Tobacco Industry Essays - Summer, Tobacco, Habits, Smoking

Tobacco Industry Since my presentation was on Microsoft, I am going to try to analyze the Tobacco industry presentation. The Tobacco industry is an industry where they make tobacco products, then distribute it to stores, which then sell them to the consumer. Some tobacco manufactures are Camel, Marlboro (lights or reds? you choose), and Newport. Many people like to smoke cigarettes so they usually are the ones that purchase the tobacco. Because many people smoke tobacco, the Tobacco industry makes millions of profit off people who smoke. Tobacco has proven to cause cancer and other diseases. Tobacco is addicting, so many consumers have trouble quitting. Tobacco therefore, causes death. One way of marketing this deadly product is Advertising. Although advertising is very expensive, that expense will eventually be covered by future profits and more. Advertising targets all ages. Who ever can get their hands on cigarettes will be the consumer for a very long time. But isn't there an 18-age limit on people who can buy cigarettes? Yes, but then why are there so many teens hooked on cigarettes. Obviously there is no control over that too. Even thought the box is labeled and causes lung cancer and death, and is also addicting, people want to suet these tabacco companies. People want the government to regulate the sale of these cigarettes because too many minors are buying these cigarettes. This means that these minors will become hooked at an early age and then die sooner from the cigarettes. People also accuse some Tobacco companies of advertising to teenagers for example Joe Camel targets young adolescents. The Joe Camel dresses in baggie cool clothing, and hangs out with the crowd playing pool and smoking cigarettes called Camel. Another way the Tobacco tries to make their profit is by advertising in stores near schools and colleges where young people will stroll in during break time. Come on, business is business. You got make the profit. The Tobacco industry knows and everyone knows this product kills, its right on the package: This product is hazardous to your health? in other words, this product will turn your lungs black, cause birth defects, and will murder you, be careful. Well the company warns and the consumer chooses. The tobacco industry advertises to gain sales. It is the thing to do when you have a business. You want a toque, just go and buy. . But this product is only made to smoke or chew, not to clean the floor. Yeah we have the right to choose to smoke or not smoke but do children have the knowledge to choose between health and being cool with your friends? Maybe after their hooked and their lungs are black. The Industry is not helping when they advertise to teenagers. Labeling and warning about the dangers of the product is a must. And as adults, we make our own decisions. We choose whither we want to become addicted and later die at an early age. Young people do not. These people are still immature and do not think of long-term consequences. Regulating advertising is a must for kids minds and health. It will reduce the wants and coolness of smoking or chewing tobacco. The government should step in and control the situation at retail stores so that is harder for kids to get their hands on tobacco. For us adults, we are intelligent enough to know what can kill us. Business

What You Should Know About Interracial Friendship

What You Should Know About Interracial Friendship Interracial friendships have been the subject of television shows such as â€Å"Any Day Now† or films such as â€Å"The Lethal Weapon† franchise. To boot whenever prominent people make a racial misstep, they are so quick to declare that some of their â€Å"best friends are black† that the expression has become a clichà ©. The idea that hipsters desperately want black friends has also become pervasive in recent years. In reality, interracial friendships remain relatively uncommon. Racially segregated schools, neighborhoods and workplaces contribute to this trend. But even in diverse settings, interracial friendships tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Racial stereotypes and prejudice inevitably color how different racial groups perceive each other, resulting in divisions that pose challenges to potential cross-cultural friendships. Investigating Rarity While government agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau collect data on interracial marriage, there’s no definitive way to determine how common interracial friendships are. Simply asking people if they have a friend of a different race has also proven to be ineffective given that the public is likely to include mere acquaintances as friends in an effort to appear well-rounded and open-minded. Accordingly in 2006, demographer Brent Berry set out to discover how common interracial friendships are by examining more than 1,000 photographs of wedding parties. Berry reasoned that people typically include their closest friends in wedding parties, leaving little doubt that the members of such parties would be true friends of the bride and groom. Those featured in the wedding party photos were of black, white and Asian origin or what Berry classified as â€Å"other† race. To say that Berry’s