Mind shattered magazine by LASA Ezine

Mind Shattered

In depth information on five mental Conditions

STress Autism Antisocial Personality Disorder Alzheimers

Contents Letter from the Editor A Note from our Esteemed Editor

Contributorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Page A Look into the Lives of our Contributers

Are You a Psycho? A Quiz to Test your Mental State

Puzzled

Austims in our Lives

Neurotypical Brain vs. Brain with Autism The In-Depth Differences Between two Different Minds

Drugged

How Substances Destroy Us

The Truth about Alzheimers The Good, the Bad, and the Implausible

Broken Empathy

The Truth about Antisocial Personality Disorder

Sequae of Schizophrenia Knowing the Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Under Pressure

How Stress and Anxiety Take a Toll on our Brains

4 6 8 10 16 18 20 24 28 30

Letter from the Editors Dear readers, Welcome to the first edition of Shattered Minds. This edition focuses on the conditions of Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease, Autism, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Stress/Anxiety. These are conditions that are well-known, yet are not represented enough in society. Our purpose of the magazine is to inform about the psychology and the physiology of the individual disorders/diseases. We wanted to focus our magazine on the physiology and psychology of the mind. The topics focused in the magazine are special to each individual author. Wrenny Collamer choose the topic of autism because it had sparked his interests when he worked with children with autism. Gabriel Moore wanted to do the topic of stress because everyone experiences anxiety and it would be a relatable topic to inform on. Nihita Sarma choose alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease due to her in-depth study of alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s since the 7th grade. Emily Manzano wrote her article on psychopaths because of her interest in the psychological aspects to the condition. She has always found an interest in forensics and criminology and the psychology behind it. We hope that the magazine would be found useful and interesting and inform you about the different mental conditions. - The Editors

Contributors

Writer: Wrenny Collamer Wrenny Collamer is an eager student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. He enjoys learning about science and most importantly the brain. He thinks it’s interesting how the brain defines who we are. Also, Wrenny has taken a special interest in autism, helping and tutoring kids with autism in elementary and middle school. He says that his experiences with kids with autism have been very fulfilling and beneficial to him, sparking his interest in the brain. In his free time he also enjoys playing tennis, writing, and playing piano.

Writer: Emily Manzano Emily is a current high school student at LASA high school. She enjoys reading, drawing, music, playing the guitar, and learning new things about humans. She is particularly interested in psychology and the different disorders rooted in the human psychology and physiology. Emily is interested in becoming a potential FBI Profiler or a having a profession in forensic psychology. She has many goals in life. She hopes to inform readers on the reality and severity of the antisocial personality disorder with her article in this magazine.

Writer: Gabriel Moore Gabriel Moore is a peculiar figure who thoroughly enjoys the sciences of the brain, especially when concerning the effects of substances and stressors. When not absorbed in academic matters, he actively immerses himself in his numerous hobbies, ranging from chess to strategic WWII simulation board games to tennis. He also deeply appreciates what is commonly referred to as “Nerd Culture”, a wide field of different pieces of film, literature, and art that is most commonly placed in relation to works like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings. He cannot understand why someone would see it just to compare such works, so he refrains from doing so. He enjoys a good math problem, preferably a challenging one. If one were to ask Gabriel why we exist, he would probably know the answer, but he chooses to simply refrain from sharing. He can be kind of weird that way. He would also tell you to live long and prosper.

Writer: Nihita Sarma Nihita Sarma is an aspiring neuroscientist who enjoys learning about the brain and the various factors that can affect it. She has been researching about Alzheimer’s disease and the impact it makes on both people and society as a whole for over 2 years. After this research she innovated to create a product idea that she presented at the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network in Cape Town, South Africa. This passion led her to investigate the disease more deeply, interviewing professionals, and to write her article. Along with her zeal for learning about the brain and Alzheimer’s disease, Nihita enjoys reading, volunteering, biology, spending time outside, playing the piano, and listening to music. She is also part of many different clubs at LASA high school, including the Health Through Science Initiative, Science Olympiad, and Model UN.

