Psychological Effects of Burglary an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Psychological Effects of Burglary Burglary is regarded as an act of breaking ones house with intent to steal properties. This is what in short is referred to as housebreaking. As per the definition given by Bartol (211), "Burglary is the unlawful entry of a structure, with or without force with intent to commit a theft or other felony." Though burglary mostly occurs to houses, it is not only limited to that as it also occurs to vehicles. This act of crime is very common in America and it is estimated that about four million Americans become victims of burglary in each year. Apart from victims losing properties, burglary causes psychological effects to the victims and it is for this purpose that this paper will specifically focus on these psychological effects. Need essay sample on "Psychological Effects of Burglary" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Although burglary in the United States is mostly classified as property crime, it is also sometimes regarded as interpersonal crime because there are serious psychological effects that are associated with it. According to studies that have been done on the subject, it is clear that burglary victims apart from experiencing property loss they also feel psychologically traumatized. Invasion of ones property, sanctity and privacy of ones homestead brings stress and discomfort to the victims and may take ages to recover (Smith, and. Meyer, 1998). There are people who refer to burglary as home rape especially where the burglar gains access to ones private items such as diaries, photographs and letters. The level of distress arising from this is big and it becomes even more pronounced if the invasion is extended to other private sectors of the house such as closets, bedroom, desks, bathroom and chest of drawers where materials containing personal items could be found. There are cases where burglars after committing the crime leave notes and make anonymous calls indicating that the invasion is not over and that they will be back. In such a case, the anger that the victims experience quickly turns into fear and if this persists it causes stress which in turn results to depression (Clarke, 2002). Thinking constantly about how burglars would break into ones house again affects ones thinking process and victims become terrified to an extent that everything they do revolves around their security. These people could be seen upgrading some security gadgets such as door locks, putting stronger gates, installing security lights and alarms (Bartol, 211) Our Customers Often Tell EssayLab support: How much do I have to pay someone to write my assignment online? Essay writers advise: If You Think About Someone To Write Your Paper - Essaylab The Right Place! Essay Writing Services Pay For Essay Cheap Custom Essay Writing Service Academic Paper Writing Services According to a study that was done by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (2007), it was revealed that of all people who are victimized by buglers forty percent of them become traumatized while the same report shown that sixty eight percent of those who experienced either burglary or burglary attempts became angry to an extent that they could not think straight. These victims say that shock, fear, and lack of sleep are common experiences to them. Psychological effects associated with burglaries are as serious as those that results from violent crimes like robbery and assaults. According to Prenzler and Townsley (1996), even in cases where monetary value of goods stolen is not big, any act of burglary however mild, is enough to cause psychological consequences that can last for about one year. The affected persons whose sentimental and instrumental valuables have been stolen or interfered with feel insecure, become depressed and may lack sleep for days something that concurs with the findings of the United Nations Human Settlements Program's survey. In short, breaking into ones house has some consequences such as property loss and psychological effects but for the sake of this paper, it is psychological effects that have been discussed. There are serious psychological effects that burglary victims are subjected to once such an act happens to them. These people become traumatized and constantly live in fear and in some cases they become depressed. Also shock and sleep loss are common symptoms to them. References: Bartol, Curt R. 2004. Introduction to forensic psychology. SAGE. Clarke, R.V. 2002. Burglary of Retail Establishments. Guide No. 15. Available at http://www.popcenter.org/Problems/burglary_retail/ Prenzler, T and Townsley, M. 1996. Preventing Burglary. School of Justice Administration, Griffith University. Smith, Steven R. Meyer, Robert G. 1988. Law, Behavior, and Mental Health: Policy and Practice. NYU Press. United Nations Human Settlements Programme. 2007. Enhancing Urban Safety and Security: Global Report on Human Settlements 2007. Earthscan.