results were eye-opening would be an understatement. The demographer found that just 3.7 percent of whites were close enough to their black friends to include them in their wedding parties. Meanwhile, 22.2 percent of African Americans included white groomsmen and bridesmaids in their wedding parties. That’s six times the amount of whites who included blacks in theirs. On the other hand, whites and Asians included each other in wedding parties at roughly the same rate. Asians, though, include blacks in their wedding parties at just one-fifth the rate that blacks include them. Berry’s research leads one to conclude that African Americans are much more open to cross-cultural relationships than other groups. It also reveals that whites and Asians are far less inclined to invite blacks to join their wedding parties- presumably because African Americans remain so marginalized in the U.S. that a friendship with a black person lacks the social currency that a friendship with a white person or Asian carries. Other Barriers Racism isn’t the only barrier to interracial friendships. Reports that Americans have become increasingly socially isolated in the 21st also play a role. According to a 2006 study called â€Å"Social Isolation in America† the number of people Americans say they can discuss important matters with dwindled by almost one-third from 1985 to 2004. The study not only found that people have fewer confidants but that Americans increasingly confide in their family members rather than in friends.  Moreover, 25 percent of Americans say they have no one at all to confide in, more than double the amount of people who said the same in 1985. The impact of this trend affects people of color more than whites. Minorities and people with less education have smaller social networks than whites do. If people of color are more likely to depend on their family members for companionship than non-relatives it makes it unlikely that they will have many same-race friendships, let alone interracial ones. Hope For The Future While the public’s social networks may be shrinking, the amount of Americans in the 21st century who report having interracial friendships is up from 1985. The percentage of Americans who say they have at least one close friend of another race has risen from 9 percent to 15 percent, according to the General Social Survey, which the researchers behind â€Å"Social Isolation in America† used for their study. Nearly 1,500 people were questioned about the individuals with whom they’d recently discussed serious concerns. Researchers then asked participants to describe the race, gender, educational background and other characteristics of their confidants. Twenty years from now the amount of Americans involved in interracial friendships will surely increase.

Life and Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life and Death - Essay Example In other words, as Brookes (20) says, it is the infinite in the finite. Before joining the class, I was of the belief that war is justifiable as a means to protect the innocent. However, the pacifist ideology made me confused as that is against any kind of violence. There are various opinions in this class of thought as some people in the pacifist group think war is justifiable if it is used for defense purposes while some are totally against any violence. However, the question arose in my mind if it is justifiable to stay silent and inactive when one witnesses atrocities in society, say in another country. I thought of the military action undertaken by NATO in various nations when there are large scale human rights violations. Then, one will have to admit that abstaining from war against the erring will cause more damage to the innocent than resorting to war. Thus, I reached the realization that in the case of war, the only possible conclusion is ‘end justifies means’. In total, my opinion seemed closer to Just War Theory that intends to set some moral and political criteria that justify war. At this juncture, some people opine that if this is the case, terrorism too gains justifiable grounds. However, in my opinion, terrorism is in no way justifiable. There are two reasons that make terrorism unacceptable and different from war. Terrorism intentionally aims the innocent while the kind of war I support intends to protect the innocent. Moreover, while war is intended to impose the wish of the majority on a minority, terrorism is the attempt to achieve the goals of a minority against the wish of majority. Thus, terrorism does not have a rational ‘end’ to justify the means. In total, while war enjoys the support of Utilitarianism, terrorism enjoys the support of none. Regarding Euthanasia, I realized how difficult it is to reach a logical conclusion about the morality in it. Firstly, there is the Utilitarian theory of John Stuart Mill ac cording to which the action that produces maximum happiness to the greatest number is the best approach. Thus, it becomes evident that the acceptability of mercy killing, according to Utilitarianism, is purely dependent on how the patient and his family accept it. However, as Warburton (57) points out, someone who advocates deontologist ideology may claim that one should not think about the consequences and must strictly