Anti-Social Personality Quiz by Emily Manzano

I feel sorry for others when I hurt them and try to correct my mistakes. I am the most important person in my life. I often talk about how great I am and boast Yes- 0 pts about my accomplishments. No- 1 pts Yes!- 1 pts No- 0 pts I constantly manipulate people into doing what I want and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care. I often have excessive urges to commit violent and impulsive actions towards others. Yes!- 1 pts No?- 0 pts Yes!- 1 pts No- 0pts I have been described as difficult to work with because of my oppressive and demanding I find it hard to admit failure and attempt personality. to conceal it to put blame on others. Yes!- 1 pts Yes!- 1 pts No- 0 pts No- 0 pts I have taken part in anti-social activites such as stealing, violence, murder, and verbal abuse. Points: Yes!- 1 pts 7-5 points: you may have the personality disorder. No- 0 pts 4-2 points: you may or may not be a psychopath. 8

2-0 points: you are probably not a psychopath.

The person with the disorder are very competitive in a social environment to be the best. Effects of this are drastic measures, lying, cheating, and having demanding and oppresive personality

Pyschopaths tend to be more self centered and selfish due to their lack of empathy.

This is a short quiz to find out if you have the antisocial personality disorder. This quiz is for entertainment purposes. You can only be diagnosed to have this personality disorder by a psychologist.

Psychopaths are the way they are becasue of past childhood tramua. Neglect/lack of parents, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by parents.

Some psychologists say that the personality disorder is caused by genetics and can triggered by childhood trauma.

Puzzled We know more than ever, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still not enough. By Wrenny Collamer

1 11

One of Audrey Brumback’s students works in the lab.

1 in 68 children in the US has been diagnosed with autism. Despite this staggering statistic, autism receives less than 5% of the funding compared other, less common, conditions. Still, treatment exists, and scientists and social workers alike are making continuous strides towards a better existence for people that have autism. Audrey Brumback, an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neuroscience at UT Austin, has been focusing on autism to gain a better understanding of the condition and its effects on the brain. She “spends all of [her] time thinking about the brain and specifically about how the brain doesn’t develop properly in some people and causes them to have challenges in their lives.” With unwavering eye contact, Brumback describes the effects of autism. This is the knowledge that lays the groundwork for her research.

Talking about how autism impacts the brain, she says, “There are three main categories. The first is genetics. We can take people who have autism and take samples of their blood and discover if there are changes in genes that might be related to the symptoms they’re having. We actually, as a field, have been very successful at that, and have dozens of genes in which we know that changes to those genes could cause autism. And then the second category is the behavior, meaning how to help people live their daily lives with success. We study the specific challenges that people with autism have and the different methods we can use to help them. The third type of research is what I do, which is the intermediate step between the genes and the behavior which is the brain’s function.” Elaborating more on how the brain is the intermediate step between the genes and the behavior, Audrey goes on to say, “It’s really synergistic because I’m studying the thing that I’m treating people for in the clinic and they really have a nice cross pollination in terms of being able to take what I’m seeing in a patient and to scratch my head and wonder why is that happening? Then I can go into the lab and ask why and do experiments to figure it out.” Her experiments are all about studying how the specific genes impact the brain, and then how the brain’s abnormal

“The connections between different areas of the brain aren’t as robusst as they are in typically developing people” -Caroline Turner

function displays itself in certain behaviors. She says, “All the brain cells have the ability to talk to each other and do all of these complex things that we know how to do without even thinking about it. In terms of the genetic work, that’s been very successful. There’s been a lot of genes discovered. Then on the behavioral side the main therapies that exist right now are behavioral therapies. I would say that has been moderately successful in terms of our ability to understand how best to help people in real time and in their day to day lives. But then that middle part of how the brain is actually not working right is the part that we don’t really understand. People are doing studies where they image the brain. They take pictures of the brain as people are doing different tasks, such as looking for photos or listening to things, and then measure the blood flow in the brain in real time to see which areas of the brain are being activated. And we’ve been able to see that the connections between different areas of the brain aren’t as robust as they are in typically developing people. And then we can measure the electrical activity of the brain and we found there are differences in the the way the brain cells are talking to each other electrically.” While Brumback deals mostly with the brain’s function relating to autism, the other side of the story is behavioral therapies.