The Fascinating History of Drone Warfare

The Fascinating History of Drone Warfare Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have allowed U.S. military forces to turn the tide in numerous overseas conflicts as well as in the fight against terrorism without risking military personnel. They have a storied past that dates back centuries. While the history of drones is fascinating, not everyone is a fan of these stealthy, unmanned aircraft. While drones are a big hit among hobbyists, providing a wonderful vantage point from which to capture breathtaking aerial video footage, some people are understandably worried about the invasion of privacy as the craft sail over private property. Not only that, as evolving technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, lethal, and accessible to the masses theres a rising concern that drones can and will be used against us by our enemies. Tesla’s Vision Inventor Nikola Telsa was the first to foresee the coming of militarized unmanned vehicles. In fact, they were just one of several predictions he made while speculating on potential uses for a remote control system he was developing. In the 1898 patent â€Å"Method of and Apparatus for Controlling Mechanism of Moving Vessels or Vehicles† (No. 613,809), Telsa described, with remarkable prescience, the wide range of possibilities for his new radio-control technology: The invention which I have described will prove useful in many ways. Vessels or vehicles of any suitable kind may be used, as life, despatch, or pilot boats or the like, or for carrying letters packages, provisions, instruments, objects†¦ but the greatest value of my invention will result from its effect upon warfare and armaments, for by reason of its certain and unlimited destructiveness it will tend to bring about and maintain permanent peace among nations. About three months after filing his patent, Tesla gave the world a glimpse of the possibilities of radio wave technology at the annual Electrical Exhibition held at Madison Square Garden. Before a stunned audience, Tesla demonstrated a control box that transmitted radio signals used to maneuver a toy boat through a pool of water. Outside of a handful of inventors whod already been experimenting with them, few people even knew about the existence of radio waves at the time.   The Miltary Enlists Unmanned Aircraft   Drones have been used in a variety of military capacities: early efforts at eye-in-the-sky reconnaissance, â€Å"aerial torpedoes† during World War II, and as armed aircraft in the war in Afghanistan. Even as far back as Teslas time, his contemporaries in the armed forces were beginning to see how remotely-controlled vehicles might be used to gain certain strategic advantages. For example, during the Spanish-American War of 1898, the U.S. military was able to deploy camera-equipped kites to take some of the first aerial surveillance photographs of enemy fortifications. (An even earlier example of military use of unmanned aircraft- albeit not radio-controlled- took place during an 1849 attack on Venice by Austrian forces using balloons packed with explosives.) Improving the Prototype: Directive Gyroscopes While the idea of unmanned craft showed definite promise for combat applications, it wasn’t until around World War I that military forces began to experiment with ways to further Tesla’s initial vision and attempt to integrate radio-controlled systems into various types of unmanned aircraft. One of the earliest efforts was the 1917 Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, a costly and elaborate collaboration between the U.S. Navy and inventors Elmer Sperry and Peter Hewitt to develop a radio-controlled airplane that could be used as a pilotless bomber or flying torpedo. Perfecting a gyroscope system that could automatically keep the aircraft stabilized became crucial. The auto-pilot system that Hewitt and Sperry eventually came up with featured a gyroscopic stabilizer, a directive gyroscope, a barometer for altitude control, radio-controlled wing and tail features, and a gearing device to measure the distance flown. Theoretically, these improvements would enable the aircraft to fly a pre-set course to a target where it would then either drop a bomb or simply crash, exploding its payload. The Automatic Airplane designs were encouraging enough that the Navy supplied seven Curtiss N-9 seaplanes to be outfitted with the technology and poured an additional $200,000 into research and development. Ultimately, after several failed launches and wrecked prototypes, the project was scrapped but not before completing one successful flying bomb launch that proved the concept was at least plausible. The Kettering Bug While the Navy teamed up with Hewitt and Sperry, the U.S. Army commissioned another inventor, General Motor’s head of research Charles Kettering, to work on a separate â€Å"aerial torpedo† project. They also tapped Sperry to develop the torpedo’s control and guidance system and even brought in Orville Wright as an aviation consultant. That collaboration resulted in the Kettering Bug, an auto-piloted biplane programmed to carry a bomb directly to a pre-determined target.   The Bug had a range of about 40 miles, flew at a top speed nearing 50 mph, and held a payload of 82 kilograms (180  pounds) of explosives. It was also equipped with a counter programmed to count the total number of engine revolutions necessary for the craft to reach its predetermined target (allowing for variables of wind speed and direction that were figured into the calculation when the counter was set). Once the requisite number of engine revolutions was reached, two things happened: a cam fell into place shutting down the engine and the wing bolts retracted, causing the wings to fall off. This sent the Bug into its final trajectory, where it detonated on impact.   