adhere to the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’. Here, it becomes evident that while taking moral judgments in euthanasia, one will be forced to strictly follow one ethical theory and forget the rest. So, as in the case of war, there are instances where killing is the best solution and hence justifiable. In addition, there is the issue of the morality of abortion. In fact there are a number of ethical questions associated with abortion. The first is when a fetus should be considered as a human being. As far as this question remains unanswered by the sci ence fraternity, I find it difficult to answer the question. If the fetus is considered as a human being, the question will be if it is right to kill a human being. However, it seems that all ethical theories agree on the fact that an innocent person should not be killed. However, various groups possess various assumptions about when to consider a fetus as a human being. Even if a fetus is considered as a human being, there are circumstances like war when human beings are killed. So, in my opinion, abortion is justifiable, but depends on the ‘end’ the action wants to achieve. Thus, in total, it seems that all

Introspection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introspection - Essay Example The depth of introspection a person has concerning ethical beliefs depends on their life experiences. An example would be a child raised in a monastery, who later becomes a monk. This child believes what he has been taught but also spends much time in prayer. This child has been taught about the sins of man. He then introspectively searches his soul for his sins. This allows for him to be a more ethical person. On the other hand, if a child is raised in a monastery, but physically or sexually abused by a priest, this child might not have high ethics. This child might even grow up to abuse other children since the cycle tends to repeat themselves. Experiences determine an individual’s ethics. Ethical beliefs can change over time. In fact, ethical beliefs change and grow as a person ages. A child might lie for fear of disapproval, but grow and become a truthful adult. Children learn as they grow. Another example would be a two-year-old might hit other children, but find out later hitting is wrong. It depends on how time and experiences change a child. Adults guide children’s ethics, but in the end, experiences dictate a child’s ethics and introspection. Finally, the true test of ethics is the reason behind an individual’s beliefs. If a person does not steal or commit murder for fear of prison, they are law abiding, not truly ethical. If a person does not steal because it is wrong, this makes them ethical. When a person thinks of others and how they feel; about what is right and wrong, then they are ethical.

Research paper about lululemon Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

About lululemon - Research Paper Example The industry also has many established players such as Nike, Adidas, and GAP inc. among others. Economic factors such as increasing production costs and regulated prices across political jurisdictions are significant. Legal provisions such as intellectual property laws and political environments such as trade policies are also significant (Forgeon, et al. 38, 40). Delta Galil is one of the major suppliers. The supplier is established, with about 10000 workers and annual revenue of about one billion dollars. This suggests stability of the suppliers whose clients include Lululemon’s major competitors such as Nike. Eclat Textile company is another of the suppliers, has high revenue level and deals in Lululemon’s competitors. Workday INC is another major supplier. The suppliers are stable and deal with Lululemon’s competitors, a factor that suggests fair supplier powers, but Lululemon only commands a limited percentage of the suppliers’ revenues, and this limits its bargaining powers (Forgeon, et al. 25, 26). Lululemon’s distinct product design is one of its strengths ans allows it to develop brand image. The design also aims at establishing product quality and therefore develops a competitive advantage. The attained high quality also allows for price increase towards greater profit margins. Short lifecycle that ensures faster product inception is also strength and allows the company to respond to possible dynamic changes in the market. Research and development that focus on data from customers’ opinions is strength and allows for immediate response to customers’ changing needs (Forgeon, et al. 18, 19). The company has limited partnerships in distribution of products and this is its major weakness. Apart from its retail stores, Lululemon only deals with clubs and studios, while partnerships with other stores and franchises could facilitate more revenues. The company has significant growth opportunities in North America and

Health Essays Treatment OCD Disorder