Caroline Turner is someone who, instead of research, focuses the majority of her time on helping people who have autism directly. She is the program director at The Autism Society of Texas. Describing her position and the the organization that she works for, she says, “The Autism Society of Texa does five main things. Firstly we do Information Referral chain. Families can call us and ask questions, such as: ‘where can I go to get ADA services,’ or, ‘where can I go to get diagnosed with autism?’ and we help them figure that out. We also do support. For example, we do support groups and online support groups, or we just offer support over the phone. We also do Education. What that means is I go and train folks on autism, and we offer education for our families in terms of training from other professionals. Then we do advocacy at the capital. One of our employees is involved in federal advocacy as well. And then we do community inclusion. So, we do events for families. For example, we have parties at the YMCA or just different events for people to just get out into the community and get a chance to have certain experiences.” Being in the field that she is in, Turner witnesses how autism shows itself in different people. Caroline Turner explains this: “It’s mostly four main symptoms. Firstly: communications. Some individuals with autism lack verbal skills so they might not speak, One of Audrey Brmback’s students analyzing brain but maybe they use an iPad to communicate. But some people with autism are very verbal. For signals from the mice that they were studying. example some of the adults we work with are married and work full time they just have maybe some social skills issues. So it’s communication, social skills, sensory issues, and then repetitive behaviors or interests and so those four things can present differently in each person. Like I said, somebody you know may not speak but have no problems with sensory stuff, whereas somebody might be super super verbal, but loud noises really bother them. So it’s hard for them to be out in public. I have one adult who hates going to coffee shops because the coffee or the espresso machine really bothers her. It kind of is like that’s how it presents

Two of Audrey Brumback’s students differently because each of those symptoms can like be up or down based on each person if that makes sense.” Autism affects not only the diagnosed, but the people surrounding the diagnosed. Caroline Turner elaborates by saying: “Something generally that comes out is like just feeling like other people don’t know what they’re going through. So through our support groups we try to offer that you know like and try to help them find another parent who has a child like their child’s age. So you know if you have like a girl or a daughter on the spectrum we try to help them find another daughter on the spectrum so that you know just so they no they’re not alone and other people are experiencing the same things.” People who have autism experience a lot of discrimination. This is one of the problems that people in this field are working to fix. Turner says, “We really just try hard just to make everybody feel welcome. There’s a lot of judgment I think

that our families feel when they go out public when their child does something different or something that people aren’t used to seeing. So we try to just create like a welcoming environment wherever we are and know that everybody has their own quirks. When those things happen we’re just gonna try not to draw a lot of attention to it and let them be who they are.” She also adds some information that gives advice to people who need it. She says, “I would just say to embrace the differences... It’s important to recognize that other people even though they might be different can still bring strengths to the table and offer things that you may not think of. And always try to be patient and slow down and check for understanding. You wanna make sure that you’re not talking too fast or assuming that when you say something they totally understood exactly what you meant.” Audrey also gives some advice to people who are working with people who have autism: “This is gonna sound weird, but I think about public transportation.

OK So you know in the majority of the United States people get into their car, teleport to work in their car, and then they emerge from the parking garage and go into their office and so the people they’re interacting with on a day to day basis is their family and their co-workers. And that’s that’s a very limited subset of the population. If you take up transportation to work you walk down the street to your bus stop. You are standing next to other people who may not look like you. You get on that bus. Most of you are going off to do whatever you need to do with your life. You’re sitting next to people who don’t look like you, who speak different languages, who are just different than the people that you encounter at your workplace, for instance. And it desensitizes you to

Most people with autism experience sensory overload, unable to turn off sensory input, making life overwhelmiing.

those differences between people. It makes it so that it’s not shocking to see somebody who doesn’t look like you. It’s just part of the landscape. And so I think that there is a similar idea with people with developmental disorders in schools. Having them by you, having to participate in the mainstream schooling so that it’s not a shock when you see somebody who you know doesn’t look like you or doesn’t act like you. It just becomes part of the environment. Then it’s just not something that calls the attention anymore and so yeah I think that that’s really that’s an answer is to is to really integrate.” It’s important for society to realize that autism is anyone’s fault and it is simply a genetic abnormality. People with autism should always be given a chance, as well as treated with respect. It is up to society to change how the condition is viewed!

A Neurotypical Brain By Wrenny Collamer

The Psycological differences that define the condition.