In 1918, the Kettering Bug completed a successful test flight, prompting the Army to place a large order for their production. However, the Kettering Bug suffered a similar fate to the Navys Automatic Airplane and was never used in combat, partly due to concerns that the system might malfunction and detonate a payload prior to reaching its target in hostile territory. While both projects were scrapped for their initial purpose, in retrospect, the Automatic Airplane and Kettering Bug played significant roles in the development of modern-day cruise missiles. From Target Practice to Spy in the Sky The post-World War I period saw the British Royal Navy take the early lead in the development of radio-controlled unmanned aircraft. These British UAVs (target drones) were programmed to mimic the movements of enemy aircraft and were employed during anti-aircraft training for target practice. One drone often employed for this purpose- a radio-controlled version of the de Havilland Tiger Moth airplane known as the DH.82B Queen Bee- is thought to be the source from which the term â€Å"drone† hatched.   The initial headstart the British enjoyed was relatively short-lived. In 1919, Reginald Denny, a serviceman late of the British Royal Flying Corps, emigrated to the United States, where he opened a model plane shop. Dennys enterprise went on to become the Radioplane Company, the first large-scale producer of drones. After having demonstrated a number of prototypes to the U.S. Army, in 1940, Denny got a huge break, procuring a contract for the manufacture of Radioplane OQ-2 drones. By the end of World War II, the company had supplied the Army and Navy with 15,000 drone craft. A Hollywood Sidenote In addition to drones, the Radioplane Company had the distinction of launching the career of one of Hollywoods most legendary starlets. In 1945, Denny’s friend (film star and future President of the United States) Ronald Reagan sent military photographer David Conover to capture snapshots of factory workers assembling Radioplanes for the Army’s weekly magazine. One of the employees he photographed was a young woman named Norma Jean Baker. Baker later quit her assembly job and went on to model for Conover at other photoshoots. Eventually, after changing her name to Marilyn Monroe, her career really took off.   Combat Drones The World War II era also marked the introduction of drones in combat operations. In fact, the conflict between the Allied and Axis powers revitalized the development of aerial torpedoes, which could now be made to be more accurate and destructive. One particularly devastating weapon was Nazi Germany’s V-1 rocket, a.k.a, the Buzz Bomb. This flying bomb, the brainchild of brilliant German rocket engineer Wernher von Braun, was designed to hit urban targets and incur civilian casualties. It was guided by a gyroscopic autopilot system that helped carry a 2,000-pound warhead upward of 150 miles. As the first wartime cruise missile, the Buzz Bomb was responsible for killing 10,000 civilians and injuring around 28,000 more. After World War II, the U.S. military started repurposing target drones for reconnaissance missions. The first unmanned aircraft to undergo such a conversion was the Ryan Firebee I, which in 1951 demonstrated the ability to stay aloft for two hours while reaching an altitude of 60,000 feet. Converting the Ryan Firebee into a reconnaissance platform led to the development of the Model 147 FireFly and Lightning Bug series, both of which were used extensively during the Vietnam War. During the height of the Cold War, the U.S. military turned its focus toward stealthier spy aircraft, a notable example being the Mach 4 Lockheed D-21. Attack of the Armed Drone The notion of armed drones (as opposed to guided missiles) being used for battle purposes didnt really come into play until the 21st century. The most suitable candidate was the Predator RQ-1 manufactured by General Atomics. First tested and put into service in 1994 as a surveillance drone, the Predator RQ-1 was capable of traveling a distance of 400 nautical miles and could remain airborne for 14 hours straight. Its most significant advantage, however, was that it could be controlled from a distance of thousands of miles via satellite link. On October 7, 2001, armed with laser-guided Hellfire missiles, a Predator drone launched the first-ever combat strike by a remotely piloted aircraft in Kandahar, Afghanistan in an effort to neutralize suspected Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. While the mission failed to take out its intended target, the event marked the dawn of a new era of militarized drones. Since then, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) such as the Predator and General Atomics’ larger and more capable MQ-9 Reaper have completed thousands of missions, sometimes with unintentional consequences. While  2016 statistics released by President Obama revealed that 473 strikes had accounted for between 2,372 and 2,581 combatant deaths since 2009, according to a 2014 report in The Guardian, the civilian death toll resulting from drone strikes was, at the time, in the neighborhood of 6,000. Sources Ackermann, Spencer. 41 Men Targeted but 1,147 People Killed: US Drone Strikes- the facts on the Ground. The Guardian, November 24, 2014Shane, Scott. Drone Strike Statistics Answer Few Questions and Raise Many. The New York Times, July 3, 2016Evans, Nicholas D. â€Å"Military Gadgets: How Advanced Technology Is Transforming Todays Battlefield...and Tomorrows.† Prentiss Hall, 2003

