Deppression And Teens Essays - Abnormal Psychology,

Deppression And Teens Teenage depression is a growing problem in today's society and is often a major contributing factor for a multitude of adolescent problems. The statistics about teenage runaways, alcoholism, drug problems, pregnancy, eating disorders, and suicide are alarming. Even more startling are the individual stories behind these statistics because the young people involved come from all communities, all economic levels, all home situations-anyone's family. The common link is often depression. For the individuals experiencing this crisis, the statistics become relatively meaningless. The difficult passage into adolescence and early adulthood can leave lasting scars on the lives and psyches of an entire generation of young men and women. There is growing realization that teenage depression can be life- changing, even life-threatening. (McCoy 21) Depression is a murky pool of feelings and actions scientists have been trying to understand since the days of Hippocrates, who called it a black bile. It has been called the common cold of mental illness and, like the cold, it's difficult to quantify. (Arbetter 1) If feelings of great sadness or agitation last for much more than two weeks, it may be depression. For a long time, people who were feeling depressed were told to snap out of it. According to a study done by National Institute of Mental Health, half of all Americans still view depression as a personal weakness or character flaw. Depression, however, is considered a medical disorder and can affect thoughts, feelings, physical health, and behaviors. It interferes with daily life such as school, friends, and family. Clinical depression is the most incapacitating of all chronic conditions in terms of social functioning. (Salmans 11-12) Teenagers have always been vulnerable to depression for a variety of reasons. It's a confusing time of life because a teen's body is changing along with their relationships. Teenagers constantly vacillate between strivings for independence from family and regressions to childish dependence on it. (Elkind 89) But today's teens face an additional challenge: They're growing up in a world quite different from that of their parent's youth. Adolescents today are faced with stresses that were unknown to previous generations and are dealing with them in an often self-destructive way. Contemporary society has changed the perception of teenagers. New parental lifestyles, combined with changes in the economy, often give less time and energy for parents to devote to their offspring. Society all too often views teens for what they can be instead of for who they are. Who they are becomes the identity of teenagers today. They are confronted with the ambiguity of education, the dis! solution of family, the hostile commercialism of society, and the insecurity of relationships. (McCoy 16) This identity is fragile and is threatened by fears of rejection, feelings of failure, and of being different. These young people face stress in school as well with resources dwindling and campus violence and harassment increasing. Their sexual awakening comes in the age of AIDS, when sex can kill. In summary, teens today feel less safe, less empowered and less hopeful than we did a generation ago. Depression is a common concomitant to this struggle. (McCoy 36) It strikes 5% of teens and about 2% of children under 12. One in three adolescents in the nineties is at risk for serious depression. (Stern 28) Depression is the result of a complex mix of social, psychological, physical, and environmental factors. Teens with depressed parents are two to three times more likely to develop major depression. Genetic factors play a substantial but not overwhelming role in causing depression. (Dowling 37) Some type of significant loss can be a factor in triggering teenage depression. Loss can be due to death, divorce, separation, or loss of a family member, important friend or romantic interest. Loss can also be more subtle such as the loss of childhood, of a familiar way of being, of goals through achievement, or of boundaries and guidelines. (McCoy 46-48) Gender differences are becoming apparent, with girls having more difficulty with depression. Studies show girls are three times more likely than boys to suffer depression. A university study showed a close link between depression and negative body image and girls are usually more self-conscious about their bodies than boys. (Sol! in 157) The reasons for

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done essays

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done essays Do you know what I think is psycho, Rock? Its decent men, with loving families, they go home everyday after work and they turn on the news and you know what they see? They see rapists, and murderers, and child molesters, and theyre all getting out of prison. Mafiosos getting caught with twenty kilos, getting out on bail the same day. And everywhere, everyone is thinking the same thing: that someone should just go kill [them]. What is one to do when the justice given by society is no longer just? When evil can slip past the law on every offense, should one sit back and do nothing, or rise up and ensure that justice is served, legally or not? This would be the question that is addressed in The Boondock Saints, written and directed by Troy Duffy. The story is of two young men from a south Boston Irish neighborhood who, after a supernatural experience in which they heard their fathers words Whosoever shed mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God, made thee man, take it upon themselves to administer justice as if the vengeance of God flowed through their veins. Without harming a single innocent person, they begin a crusade ridding the streets of gangsters, criminals and lowlifes. The F.B.I., in the wake of multiple homicides, begins investigating, trying to track down who the media have dubbed, The Saints. And in the context of that situation, Duffy provides us with the perfect medi um through which to address the moral issues of this situation. William Dafoe plays a brilliant F.B.I. crime scene investigator. The way the narrative is laid out, we see the circumstances leading up to an altercation between the saints and the bad guys, then it cuts to the aftermath (usually a room full of dead, bad guys) in which Dafoes character pieces together what happened, and then we see it all unfold. And the more crime scenes th...

SWOT Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SWOT - Case Study Example To sustain future growth; Wal-Mart should increase its presence in these markets that include Brazil, India, China and Mexico. The rise in acceptance of the company’s label products, which has experienced an increase of over 40% for the past ten years or so, is another opportunity. Therefore, to earn higher profit margins, Wal-Mart should hike the number of private label products, which are sold at the company’s store. Another opportunity that Wal-Mart has is to expand the grocery stores in order to earn more income since there is a current trend of consuming a healthier food thus increasing the demand of grocery products. Growth of online shopping is also an opportunity. Wal-Mart should seize this opportunity to increase its profits; considering that, Wal-Mart is the largest offline retailer and in 2001, the retail sector of online grew by 4.7% in the US, hitting $197 billion. The company can reach plenty of customers using this technique thus increasing its