Pharmasuticles

            In the United States millions of people are diagnosed with depression. Not all of them are able to handle the pressure that comes along. Doctors have found different way to help, and company’s found a way to make a profit. Patients have used talking therapy but some opt for medications, but who should be allowed to take this medications and who can prescribe them. With so many different Anti-depressant drugs Ad’s people are now diagnosing themselves with the treatment and the cure. Not knowing the after effects people can potently put themselves at risk.

            “A mental state of depressed mood characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, and discouragement. Depression ranges from normal feelings of “the blues” through dysthymic disorder to major depressive disorder. It in many ways resembles the grief and mourning that follow bereavement; there are often feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, and self-reproach, withdrawal from interpersonal contact, and somatic symptoms such as eating and sleep disturbances.” (CREDO REFERENCE) . Depression is something that can start at any age and carry out through years, it doesn't choose a specific gender or age. One way you can help treat depression is by going to a therapist. Here you will be able to talk our problems and see if you can start and look life in a different perspective. But another way to help people with depression is by taking anti depression which are given out by psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a person who specializes in the diagnose, prevention and treatment of mental and emotional disorder with depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other situations. When dealing with depressed patients psychiatrist used an anti--depressant called Fluoxetine also known as Prozac and Sarafem.  In the article “Oh How Happy We Will be” Greg Crister mentions two books. One being “ Listing to Prozac” by Peter Kramer which leans toward the use of anti depressants such as prozac, and the other book is called “Talking Back to Prozac” by Peter Breggin which argues that “the drug’s effectiveness are based on shallow research. We, ourselves are contributing to the multi billion dollar business that these companies are making. We are not the only ones to blame but our doctors, therapist and pharmacies as well. Now in days its more common to hear someone is on prozac or on any anti depressant due to economic times, but its moments like this that people take advantage.

            Anti-depression are drugs given to patients when they feel that they’ve lost a sense of self content, for example when they no longer want to do things they use to enjoy. These drugs are legal if prescribed the correct way and controlled by your doctors. When doctors lose control of their patients dosage things can get out of hand, misuse of the drugs start to occur. This is a discussion that has been going on for years. Some doctors believe that Prozac and Sarafem in the wrong hands can cause dangerous scenarios. They feel the power of this pill and start to feel like without it they wont be able to go on. Drug users are rarely concerned about drug activity at the cellular or physiological level.  As mention by Michael Montagne they instead focus on drug effects exhibited at physical and behavioral, or everyday life functioning, levels(1262). Abusing this drug can be potentially dangerous to people who don’t know the side effects. Common side effects of prozac can include insomnia, weakness, weigh loss, drowsiness and even shakiness. 

            Public ad’s are playing a big role in society, there are the way people see things the way they think they should. Michael Montagne states in page 1246 that past surveys of patient-information seeking have indicated that media sources, especially print media, television, and drug advertising, are more important than health professionals in learning about new drugs and their effects  Before you wouldn’t see an ad on an anti depressant site. Teenager now more then ever are influenced by the media from what they eat to how they dress and drugs aren’t out of the question. Having the internet and a t.v. disposable at anytime to kids and teenagers influences them in many ways. You hear a lot of famous people who miss use pharmaceutical drugs to relieve there pain or depression.   A common commercial gives you a basic check list and if you think you fall into those categories, then you are depressed. Thats not the end of the commercial, then it informs you to use to take there medicine and go to your doctor and see if it is right for you. We no longer are being lead by doctors who have PHD’s or Masters in medicine but by a checklist. We are being self diagnosed without fulling understanding the long term matter. When self diagnosing we don’t see that our bodies are made up of different chemicals and these drugs can interfere with them. In some cases when people feel a little down they immediately turn to anti depressants for the answer.

           

              Not only are we affecting ourselves but also affecting people who really need it. Prozac and Sarafem have helped people with depression battle through it and give them the enough boost they need in their life. Many cases have shown that anti depression pills have helped gain some sanity back, but by taking them the right way. Prozac can give you a chemical balance in your brain that lets you live a more stable life.  A family friend lived through a bad experience as a child and was proscribed anti depressants. He feels that this has helped him through he’s life and now is living a normal life.  There has been logical proof that prozac does work with a doctor and therapist who is really there for the patient and not agreeing to what they say because they think there depressed.