Amended Budget Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amended Budget Paper - Essay Example Increase By 4% Amending the IT cost, need to focus on consolidating the operating budget of Riordan Manufacturing. Hence, a 4% increase in spending on IT items related to hardware, software, and outside IT support services, in addition to an increase in outside support charges, capitulate a net increase in spending of $105,100. The 4% increase in IT spending, implies that the annual IT budget, would have to be increased from $1, 901,300 to $1,977,352.In the short term, this implies reducing overheads, like telephone, office supplies, postage, shipping, postage, benefits, and bonuses which amount to $456,358 by around 23 percent. Raising spending on the baseline figures comprising hardware, software, and outside IT support services, would push services, such as licenses, maintenance, special projects and leased lines, to go up. Therefore, the organization can negotiate for lower licensing and leasing services, in addition to negotiating for cheaper contracts for special projects trans actions (Schwalbe, 2010). The increase in spending on items related to hardware, software, and outside IT support service, can be offset by initiating a hiring freeze, but not laying off of current IT department employees. This is necessitated by the fact that, the organization needs to retain and retrain current staff, so as to be competitive in an environment of increasing reliance on technology. Hence, the IT department staff should now spotlight on ITIL processes, in addition to best practices, in particular change-management advances, plus service-level contract. Over a long period, the increase in IT spending requires to be offset with revenue growth. Therefore, they can consolidate hardware purchasing process, in order to generate an upper return on investment in using technologies. Decrease in Overall Budget By 2% A decrease in IT overall budget by 2% implies a shift from $1,901,300 to 1,863,274 in terms of total IT spending. Hence, some expenses and their accompanying assum ptions require to be re-assessed, in order to change them to be more rational, and in the course, reduce the risk susceptibility to budget over-runs. Notably, not everything in the Riordan Manufacturing IT budget goes to technology, and the biggest item based on the figures, is human resources expenses. This amounts to 40 to 50% of the whole IT budget, going to salaries, benefits, and bonuses of internal support personnel, such as network personnel plus managers. The whole of the bonuses, benefits, travels, and entertainment amounts to $ 479,158 yearly, therefore, they need to reduce them by 8% percent, in order to offset the $38,026 drop in IT budget. On the other hand, in trying to offset the budget shortfall, the organization needs to be elastic in re-aligning special projects expenditures, from $150,000 to $111,974, a net of $38, 026.This in turn would easily fill the gap created by the 2% reduction in IT budget. Also, Riordan Manufacturing, can shift from the buying and paying licenses for their business processes software approach, to a Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS model. This implies that, the organization can get customizable business solution at a cheaper annual cost, in order to manage its business

Alternative energy sourses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alternative energy sourses - Research Paper Example If oil remains the world's pre-eminent source of energy in the coming years, it would make the problem worse for the whole world (Stern, 2007). The best course of action to resolve or reduce the danger of human’s oil dependence is an issue of much discussion and dissention (Green, 2007). Sustainable energy sources are the best option for decreasing oil dependence and this should be encouraged or even mandated. The problem of oil dependence World energy demand has been increasing continually and is projected to increase further. Despite increases in world oil prices, hydrocarbon fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas have been used primarily thus far to supply this increasing energy demand. There are a variety of dangers that result from this dependence according to Newman (2002). Because the last known major oil reserves that haven't been depleted are in the Middle East, the oil-consuming world is dependent on the Persian Gulf for oil, Which leaves oil consuming cities and co untries with a deep-seated feeling of vulnerability. US cities are especially vulnerable as they have an average consumption of 431 gallons of gas per person as compared with European cities using an average of 133 gallons per person (Newman, 2002). There are many different views on problem with dependence on oil. One very important theoretical approach to dealing with the problem is that certain actions should be supported by Federal legislation i.e. development of more alternative energy sources. Alternative Energy Sources The Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) is a leading authority on developing alternative sources of energy and they provide extensive information about various new alternative sources of power that are being developed. The main alternative power sources being used in the U.S. are solar power, hydrogen fuel cells, wind power, hydropower, geothermal power, biomass and tidal power (Green, 2007) The Alternative Energy Institute's about solar power are very positive. They observe that in a 24-hour period the sun provides more energy than the human race can use in the next 27 years (Riley and McLaughlin, 2001). Solar power has been being developed for over one hundred years. However, most of the development has taken place in the last thirty years since the first practical solar cells were developed in the early 1970's. AEI notes that solar power has tremendous potential, but what has caused this clean and renewable energy resource to not get the highest priority has been its cost. Coal and oil have been less expensive and this cost difference has precluded solar power from growing like it could (Riley and McLaughlin, 2001). Hydrogen and Fuel Cell technology also is of interest to the alternative energy institute. Hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth and it has potential to propel planes, trains, automobiles, etc.