Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which an individual has an intense, overwhelming preoccupation with a perceived flaw in his or her appearance. A person with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has a highly distorted sense of his or her own appearance, and any part of his or her body can be a subject of that concern. Sometimes the perceived defect is completely imagined, and sometimes an actual "flaw" is the subject of a disproportionate level of obsessive concern. The root of the problem lies not with the person's actual appearance, but with the individual's self-image and self-esteem. BDD can be extremely debilitating to those who suffer from it, because the constant preoccupation with one's appearance can impair social function and make the most basic activities of daily life, including friendship, employment, and leisure time, particularly distressing. This essay will outline the symptoms, common behaviors, causes, and treatment of…...

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Works Cited

Ahmed, I., Genen, L, & Cook, T. "Body dysmorphic disorder." Sep. 2010. Web.  http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/291182-overview .

Phillips, K.A. (2005). The broken mirror: understanding and treating body dysmorphic disorder. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

-. (2009). Understanding body dysmorphic disorder. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Massachusetts General Hospital. "Body dysmorphic disorder." Nov. 2010. Web. <  http://www.mghocd.org/bdd/info.htm# >.

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In addition, to media images that bombard men there are also biological factors that influence the development of BDD in men.

According to an article entitled "Bigger Isn't Always Better - muscle dysmorphia in men" the most severe cases of muscle dysmorphia involve a biological predisposition for the disease (Bartlett 2001). The author explains that from a biological standpoint the man suffering with the disease has a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (Bartlett 2001). For instance someone who washes his hands 10 times per day is normal, however washing your hands one hundred times per day to the point that it hampers with the rest of your life is a symptom of a greater problem (Bartlett 2001). According to the article this example is used to illustrate "there isn't anything pathological about going to the gym regularly or dieting," but there is a problem when "a huge number of boys and men…...

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Works Cited

Bartlett J. (2001) Bigger Isn't Always Better - muscle dysmorphia in men

American Fitness. Retrieved July 8, 2005 from;  http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_1_19/ai_69651755 

First Controlled Study of Muscle Dysmorphia Published, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2005 from;  http://www.driesen.com/muscle_dysmorphia.htm 

Grieve F.G., Lorenzen L.A., Thomas a. (2004) Exposure to Muscular Male Models Decreases Men's Body Satisfaction.Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Volume: 51: 743+.

Clinically meaningful differences between juvenile and adult participants were also found. Compared to adults, juveniles were more likely to be male, recall an earlier age at OCD onset, and have different lifetime comorbidity patterns. Significant outcomes were that children were less likely than either adolescent or adults to report aggressive obsessions and mental rituals.
The glaring - and possibly only -- distractions that I see with this study are that groups are ill matched. There is a large range of ages even amongst each group (children ranged between 6-12 whilst adolescents ranged between 13-18); they were ill-matched in OCD symptoms too; there were far less children than adolescents; and adults more than doubled the size of the juvenile and children group combined. Self-reported OCD symptom could have been produced by an alternate factor (another determinant) that was not taken into account. What could have been taken then as start of…...

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References

Abramowitz, J. (1997) Effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a quantitative review Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 1-35

Fineberg, N.A. & Gale, T.M. (2005). Evidence-based pharmacotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Int J. Neuropsychopharmacol; 8, 107-29.

Foa, E.B. & Goldstein, a. (1978) Continuous exposure and complete response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Behav Ther; 9, 821-9.

Freeman, J.B. et al. (2008). Early Childhood OCD: Preliminary Findings From a Family-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Approach J. Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 47, 593 -- 602

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The availability of the Internet, many beleaguered doctors fear, will make it easier for hypochondriac patients to find new and rare illnesses to diagnose themselves with -- however, even doctors acknowledge the value of the Internet in their own work, when cases baffle them. "eb-based search engines such as Google are becoming the latest tools in clinical medicine, and doctors in training need to become proficient in their use....Using clusters of symptom-related words, they [the doctors] searched Google for a correct diagnosis and compared the internet diagnosis with those in the journals....Google searches found the correct diagnosis in 15 - or 58 per cent - of cases proving, say the authors, that the engine is a useful aid, particularly if the condition has 'unique' symptoms...But patients doing a Google search may be less likely to reach the correct diagnosis" ("GPs should Google diagnosis: study," Nine MSNBC, 2007). Again, one of…...

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Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Emma. Full e-text available 18 Apr 2008 at  http://www.austen.com/emma/ 

GPs should Google diagnosis: study." Nine MSNBC. 18 Nov 2007. 10 Apr 2008. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=160924

Hypochondriasis." The Cleveland Clinic Department of Patient Education and Health

Information. 17 Apr 2008. http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3700/3783.asp?index=9886

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One form of self-mutilation can be thought of as culturally accepted, even in the United States. Tattoos, body piercings and earlobe earring holes are all fairly accepted in some if not all social milieux in the U.S. While these behaviors may be viewed by some as pointless self-mutilation, they have a long and multi-varied history in this and many other cultures. The focus of this article is on generally-accepted mutilation, which causes harm to the body and does not meet cultural norms. In its worst form, self-mutilation can include cutting off a limb or self-castration; it is thus a serious problem with a subset of those in the SI cohort. As with many forms of OCD, self-mutilation generally begins in late childhood and the early teen years.

