Common App Essay
The day Trichotillomania disorder came into my life is a day that will always stand out in my memory. Who ever thought that a typical day in 1st grade gym class would completely change my life? I have lived with Trichotillomania disorder for almost twelve years, and it continues to be a personal problem that I struggle to solve every day. However, through this, has come some of the most important life lessons that have helped mold me into the person I am proud to be.
Trichotillomania is defined as a body-focused repetitive behavior classified as an impulse control disorder which involves pulling out one's hair. I first developed the need to pull out my hair when I was in the 1st grade. Sitting in gym class with nothing to do resulted with my playing with my, which soon evolved into the pulling of my hair. At first, I was just a one time thing. But as time passed that year it became a thing I resorted to when ever I was bored or stressed out. On occasion, I would even find myself subconsciously pulling out my hair. I didn't take long before bald spots were developing on my scalp. Soon my mom took notice of my appearance. It was hard to explain what was happening to me because even I wasn't sure what was happening to me. After hours of research, all of
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There have been an infinite number of highs and lows on my journey, however my Trich is something that has become a part of my person. There have been days when the though of shaving my head to put myself out of my misery seems like a tempting solution, but there have also been days where I am thankful for the lessons that Trich has given me. My self confidence has sky rocketed and my appearance is no longer a concern of mine. Yes, Trichotillomania continues to be a problem that I will probably battle for the rest of my life, but I have made friends and memories that I wouldn't trade for anything — even a full head of
What do bipolar disorder and obsessive disorder have in common? They are both diseases that three authors have given to their characters in order to develop a great story. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide (Stoppler). Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) as an anxiety disorder. It is characterized by distressing intrusive thoughts and/or repetitive actions that interfere with the individual's daily functioning. The DSM-IV criteria for OCD are as follows: The individual expresses wither obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are defined by the following four criteria: recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images are experienced at some time during the disturbance as intrusive and inappropriate and caused marked anxiety and distress. The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply worries about real-life problems. The person attempts to suppress or ignore such thoughts, impulses, or images or to neutralize them with some other thought or action. The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his/her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion). Compulsions are defined by the following two criteria: the person feels driven to perform repetitive behaviors (e.g. hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g. praying, counting, repeating words silently) in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts are either not connected in a realistic way with what they are meant to neutralize or prevent or they are clearly excessive (PsychologyToday). Tennessee Williams' character Blanche DuBois, from Streetcar Named Desire, Hamlet from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and May from Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees all suffer from these two illnesses in their own ways like by lying and believing their lies to escape reality, lying and acting crazy to seek revenge on another character, and getting really upset by the world's problems and then start singing.
Tourette syndrome is commonly diagnosed in children following an onset of tics between the ages of 6 and 9 years (Galvez-Jimenez, 2012, p. S35). In many circumstances, Tourette syndrome occurs alongside one or more additional disorders, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I was diagnosed with both Tourette syndrome and OCD at eight years of age following an explosion of tics, twitches, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. To be formally diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a patient must be under 18 years old and exhibit multiple motor tics and at least one phonic or “verbal” tic for at least one year (Galvez-Jenez, 2012, p. S35). Tics are sudden, repeated, involuntary body movements or vocal projections that are classified as “phonic” or as “motor.” Motor tics are sudden, impulsive, purposeless body ...
What is hypochondriasis? “Hypochondriasis is the excessive worry that you are or may become seriously ill, says Mayo Clinic.” Hypochondriasis is known to be an illness anxiety disorder. Hypochondriasis, when diagnosed to a person, is known as being a hypochondriac. Mayo Clinic also says that “It is not just worrying every so often that something might be wrong with a person, but it’s that the person is constantly worrying about themselves.” It will cause them to think the worst about them being ill and monitor their own body and expect something is wrong with themselves all of the time. (Carolyn Steber) Here are some symptoms, causes and treatments for hypochondriasis.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is defined by select characteristics (compulsions) and thoughts (obsessions). Obsessive-compulsive disorder usually consists of irrational obsessions, fears, and compulsions. (Mayo, 1) Though obsessions and compulsions are common, it is not necessary to have both when defining Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some individuals with OCD only have obsessions or compulsions. (Mayo,1)
More than two million cases can be found in psychological and psychiatric records of multiple personality disorders also called dissociative identity disorders. Dissociative Identity, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is a condition in which, an individual has a host personality along with at least two or more personalities with each identity having his or her own ideas, memories, thoughts and way of doing things (Bennick). Personality disorders are a group of mental illnesses. They involve thoughts and behaviors that are unhealthy and inflexible. A person with a personality disorder has trouble perceiving and relating to situations and people. This causes significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities,
Panic disorder is an anxiety-repeated disorder that affects approximately five percent of the population (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). A diagnosis of panic disorder requires that the individual experiences recurrent panic attacks with any of the following: worry about the possibility of future attacks, avoiding places or situations in which the individual fears a panic attack may occur, fear of being unable to escape or obtain help, or any other change in behavior due to the attacks (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Panic attacks are often sudden and the sufferer usually experience physical symptoms such as autonomie, otoneurological, gastrointestinal,or cardiorespiratory distress (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Individuals who suffer from panic disorder typically utilize medical services at a higher rate than those who do not have panic disorder, an impaired social life, and a reduced quality of life (Taylor, 2006). Often times those who suffer from panic disorder may also suffer from depression and general anxiety (Taylor, 2006). According to the Stanford University School of medicine, approximately 50 percent of patients diagnosed with panic disorder will develop depression and approximately 50 percent of depressed patients will develop panic disorder (Taylor, 2006). In addition those who suffer from panic disorder have a higher incidence of suicide, especially those with comorbid depression (Taylor, 2006). Not everyone who experiences a panic attack suffers from panic disorder (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The same physical symptoms of panic disorder may occur when an individual is faced with specific fears and potentially dangerous situations (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The difference b...