Corpus Callosum: The corpus callosum is resposible for communication between the brain’s two hemisheres. It transfers neural messages and keeps the brain unified.

Frontal Lobe: The frontal lobe is responsible for many functions, such as language, problem solving, long term memory, emotional expression, assesing consequences, and regulating attention.

Amygdala: The amygdala is the brain’s main emotional control center, handling the brain’s emotional response to stimuli.

Occipatal Lobe: The occipatal lobe is the visual processing center of the brain, dealing with most of the visual input that the brain recieves from the eyes and then turning that information into our vision. Some of the occipatal lobe’s visual functions include mapping environments, sending visual signals to other parts of the brain, and assesing the visual space.

Cerebellum: The cerebellum is respsonsible for motor function and some cognitive functioning. This includes balance and coordination control.

Corpus Callosum: People who have AgCC, a rare condition that drastically reduces the function of the corpus callosum, have extremely high rates of autism. This is thought to be due to the decreased connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain that stems from a smaller corpus callosum.

Occipatal Lobe: While not drastically different, there are small differences in the occipatal lobe that impact how people on the spectrum take in visual information. People with autism generally are more detail oriented and their understanding of motion his more acute.

Cerebellum: A brain with autism has a smaller back section of the cerebellum and an imbalance of specific cell types, minimizing the cerebellumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s output.

Frontal Lobe: The nerve connections in the white matter of the frontal lobe is sublty different compared to a neurotypical brain, limiting language and social development.

Amygdala: A person with autism has an amygdala that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t communicate with other parts of the brain as actively as usual. The lack of these signals creates a difference in response to certain stimuli and emotions.

Compared to a

Brain With Autism 17

Drugged

by Gabriel Moore

How substances destroy us Drugs affect millions of individuals across the world every year. This results in a variety of consequences, both physically and mentally, as well as building up in concentration inside of the brain. As the problem rises, so do costs and the number of affected individuals. Its important to understand what these drugs really do. It’s not too late to solve a world-wide force of destruction.

Phyical Effects (varys by drug): • • • • • • • • • •

Permant brain tissue scarring Nerve cell distruction or damage Hallucinations Impaired motor functions Drowsiness Dizziness Sleep problems White matter damage in the brain Decreased connectivity between brain areas Axon damage, resulting in loss of inpulse control

Health Care Overall Year Tobacco $168 billion $300 billion 2010 Alcohol $27 billion $249 billion 2010 Illicit Drugs $11 billion $193 billion 2007 Prescription Opioids $26 billion $78.5 billion 2013

Information from the National Institiute on Drug Abuse

Concentration of drug in brain

Inhalation Injection

Snorting/Snuffing

Injestion

Time after drug administration

Mental Effects (varys by drug): • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Loss of memory Depression Reduced inhibition Detatchment from friends and family Paranoia Impaired judgement Attention disturbances Mood swings Suicidal ideation Irritability Hopelessness Feelngs of uselessness Increased irritability

What to do for those suffering: • • • • • • • • •

Determine if you are safe Treat it as a disease The goal is recovery - Not to stop abusing Be supportive Have a definite “next step” plan in mind Avoid a moralistic tone about substance abuse Talk to the victum who is abusing drugs or alcohol Make time for yourself to figure out how to help Figure out who is to blame for the addiction

The Truth About Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: The Good, the Bad, and the Implausible By: Nihita Sarma

Photograph Taken From: Flickr.org user Ann Larie Valentine

Diagram of the Parts of the Brain Impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease

All parts of the brain are impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease, but these are the sections that are impacted first and the most.