The authors argue that moderate- to severe SI requires a combination of therapies. Since much of the etiology is based in family problems with…...

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Bibliography

Franklin, M.F. (2003). The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study: Rationale, Design, and Methods. Journal of Child and Adolescent Pharmacology, 39-51.

Geller, D.B. (2003). Which SSRI? A Meta-Analysis of Pharmacotherapy Trials in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Am J. Psychiatry, n.p.

March, J. (2004). Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Sertraline, and Their Combination for Children and Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. JAMA, n.p.

Nelson, T.R. (2007). A Narrative Approach to Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 67-80.

Barry's "Machine Man"
Originally published in 2011, Max Barry's futuristic science fiction novel "Machine Man" was first made available to readers as an online serial, before being updated and collected into a full-fledged book. Barry bucked publishing industry protocol and posted excerpts from his "Machine Man" to his personal website, imploring his regular readers to submit criticism and feedback in the hope of collectively shaping his creative vision. As one of the first literary works to be "crowdsourced" in terms of content, the version of "Machine Man" which emerged from this collaborative process is, much like its conflicted protagonist, an amalgamation of various constituent parts which comes together to form a harmonious whole. Barry's thematic thrust with the novel -- which tells the tale of Charles Neumann, a subordinate scientist working for a military research conglomerate known as Better Future -- is humanity's ceaseless pursuit of perfection, and the consequences…...

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Works Cited

Barry, Max. Machine Man. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2011. Print.

Crerand, Canice E., and David B. Sarwer. "Body dysmorphic disorder." Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology (2010).

Stress is delineated as demand that is made on a being for adaptation, coping, or adjusting. There is stress that is healthy and is referred to as eustress. Prolonged stress impacts moods, ruins capacity to have pleasure and is also harmful to the body. Some of the aspects that generate a great deal of stress include everyday hassles, changes in life and also health problems. According to a survey undertaken by the American Psychological Association, the two biggest sources of stress are money and work and this causes people to become irritable, angry and fatigued. There are four kinds of conflict. Approach-approach conflict is the least stressful, having two objectives that can be attained whereas avoidance-avoidance conflict has more stress as one is enthused to evade two adverse objectives. Approach-avoidance encompasses objectives that generate mixed intentions and lastly multiple approach-avoidance conflict include numerous alternative actions that have upsides and downsides.…...

Plastic Surgery
Teen Plastic Surgery: A Controversial Medical Practice

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2007, more than 87,000 teenagers had cosmetic surgery; and that number has grown exponentially since. Although aesthetic cosmetic surgery is popular amongst United States teens, physicians and plastic surgeons worry that such invasive surgery on teens' still growing bodies can be dangerous. Other developed countries, including Germany and Australia, are considering banning all but medically necessary plastic surgery for anyone under the age of 18. However, the question remains, if such a measure were taken like that in the United States for minors stem the tide of teenagers going under the knife? This paper will address the controversy associated with teenagers and aesthetic cosmetic surgery in the United States, and the business of plastic surgery for teens, from a legal, ethical, and social responsibility standpoint.

Introduction

In a country, and dare say a world where image…...

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References

Ali, K., & Lam, T. (2008). Teens under the knife: Is plastic surgery too dangerous for teens? Current Events, 108(1), 7-14.

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2003). National totals for cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank.

www.surgery.org/download/2003-stats.pdf:10. Accessed 25 July, 2011.

Bourdieu, P 1977, Outline of a Theory of practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Teen Girls and Media
Because of its pervasiveness, mass media such as magazines and television programs are increasingly in a position to influence the behavior and attitudes of teenage girls. In fact, television programs such as ER and sports-oriented teen magazines have been lauded for providing girls with positive role models.

Unfortunately, these programs and magazines remain the exception rather than the rule. Rather than promote healthy lifestyles or give positive role models, much of the media targeted to teens are both physically and psychologically harmful. This paper examines two of these main effects - the promotion of unhealthy habits and lifestyles and the growing tendency of these media to sexualize teens and turn them into consumers.

Unhealthy habits

For noted feminist Germaine Greer, the popularity of television shows such as Baywatch represent a growing pandemic, where all women are expected to conform to an unrealistic body shape. Greer terms this pandemic as "body…...

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Works Cited

Brumberg, Joan Jacobs and Jacquelyn Jackson. "The Burka and the Bikini." Boston Globe, November 23, 2001: A31.

Downey, Maureen. "Media give narrow view of women, study finds." The Atlanta Constitution, April 30, 1997: D11+.

Gardner, Marilyn. "Children and body images." Christian Science Monitor. December 16, 1998: 17+.

Gerhart, Ann. "Nipped in the Bud." The Washington Post, June 23, 1999: C01.