(Elliott, 2003). It has been used in NASA manned flights since 1965. However, it will take years of research and development before this clean renewable energy source may revolutionize the transportation industry. Fuel cells have the benefits of being produced in country instead of being imported, affect the most oil-dependent transportation area and can dramatically reduce health hazards from automobile exhaust. Automakers from Japan, Europe and America are diligently working to perfect this technology. However, a limitation of hydrogen is that it requires energy to free it from water or other resources that contain it. Besides that, it also needs twice as much energy to produce

Training and Development in Tesco Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Training and Development in Tesco - Assignment Example This is aimed at the analysis of instilling a sense of inclusiveness in the workers as well as their commitment. Since Leahy’s resignation announcement, drastic changes were witnessed in its stock market, which witnessed a sharp drop in the value of Tesco’s shares. From the above, it was evident that Tesco needed to instill confidence in its customers and the public hence there was a re-engineered customer service mechanism in operation for sustenance of Leahy’s transformational leadership style that saw Tesco’s unprecedented rise in the last one and a half decade (Bass,1990) . Tesco has further undertaken transformational change in its organization so as to become the carbon-zero company. This change has been through reducing energy usage and then getting the rest of the energy it uses from renewable sources. In the last few years, a Tesco has developed a supermarket that is zero carbon in its operation, but not its build. Tesco has extended its effort to both its supply chain and its customers’ carbon footprint. Tesco also wants to make it easy for staff to understand how they can change the way they work to promote carbon reduction. More so over the last three years Tesco has committed huge resource in its training and development programme. It has made progress toward achieving this by being the first supermarket to have its apprenticeship training programme accredited. This has been eating achievement for the company. This is in line with its strategy of improving its workforce and getting the best out of it. Tesco further introduced Tesco club card which is a kind of customer loyalty card.  

Concern Associated With Mental Health Diagnosis Social Work Essay

Concern Associated With Mental Health Diagnosis Social Work Essay Psychiatrists are increasingly churning out new syndromes at the behest of their funders in the pharmaceutical industry. The above quotation, drawn from a news feature from the Independent news paper, highlights an issue of concern associated with mental health diagnosis. According to the (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004), approximately one in six people in England experiences some form of mental health problem at some point in their lives and the estimated annual costs of providing services is  £77 billion. Wrong diagnosis affects not only the patient being diagnosed, but also the patients support network. In communities where mental health is not well understood by the vast majority and where people tend to get embarrassed by it, wrong diagnosis can make it difficult for those diagnosed to seek help. Additionally, people with mental health illnesses have to contend with a number of social issues such as: stigma, acceptance from friends and family, employment challenges and adjusting to losing their independence as a result of the effects of illness and / or the side effects of medication, (Sheppard, 2002; Elder et al, 2009). While these issues affect all mentally ill people, research shows that for black and ethnic minority groups, being diagnosed with a mental illness compounds social challenges and perpetuates poverty, deprivation and social exclusion, (Hocking, 2005; Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003). The challenge for social work is to advocate for clients in a field where social work expertise might be challenged by the medicinal nature of mental health diagnoses. As a background to the research proposal, this paper will briefly evaluate the effect that wrong mental health diagnosis has on black and ethnic minority families. In selecting the objectives, my starting point is that wrong diagnosis affects peoples lives regardless of their race or ethnicity. Therefore, the proposed research will aim to identify whether and, if so, how black and ethnic minority families are affected by being wrongly diagnosed with mental illness. Introduction: According to Hocking (2005), culture and race have an important role to play in the likelihood of someone being diagnosed with mental health problems. Her findings are mirrored in the results of recent psychosis studies which indicate that there are disproportionately high numbers of people from black and ethnic minority groups diagnosed with severe mental illness, (Count Me in, 2010). Citing Bhui (1997)s review of (Lloyd and Moodley, 1992)s research, (Bhui and Bhugra, 2002) also state that there is a substantial body of evidence that highlights disparity between the experiences of people from black and ethnic minority groups in comparison to white groups, when it comes to accessing mental health services. They argue that white people, who are mentally ill, stand a better chance of being given