            Pharmaceuticals  are being taken advantage by the wrong people and even have started to become substance abuse. Pharmacies, doctors and therapist are using mass media to help promote there product to the wrong patient. With all these talks of depression we are not noticing that we are originally turning healthy people on anti depressants and having teens and kids. We are not noticing that we are affecting the people who indeed need them.  

Anti- depressants

In the United States millions of people are diagnosed with depression. Not all of them are able to handle the pressure that comes along. Doctors have found different way to help, and company’s found a way to make a profit. Patients have used talking therapy but some opt for medications, but who should be allowed to take this medications and who can prescribe them. With so many different Anti-depressant drugs Ad’s people are now diagnosing themselves with the treatment and the cure. Not knowing the after effects people can potently put themselves at risk. 

“A mental state of depressed mood characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, and discouragement. Depression ranges from normal feelings of “the blues” through dysthymic disorder to major depressive disorder. It in many ways resembles the grief and mourning that follow bereavement; there are often feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, and self-reproach, withdrawal from interpersonal contact, and somatic symptoms such as eating and sleep disturbances.” (CREDO REFERENCE) . Depression is something that can start at any age and carry out through years, it doesn't choose a specific gender or age. A way to help people with depression is by taking depression which are given out by psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a person who specializes in the diagnose, prevention and treatment of mental and emotional disorder with depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other situations. When dealing with depressed patients psychiatrist used an anti--depressant called Fluoxetine also known as Prozac and Sarafem.  In the article “Oh How Happy We Will be” Greg Crister mentions two books. One being “ Listing to Prozac” by Peter Kramer which leans toward the use of anti depressants such as prozac, and the other book is called “Talking Back to Prozac” by Peter Breggin which argues that “the drug’s effectiveness are based on shallow research. 

Anti-depression drugs are legal if prescribed the correct way and controlled. When doctors lose control of their patients dosage things can get out of hand. This is an argument that has been going on for years. Some doctors believe that prozac and Sarafem can become addicting and cause dangerous scenarios. When people get to this level is when addiction starts coming in. They feel the power of this pill and start to feel like without it they wont be able to go on. Abusing this drug can be potentially dangerous to people who don’t know the side effects. Common side effects of prozac can include insomnia, weakness, weigh loss, drowsiness and even shakiness. Public ad’s are playing a big role in society, there are the way people see things the way they think they should. Before you wouldn’t see an ad on an anti depressant site. A common commercial gives you a basic check list and if you think you fall into those categories, then you are depressed. Thats not the end of the commercial, then it informs you to use to take there medicine and go to your doctor and see if it is right for you. We no longer are being lead by doctors who have PHD’s or Masters in medicine but by a checklist. We are being self diagnosed without fulling understanding the long term matter. 

Not only are we affecting ourselves but also affecting people who really need it. Prozac and Sarafem have helped people with depression battle through it and give them the enough boost they need in their life. Many cases have shown that anti depression pills have helped gain some sanity back, but by taking them the right way. Prozac can give you a chemical balance in your brain that lets you live a more stable life.

WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR

Sometimes when people think about writing things there thankful they forget the small things and I was one of them. Today I was watching a show with my dad and it made me realize that the simple things in life make a difference. Where I’m from some kids in poor cities have to walk miles over a bridge hand made with a single pair of sneakers that they’ve had for over years now. There homes aren’t build to stand harsh weathers and some of there living conditions aren’t capable for any human bean. Things like this make me thankful that I have a bed to sleep in, shoes that can match my outfit and a fridge full food that I can eat at anytime. To us having our basic accommodations is nothing new to us, but some people don’t know what this experience feels like, that is why i am most grateful for my most basic needs. I am also thankful for my parents and my sister because without them I couldn't have all the things I do today.

HAPPINESS IN RELATIONSHIPS

People can cultivate happier relationships by putting more effort and time into it as a pair. A pair can consist of a friendship or a romantic couple. Being able to find your core self and knowing who you are. Taking the time to cultivate a relationship, and knowing rather then validating

“The core self compromises our deepest and most stable characteristics- our character.” Our core self is what we are deep inside, it makes us who we are today and who we will be in the future. A person as an individual should know what components make up who they are. Tal Ben-Shahar gives us an example of a person who has certain characteristics but wants to do an intervention program for underprivileged. The fact that this person wants to do this intervention and how she acts shows her core self, doing something that comes from within taking the good and the bad outcomes with it. It is important to know where you stand as a person in order to let other people come in.

