10 peer responses due in 12 hours

Respond to two peers

Guided Peer Responses: Peer responses should be carefully crafted and insightful. The goal of the discussion forum is to foster continual dialogue, similar to what might occur in a verbal face-to-face exchange. Consider discussing areas of interest as well as the following questions in your responses:

· Discuss the disorders you shared with your peers.

· Find common symptoms between your peers’ chosen disorders and yours.

· Discuss any additional treatments that you may be aware of that your peer may not have included.

STACEY’S POST:

The first condition I have chosen is Tourette’s disorder. Tourette’s is considered a biological disorder of the brain.  The symptoms for this disorder consist of simple and complex tics that range from swearing, blinking, shoulder and neck jerking, arms flinging, and other strange movements (Gertzfeld, 2018).  Sometimes the tics can be a bit more destructive such as head banging and people with Tourette’s may also bark and shout obscenities at others (Gertzfeld, 2018). 

Stereotype movement disorder and Tourette’s disorder have some of the same symptoms, such as head banging, waving limbs, and purposeless motor behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2014).  Both conditions have repetitive behavior types. The signs in each disorder can occur many times during the day and can last for short periods (Gertzfeld, 2018).  Genetic disorders of the nervous system have been shown to cause movement disorders.

To diagnose a mental illness, one must understand the symptoms so they can make the right determination of the diagnosis. A licensed clinician should get to know the patient and all of their symptoms so they can diagnosis the person correctly. Throughout history, many people have been misdiagnosed for mental health issues because it can be challenging to get the diagnosis correct.  Ethical procedures should be followed to keep things legal and on the right path.

The environment can have an effect on Tourette’s disorder. When someone observes a person making a gesture or a sound, a person with a tic disorder may mimic the actions and others may think it was done on purpose (American Psychiatric Association, 2014).  This can lead to issues when a person with Tourette’s is interacting with others (American Psychiatric Association, 2014).  The environment may also influence the development of the brain which can put a person at risk for the disorder. Internal and external factors such as the environment can affect tics (Frank, & Cavanna, 2013).

Family is always a good dynamic to have around when managing an illness.  The more the family is educated on ways to treat the disease, the better off the patient will be.  Having support from your loved ones can make the experiences go smoother and I think it makes people feel better when they know there is someone there to support them in their time of need. Although caring for people with the illness can be challenging, but if you come together as a family, it can make it easier.

The second condition I have chosen is conduct disorder.  Conduct disorder is a type of antisocial behavior that displays in children and young adults (Gertzfeld, 2018).  The symptoms consist of violent acts of rage, such as destructive and deceitful behavior, bullying, and just a pattern of violating the rules in general.  As a child grows up, they must learn the difference between hostility that can harm others and decisiveness which is necessary to interact appropriately in society (Gertzfeld, 2018). 

Conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder have some of the same characteristics. One of the differences between the two is age. The diagnosis for adults over the age of 18 who display aggressive symptoms is an antisocial personality disorder and if you are under the age of 18 conduct disorder is the diagnosis (Gertzfeld, 2018).  Both disorders violate the rules and do not adhere to the social norms because people who suffer from these illnesses thrive on being deceitful, reckless, and impulsive (Gertzfeld, 2018).   Conduct disorder is more prominent in boys in community settings that have high crime areas and gang relations (Gertzfeld, 2018). This type of behavior does not mean the person has a psychological condition; it just may be the only life they have known (Gertzfeld, 2018).   

Licensed clinicians must get to know a patient’s history and understand their symptoms so they can make the right determination of the diagnosis. Being misdiagnosed is always an issue regarding mental illness because it can be challenging to determine which one is accurate. The more information the doctor has, the better chance they will have of diagnosing the person correctly. Ethical procedures should be followed to keep things legal and make sure the patient is being treated fairly.

In regard to the environment, some theorists believe that hardship, drug abuse, introduction to violence, and criminals contribute to conduct disorder (Gertzfeld, 2018).  Neglect from parents and exposure to disruptive behavior also influence the disease.   Children who are diagnosed with conduct disorder usually go on to be diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder as an adult (Gertzfeld, 2018).  The onset and diagnosis are the same for both sexes, but usually, males exhibit antisocial personality disorder as adults over females (Gertzfeld, 2018).   

The impact a family has on managing a person with conduct disorder can be challenging.  Because the symptoms are violent, it can be hard to get control of those issues and that can put pressure on family members. It is best to get treatment for the problem through cognitive and behavioral therapies. The combination of the two therapies together has been shown to be effective. Supporting your loved one is best in helping to get a good outcome.

Frank, M., & Cavanna, A. E. (2013). Behavioural treatments for Tourette syndrome: An evidence-based review. Behavioural Neurology, 27(1), 105–117. doi: 10.1155/2013/134863 (Links to an external site.)

