(AC 1) Stress is defined as the state when people are experiencing difficulties in coping with the situations they are in due to the lacking of abilities or knowledge to handle them (Anxiety UK, ND). These situations are often referred as stressors. The way how individuals are reacting to these stressors is referred as stress response.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a long-lasting, autoimmune disease which can affect nearly any part of one’s body. In normal circumstances the body is secured by the immune system. As soon as the immune system identifies harmful foreign substances the body’s usual defense would be for the immune system to abolish the antigens. In lupus suffering patients, the immune system doesn’t have the ability to differentiate regular antibodies from intruders. Lupus is when the body overreacts to a foreign stimulus and creates too many antibodies toward its own body tissue. Hence, Lupus is referred to as an autoimmune disorder. SLE causes inflammation to the joints, organs and tissue. The inflammation is identified as soreness, warmth, swelling and redness.
It has been estimated that 1.5 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, have lupus. Most are diagnosed as young women of childbearing age who suffer from such symptoms as intense fatigue and exhaustion, joint pains, thinking and memory problems, and skin rashes. Men, children, and older women get lupus too (About Lupus, n.d.). In this paper in will explain the definition of Lupus, I will also give you the symptoms, causes, treatments, and diagnosis of someone with this disease.
There are several types of lupus with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) being the most common and most severe. SLE can affect many parts of the body including skin, joints, lungs, heart, internal organs, and even the brain. SLE invol...
...loped to assess disease activity in lupus. To date, there has been no agreement as to the -gold standard- in this field. The more commonly used measures, in order of date of publication, include the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group index (BILAG), the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM), the Lupus Activity Index (LAI), the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measure (ECLAM).14 A key feature of all of these instruments in addition to the focus of active SLE as opposed to damage is the attribution of the manifestations to SLE. They are all valid, reliable, responsive indices that have been shown to correlate with each other.15
Overarching research on women of color (African American, Native American, Latina/Hispanic, Pacific Islander American, and Asian American) and the impact of racism and sexism as interrelated constructs on their academic aspirations is limited. A few scholarly pieces that explore racism and sexism as intersecting constructs, primarily focus on understanding the relationship between these isms and the mental health of women of color (DeBlaere & Bertsch, 2013; DeBlaere, Brewster, Bertsch, DeCarlo, Kegel, & Presseau, 2013;Martin, Boadi, Fernandes,Watt, & Robinson-Wood, 2013).More specifically, extant literature suggests one of the major consequences women of color experience in relation to racist and sexist events is psychological distress, which can be understood as concerns including depression, low self-esteem, and self-hatred, among others (King, 2003; Hipolito-Delgado, 2010).
For low-income African American single moms, social support is seen as a mechanism that gives them the capacity to adapt to economic and social pressures exerted upon them as they struggle to meet the physical, emotional, moral, and intellectual needs of family members. Through family members and friendships many African American single mothers are pro- vided social support intended to meet their material and/or emotional needs . Specific forms of concrete or material support include assistance with housing (a place of residence, or assistance with rent or mortgage payment), a primary source once with household tasks (e.g., meal preparation, cleaning) and financial loans . Emotional support includes the provision of emotional aid such as esteem enhancement, symp...
Mok, C., Ho, L., Cheung, M., Yu, K., & To, C. (2009). Effect of disease activity and damage on quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a 2-year prospective study. Scandinavian Journal Of Rheumatology, 38(2), 121-127. doi:10.1080/03009740802415527
A recent study of predominantly low income, African-American women, found that there are significant correlations between childhood emotional abuse, emotion dysregulation and depression. This study was conducted because not much research is conducted on emotional abuse in contrast to research done on physical or sexual abuse. Researchers posed a hypothesis that determined emotional abuse to be a strong indicator that an individual would later be diagnosed with depression, emotional dysregulation, or both. They also hypothesized that emotional dysregulation in addition to childhood emotional abuse may increase one’s chances of developing depression.
In the article, “Counseling African American adolescents: The Impact of Race, Culture, and Middle Class Status”, the author’s share the following statement, “Recognition of the complex issues related to race, culture, and class will better position counselors to deliver more effective counseling services.” (Day-Vines, Patton, & Baytops, 2003, p.41). Through this article review I will look at some of the key psychosocial issues for African Americans as well as what central therapeutic approaches are appropriate.