Health Essays Treatment OCD Disorder Treatment OCD Disorder Introduction My research intention is to compose a literature review aimed at finding the best existing method for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive and distressing thoughts, urges and images as well as repetitive behaviours aimed at decreasing the discomfort caused by these obsessive thoughts. So in order to achieve my research intention I will be comparing and analysing a wide assortment of current and previous literature to distinguish the most favourable treatment method, where advantages outweigh all disadvantages. The key features of OCD as already discussed, include obsessional doubt, the need to feel in control, and risk aversion, and these features have significant impact on the successful application of both pharmacological and behavioural treatments. Treatment History of Obsessive-compulsive disorder Until the 1960’s OCD was considered a refractory psychiatric condition, neither psychotherapy nor a variety of pharmacological treatments had proven successful with the symptoms, however since around 1975, much progress has been made in improving the effectiveness of these treatments. Prior to 1980, OCD was unresponsive to psychotherapy, anxiolytic drugs, and anti-psychotic drugs and had a poor record of success. Today although treatment of this disorder remains challenging, the effectiveness of both behavioural and pharmacological therapies has been significantly improved. Treatments There are many methods available for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) arguably the most popular of these being administration of antidepressants, either taken singularly or a combination of 2. Also Psychotherapy strategies including both behavioural and cognitive treatments where it is common (and often claimed to achieve better results) for the two to be combined, this is known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I will then go on to investigate Combination treatments. This being the combination of antidepressants and a CBT treatment to see if a combination of the two is more successful than using either alone. Alternative strategies are available for OCD sufferers and although these are not as successful as some of the already discussed, they are worth mentioning as they can provide relief to patients, also when added to another more established treatment better results may be achieved. I will also be touching on psychosurgery (also known as neurosurgery), and Electro Convulsive therapy, which although are only used in the most extreme cases, are still worth mentioning as, when used, have shown significant efficacy in the treatment of OCD. Pharmacotherapy, the uses of antidepressants for the treatment of Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Currently in the UK only 5 drugs are licensed for the treatment of OCD, They include the Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) Clomipramine and the Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibiting (SSRI) antidepressants Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Paroxetine, and Fluvoxamine which can be collectively labelled as STI’s, these STI’s represent the cornerstone of Pharmacological treatment in patients with OCD. A good reason for using antidepressants in OCD treatment is that very often there will be underlying depressive disorder. There is a substantial amount of evidence derived from a large number of placebo-controlled clinical trials, to indicate that drugs, which preferentially block the re-uptake of Serotonin, are effective in ameliorating the symptoms of OCD. The evidence in favour of other antidepressants without potent serotonergic properties is poor. Clomipramine was the first agent to receive food and drug administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of OCD, and was also the first medication to demonstrate consistent efficacy in the treatment of patients with OCD (Clomipramine collaborative study group) it has been the most extensively studied medication for the treatment of OCD. Studies in OCD treatment that have compared two antidepressants have been very small and yet an apparent superiority of Clomipramine emerges. In a small three-way study by Thoren et al (94), which compared Clomipramine with Nontriptyline and Placebo, found there was significant effect for Clomipramine but Nontriptyline appeared no different from Placebo. However a significant difference between active treatments is not normally expected unless very large numbers are included in studies. Clomipramine which affects both 5-HT and non adrenalin may be more effective than SSRI’s although does have more side effects which is the biggest disincentive, these include constipation, dry mouth, tremor and weight gain, however these side effects can be used to advantage in patients who cannot deal with the agitation of the SSRI’s During trials, drop out rates due to side effects from Clomipramine are consistently higher than for the SSRI’s. (Pata et al 90) Although there are only rare reports of less efficacy, the issue of how long to maintain treatment before a trial off medication has not been well explored. The only data that exists in this area comes from 3 rather small-blinded discontinuation studies. All were done with Clomipramine. (Pato, Zohar, Kadouch, Zohar Murphy 1988) in each case, the majority of the patients upwards of 90% had their symptoms return within 4-7 weeks of discontinuing medication. The efficacy of SSRI’s versus those of the TCA’s, for these indications is unstudied, further research is required fully to assess the place of the