Already established who you are, now you can start picking and choosing the people you want in your life. In the book happier by Tal Ben-Shahar he writes about two different ways people choose there partners, this is called cultivating over finding. Cultivating entails the person to take their time to really find out about their partner. Finding someone is assuming you know who they are without taking the time to reassure yourself.  Cultivating doesn't only have to be with your romantic partners, the best friendships are cultivated with time. I found my best friend Kimberly on my way to school, she was just a random girl that would catch the same bus as I. As the days passed by we started to spend more time with each other, goes to figure that she was the opposite as me. Kimberly use to love to listen to rap and I use to love to listen to salsa, little by little I got use to listing to rap and I even taught her how to dance salsa. Being with Kimberly for so many years I learned that having someone who was the opposite of you came to an advantage, she saw situations in a different perspective and would help me over come it. When you start to build a relationship you see the good and embrace, take the bad make try to make the best out of it. When you just find someone you really don’t learn there inner self, you just see what they want you to see and run with it. Finding someone can have its downsides you can get emotionally attach and find out that they aren't who you thought they were. 

Ed Diener and Martin Seligman did a study on “happy people” and compared them to less happy people, the one difference was the way they would use their time. To them it was important to spend quality time with there loved ones. Spending time with someone can bring closer together and figuring out who they are. The more time you spend with someone the more you learn about them, allowing you to enjoy those moments and bring you to a happy moment. A lot of times the holidays like thanksgiving and new years are usually related to happiness, because its when families get closer together. I love spending time with my family and friends, I learned to value them for the moments they brought in my life. The one memory that stands out to me the  most was when John, Andy, Kimberly and I spend a weekend in Long Island. We didn’t want your typical party place we wanted to experience something new, we spend the whole weekend in the beach. In those two days we learned about one another and even things about ourselves. From that day forward our bond was inseparable, we formed a bond that to this day we still have even if one is missing. The memories you build spending time with each other is something that can never be erased.

So many people can walk in and out of our lives but there are those that stay through thick and thin and these people stand out in our hearts. Doing a small gesture to them just shows them how much we are thankful to have them in our lives. A thank you letter can be such a strong piece of paper that people tend to over look. Taking the time to do something for someone, or even just writing a thank you letter can make them feel like what they offer to the table is being recognized. A lot of people might think “Well I keep them around isn’t that a sign that there doing a good job?”, but wouldn’t you , yourself like someone to recognize the effort and time you put into a relationship. 

Happiness in relationships consist of two people but have you put enough effort to keep them. Knowing who you are, picking the right relationships, making them stronger and thanking them for it helps the process of being happy. Individuals who don’t realize how important and valuable people can be will never reach their full happiness.

BLOG #5

                                                  Spending time with loved ones.  
  
    We are surrounded by people all the time but there are the rare few that stand out the most, these are the one's we spend some of our free time with. They can be within your family, your boyfriend or your best friend. Spending time with someone gives you the opportunity to learn about them, not just the basics but in more detail. It helps you learn to care about someone and having it reciprocated. The person I spend most of my time was with my best friend Kimberly. We meet in Junior High School and we were inseparable, funny thing was she didn't even attend my Junior High School we just happen to take the same route. Kimberly was the total opposite of me, if I said white she would say black and we learned to compromise with each other and come out with something like gray. Spending time with Kimberly wasn't always easy because she had different taste in everything but this is what made our bond stronger, she learned something from my side and vis a versa. The more I spend time with her the more we became closer.

                                                              Gratitude

     Gratitude is something a lot of people take for granted but it can be so simple to do. A lot of people don't realize that someone can be here one day and the next there gone. A gratitude letter can seem some what pointless sometimes, but when you look back and say to yourself " Did I ever thank that person for everything they did for me? " you would want your answer to be YES!. Not everyone has the personality to say Thank You, but writing a letter can show you value someones, and are willing to make an extra step for them to realize it.