Parietal Lobe:

Controls language, spatial reasoning, and visual and sensory processing,

Frontal Lobe:

Controls jugmental skills, motor function, behavior, impulse control, and problem solving ability

Hippocampus:

Controls memory (short and long-term) and spatial navigation

Temporal Lobe:

Diagram Created By: Nihita Sarma, Using a Photograph From: Flickr.org user _DJ_ and Information From: WebMD

hen you look at the list of the top 10 diseases in America, or even the world in general, you would expect most or even all of them to have some sort of cure or way to preventative measure, but, although it is the 7th deadliest disease in the world, Alzheimer’s doesn’t. In fact, according to UT neuroscience professor, Dr. Boris Zemelman, “if you look at the top ten deadliest diseases, all of them have dropped, except for Alzheimer’s, which has skyrocketed”, making Alzheimer’s disease a problem that is not going to go away any time soon. Alzheimer’s disease is an untreatable mental condition that primarily affects memory and afflicted over 5.5 million Americans in the year 2017. It’s symptoms begin by affecting the memory of the patients with the disease, and spread to afflict the entire brain, until the patient is no longer able to function. The causes of Alzheimer’s have been widely debated by scientists for decades, and while there are many plausible theories of

Controls memory, speech, and sensory input (including pain)

Part of the Temporal Lobe

why this disease might occur, there is not a single, concrete answer. The many theories about the causes of Alzheimer’s have a multitude of both supporters and critics. The first of these, and most well known, is the beta-amyloid theory, which states that a-beta creates plaques which damage the brain and are a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Another is that due to the overexcitability of neurons, calcium builds and a-beta actually is neuroprotective, working to keep the neurons regenerating. Some people say “against the a-beta hypothesis, is that there is no real correlation between a-beta levels and levels of dementia”, according to Dr. Zemelman, “[but] if you had elevated excitability in the brain, it might be a situation that leads to a loss of neurons if nothing changes, and could also end up producing a bunch of a-beta, as a compensatory effect”, combining both theories in effect.

These theories have vigorously studied upon through animal experimentation, but researchers haven’t gotten very far because,“[scientists] can’t really agree on what the cause is.” Dr. Zemelman says, ”And [maybe] there are multiple causes and that’s why we can’t agree”. They cannot agree on which theory is truly the cause because there is evidence supporting each cause, like excitability causing neurons to deteriorate due to excess calcium production and a-beta build up causing neuron connection loss and death. But, no matter what the causes are, the disease still will change a person’s life altogether.

“All of these perks are apparently killing us” - Dr. Boris Zemelman 21

Photograph Taken From: Pexels.com

An Elderly Woman with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease can initially affect patient’s by causing them to lose short term memory, sense of direction, and number sense, along with causing disorientation.

supporting each cause, like excitability causing neurons to deteriorate due to excess calcium production and a-beta build up causing neuron connection loss and death. But, no matter what the causes are, the disease still will change a person’s life altogether. When somebody is diagnosed with or has Alzheimer’s disease, every facet of their lives is impacted. According to Alyssa Aguirre, a counselor and consultant for people with this disease,

“Memory loss is not a normal part of aging” - Alyssa Aguirre 22

Alzheimer’s disease impacts everyone’s relationship with the person with memory or cognitive issues. “[I]t impacts the financial well being of the family if they are looking for long term care, it impacts all decisions that you might make like completing advanced directives to physicians, or medical power of attorney form, it impacts kind of all different areas,” said Aguirre. Due to the majorly impactful and spontaneous nature of this disease, people want to prevent it as much as possible. According to Zemelman, one of the possible reasons that people might be getting Alzheimer’s is because evolution has not caught up with modern lifestyles. “All of these perks are apparently killing us”, said Zemelman. These perks are referring to things that could compromise brain or heart health, like high cholesterol, which occurs after repeated

consumption of fatty foods. One of the best ways to prevent Alzheimer’s disease is to avoid traumatic brain injury, like concussions, and to keep both the brain and heart in good shape by eating healthy and exercising. According to Aguirre, one of the biggest problems that people face when they have Alzheimer’s disease is misdiagnosis, especially in people who have early onset Alzheimer’s disease. “[P]ublic education that memory loss is not a normal part of aging and educating the public in general on warning signs of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” Aguirre said, is crucial. She said that education is an essential effort that should be undertaken, as misdiagnosis prevents patients with Alzheimer’s from getting the drugs and treatments they would need to alleviate their symptoms for a period of time and