a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Data from a mental health and ethnicity census conducted by partnership between the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the National Institute for Mental Health in England, found that almost 10% of mental health inpatients were black or mixed race. Analysis of the findings also concluded that compared to the rest of the population, black people were three times more likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales and stood a 44% chance of being detained under the Mental Health Act, (Care Quality Commission, 2005). The findings also indicated that black men experienced high rates of control and restraint from staff within psychiatric services and were more likely to be put into seclusion or in medium or high secure wards, (Bhugra and Gupta, 2010; Kaye and Lingiah, 2000). It is with this background that this paper evaluates the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families. In terms of methodology, the proposed research will take a similar form to this paper i.e. I will use the same key terms, research objectives, search terms and data collection methods. A paragraph on the proposed methodology follows the literature review. Defining Key Terms: In addition to cultural differences and subjective assessments of mental capacity, definitions of mental health are influenced by perspectives from various disciplines. In order to conduct a robust research, definitions of the key terms are explored below: Although the Mental Health Act (2007) does not give a definition of mental health, it describes mental health in terms of mental disorders and refers to mental health as any condition that disorders or disables the mind, (Bartlett and Sandland, 2007). Psychological perspectives define mental health as a level of cognitive or emotional wellbeing which includes a persons ability to enjoy life by balancing the demands of everyday routines to achieve psychological resilience, (Shaw et al, 2007). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises that they can cope with lifes normal stresses, can work productively and fruitfully and contribute to their community, (WHO, 2005). Definitions of mental health that are based in evaluating the positive signs of health, such as how an individual copes with environmental stressors, are still under debate as scholars, practitioners and policy makers consider the importance of factors such as religion, individual aspirations, social class, race, gender and lifestyle choices impact on mental health, (Clarke, 2008; Kay and Lingiah, 2000, Heller and Gitterman, 2011). The English dictionary describes diagnosis as the identification of an illness or a discovery about what is wrong with someone who is ill or something which is not working properly, after examination. It implies identification of the nature and cause of a thing. However, diagnosing mental illness seldom involves a set of specific or straight forward tests. Rather, psychiatrists diagnose based on their observation of symptoms and comparison with a diagnostic schedule, (Elder et al, 2009; Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). As a result it is often difficult for mental health problems to be diagnosed and sometimes patients can feel that they have been misdiagnosed. Detailed discussion follows later in this proposal. The Research Question: This paper briefly reviews mental health literature in order to set the background for a proposed research into the extent to which wrong mental health diagnosis affects Black and Ethnic Minority families in Britain. Research Objectives: The objectives set prior to writing this paper and indeed proposed for in-depth research are: Reviewing the literature that is available on mental health diagnosis and how mental health impacts families in general. Exploring the role of social workers in working with people that have been diagnosed with mental illness. Identifying any discernable differences in how diagnosis affects Black and Ethnic Minority families in comparison to their white counterparts. Highlighting the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on families in general and on Black and Ethnic Minority families in particular. Identifying any gaps in practice and in the literature in order propose areas for future study. Rationale: I first became interested in studying this area because four of my relatives had been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses and three were later found to have been wrongly diagnosed. In the three months prior to being told that the diagnoses were wrong, our family relationships had been tested to the extreme as we tried to adjust to the challenges of caring for loved ones whom we thought were mentally ill and in denial. The relief that came from hearing the news that three of them had been wrongly diagnosed was quickly replaced with feelings of injustice towards professionals, because of the strain that had been put on the family relationships. Search Terms, Databases Used and Linguistic Clarifications: When researching literature to review, I used several on-line catalogue systems which included: EBSCOHost, InfoTrack, ProQuest, Ingenta, eLSC, CareData, academic journals, mental health action group websites and read various newspaper articles reporting on multiple mental health related issues. My initial searches produced a lot of literature, which I narrowed down by browsing subject indexes and reading abstracts. The search terms included: Diagnosing Mental Health in England, the impact of Mental Health diagnosis on families, Mental health diagnosis and minority ethnic families, The role of social workers in mental health cases, the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families, community mental health and coping with mental