Effects of Neuropeptide Oxytocin in the Body

The five participants with no history of mental illness risked being labeled with characteristics of a mental health diagnosis. Two participants received misdiagnoses of a mental illness they did not embody. In the film, Vicky responded to the misdiagnosis by sharing that she felt confident in her mental health ( ). However, the misdiagnosis of an individual who does not have the same confidence as Vicky could have detrimental effects. As a future social worker, I feel it is important to recognize that Vicky’s response and feelings towards the misdiagnosis is likely unusual. Mental health professionals must exercise caution when preforming diagnosis, since it has a profound impact on an individual’s

The controversy and criticism surrounding the DSM -5 models has raised questions about its credibility and has raised concerns from the public on the reliability and effectiveness. Problems with this classification system is the attempt to promote preventive psychiatry by introducing how

Diagnosis involves absolutely no prior scientific examination. Psychiatric offices place individuals in a small room to undergo analysis, while doctors assess how the individual responds to stillness and silence. The methodical diagnosis of the disorder seems to be unfair because the testing process seems as if it is designed for the individual to fail. The fact that no scientific testing occurs makes the testing completely judgmental and inaccurate.

Another conscious process that Fredrickson discusses is how oxytocin is used in social relationships. This hormone makes people “attend more to eyes and become specifically more attuned to their smiles, especially subtle ones. Perhaps because of the closer attention you pay to people’s smiles and eyes, you become a better judge of their feelings” (Fredrickson 115). Although Fredrickson makes it seem that this is essential for happiness, she is

The gap between scientist and practitioner seems to be increasing due to the increase in unsubstantiated treatment techniques. This increase contributes to be one of the primary concerns for clinical psychology because these unsubstantiated treatment techniques are being implemented in practices when they lack scientific research. In the majority of these cases, these questionable treatments or practices lack critical evaluation. Additionally, self-help programs that produce books, manuals, and audiotapes (or even talk show hosts on television) promise solutions or offer advice to complex life problems without proper scientific validation. The issues and concerns with these emerging questionable practices branches into the psychological assessment and diagnosis of a patient as well. While statistical formulas are superior to clinical judgment, most practitioners continue to use their sole judgment and interpretations based on assessment instruments that are questionable from a scientific perspective. While some of these questionable practices may actually be effective, the claimant is responsible for the burden of proof. However; in other cases, these questionable cases can be ineffective and produce harm to clinical patients.

In recent debates DSM IV have been criticized before now; therefore, DSM-5 will also endure the discouragement of the further testing that concerning mental illness among many patients. Therefore, we must continue the push the scientific data that explains the occurrence that are found in testing.

Specifically, as the paper, “Recent advances in the neurobiology of anxiety disorders: Implications for novel therapeutics,” by Mathew et al. (2008), lists “The neuropeptides substance P, neuropeptide Y, oxytocin, orexin, and galanin,” as being a potential part of the anxiety pathways within the brain (pg. 2). Thus, any changes within genes influencing the production of these neurochemicals can be traced to the expression of social anxiety.

At the 2011 TED Global convention, Paul Zak, a professor at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California and a pioneer in the field of neuroeconomics, believes most humans are biologically made to collaborate, which business and economics neglect the biological bases of human exchange, prospecting loss. He also believes that “when oxytocin levels are high in subjects, people’s generosity to strangers increases up to 80 percent which can lead countries into being more economically stable.” Because the science behind it has been replicated multiple times and has been proven true, oxytocin is responsible for trust, empathy and other feelings that help build a stable society.

However, there is a certain hormone that is an important part of having confidence in other people. It is called oxytocin. Oxytocin muffles the region in the brain that provides fear responses, and keeps the stress hormone from releasing. It causes people to “feel” connections with others. These connections, are usually unfounded, and superficial. In a study by René Hurlemann of the University of Bonn, it was found that when given an extra dosage of oxytocin, men in serious relationships noticeably kept their distance from other women. Single men however, had no reaction. This study is an example of how Oxytocin influences people to be more trustworthy and honest in their

Most psychopathology research to date is guided by the conceptualization of psychopathology adopted by the current nosological systems, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). These nosological systems conceptualize mental disorders as discrete categorical entities. In these diagnostic manuals, several categories of mental disorder are listed, the membership in which depends on whether an individual meets a number of suggested criteria (APA, 2013; WHO, 2016). Thus, an individual is either a member or nonmember of these categories (Krueger & Markon, 2006a). The DSM-5 acknowledged the limitations of this approach and provided several assumptions that needed to be

“Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness associated with substantial social and occupational dysfunction. While positive psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia often respond to anti- psychotic medications, negative symptoms and cognitive impairments are difficult to treat, necessitating novel interventions” (Davis et al., 2013). This article looks deeper at social cognition. Social cognition can be defined as the mental operations that underlie social interactions, including perceiving, interpreting, and generating responses to the

In order to understand the role of oxytocin in the body, it is necessary to know where it comes from as well as where it travels to in the body. It all starts in the hypothalamus- posterior pituitary complex which is considered a neuroendocrine gland. To clarify a neuroendocrine gland has neuroendocrine cells that release a hormone (oxytocin) instead of a neurotransmitter into the bloodstream (instead of another neuron for example). The hypothalamus is a part of the diencephalon located in the brain below the thalamus and it plays important roles in hormone production, emotions and autonomic function (5). Through magnocellular neuron axon terminals with cell bodies of paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, oxytocin that was created in

One technique used in the study, according to the article, was observation. The article states that patients go through a psychiatric interview, presumably to study behavioral patterns, and that a comprehensive mental ability set is administered as a group test. This technique has the ability to become biased; the observer and the patient can be easily swayed by what is trying to be learned. The scientist chose observation because they can seek signs that would fund his/her notions and the participant could act differently because he/she is aware that someone is inspecting him/her. Another technique psychologist used was questionnaires. Questionnaires were given under the constant supervision of a staff member. To infer how their personality

"Judgements were obtained on 193 patients who were admitted for psychiatric treatment...attendants, nurses, psychiatrists, physicians, and psychologists -- were asked to make judgements. Forty-one patients were alleged, with high confidence, to be pseudo patients by at least one member of the staff. Twenty-three were considered suspect by at least one psychiatrist. Nineteen were suspected by one psychiatrist and one other staff member" (Rosenhan).

This study consisted of seventy-one male in introductory psychology class, experimenter, and a girl hired for the experiment (Festinger & Carlsmith, 1959). Participant arrived in the secretary office, and was directed to the lab. The first task consisted of using one hand to put twelve spools on a tray, empty the tray and refill the tray for half hour. Later, the participant constantly quarter turns the peg using one hand for half hour. While the participant performed the tedious task, the experimenter noted observations. The experimenter was not recording; the participant performed tedious task to generate negative opinion. Once both of the tasks were completed the experimenter began describing the true nature of the study. There were two groups; one group got no introduction or information about the experiment, meanwhile, the other