Photograph Taken From: Pexels.com

improve the quality of their lives. The drugs that are most often taken by people with Alzheimer’s clergical agonists, which are usually only taken when a person has already been afflicted with the disease. Zemelman said, “[They] only give you a slight edge for a few months, because there is going to be such a loss of cells that there is nothing to fix. So, there is really nothing even close to being practically applicable…[e]xcept [for] some drugs that are antiepileptic”. He said that an antiepileptic treatment could work better because they treat overexcitability in neurons, which is an extremely plausible cause for Alzheimer’s disease and could do more than the drugs that are already available, increasing the patients’ quality of life. Another way that the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease is increased is by the use of counseling and support groups. The counselors help the patients and their families by first “help[ing] them complete legal documents so that their wishes are known [so that they have] somebody who knows what they would want for their health care decisions so that decisions are being made for them that they would have wanted,” said Aguirre. These major decisions depend upon “what their values are... what does this mean to [them] and how can we help[them] achieve it?” said Aguirre. This

Photograph Taken by: Nihita Sarma; Information Taken From: Alz.org

counseling can be just as important, or even more than treatments and medication as it allows both people with Alzheimer’s to communicate with others who can help their wishes and desires come true. Aguirre said one of the most impactful experiences that she has had counseling people who have Alzheimer’s disease and dementia was that she worked with a husband and wife in their seventies who were married. “[T]hey spent several years trying to meet with different doctors and specialists to find out what was going on and identify a diagnosis to help them understand the symptoms [the husband] was having. He kept getting misdiagnosed with all kinds of different diseases and ended up having to move in with a family member to cover all their medical expenses.” said Aguirre, “They were one of the first families I had the privilege of counseling and I worked with the couple and their adult children for almost 5 years in a counseling capacity and I helped refer them to a specialty clinic that helped them with the diagnosis and...was really Medicine able to help them with the education Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease take many and information they needed to really be different kinds of medicines to alleviatate the advocates for themselves”. symptoms of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is an improve the quality of life for the people untreatable illness that impacts millions who have it. Although Alzheimer’s disease of lives in America alone. But, there is remay be something that is not going to go search into this disease that is being done away any time soon, there is still hope. and the continually improving ways to

The Pointe Assisted Living Nursing Home at Cedar Park, Texas

Over 75% of people living with Alzheimer’s disease are admitted into nursing homes by the age of 80.

Broken Empathy

The truth about antisocial personality disorder. By: Emily Manzano

Photo 1 from Guarenteed Solutions. A man with an antisocial personality disorder appears conflicted and distraught.

Photo taken from Flickr. This is an artistic projection of empathy, depicted by the visuals of communicating and thinking.

When the public often think of a “psychopath”, they think of serial killers, murders, and crazy horrible people. Although, that is not necessarily the truth. “They are mostly romanticised and are put under a colored lense. They are actually people with the disorder, it is actually really real to a lot of people, and is very hard to deal with,” said a student at LASA high school, Amy Huang. We want to understand the causes, the effects, the way they are in social interactions, and their behaviors to get the idea of what really is behind the behavior and the person. This is a take on the term “psychopath” and people throwing the term around. “It’s a mental disorder like other mental disorders. It’s actually offensive. Being ableist is bad. It is like any other disability,” said Huang. “People with the disorder are often misunderstood and seen through certain stereotypes. People, media, and society don’t know what it actually means and say it as slang and just throw the word around,” said Huang. The diagnostic process for diagnosing someone with the antisocial personality disorder would be according to the diagnostic statistical manual of mental illness. The individual has to be at least 18 years old in order to be officially diagnosed. It would be considered unethical to label children with the “antisocial personality disorder”. If a child displayed behaviors similar to the disorder they may label them as having a conduct disorder and state that they are able to develop antisocial personality disorder. Calling someone a “psychopath” would be offensive to call someone with the disorder. The medical term used is saying that one has antisocial personality disorder. Psychologists and scientists say that the cause of the antisocial disorder could be genetics or childhood environment

them combined. People may be born with certain genetics, but a certain childhood can trigger those genetics. Symptoms of the disorder may start very early in childhood. “You got kids that start at 5 or 6 years old, and they start by torturing animals, pets, they do horrible things to them and then they move on to torturing their parents or their siblings. I mean torturing them literally” says neuropsychologist at the University of Texas, Yvon Delville. The children would show violent and aggressive behavior towards others and to animals. “They would start with fire starting, bedwetting, cruelty to animals, this kind of things are most often what you would see in children,” school counselor Susan Palacios states. They may be aggressive and bully and hurt other children. As children, they