Schizophrenia is not a new mental disorder. Through written documents, it can be traced to the Pharaoh days in Egypt and even further back to the second millennium before Christ. The disease was first identified as a mental illness by German psychiatrist Dr. Emile Kraepelin in 1887. Kraepelin, identified by H.J. Eysenck's Encyclopedia of Psychology as the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, psychopharmacology and psychiatric gene, was the first to make a distinction in the psychotic disorders between what he called dementia praecox and manic depression. He believed that dementia praecox was primarily a disease of the brain, and particularly a form of dementia. Kraepelin named the disorder 'dementia praecox' (early dementia) to distinguish it from other forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease) which typically occur late in life. It wasn’t until 1911 when Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, coined the term "schizophrenia". Bleuler changed the name to schizophrenia because Kraepelin's name was misleading as the illness was not a dementia (it did not always lead to mental deterioration) and could occur late in life as well as early. Schizophrenia" comes from the Greek roots schizo (split) and phrene (mind) to describe the fragmented thinking of people with the disorder. He was also the first to describe the symptoms of schizophrenia as "positive" or "negative." Both Bleuler and Kraepelin subdivided schizophrenia into categories, based on symptoms and prognosis. There are five types described in the DSM-III: disorganized, catatonic, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. The first three categories were originally proposed by Kraepelin. The DSM- III stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders whic...
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder which causes people with this disorder to misinterpret reality. It is one of the top ten causes of long-term disability. Schizophrenia patients may hear voices that may not be there, they will believe that people are out to harm them, reading their minds, and controlling their thoughts. Because they have these feelings a person can become withdrawn and paranoid. The name schizophrenia leads us to believe that the illness causes a person to have a split personality. This was the old way of thinking about the illness, but it is not the case today. Although the causes of schizophrenia are still not determined data suggest that environmental, social, and genetic factors can play a part in developing the illness. People with schizophrenia develop this illness around the ages 16 and 30 years old. The illness does not develop quickly. Onset is gradual and subtle and usually takes places over a course of five years.
Something that I have learned after overcoming this battle is that life is very unpredictable and it is up to the individual to rise above and choose the right path. This excerpt from the poem “Recovery” by Maya Angelou has given me encouragement and inspiration to move on with my life and become the best person that I can be: “A last love, proper in conclusion, should snip the wings forbidding further flight. But I now reft of that confusion, am lifted up and speeding towards the light.” I live by these words everyday because they motivate me to succeed and overcome the impossible.
Schizophrenia is a devastating and costly mental disorder that affects 1% of population worldwide. Patients manifest clusters of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms in early twenties and are often left with life-long severe mental disability and social stigma. Cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia are considered core symptoms of this disorder, and can manifest at the initial stage (Elvevåg and Goldberg, 2000). Atypical antipsychotics ameliorate positive symptoms but may only modestly improve cognitive symptoms (Richelson, 2010). In addition to this, some of the typical antipsychotics are even have deteriorative effects on cognitive symptoms (Heaton and Crowley 1981). To find the appropriate treatments for cognitive deficits of schizophrenia, it is important to know the underlying pathophysiology.