SSRI’s in the treatment and understanding of OCD. Fluvoxamine has been shown to be significantly better than Placebo and equal in efficacy to Tricyclic’s such as Clomipramine however Fluvoxamine compared to Clomipramine is found to have fewer side effects and is a first line agent in the treatment of OCD. More than 50% of patients with OCD are significantly improved after a trial with Fluvoxamine, however not all patients benefit from this treatment- In a single-blind study of Fluvoxamine 6 of 10 in patients with severe OCD were ‘responders’ on the basis of a clinical rating of ‘much’ or very ‘much’ improved. The most commonly reported side effects for Fluvoxamine are daytime drowsiness, nausea, insomnia, and headache. However these seem to be common side effects of all the SSRI’s. The effects of Fluoxetine in OCD have been studied in a number of single blind and open trials, and the results indicate that Fluoxetine is effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD; these results also appear to be dependent of the drugs antidepressant effect. (Liebowitz et al 1990, Riddle et al 1990) While these studies suggest that drugs with Serotonin re-uptake blocking properties are effective in OCD, they do not bear on which of these drugs may be more effective or better tolerated. Although no such comparative trials have been published, Jenike and associates (1990) indirectly compared Fluoxetine with Clomipramine in OCD symptoms in a recent meta-analysis. The data came from two separate open studies of each compound in OCD, and the special statistical techniques used suggested that Clomipramine had a slightly superior therapeutic effect. Fluoxetine however was considerably bettered tolerated. Fewer data is available on Fluoxetine, ideally more research is needed to better understand its place in OCD treatment. Paroxetine efficacy reports back to Wheaden et al (1993) however a more recent study (Zohar et al 1996) reported that in a 12 week acute trail comparing patients on Paroxetine, Clomipramine and Placebo, only 16% of Paroxetine patients had drug related adverse experiences, compared to 28% on Clomipramine, and although generally well tolerated, there have been some reports of severe withdrawal symptoms, even when done gradually. This however may be related to the fact Paroxetine is a newer FDA approved agent for OCD, and there have not been as many published findings of its efficacy compared to other agents available. Sertraline has generally shown significant improvement in OCD symptoms when compared to placebo (Greist et al 95), and although Sertraline does have the smallest effect size, with regard to side effects it is well tolerated. However unlike Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine and Paroxetine there are no head to head trials comparing it to other antiobsessionals. Some advantages of the SSRI’s are that they have fewer clinically meaningful interactions, for example, they do not potentiate the effects of alcohol, or other sedatives- (Cooper et al 1989), however as not all of the SSRI’s have been tested with all drugs generalisations are difficult. One meaningful global measure of how well medications are tolerated is the number of patients who have dropped out of double-blind trials because of adverse effects. Most double blind studies of SSRI’s have had more dropouts among patients treated with tricyclic antidepressants such as Clomipramine. Within the SSRI’s the highest dropout rate was associated with Fluvoxamine and the lowest with Paroxetine. While the number of dropouts provides useful information, this variable is also important for the examination of specific side effects. When considering a combination of 2 types of drugs there is rarely any rationale for prescribing together more than one drug from the same general class. Fatalities have been reported following the combination of Clomipramine and Tranylcypromine. Other combinations can lead to adverse effects. TCA’s and SSRI’s have been tried together but there is a high risk of adverse interactions. If the two-antidepressant classes were to be co prescribed the safest choice would appear to be Citalopram, or low dose Sertraline that have little or no effect on the metabolism of TCA. (Taylor 95) ‘Triple therapy’ has also been tried, one example being Clomipramine, Tryptophan and Lithium. When considering Pharmacotherapy treatment failure, comparative dropout rates rather than number of intensity of side effects, may be a good indirect measure of the tolerability of the medication, the results in this regard have been mixed but very interesting. In comparative studies between Fluvoxamine and Clomipramine (Freeman et al 1994, Koran et al 1996) dropout rates were virtually identical with both medications around 15%. However in the meta-analysis conducted by Greist et al 1995 they note that analysis of the pooled multicenter studies revealed the lowest rates of dropout in the Clomipramine group at 12%, followed by Fluvoxamine at 24%. There are some data on the characteristics of patients who are more resistant to treatment or poor treatment responders, but more work is needed in this area. For example, many OCD patients have shown poor response to Pharmacotherapy in some studies. (Jenike 93, Riccardi et al 