Getzfeld, A. R. (2018).  Abnormal psychology  (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

JANET’S POST:

The first disorder that I chose to discuss is dementia. Dementia falls into the category of Neurocognitive Disorders. According to Getzfeld (2018), dementia is marked by a decline in cognitive functions such as memory loss, confusion, loss of control of motor function, and issues with speech. Most of the time, people think about dementia as being a condition that affects older adults, but it can present in those much younger. For this reason, the American Psychological Association decided to label it as a major neurocognitive disorder. According to the APA (2013), to meet these criteria, one must have a decline of cognitive skill from their previous level that affects them in one or more areas such as memory, language, and motor functions, to name a few. This type of disorder disrupts one’s daily routine and can make it difficult to perform tasks that they were always able to do. When determining if a patient is experiencing dementia, all other medical causes have to be ruled out. It is not uncommon for the older adult population to be forgetful, but there is a difference in aging memory and dementia. Dementia shows a continued decline in cognition, which is a gradual process (Getzfeld, 2018).  Many things can cause dementia, and some are reversible while some are not. According to Getzfeld (2018), dementia can be caused by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, lack of nutrition, and medications. Gaining a complete history of the patient is essential to determine if dementia is present and what may be causing it.

Alzheimer’s and dementia have similarities and differences. One difference that is often confused is that dementia is a class of cognitive decline while Alzheimer’s is considered a disease. According to Getzfeld (2018), Alzheimer’s disease changes brain structures such as the neurofibrils being tangled, plaques, and arteriosclerosis, which are irreversible. Since Alzheimer’s cannot be cured or reversed, it shows a difference when compared to dementia because some causes of dementia can be reversed. Although they have some differences, they share similar symptoms. According to Getzfeld (2018), both Alzheimer’s and dementia affect cognitive function, which makes it hard for the person to communicate appropriately, make decisions, remember things, and hinders making new memories. It is easy to want to interchange dementia and Alzheimer’s but they are different things even though they share similar manifestations.

The other disorder that I chose is conduct disorder. Conduct disorder applies to children and is characterized by aggressive behavior to others that are deemed harmful (Getzfeld, 2018). While there are times that it is appropriate for a child to be aggressive to stand up for themselves, it is different when the behavior becomes harmful to others with the intent to harm others. According to the American Psychological Association (2013), conduct disorder is diagnosed if the child has displayed harmful behaviors to people and animals for one year in three of the fifteen categories, which include behaviors such as bullying, using a weapon that can cause serious physical injury, destroying property, and participating in a theft. There are also underlying implications that have to be considered for this disorder, with one being the environment the child is in. According to Getzfeld (2018), the environment can play a significant role in a child developing a conduct disorder. It goes back to the idea that behavior is modeled; therefore, if they live in an environment that exposes them to constant violence, then they may develop disorders such as conduct disorder. According to Getzfeld (2018), conduct disorder is closely related to antisocial personality disorder, and the biggest difference between the two is the age of the individual.

A disorder that is similar and different to conduct disorder is oppositional defiant disorder. Oppositional defiant disorder is characterized by a child that throws fits and displays a lot of anger and resentment (Getzfeld, 2018). Children who have this disorder constantly fight with authority figures in an attempt to get their way. The similarity between conduct and oppositional disorder is that they both attempt to categorize aggressive behavior in children. The differences are that although those with oppositional defiant disorder have issues with anger and revenge, they are not the level of violence that is seen with conduct disorder. According to the American Psychological Association (2013), diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder requires symptoms be present for six months and include four displays of behavior such as loss of temper, angry, likes to argue, does not comply with rules set by authority figures, and blames others for their mistakes. With either of these disorders, it is important to know the normal developmental stages of children so that you will know if the symptoms present are normal or abnormal.

It is important to understand symptoms of disorders, and there can be ethical implications if you do not have a complete picture of the patient and are not licensed to practice. First, knowing how specific disorders are just the beginning of becoming a good provider, but it alone could get you into some trouble. Each person presents differently, and if enough research about the patient is not gained, it will be hard to determine what is going on with them. You have to know their personal history, environment, social interactions, medical history, and if certain disorders or diseases run in their family. These are just a few things, but gaining a complete picture will help guide a clinician to make the correct diagnosis. If a correct diagnosis is not made, it can have detrimental effects on the patient and those around them. Lastly, having a license to practice is essential in determining the diagnosis of a patient. The absence of a license combined with diagnosing individuals off of general knowledge of disorders is a dangerous because it could have legal and financial ramifications.

The environment plays a big role in managing behaviors in dementia and conduct disorder. The environment of a patient with dementia should maintain their safety and help them keep as much of their independence as they can. According to Getzfeld (2018), the best environment for those with dementia is to keep them at home although a lot of dementia patients end up in a nursing home. Those individuals that can stay in their home can maintain some normalcy to their lives, which may help combat conditions like depression. If they go into a nursing home, it may make them feel abandoned and isolated, which puts them at risk for depression. In conduct disorder, I had already mentioned how the environment plays a role in their behavior. These children, because they lack positive attention in their environment, may cause them to seek the attention that comes with acting out. According to Getzfeld (2018), violent behavior gains the child attention and may support bad behavior because they gain a reward in it. Environment in both these situations is pivotal on the outcome of the individual.

