SD

They had a special on tv in 2008 about beating phobias with systematic desensitization. They said it was a gradual process that tries to help you overcome things and slowly makes you immune to this fear. They could possibly expose you to the fear or a situation where this might take place. They said slowly try to regulate your breathing and heart rate until the fear is lowered or even gone. Many people under go this therapy and it seems to help them.

I chose this topic because it interesting to see how people can almost be trained in their way of thinking. Someone could be paralized by fear and with this treatment be totally normal later on. It relates to the book by teaching people to relax when faced with their fears and it can change their lives. It is in chapter 15, section 4 under behavioral therapy and classical conditioning.

Schizophrenia -ABC

On ABC's 20/20 in 2000 they did a special on schizophrenia. They discribed this as a person with a tormented mine who gets worse at night. They said that they had voices inside of their heads that could be triggered by almost anything such as religious symbols, music, or even video games. These voices are negative and speak directly to them telling them to hurt themselves or other people. They can also see visions but the causes are mostly unknown. They said that women are most often affected by this. One out of ten are drivin to suicide because of auditory voices.

I chose this because it is a serious topic that is more common than I thought. It almost seems scary because there isn't really a known cause so it could happen to anyone. This relates to the book because it talked about the hallucinations and odd behavior. It is in chapter 14, section eight under schizophrenia.

Football

In 2008 Herschell Walker did an interview about how he had dissociative identity disorder. He was an NFL running back who won a Heisman Trophy. He started to talk about how he discovered that he had this disorder and how he thought about it. He never realized that he had this disorder until a doctor told him to go back and look and poetry he had constantly written and realized they were different people writing them. Herschell told everyone that this was a blessing that God gave and was so positive about it.

I chose this because I have never heard someone speak about dissociative identity disorder in a poistive way. He was so happy that God gave him other outlets of his personality. This relates to the book in the description but not as I originally thought it would. It is in chapter 14, section six under dissociative disorders.

OCD

They had a special on tv in 2007 about the "OCD Girl". They did a whole special on this girl whose life is ran by this disorder. She said she was misrable and sometimes contemplates suicide. She doesn't touch anything with her hands because she has a fear of germs. This girl is constantly washing her hands sometimes almost a hundred times a day. She said she gets so frustrated with her disorder that she punches walls.

I chose this episode because it shows in detail how OCD can take over someones life. As in the book it states people with this disorder perform repetitve acts for no reason and costantly feel anxious just as this girl felt. It is in chapter 14, section 4 under anxiety disorders.

Iraq Soliders PTSD

In 2007 on CBS News, Katie Couric talks about post traumatic stress disorder. She said that the syptoms include rapid heart rate, insomnia and shutting down emotions. Katie said that statistics showed that one out of every five soliders comming back from Iraq would show signs of ptsd. They created a modified xbox with simulated sights and sounds of Iraq. The soliders the put under these tests showed positive results and would slowly be desensitized to the fear they still had.

I chose this topic because it is a fairly common disorder. Many soliders and normal people have this disorder and carry it with them. This is one way our soliders may be helped so they do not have to carry the burden. PTSD is in the book in chapter 11, section 2 under causes of stress. This a perfect example of people with PTSD.