                                                      Cultivating Vs. Finding


         Cultivating over finding can vary from person to person. For me personally cultivating a relationship is better then finding one. When you cultivate something as a relationship it shows you the good and the bad. How happy you or how bad the relationship can get and you as an individual decide if this is something you can accept in you life in the daily bases. Cultivating can bring you two closer by sharing the same interest, foods, qualities and making the bond stronger. Some people take there time in there relationship before they get married, others find a person they think is the ideal person. For example my friend Luz thought she had found the ideal person, had a baby with this man and a year later she realized he showed her what she wanted to see. With time people build a bond that they are content in and make the effort to keep it like that, instead of finding what they thought was the right one and finding out later it isn't what seemed.

ESSAY 1

Diana Murillo

Education is something a lot of us have trouble in but there are other ways to find the bright side in learning. Personally I’ve always been a girl who likes to move around and be sociable. At first this didn’t really work out for me but with time I learned how to turn these two assets into my advantage. Realizing education can be fun and there can be other ways to approach it. 

Since I was little girl, moving around was something that came natural to me. In elementary school my teachers would always tell me “Diana stay still” or “sit down” and it came in through one ear and out the other. It was the topic of my all my parent teacher conferences, even with the teachers that I liked. I would describe myself as hyper outgoing kid that liked to explore every aspect of the room. I was always considered one of the guys until about the 5th grade. My favorite thing to do was climb trees or anything that I can find, until my third I entered the third grade. One day my teacher called my mom saying “Why was I so hyper active?” My mom found it funny because she though being creative was something that you do as a child. This is when I realized I stopped liking school. In my mind I was too much of a child for someone to tell me to stop being a child, it just didn’t make sense. As months went by I realized when it came down to the class activities my teacher had a group of kids she wouldn’t pick on and we were categorized as the “hyper kids”. After that I realized maybe I should just sit down like what my teacher considered being a normal child and just pass on to the next grade.

Moving around wasn’t the only thing my teacher would mention to me, being to sociable was another one of my childhood qualities. I use to love making new friends, talking to people and being curious. My mom told me since I could talk properly all I ever did was asking questions on everything possible under the sun. The thing I didn’t understand was school is for learning the place where all your questions were welcomed but according to my teacher I had too much questions to ask. At one point my mother and I were scared that maybe she wouldn’t pass me. I had to study twice as hard as the other kids because she wouldn’t bother answering my question, and math nor science were my strong points. I would ask my classmates around me but I would still get in trouble. 

As a third grader feeling like you were tied down in a chair wasn't an option for me, but rebelling out wasn’t in my character to do so. All I knew was I had to find another way that I could do what made me happy, that when my mommy found me a dancing schools a block away from my house. I choose to learn Salsa because we were always using to the family parties every Friday and Saturday but when it came down to dancing I always opted out. The first day I walked in to the dance studio I felt right at home, salsa had a lot of movement, spins and different movements. Everyone was everywhere and I was a kid in a candy store. My teacher was so proud of me because I caught on fast and she saw I came motivated right after school and tried my best. At first it was hard because I was always stiff but the more I liked it the more I caught on fast. Till today I still dance salsa every chance I can, it’s the place I go to when I can’t stay still. I knew school might not be for me but I was going to make it work. It was my life goal I knew without an education in this country I would be no one.  I found ways that interest me. I started going to my friend’s teachers in other classes and asked them questions on anything I didn’t understand.  I took tutoring classes one on one, and it was the best moments and I actually understood everything. Learning wasn’t so hard for me anymore. I would go online and practice on the internet and change the ways I learned. 

Funny thing is I’m glad I had this experience maybe as a little girl I didn’t see the bigger picture but learning for me is fun. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. For me the worst situation in school is being unhappy and learning a topic I totally dislike. In the video “Do Schools Creativity" Ken Robinson gives us an example how a class that might seem so important to the educational system can be the one thing that can give us happiness and gives us an experience in something different. I love learning new things something I always wanted to learn a new language and when I started college that was my first question. It gives me a fresh start and a look into a different country and their cultures. I’m also going to school to be a nail technician. This has to be one of my favorite parts of the day; I literally sit down and do something I love for hours. Education school wise is something I have to accomplish for me and my future and having fun while doing it is something I enjoy. But, education doesn’t have to be only textbooks it can be something out of the ordinary, something that takes your mind and interest.