92), and more recently (Black, Manahan, Clancy, Baker, and Gabel 97) Psychotherapy in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive disorders a Cognitive-Behavioural approach. Research has shown that psychological and social treatment can produce definite and measurable benefits (Kingdon et al 1994). Cognitive behavioural therapy leads to marked improvement in the large majority of clients with OCD who complete the treatment, and has been estimated that between 80/90% of patients will respond to CBT (Abramowitz 97) In Meyers (1966) treatment plan hospital staff actually stopped the patients from performing rituals-this treatment procedure was labelled ‘exposure and response prevention’ (EX/RP). However this kind of intervention is no longer typical or recommended. Actual physical prevention is too coercive to be acceptable-and reliance upon this technique may limit generalizability to non-therapy situations in which staff are non-present to prevent rituals. Although exposure reduces obsessional distress it is not so effective in reducing compulsions. Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) is the psychological treatment of choice for OCD. Although other interventions (Cognitive approaches) have received some attention in the literature EX/RP has received by far the strongest empirical support for treating. Despite documented efficacy of EX/RP treatment 25% of individuals with OCD decline to accept this form of CBT. Efforts to understand the factors influencing acceptability of exposure treatment are indicated so that more clients may profit from this powerful remedy. Separate effects of exposure and response prevention for OCD have been examined, treatment that combined both exposure and response prevention was found to be more effective. (Foa, Steketee, Grayson, Turner, Latimer 1984) With non-ritualisers, exposure did not prove particularly effective. Emmelkamp Kwee (1977) noted only 1 of 3 patients showing improvement after 5 one-hour sessions. Although exposure reduces obsessional distress it is not as effective as reducing compulsions. It is generally held that patients with obsessions alone, rather than obsessions and compulsions are more difficult to treat using conventional behavioural procedures. However recent research is inconsistent with this view as patients in 2 studies evidenced some improvement in compulsive behaviour with this technique. (Marks, Crowe, Young Dewhurst 69) CBT has been found to be more helpful than drugs for individuals who complete it. About 75% of clients who complete CBT do well both immediately after treatment and in the long run, showing lasting improvement of about 65% fewer symptoms on average-also no side effects. Drugs, mainly antidepressants in this condition, are easy to administer and are more rapidly effective than the main forms of behaviour therapy, response prevention and gradual exposure. However unlike drug treatment, once behaviour therapy has been used and shown to be effective, relapse is much less likely to occur even after treatment is withdrawn completely. A number of other exposure-orientated procedures, such as paradoxical intention, imaginal flooding, satiation, and aversion relief have been found relatively unsuccessful with OCD. Procedures aimed at blocking or punishing obsessions and compulsions such as though stopping, aversion therapy, and covert sensitisation have also been relatively unsuccessful with OCD. (Emmelkamp Kwee 1977, Kenny, Mowbray Lalani 1978) Conversely Victor Meyer treated clients with OCD with prolonged exposure to situations of objects that evoked obsessional distress and prevention of rituals-the treatment was very successful in 10 of its 15 cases. (Meyer 1966, Meyer Levy 1973, Meyer, Levy Schnurer 1974) Another downfall that the literature indicates is that OCD patients who have additional psychological problems are less likely to respond favourably to CBT, these include depression, anxiety or poor judgement, and unfortunately these often coexist with OCD symptoms. Combination treatments, Antidepressants CBT in Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. As already discussed, effective treatments for OCD consist mainly of Cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants. In order to maximise the effects of treatment, antidepressants and CBT are frequently combined in clinical practice, despite the fact that scientific support for this is surprisingly thin. Preliminary findings of a controlled, double blind, multicenter comparison of Clomipramine, exposure therapy and their combination indicate that exposure therapy have stronger effects than Clomipramine-both procedures combined are equivalent to exposure therapy alone. (Foa et al 93) Also Combination of EX/RP was not enhanced by the addition of cognitive therapy (Emmelkamp Beens 1991). However findings by Van Oppen et al (95) show that cognitive approaches compared to EX/RP indicated that cognitive therapy alone was as effective as exposure therapy. A recent meta-analysis (Van Balkom et al 94) showed that CBT was superior to antidepressants on self-ratings, also compared with CBT; antidepressants have a higher dropout rate and higher relapse rate after stopping treatment. Thus when given alone CBT is more effective than