Life Events and Psychiatric Disorders

Life has its way of turning an individual’s attention to better understanding the overall course of life. One may experience different transitions, and turning points as well as particular life events and family experiences that may influence the developmental trajectories of life. The Moore Family- Ed, Jessica, Derrick, Terrance, Debbie and Barbara- all have stories that have unfolded over a period of time. One of the useful ways I will attempt to explain the Moore’s family stories, and the relationship between time and human behavior, is the life course perspective. The life course perspective maintains that chronological age, relationships, common life transitions, and social change shape people’s lives from birth to death (Hutchinson, 2013). Timing is very important.

She began to perceive people in different ways after being exposed to the psychiatric training process. She quotes, “we would assume that other people are just like us - normal human beings - until it becomes apparent that they are not since they either have mental illnesses or diseases” (Luhrmann 5). To understand why people suffer and why they are categorized as “different”, there are multiple reasons for why an individual could cater a mental illness or a disease: the most important risk factor happens to be social isolation (Luhrmann 18). Recently, depression and mood disorders became more common in the twentieth century because there were no other times in human history where so many people have thoughts of being lonely (Luhrmann 18). Backgrounds also help explain where people are coming from and are key in providing an explanation of how a psychiatric illness could be hereditary (Luhrmann 18). For example, living under war-like conditions can bring post-traumatic stress disorders and shape the way people interact inside

And finally the clinical approach on mental disorders will be explored and the risk factors and

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), “the essential feature of

____ 16. Since the early 1990s, adolescents with strong mood swings have been increasingly likely to be diagnosed as suffering from A) panic disorder. B) hypochondriasis. C) bipolar disorder. D) agoraphobia. E) major depression. ____ 17. Cognitive changes that accompany depression include a(n) A) decrease in self-focused thinking. B) increased expectation of negative outcomes. C) increased externalization of blame. D) increased obsession with experiencing physical pleasure. E) decrease in pessimistic explanatory style. ____ 18. A disorder in which an individual is overexcited, hyperactive, and wildly optimistic is known as A) paranoia. B) mania. C) a panic attack. D) hypochondriasis. E) schizphrenia ____ 19. The vicious cycle of depression is often initiated by A) a breakdown in selective attention. B) unrealistic optimism. C) excessive levels of norepinephrine. D) stressful life experiences. E) external attributions of blame. ____ 20. Evidence that dissociative identity disorder is not simply a product of conscious roleplaying is most clearly provided by the A) periodic

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).Arlington, VA: Author.

Writer discusses and describes symptoms and statistics of mental health disorders that were researched before a diagnosis was made.

I have always been thrilled by what goes around in people’s minds, but it was at the age of fifteen that I was first attracted to the field of psychology and particularly to clinical psychology. It was mainly because I read my favorite book When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin Yalom. This novel had a personal impact on me, as someone I know was dealing with depression, migraines, insecurities and suicidal tendencies same as happens so in the book’s characters.

During the 1930s and ’40s, psychoanalytically oriented clinicians in the US and Europe were making observations of the ill-effects on personality development of prolonged institutional care and frequent changes of mother-figure during the first years of life. Among them was a psychiatrist who, prior to receiving his medical training, had studied developmental psychology. His name was John Bowlby. At this time mainstream psychoanalytic

Dombeck, M., Hoermann, S., Zupanick, E.C. (2011). Personality Disorders: Problems with current diagnostic system. MentalHelp. Retrieved on 14th March, 2013, from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=569

Young, Patrick (1991). The Encyclopedia of Health, Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment. Herrington Publications. New York

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Langeda Bontemps, Department of Psychology, Longwood University, Farmville, VA 23909. Email: langeda.bontemps@live.longwood.edu

According to Crawford and Walker(2010), the life course is defined in literature as, “The progression and path an individual takes from conception to death.” (Crawford and walker, 2012, p.3). The study of the life course and human development is extremely complex and could be described as interdisciplinary as it encompasses many fields of study. When examining the life course of individuals it is necessary to consider all of the various factors that affect human behaviour. These may include; psychological, biological, social, behavioural, cognitive or culture factors. Age can also be considered as a factor that influences lifespan development. In the early 19th century, the term “age related change” was regarded as only applicable to the early childhood stage but in recent years, psychologists have come to accept that age related changes occur throughout the entire life span. According to Boyd and Bee (2014), other earlier theories included Charles Darwin’s suggestion that, “the wide variety of life forms that exist on earth evolved gradually as a result of the interplay between environmental factors and genetic process.” (Boyd and Bee, 2014, p.3) Therefore Darwin proposed that it was either solely, “nature” or “nurture” that influenced the human development, but instead, a combination of both. In this assignment, I am going to focus on the specific psychological factors that influence human behaviour during the life course. I will compare two different psychological

Physical well-being is assumed to be directly associated with the mental and behavioural well-being of an individual. It is commonly noted that people adopt difficult and irritating behaviour once they are not in perfect state of physical health. The root cause of depression is often attributed to disturbed situation one is facing. However, it may not be valid in all cases.

American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.