Learning wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do as a child but I found ways around it. Not only did I learn how to study and how to like it but I also found other things that can educate me in different aspects. To me education doesn’t have to be just textbooks and teachers, it can be something as simple as drawing. It’s something that opens your mind and teaches you and the best way to educate yourself is by having fun.

Works Cited

Robinson, Ken. Ken Robinson says school kills creativity, TED 2006, Filmed Feb 2006; Posted June 2006, Video recording, TED, 2006, http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

HAPPINESS IN EDUCATION !

Happiness in education is something we all spire to have but yet somehow we lack that element, but can be achieved. Happiness and education is something a lot of people says should hand in hand, but in reality they don’t. Personally I think its the job of the teacher set the mood of the class. 

When i was young I would love to go to school, specially during elementary years. I think those were my best times and my happiest moments in school. When I was little my favorite teacher was Mrs. Zaharakis she was Greek, tall, blond and always had her nails done. She had a very distinct way of teaching she manage to know all of our strengths and weakness but she also took the time to find out what we likes in our personal lives. For the people who had trouble reading she would pair them up with a student who’s reading was a strength but she would also make sure the pairs were food friends, making it fun and not as embarrassing as reading in front of the entire class. For me personally my trouble was in MATH. Math was and still my worst subject, specially when it came time for fractions and decimals. My teacher went out and found a book where we can fractions with Hersey Chocolate Bars. Every time we broke the bar into pieces it became another fraction. When it came time for our fraction test she gave us a chocolate bar as our inspiration, she drew a huge bar on a paper and had us color it, every color was a different fraction. For me this one lesson i’ll never forget, I had fun and even though i had a bad outlook in math it showed me that I don’t have to like every subject but I can have fun something and learn it too.

Not every teacher is going to go out there way to please there students, some teachers come in and out the classroom with no interest what so ever. Mrs.Zaharakis told us one day “You will never work a day in your life if you LOVE what you do.” and I think that's how teachers should look at there job. That way a lot of kids might not enjoy every moment in school but at least there enjoying themselves in trying different things and even if their having trouble at least the situations wasn’t as  bad as they though. For me the worst situation in school is being unhappy and learning a topic I totally dislike. In the video " Do Schools Creativity" it gives us an example how a class that might seem so important to the educational system can be the one thing that can give us happiness and gives us an experience in something different.  If people would see that education and happiness can go hand and hand maybe the educational system would be different and the outcome of the students might leader to brighter and smarter students.

EMPATHY GAP . Can you keep your word, or let your emotions get in the way?

Economist George Lowenstein developed a theory named the empathy gap. The empathy gap is the state we come to when we’ve just had a cold or hot state. A hot state consists of emotions such as courage, lust and sexual behaviors. A cold state is considered to be when the person is calmer and can think with a clear mind. A lot of us know what it is to be in a cold state and in a hot state.  For example a hot state can be when we’ve had too many drinks and just by someone pushing us a little we get aggravated. You might say anyone would get a bothered if anyone pushes them but the difference is now you’re in a hot state; you no longer think it might have been in accident. The point is you have too much liquor in your system and the only thing you want to do is get into a fight. Being in a hot state you don’t think of the consequences for example a fight or things that might affect you in the future that maybe that fight just got you arrested. In hot states the only thing you think of the right now. But if you take the same situation and subtract the liquor the outcome is to be much different. Yes, the same guy pushed you in the same place the only difference is your mind is calm and is cleared. Knowing yourself it was an accident you won’t throw the first hit nor might a fight even break out. You know in your mind it isn’t worth getting into a fight for a simple shoulder rub. The empathy gap for me was more of the “what would we do”? If were in a cold state and someone asked me a question that takes place in a hot state. This is what Lowenstein is saying in he’s theory, can we do what we say we would do. If you give us a situation and have someone make a guess about the out come would there answer be correct.  To me the answer is no, I know if I myself was to be asked a question in a cold state that deals in a hot state that moment I might think about my outcomes but truth in reality is that what I said wont be entirely true. People have certain things that can get them mad and don’t take time to place themselves in a cold state. The truth is that majority of the human population is going to say what they think sounds good and not the honest truth. Anyone can use the empathy gap method the only question is, which of those people can actually stand by there word.?