antidepressants. However meta-analysis have shortcomings, firstly since studies are combined, there is always a mixture of the specific study details such as the way in which treatments were implemented, also studies differ in length, therapist involvement, and strictness of ritual control, leaving many reasons to believe that the results of meta-analysis are not conclusive. Conversely one large multicenter study carried out by the national institute of mental health compared 2 forms of psychotherapy with antidepressant drug treatment, all treatments were approximately equally effective over the period of study when mildly ill people were assessed, however, with more severely ill patients, drug treatment was clearly superior to psychotherapy. (Elkin et al 1989) Third line treatments-Electro compulsive therapy and Psychosurgery for Obsessive-compulsive disorder. If psychosocial and pharmacological treatments do not work, third-line treatment includes Psychosurgery and electro convulsive therapy (ECT). Although rarely used electro convulsive therapy (ECT) has been shown to be of benefit in some who failed to respond adequately to Pharmacological or Psychotherapy interventions (Strober et al 98). In many cases there will be temporary amnesia post treatment and mild headache but otherwise ECT is free from side effects. This makes it distinct from the anti-depressants, and it is for this reason that ECT is still used. Studies using ECT however lack any control data that allow a conclusion to be reached about its efficacy. Psychosurgery like ECT has aroused a great deal of controversy. Results suggest that 25-30% of the patients who previously were unresponsive to medication and behavioural treatments are significantly improved after psychosurgery, although should always be considered as a last resort, studies suggest that complications are relatively rare and that neuropsychological and personality functioning is not adversely effected by psychosurgery Some Conclusions. In sum, there are 2 very good treatments for OCD. CBT seems to produce more improvement than medication, and improvements are more lasting after treatment is stopped. Medication however does take less time and effort in the short run than CBT but may have to be continued indefinitely. Medication is not emotionally challenging but you must tolerate side effects, EX/RP requires determination and is emotionally challenging. With regards to treatment failure Foa et al (1983) argue that it is only when investigation is carried out of the differences between those who succeed and those who fail, that light can be thrown on the mechanisms involved in the treatment and more effective treatment strategies be developed, as it is evident that new and more effective pharmacological and psychotherapy strategies are needed for the treatment-refractory OCD patient.

The Struggle for Identity in A Doll’s House :: A Doll’s House

The Struggle for Identity in A Doll's House      Ã‚   A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that was written ahead of its time. In this play Ibsen tackles women's rights as a matter of importance. Throughout this time period it was neglected. A Doll's House was written during the movement of Naturalism, which commonly reflected society. Ibsen acknowledges the fact that in 19th century life the role of the woman was to stay at home, raise the children and attend to her husband. Nora Helmer is the character in A Doll House who plays the 19th woman and is portrayed as a victim. Michael Meyers said of Henrik Ibsen's plays: "The common denominator in many of Ibsen's dramas is his interest in individuals struggling for and authentic identity in the face of tyrannical social conventions. This conflict often results in his characters' being divided between a sense of duty to themselves and their responsibility to others."(1563) All of the aspects of this quote can be applied to the play A Doll House, in Nora Helmer's character, who throughout much of the play is oppressed, presents an inauthentic identity to the audience and throughout the play attempts to discovery her authentic identity. The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of "tyrannical social conventions." Ibsen in his "A Doll's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation from Torvald. Torvald has a very typical relationship with society. He is a smug bank manager. With his job arrive many responsibilities. He often treats his wife as if she is one of these responsibilities. Torvald is very authoritative and puts his appearance, both social and physical, ahead of his wife that he supposedly loves. Torvald is a man that is worried about his reputation, and cares little about his wife's feelings. Nora and Torvald's relationship, on the outside appears to be a happy. Nora is treated like a child in this relationship, but as the play progresses she begins to realize how phony her marriage is. Torvald sees Nora's only role as being the subservient and loving wife. He refers to Nora as "my little squirrel" (p.1565), "my little lark" (p.1565), or "spendthrift"(1565). To him, she is only a possession. Torvald calls Nora by pet-names and speaks down to her because he thinks that she is not intelligent and that she can not think on her own.