Irish poetry is unavoidably shaped by its historical, social, and political context. The Troubles have infiltrated poets throughout several generations, permitting unique artistic insight into the conflict. Younger poets writing about The Troubles in Northern Ireland understandably have a different point-of-view than poets from a previous generation. Their personal experiences were different, and the historical events they witnessed or were surrounded by in the media likewise differed from their predecessors. Yet there are also shared themes that provide the inextricable cultural links between all poets of Northern Ireland. Some poets, like Seamus Heaney, rely heavily on literalism and a direct political commentary in addition to poetic tropes like symbols of colonization. Likewise, Derek Mahon does not hold back in terms of diction related to The Troubles. hen examining poets from an earlier generation, who wrote during some of the most violent occasions of The Troubles, allusions and metaphors seem…...

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Works Cited

Heaney, Seamus.

Kearney, Timothy, Hewitt, John and Montague, John. "Beyond the Planter and the Gael: Interview with John Hewitt and John Montague on Northern Poetry and The Troubles." The Crane Bag. Vol. 4, No. 2 p. 85-92, 1980/1981.

Longley, Michael.

Mahon, Derek.

The severity of mental retardation covers a wide spectrum, as discussed before, and variation in ability of individuals within this spectrum is wide (Tammi, 2006). In order to understand and to assist such persons, it is important to know the category in which they fall and the possible causes of the condition. In most cases, a little psychological instability leads to a mental retardation and therefore psychological interventions can be very effective in solving such cases. The notion of viewing mental retardation as a case of pure medical condition should be changed in order to find means of reducing such situations.
eferences

Christopher D. Prater, MD. (2006, June 15). Medical Care of Adults with Mental etardation.

etrieved March 11, 2010, from American Family Physician: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0615/p2175.html

Donna K. Daily, MD. (2000, February 15). Identification and Evaluation of Mental etardation.

etrieved March 11, 2010, from American Family Physician: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000215/1059.html

Gotiesrnati, .L. (s.f.). Facts About Mental etardation. etrieved…...

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References

Christopher D. Prater, MD. (2006, June 15). Medical Care of Adults with Mental Retardation.

Retrieved March 11, 2010, from American Family Physician:  http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0615/p2175.html 

Donna K. Daily, MD. (2000, February 15). Identification and Evaluation of Mental Retardation.

Retrieved March 11, 2010, from American Family Physician:  http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000215/1059.html

There are many of these individuals, and it is time that this is changed.
Parents often look away from these kinds of problems, or they spend their time in denial of the issue because they feel that their child will not be harmed by parental involvement with drugs or alcohol. Some parents have parents that were/are addicts themselves, and some are so busy with their lives that they do not actually realize that their child has any kind of problem with the lifestyle of the parent until it becomes so severe that it cannot be overlooked, or until it is brought to their attention by police, the school, or someone else that has seen it first hand. Parents are not the only ones that overlook this issue, though.

Sometimes siblings and friends also see problems that they ignore, do not understand, or do not talk to anyone about, and the school…...

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Bibliography

Aleman-Padilla, L. 2002. Babies First gets last word on infant care Hundreds recognize groups contribution at fourth annual event. The Fresno Bee.

Anderson, D. 2004. Funding cuts impact health services. Precinct Reporter.

Anderson, S.A. (2000). How parental involvement makes a difference in reading achievement. Reading Improvement.

Baker, P.L. (2000). I didn't know: discoveries and identity transformation of women addicts in treatment. Journal of Drug Issues, 30, 863-881.

Obesity and Genetics
Academic Institution

esearch shows that science has been displaying that genetics have always been playing a position in obesity for quite a while. It is clear that the genes can openly produce obesity in syndromes for instance, with the Prader-Willi syndrome. Nevertheless, genes do not at all times forecast future health (Genetics, 2006). Behavior and genes could both be required for an individual to be heavy. In some circumstances multiple genes possibly will raise one's weakness for obesity and necessitate outside factors; such as abundant food supply or not having much physical activity. With that said, this paper will discuss genetics and the role it plays in obesity.

Obesity is Complex

Obesity is not that simple but it is a complex disease. It results from the dealings of an extensive variability of hereditary and ecological factors (Hirschhorn, 2005). The mutual progress in measureable heredities, genomics and bioinformatics has funded to a…...

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References

Chouet, H. (2011). Genetics of Obesity: What have we Learned? Current Genomics, 12(3), 169-179.

Farooqi, S. O. (2006). Genetics of obesity. Biological Science, 361(1471), 1095-1105.

Genetics, H. M. (2006). Genetics of obesity and the prediction of risk for health. Oxford Journals, 15(2), 124-R130.

Hirschhorn, H. N. (2005). Genetics of common forms of obesity: a brief overview. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(1), 215S-217S.

1. The constant exposure to unattainable beauty ideals on social media platforms fosters a culture of self-doubt and inadequacy, leading individuals to experience negative body image and diminished self-esteem.

2. The filtered and edited images prevalent on social media perpetuate an illusion of perfection, creating unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction with one's own appearance.

3. The comparison of oneself to the idealized images displayed by influencers and celebrities on social media can trigger feelings of envy, inferiority, and a pursuit of perfection that can have detrimental effects on mental health.

4. The algorithms and targeted advertising employed by social media companies....