Autobiographical Psychosocial History

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can learn today is the information on mental disorders causes, nature, and treatment. I believe that these mental problems are affecting a great many more young people than in past generations. I think that it is especially important to learn about the mood disorders that are affecting teenagers and young adults. Depression and Bipolar Disorder seem to be very prevalent. The rise in suicide rates is a clear indication that too many young people are not receiving the help that they need to function properly in today’s world. I think that everyone should be learning about all these mental illnesses and no matter what your chosen career, be on the look- out for people that are struggling and in pain. I had a good friend in high school that was always sick and would talk about the fear of dying. After reading this chapter, I realize that there really is a mental disorder that has all these symptoms. If a teacher or her parents had this knowledge, she would be in a better place right now. There is help for people in need and I hope that I will be able to direct someone toward it, if the need ever arises.

The final concept that I really feel that I gained valuable information from is coping with stress. I know that everyone has stresses in their lives at this point. The key is learning how to cope with them. In past generations, people just learned to live with the constant worry and agitation. Today, we know that stress leads to poor health and possibly early death. This chapter made me determined to use some of the techniques that are suggested for coping with stress. I gained a new understanding of social support. All these people are ready and willing to help you cope with the problems in your life. I try to be a good friend and help anyone in a time of need, but I have always been hesitant to ask for help for myself. I realize now that it is a two way street and if I am willing to help others, why not let them help me. I also realize that I bring stress on myself by not following the advice of preparing for stress before it happens. There are many things that I could do ahead of time to alleviate some of the stress that I bring on myself by not being organized and prepared. I also really liked the proposal of turning a threat into a challenge. Reading this information made me realize that there are effective ways of coping with the stresses of life. This has been an interesting class because it has made me examine many things about my life.