health at home. My decision to use online catalogue systems has more to do with my lack of knowledge in how to use manual cataloguing systems. Additionally, I was aware of my own limitations as a researcher and did not want to ad d any more complications to my task. Literature Review: Prior to commencing discussions about how diagnosis, right or wrong, impacts on families, it is important to note that diagnosis infers illness. Therefore, the extent of the impact on families is not determined by the diagnosis, but by how the inferred illness affects day-to-day activities directly or indirectly. The impact will vary depending on factors such as the severity and duration of the diagnosed illness, the family composition and the extent to which the illness affects aspects of family life, (Clark, 2008: Heller and Gitterman, 2011). For example, where short term illnesses can be treated by the familys general-practitioner and where the members are older or resilient, families will cope better with a mental health diagnosis. For many black and ethnic minority families, being diagnosed with a mental illness adds to stigma, as these communities tend to have many myths and misconceptions about mental illness, (Ray et al, 2008; Bhugra and Cochrane, 2001; Bhugra and Gupta, 2010). This can affect families social interaction as they worry about the unpredictability of the diagnosed members public actions and reactions. The result is that individuals within the family or the entire family can easily become isolated, thus perpetuating a cycle of social exclusion, (Beresford, 2004). However, this view is widely contested as some scholars argue that mental health problems are not derived from social injustices or oppression nor are patients any more likely to experience social exclusion and discrimination as a direct result of their difficulties, (Sheppard, 2002). Scholars acknowledge that people with mental health problems can experience vicious circles of social isolation, poverty, unemployment, poor housing and scarce social and support networks but that these are neither causal nor circular factors. In 2010, the Care Quality Commission published a psychosis study which tested the theory that psychiatrists, wittingly or unwittingly, allowed their professional judgement to be influenced by the colour of their patients skin, (Count Me In, 2010). The study, which tracked year-on-year results from 2005 to 2009, was aimed at highlighting inequalities in access and outcomes that affect patients from Black and Minority ethnic communities, how hospital stays are managed, national debates about mental health and guide positive action, revealed that at 53.8%, black people represented more than half of the people detained under the Mental Health Act. These finding are consistent with other studies, which highlights that black men were more likely to be diagnosed with psychotic illness than whites and to be detained under the Mental Health Act, (Ray et al, 2008). Additionally, knowledge about mental illness, like many other aspects of human life, has undergone paradigm shifts over time. For instance, conditions such as sadness, anger, or disappointment, which were once considered to be in the normal spectrum of human behaviour, are now seen as psychiatric or psychological disorders, (Beam, 2001). This, coupled with the fact that there are no specific or straight forward ways of diagnosing mental illness, makes mental health diagnosis challenging. In order to diagnose a mental illness, psychiatrists observe a clients symptoms and match them to a diagnostic schedule. Prentice (2010) reports that in recent history, research has shown that even seemingly simple changes in the description of conditions such as attention deficit disorder, autism and childhood bipolar disorder, captured many patients who would have been better off not entering the mental health system. One of the initial challenges that families have to overcome when a loved one is first diagnosed with a mental illness is the feelings of denial as they come to terms with what the illness will mean for their loved one and for themselves. This combined with having little or no knowledge about the diagnosed illness, causes panic, (Beresford, 2004). When, as in our case, families later find out that the diagnosis was wrong the relief can easily be replaced with anger as they recount the toll of strained inter family relationships that were a result of their caring responsibilities. In such circumstances, guided by professional values and ethics, a social worker would be duty bond to empower the family by ensuring that the family have all the information they need in order to understand the implications of the illness. This includes advocating for those for whom English may not be a first language and being creative with working partnerships, (Beresford, 2000). Wrong mental health diagnosis often means that the patient will be prescribed medication to stabilize the illness. Consequently, the family may have to not only deal with the challenges of caring for a loved one whose behaviour may be unpredictable but also come to terms with the medications side effects such as apathy and a lack of motivation, (Ray et al, 2008). In her review of a number of qualitative research publications on how families cope with mental health, (Bhui, 2002) found that family members were fearful that the constant stress and concern for their loved ones created family problems that may never be over come. When the diagnosed family member is a parent, the inferred illness will have a profound impact on family life. Research shows that when a parent is diagnosed with mental illness, children are especially vulnerable, as their coping strategies tend to be dependent on the adults in their lives, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011). Parental