Diagnosis and Treatment Essays - Abnormal Psychology,

Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in a person?s mood or their prolonged emotional state. Most people have a wide emotional range, they are capable of being happy or sad, animated or quiet, cheerful or discouraged, overjoyed or miserable, and it just depends on the circumstances. People with mood disorders, their range are greatly restricted. They will seem stuck at one or the other end of the emotional spectrum, either constantly happy and excited or constantly sad no matter what the circumstances. Depression is a well known mood disorder and very common. A person who is depressed will experience a state in which they feel overwhelmed with sadness, they lose interest in activities, and they will display other symptoms such as excessive guilt or feelings of worthlessness. How does one know when feelings of sadness and hopelessness are just normal feelings and reactions to a person?s circumstances or are they experiencing a form of depression.Clinicians look for some significant impairment of distress in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Doctors also look for other explanations of the symptoms; could they be due to substance abuse or the side effects of medication that the person may be taking. Could it be a result of a medical condition, such as hypothyroidism which is the inability of the thyroid gland to produce an adequate amount of its hormones? Could the hormones be due to an intense grief reaction? If the symptoms cannot be explained by any of the above causes then the clinician uses a test called the DSM-IV-RT to help make a diagnosis of depression. DSM-IV-RT notes at least five of the fallowing symptoms and at least one of the first two must be present within the patient: 1.Depressed Mood- Feel sad or empty for most of the day, almost every day, or have others observed these symptoms? 2.Loss of interest in pleasure- lost interest in performing normal activities, such as working or going to social events? Does the person seem to just be going through the motions of everyday life and not receiving any pleasure from it? 3.Significant weight loss or gain- Has the person gained or lost more than five percent of body weight in a month? Has the person lost interest in eating or is complaining that food has lost its taste? 4.Sleep disturbance- Is the person having trouble sleeping? Or is the person sleeping too much? 5.Disturbance in motor activities- Is there a change in activity level? Does the person just sit around? Or does the behavior reflect agitation or unusual restlessness? 6.Fatigue- Does the person complain about constantly being tired and having no energy? 7.Feeling worthlessness or excessive guilt- Does the person express feeling like; ?You are better off without me? or ?I ruin everything for everyone I love.? 8.Unable to concentrate- Complain of memory problems or they are unable to focus their attention on simple tasks. 9.Thoughts of death- Does the person talk about committing suicide or wish that they were dead. Appropriate diagnosis is the first step in effective treatment. Second step is therapeutic help for the individual. Behavioral therapies would be most effective since its therapeutic approaches that are based on the belief that all behavior, normal and abnormal, is learned, and that the objective of therapy is to teach people new, more satisfying ways of behaving. Insight therapy would be affective also. Insight therapy is to give people a better awareness and understanding of their feelings, motivations, and actions in hope that this will lead to better adjustment. Family therapy would also be necessary for those who are experiencing depression who have a family. Family therapists believe that it is a mistake to treat a client in a vacuum, making no attempt to meet the person?s parents, spouse, and children, for if one person in the family is having problems, it is often a signal that the entire family needs assistance. I would also recommend couples therapy for those who are in a relationship. Couples therapy is designed to assist partners who are having difficulties within their relationship. While a person who is diagnosed with depression may not directly be aware that their depression is affecting their loved ones, therapy is necessary so that they are aware of how their behavior

3 Scams to Avoid When Job Hunting

3 Scams to Avoid When Job Hunting Job hunting can be hard enough, and sometimes it feels as though the world must simply be against you. In the following three cases, at least, you would be right. These notable scams target job hunters at their most vulnerable. Learn them and remember them, so as not to be suckered in by predators taking advantage of your desperation to get hired. Scam  #1: Application FeesBeing out of work can be humiliating enough; don’t fall victim to a scam this outlandish. This is illegal in most states, and could even be considered a form of discrimination. If a company, even an employment agency or placement service, asks for this, you’ll know immediately that it cannot be trusted. Stick to reputable channels.Scam #2: Identity ThievesAs if it’s not enough to have to be on the lookout for people trying to take your money, you should probably also watch out for anyone trying to get any personal information they could use for identity theft purposes. No job will ask you for your social security number, for example, until the hiring process has already begun. Do not disclose this information any sooner.Scam  #3: The Recruiter is Overly EnthusiasticMeeting an enthusiastic recruiter can feel like gift from the heavens. Still, it’s best to be wary. It could very well be too good to be true. Avoid giving out any personal information here too, and ask as many questions up front as you can. That way you’ll never think you’re going in for a fancy â€Å"marketing† job to stand around giving out smoothie samples in the mall.

Team Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Team Work - Research Paper Example This paper discusses some of the most common types of behavior within a team, namely, quietness, talkativeness, cynicism, formalism, fence-straddling, idealism, dominance, and structuralism. These behaviors could either be helpful or detrimental to the team. The ultimate outcome of these behaviors for the team depends upon the leadership and the members themselves. Knowing the Behaviors of Team Members The silent individual in the team could be performing peaceful, thoughtful listening, which can be positive, or indifference, which can be detrimental because it takes out from the team the ability to acquire the insights and gain the respect and participation of the members. So the question is how to identify whether the person is engaging in thoughtful listening or indifferent behavior? The assessment has to be derived both from the signals given by the individual and on the reactions of the other team members (Longo, 2010). Nonverbal cues of participation and reflective listening mu st be focused on. The same types of signals in the other direction must also be taken into consideration. The phase of group development, the nature of the tasks and objectives, and the circumstances within the team all contribute to the evaluation of the silent member. If listening is positive, then an individual who is listening is not much of an issue. Silent individuals are usually keen observer. If it is vital to encourage involvement from a silent member, there are a number of techniques to accomplish this (Longo, 2010). A particular technique is to ask the member open-ended questions or those requiring an opinion or details. Another technique is to provide cues of expectations to the silent member about his/her involvement in discussion of topics to which s/he appears largely interested in. On the other hand, talkative individuals could be classified into two: the talkative ones who have little to say and the talkative people who have much to say. Usually, the team leader sho uld make an attempt to determine how the other members of the team perceive the talkative member. If the belief of the team is that the chattiness is helpful, then the team leader may have to address his/her reactions and ask the rest of the group whether these reactions are suitable (Xiao, Parker, & Manser, 2013). If the team seems obviously irritated or disturbed by the talkativeness, then the leader should consider dealing with the behavior. The team’s role in provoking talkativeness has to be looked at. Chatterboxes are helpful to teams because they bridge gaps and help advance activities; they become unhelpful when they unproductively dominate energy and time and discourage other members from taking part. There may be times wherein talkative members obviously have to be interrupted or stopped. This must be carried out with much care and sensitivity. It is possible to say to a talkative person that silence is needed with a positive gesture and with consideration for his/h er feelings. Likewise, critics can be categorized into two. The first kind truly takes pleasure in challenging or questioning everything, asking for clarifications. This is a highly valuable position, particularly in a team that tends to finalize all issues hastily or too early. The second kind of critic merely acts to serve his/her own needs instead of the team (Chuang, Jackson, & Jiang, 2013). In certain instances, a