Psychopathology
Student 2025
3.1and3.2DiscussionResponses.docxInstructions: Respond to the two discussion posts below.
Joy
In reading about the word Hineni, it is noted that whenever this word occurs in the Bible, there is always a verb that accompanies it (Prombaum, 2014). Verbs, as we know, indicate actionable steps, so when Hineni is used, it is implied that a person not only calls out to God but is actively surrendering and asking God to use him/her in an actionable way to further His kingdom (Prombaum, 2014). Hineni is how Samuel posited himself in subordination of his master, Eli, even though those calls to Samuel were from God, Himself, “Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down” (ESV, 2016, 1 Samuel 3:4-5). He was ready and willing without question. If I think of myself and how I would speak out to God in this context, I would say, “God, I am here and I want to be used by you, entirely. Use my hands and feet to do your will and I surrender my life completely to your purpose and plan.”
I vividly remember God calling me to this task when I was a sophomore in high school. I had a friend, who I’d grown closer and closer to over the course of four years, who had not only received a diagnosis of Celiac and was sick often, but she also was a child living in an abusive household. Her parents were divorced, but her mother was married to her emotionally and verbally abusive stepfather. He was an adamant atheist and pushed my friend and his own biological daughter to also adopt atheism as their outlook. The problem was I regularly attended church and youth group on Sundays, and I wanted my friend to join me and she wanted to, too. Her mom was okay with her coming with me, but they did not disclose this to my friend’s stepfather for fear of his retribution.
One summer I invited my friend to church camp with me and she joined me. I remember feeling a strong desire to help my friend grow a relationship with a God of love, in the way that I had experienced Him. I did not want to be pushy or forceful about her forming a relationship with God, but I remember wanting to include her in our church activities so that she could witness what love in action looked like. I felt like God was calling me to share His love with my friend and although I was afraid – that she might think I was too eccentric or strange about this whole Christian thing – I accepted God’s tug on my heart to be that influence in her life. Unfortunately, when she was away with me at church camp her stepfather found out about her joining me and he bagged up all her belongings and threw them on the curb and told her, “Since you’re a Christian, you’re no longer welcome to live in this house.” I could speak all day to the irony in this move on his part, but it was in this moment that God continued showing His love to my friend and paved a way for her to be loved by Him, as well as me and others in the church. Although I haven’t seen her in years, I remember what a painful, but formidable experience all of this was in helping her find her love of Christ. When I could have heard God’s call to love my friend and shied away out of fear, I pushed through the fear, and she was able to find the love and acceptance that she was so desperately seeking. For that, I will forever be thankful.
References
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Bible Gateway – 1 Samuel 3:4-5 ESV. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+3%3A4-5&version=ESV
Prombaum, S. (2014, November 30). Hineni: “here I am” and “I am here” are different. Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle | Jewish Life, Jewish Community and Events in Wisconsin. https://www.jewishchronicle.org/2014/11/30/hineni-here-i-am-and-i-am-here-are-different/
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DSM and ADHD Diagnosis for Children
Tara
What factors do you think might be contributing to the dramatic rise in ADHD diagnoses among children and adolescents?
I think that due to increased awareness and the broader scope of ADHD criteria, parents, physicians, and educators may use an ADHD diagnostic approach when identifying individuals with milder symptoms of ADHD. Also, Parents are becoming more proactive in seeking help for their children's behavioral and learning difficulties. They are more likely to advocate for their children and seek professional evaluation for suspected ADHD symptoms (Jones, 2012).
Furthermore, Increased demands and stressors in modern society may be a contributing factor to the increased popularity of the diagnosis. Children and adolescents may experience greater academic pressures, social expectations, and technological distractions. According to the NIDA, these factors can exacerbate ADHD symptoms and lead to more noticeable difficulties in the daily functioning of children and adolescents (NIDA, 2023).
Other identifying factors may include environmental, such as children from lower economic households may be exposed to pesticides or lead which has been linked to ADHD (Davidovitch, 2017). In addition, the stigma surrounding mental illness is decreasing, parents are no longer afraid to ask about behavioral and attention- related issues (Davidovitch, 2017).
Many healthcare providers have improved access to mental health services that allow individuals early detection and prevention for ADHD (Jones, 2012). This leads to an increase in the marketing of the drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have increased their marketing campaigns for drug treatment of illness promoting the benefits of the medication for the treatment of ADHD (NIDA, 2023). However, while medications can be beneficial for managing symptoms, there's also the risk of overdiagnosis or reliance solely on medication without addressing underlying issues (Jones, 2012).
There is also new evidence that genetic predisposition plays a role in ADHD and with this increased understanding there may be better identification of individuals predisposed to ADHD, leading to more diagnoses (NIDA, 2023).
What do you know about Jimmy’s current behaviors? What do you know about his family? His medical history? His past functioning?
Jimmy gets along with his peers; he fidgets and doesn’t pay attention in class. He sustains his attention for prolonged periods but has difficulty focusing on conversations that last more than a few minutes. His parents noticed this behavior at home, consulted the teacher and then took Jimmy to his pediatric doctor for assessment. The doctor agreed that Jimmy showed signs of ADHD and prescribed Ritalin. Jimmy’s medical history and pass functioning was not discussed.
If you were conducting a thorough assessment of Jimmy and his family, what other areas of functioning would you address? Consider the questions within these areas:
I would consider Jimmy’s medical history to look for genetic predispositions and compare his past functioning with his current behaviors to assess changes in behaviors. Checking Jimmy’s medical records to see what types of medications that he is taking will provide valuable information, because learning about varying side effects of current medications is paramount in diagnosis.
Evaluating Jimmy’s grades for deficiencies would be helpful when examining changes in behavior. I would ask parents if there have been any major changes in the household recently and look for changes in Jimmy’s eating and sleeping habits. This could be beneficial when considering Jimmy’s age and developmental stage such as puberty.
References:
Jones, S. L., & Butman, R. E. (2012). Modern psychotherapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal. InterVarsity Press.
NIDA. 2023, March 6. Overview. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/misuse-prescription-drugs/overview on 2024, March 15