mental illness compromises the parents ability to care for their child and in some cases, especially where there is no other adult to take responsibility, children can become their parents carers, (Ritter and Lampkin, 2010: Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). A wrongly diagnosed parent who keeps insisting that there is nothing wrong with them, can easily be seen as being in denial thus escalating welfare concerns. The dilemma for social work lies in their dual role of control and care. Depending on the nature of the diagnosed illness, the risks to a childs welfare can be severe even when the childs physical safety is not at risk. Social workers would need to give consideration to issues such as how the illness affects the childs emotional, behavioural and mental development. There is a vast body of research which indicates that children of psychotic parents are themselves particularly vulnerable to psychiatric problems, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011; Bhugra and Gupta, 2010; Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003;). In order to explore this topic in detail, I propose to conduct research that addresses the objectives set in this paper, using methodology that focuses on reviewing secondary data. The intended research process is as detailed in the question, objectives, rationale and search terms of this paper. The proposed research will have relevance for policy and practice in that it will enable better service provision for black and ethnic minority families as a result of understanding not only the causes of wrong diagnosis, but also why minority groups are disproportionately over represented within mental health services. It will also evaluate how national and international legislation, current studies on mental health and user involvement initiatives, impact on service delivery for minorities. In conclusion, I have shown that by inferring illness, mental health diagnosis does impact on families regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. However, while the issues discussed here are not necessarily unique to black and ethnic minority families, research indicates that people from black and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately over represented in mental health services in England. Complex and multifaceted factors such as a lifestyles, social stressors, genetic predisposition and lifecycle transitions, make diagnosing mental illness difficult. This can present challenges for social workers as they perform their dual roles of control and care. Professional ethics and legal responsibilities mean that they must advocate for the marginalised groups while continuing to work in partnership with medical professionals without having the expertise to make a judgement call on the accuracy of diagnosis. These issues require deeper exploration in order to understand how wro ng mental health diagnosis affects people from black and ethnic minority families.

Misguided Messages in The Awakening and A Dolls House :: comparison compare contrast essays

Misguided Messages in The Awakening and A Doll's House      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just because a novel is considered a classic doesn't mean the Messages it conveys to its readers are correct.   Even though both The Awakening by Kate Chopin and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen are great literary works, some of the ideas embodied in them aren't appropriate. Both works suggest that it is common for husbands to be condescending to their wives; that if a person has enough money, they can have someone else raise their children for them; and that if a marriage gets hard, the couple should just give up on each other.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Taking the stories for their literary qualities alone, they are both quite good.   Both novels are very well written.   Chopin and Ibsen developed their characters well, used excellent imagery, and told interesting stories.   Both shared their strong convictions even though they knew their ideas weren't popular.   The strong beliefs that are shared in these stories are part of what makes them classics.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, some of the ideas that are portrayed in these works aren't ideas readers should assume to be true or good.   The first of these is the theory that husbands will most likely treat their wives as inferiors after they are married.   In A Doll's House, Torvald is blatantly condescending to Nora.   He calls her his  ³little squirrel ² or  ³little skylark ² and requires her to  ³do tricks ² to please him.   In addition, he treats her like a child, a  ³feather head ² who can't understand anything important.   In The Awakening, Leonce is more subtle in his mistreatment of his wife.   He tries to control Edna by pushing his point until she does what he wants.   He also tries to make her feel bad about herself.   For example, he tells her she isn't a good mother to their sons.   Although this type of behavior is condemned in both of these stories, just characterizing this behavior as normal sends a bad message.   If young men are repeatedly told that this is how adult males act, they will inevitably feel that they should act this way when they are married.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second bad idea conveyed by these stories is that if a person can afford to, they should have someone else raise their children for them. In A Doll's House, Nora and Torvald have a nanny who takes care of their children for them.   This is the same nanny who Nora's parents had paid to raise her.   Also, in The Awakening, Leonce and Edna not only have a person who takes care of their children for them; but, when Edna moves to the