The impact of managing a loved one that is suffering from dementia or conduct disorder is vital to understand. First, in those caring for someone with dementia, it can be life-changing. It can be very stressful taking on a caregiver role for one’s parent. According to Laparidou, Middlemass, Karran, and Siriwardena (2019), caregiver stress is prevalent in caring for those with dementia and can cause them to develop depression. Self-care of the caregiver also tends to decrease because of the time and energy spent taking care of the individual with dementia. Having a good support system for the caregiver will help them cope with the added responsibilities that have been placed on them. Conduct disorder can carry the same stress on a parent that it does on the individual caring for a patient with dementia. According to Manor-Binyamini (2012), parents that had children with conduct disorder reported a decrease in their personal welfare as well as feeling that they cannot cope with the situation they are in. No matter the disorder, I feel that there is added weight placed on the family members because they want to help their loved one, but providing that help also comes with detriments to themselves.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Section II: Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders.  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) .  https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 (Links to an external site.)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Section II: Neurocognitive Disorders.  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) .  https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 (Links to an external site.)

Getzfeld, A. R. (2018).  Abnormal psychology  (2nd ed.). Retrieved from  https://content.ashford.edu (Links to an external site.)

Laparidou, D., Middlemass, J., Karran, T., & Siriwardena, A. N. (2019). Caregivers’ interactions with health care services−Mediator of stress or added strain? Experiences and perceptions of informal caregivers of people with dementia−A qualitative study. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 18(7–8), 2526–2542.  https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1177/1471301217751226 (Links to an external site.)

Manor-Binyamini, I. (2012). Parenting children with conduct disorder in Israel: Caregiver burden and the sense of coherence. Community Mental Health Journal, 48(6), 781–785. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1007/s10597-011-9474-x

MY POST:

Dementia and Amnestic disorders are some of the common disorders which are experienced by different people in different areas. As far as Dementia is concerned, the disorder is characterized by the decline in memory, problem solving, language and skills in thinking. This brings about negative impacts to the people therefore making it hard for the people to carry out their daily activities. Some of the symptoms of dementia include; increased confusion, reduced concentration, memory problems and behavior changes (Brinker, 2019).

On the other hand, Amnestic disorders are some of the disorders which involve loss of memories. As a result of Amnestic disorders, it becomes hard for the people to create new memories. However, majority of the people experiencing the disorder face difficulties when recalling different happenings. Some of the symptoms of Amnestic disorders include; loss of memory, lack of insights with time and disorientation with time (Gallagher, 2019).

Both Amnestic disorders and dementia are similar to other illness in that they lead to loss of memories to different people. Again, the two disorders are different in that they make it hard for the people to learn new information. The other illness can easily be controlled due to the fact that they do not bring a lot of problems to the people. Moreover, the ethical implications of the importance of understanding the symptoms of the two disorders in general is that it ensures the violation of the people’s rights is reduced therefore ensuring that the people acquire the right services (Getzfeld, 2018).

Again, the role of environment on managing behaviors to the disorders is ensuring that the affected people are provided with right services hence ensuring that they carry out their daily activities accordingly. Finally, the impact of the family in the management of a loved one suffering from the disorders is ensuring that the people are supported both financially and emotionally (Kambeitz-Ilankovic, 2019).

References

Brinker, M. J., Cohen, J. G., Sharrette, J. A., & Hall, T. A. (2019). Neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental impact of prenatal methamphetamine exposure: A comparison study of prenatally exposed children with nonexposed ADHD peers. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 8(2), 132-139.

Gallagher, L., Fitzgerald, J., Al Shehhi, M., Lynch, S. A., & Shen, S. (2019). DECONSTRUCTING THE NEUREXIN1 DELETION PHENOTYPE: A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL, NEUROCOGNITIVE AND NEUROIMAGING PERSPECTIVE. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 29, S980-S981.

Getzfeld, A. R. (2018).  Abnormal psychology  (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

Kambeitz-Ilankovic, L., Haas, S. S., Meisenzahl, E., Dwyer, D. B., Weiske, J., Peters, H., ... & Koutsouleris, N. (2019). Neurocognitive and neuroanatomical maturation in the clinical high-risk states for psychosis: a pattern recognition study. NeuroImage: Clinical, 21, 101624.

EXAMPLE OF RESPONSE:

Hello Robert,

I enjoyed reading your valuable information and thoughtful observations. In youe answer to Ethical Implications I couldn't agree with you more. With all of these mental disorders, especially the ones that affect children it is imperative to be very careful not to put an unnecessary label on a child. I believe that these labels and diagnosis can become a crutch as they use them for their identity for the rest of their lives. I know a man 45 years old who was told he had ADHD and a learning disability as a child. Even though I don't see any sign of these problems he mentions them as an excuse for normal mistakes that everyone makes. He defines himself as dumb and unable to concentrate, which just isn't true and there is no evidence of that happening. It's sad and I think our society must be very careful when saddling the young and impressionable with a label that can haunt them. Young children are constantly trying to figure out who they are and where they fit into the world and if some authority figure says they are X they will many times believe this and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I learned this somewhere in one of my classes...:) I enjoyed reading your post.