What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is brain disorder that makes it hard to see the difference between reality and imagination, have normal emotional responses, and act normal in social situations. Schizophrenia is relatively young, it has only been around for less than 100 years. It was first discovered by Dr. Emile Kraeplin in 1887. He believed it was a mental illness. A few documents take Schizophrenia’s origins back to Egypt during the Pharaoh’s rule around 1550 B.C. People originally thought schizophrenia was simply madness, and usually associated it with madness, even though it is quite different from madness. Symptoms of this disease include Positive symptoms, which are: hallucinations, or things that someone can see, feel, smell, or hear that do not really exist. Many people hear voices inside their heads, see people that are not there, or smell odors no one else smells. Delusions are another symptom, also known as bizarre beliefs, these may include paranoid delusions also, which are delusions that tell the person that others are trying to hurt them. Thought Disorders are a symptom in which the person thinks unusually or dysfunctionally. Movement disorders may be present in schizophrenic people, they may seem like twitches or small, sharp, and sudden movements. Schizophrenia’s “negative symptoms” are harder to recognize. These include the flat affect, in which the persons face doesn’t move and the voice is droning. The lack of pleasure in life is another once, along with the lack of ability to start and sustain activities, and little speech. These symptoms prevent or block the person from living a normal life because they cause social, physical, and emotional, and mental problems. This may lead to psychosis, insanity, or ...
Schizophrenia is a common disease; it is a serious disorder of the mind and bran but is actually very treatable it actually ranks in the top 10 causes of disability in developed countries worldwide. Schizophrenia is a completely brain based disorder, that causes hallucinations, and affects multiple brain functions, like the thinking clearly, managing how you feel, making decisions and how to relate to other people. People with schizophrenia also have to face illusions daily, which are very vivid false beliefs, which might cause them to think that people are following them or looking directly at them. Schizophrenia is a horrible disorder for the majority of people who face it, and very can also be enormously costly for families and even society in general. Even though it is treatable there is no current cure for schizophrenia the only thing now is that it must be managed through therapy. There are over fifteen modern medications for that could treat schizophrenia that were developed by different biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses. The costs from schizophrenia was estimated to be in the range of $61.7 billion, and $22.6 billion direct health care costs in 2011. The most accepted theory of why people have schizophrenia is that it’s result of a simply genetics from the environmental exposures and stress during pregnancy or childhood are what generally causes the disorder to form. Researchers note several key strand genes that when damaged seem to create a pre problem or increase for the risk of schizophrenia. The genes, in mixture with known environmental exponentials are thought to be the reason that it is a result in schizophrenia. The genes that are projected to enhance the risk of obtaining schizophrenia are the Dysbin...
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder categorized by repetitive severe attacks. It may also contain significant behavioral changes enduring at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or anxiety about having other attacks. The latter are known as anticipatory attacks, or DSM-IVR. Panic disorder is not the equivalent of agoraphobia, the fear of public places, even though many afflicted with panic disorder as well suffer from agoraphobia. Panic attacks cannot be foreseen; therefore an individual may come to be stressed, anxious, or worried wondering when the following panic attack will transpire. Panic disorder may be differentiated as a medical condition, or chemical imbalance. The DSM-IVR describes panic disorder and anxiety differently. Whereas anxiety is preceded by chronic stressors which build to reactions of moderate intensity that can last for days, weeks, or months, panic attacks are acute events triggered by a sudden, out of the blue cause. The duration is short and symptoms are more intense. Panic attacks can occur in children, as well as adults. Panic in young people may be particularly distressing because children tend to have less insight about what is happening, and parents are also likely to experience distress when attacks occur.
There are people in this world that have a problem understanding the difference between what is real and what is unreal. Most of us think that is just silly and childlike, but it is a reality for about 51 million Americans (Coon). These people suffer from schizophrenia, a psychosis characterized by delusions, hallucinations, apathy, and a “split” between thought and emotion (Coon). Schizophrenic suffers my show inappropriate emotions to certain situations. They laugh at the death of a loved one, or show no emotion also known as flat affect to news of happiness. To an onlooker they may appear to be crazy, rude or even mentally disturbed. Unfortunately schizophrenic suffers have to deal with these judgments, when they don’t understand why they are getting these reactions. Schizophrenia comes in more than one form. There is disorganized schizophrenia, Catatonic schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia and undifferentiated schizophrenia.
As children, we have all done things like play make believe. We would take on completely new personalities and change characteristics of ourselves, but only for fun. This is expected of children, they use their imagination to create new people and realities. The question is at what point in time was it appropriate to leave an overactive imagination in the past? When looking at a person with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) one would say that a person never grew out of the role playing that is found so fascinating to a child. After years of doctors believing that patients with this disorder were possessed by demons and being rejected by behaviorists such as Sigmund Freud. MPD was diagnosed in its first patient in 1865. From then on Doctors