameworks.† When I think of mythology and how people use them to explain the unknown or how mankind is shaped, I think of the Illiad and Odyssey, two unbelievable journeys that have lasting themes. â€Å"Many famous heroes walk through the pages of Homer’s Iliad. Achilles and Agamemnon, among the Greeks, and Hector, among the Trojans, must choose between their own desires and the needs of their people. Their war is ancient, but their agony is modern. Once again, the courage with which they meet the challenges in their lives makes them impressive, yet very human, models of behavior for all of us.† (Rosenberg, 2006) Religion and Mythology Religion and mythology share a very thin line that often intersected. Religion is in a sense the same thing as a myth; it’s a story that explains origins. Many religions were based around the mythology of the people, such as Egyptians. They had many gods and goddesses and they believed in polytheism, which allowed them to worship more than one god/goddess. There isn’t a lot of research that has a specific answer as to what is the relationship between religion and mythology. It seems to me that there would be an argument that they are one in the same, while others believe they are completely different. Since mythology is often thought to be untrue, many would not want to believe their religion has anything to do with mythology. Relevance Many of the themes that are addressed by mythology are still very relevant today. â€Å"Rather, the American mythologist always saw myth as the story of the rugged individual who realizes his true nature through heroic struggle. Archetypal symbols and universals there may be, Campbell seems to say, but mythology is ultimately and always the vehicle through which the individual finds a sense of identity and place in the world.† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) People need to believe that the struggles they go through are common.  Everyone needs to believe in something. The Trojans were tricked by a giant horse that they thought was a gift. Almost everyone out there can think of a time when they were tricked. It resonates with them. Conclusion The foundations of mythology were established many, many years ago. Almost every culture of people has their own set of myths that they believed in. While they had their own stories, many of them had the same explanation of something, such as creation. The themes were and are still today very universal. While mythology offers explanation to life’s questions, many cultures still had their own set of religious beliefs. Many of those beliefs intertwined with their mythology but not always. As mentioned before, the themes of mythology are universal. They are also quite timeless. Many of the same moral dilemmas or questions of life are the same and can still be answered by myths. References Leonard, S., & McClure, M. (2004). Myth & knowing: An introduction to world mythology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Rosenberg, D. (2006). World mythology: An anthology of great myths and epics (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: McGraw Hill. Analyzing Mythology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mythome.org/mythII.html

The Social Issue Of Transgender Inequality Essay - 2056 Words

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They are fired from jobs, denied medical insurance, and being murdered left and right solely for being transgender. â€Å"A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with rates rising for those who lost a job due to bias (55%), were harassed/bullied in school (51%), had low household income, or were the victim of physical assault (61%) or sexual assault (64%)† (National Center for Transgender Equality). The structure of this paper will consist of adding all the research that was gathered over the semester, news articles and peerShow MoreRelatedSexual Assault And Transgender Women1161 Words   |  5 Pagesnews article â€Å"Asked to be paid, got sexually attacked† in the Toronto Sun from October 27 by Dean Fritchard, the author talks about James Marshall Le Clair who was accused of â€Å"sexual assault causing bodily harm and robbery† (Fritchard, 2015) of transgender women who provided sex services. 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