Photo from Wick High School. This is a photo of gentics represented by 1 a DNA model. Genetics are related to the antisocial personality disorder.

may be labeled to have a behavior conduct disorder, but cannot be labeled to have an antisocial personality disorder. People with the antisocial disorder typically display behaviors of boldness and may have an “impaired sense of societal norms” according to Delville. They are not able to recognize what is something to do or not to do in a social environment. They would have a lack of empathy towards other beings and do not understand other people’s feelings. They tend to have temporary relationships due to them not showing compassion to other people. The lack of relationships is due to them not displaying care for the relationship and it being more one-sided. The behaviors and personalities of someone with the antisocial disorder can display many different personalities. The people that Palacio has worked with have characteristics of charm, they can be very sweet and kind and engaging, “just like a predator”. They are charming and sweet to charm and manipulate people into doing what they want. Palacios continues to state “They can be very self absorbed... very bold and lack inhibition that would make them say things that you would not expect them to. They’re able to often time able to rationalize their behavior in a way that allows them to continue their behavior.” They do that by thinking that something is wrong about society rather than themselves. People with the antisocial disorder shelter themselves from society at times. “They can also be very isolated like they can isolate

“Because the disorder itself makes it harder for you to realize your behavior. Because the disorder... blinds people,” - Susan Palacios

Photo from Pixhere. Image of a neglected stuffed bear symbolizing the negectioon of a child.

Photo from LinkedIn. Photo of a mischevious child that has behavior conduct disorder. The child has gotten into trouble.

by them knowing that they are different than other people and are able to recognize this. People with a personality disorder may be aware of their behavior, but don’t see it as wrong, Typically, people with this disorder may have a specific type of childhood environment. It ideally would be a child that has parents that isolate the children or the children are shuffled from home to home. The child would feel a lack of consistency and safety that may lead to the children going into a “survival mode” or disconnecting from their emotions at an early age.This “survival mode instinct” leads to these people shutting down their empathy and becoming more immune to a negative atmosphere. Palacios continues with an example of an unstable home, “Sometimes father is kind and other

Photo credit from Emiliy Manzano. Photo of a distressed and fearful eye.

times father hits them with a broom and sometimes mom is great and other times mom is drunk and chaotic and you know it’s just a lack of consistency can cause problems.” Parents that isolate their children from them and don’t give the support and nurturing that is needed in their childhood. This causes the child into going into that “survival mode” and shut out their empathy aspects. It would be more difficult to treat the disorder due to it is a personality disorder and therefore would be harder for the individual to modify themselves. The disorder is not able to be fully eliminated, but they can have treatment to improve themselves. Palacios continues with on how to treat antisocial personality disorder. Long-term therapy and putting attention on consequences and strengths to build character and behaviors and to distinguish right from wrong. This type of treatment was recommended because it causes them to be able to think about their behavior, and try to make their behavior to change. Most people with the antisocial disorder want to get help and improve themselves. It’s just that most are not informed on how to do that. People with the antisocial personality disorder are not just people that are “crazy psychopaths” they are human beings that have a disability with effects that come with it. Knowing the characteristics of one with this disorder can help one make better conclusions and have more awareness for the condition.

“Children that feel that they aren’t loved or aren’t cared for or feel like they aren’t seen in some way” - Susan Palacios

The Sequae of Schizophrenia BY: Nihita Sarma

This article will teach you about the symptoms of schizophrenia in a progressive order, from the early warning signs (on the first page) to full fledged symptoms (on the second page). Due to schizophrenia being a relatively common mental disorder, this article could help you recognize these symptoms in others.

Schizophrenia

Social Withdrawal Inability to Appropriately Express Emotions

Inability to Concentrate

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Irrationality

In 2021 everyone is going to die because of a biochemical attack

Deterioration of Personal Hygeine

Hostility 28

*patients with Schizophrenia usually are not violent, but may become hostile if their symptoms progress without treatment

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Delusions

Hallucinations

Disorganized Speech

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Delusions of: Persecution - belief that others are trying to terrorize them Reference -belief that a neutral enviornmental event is specifically meant for them Grandeur - belief that they are a famous or important figure Control - belief that there are outside forces controlling their thoughts/actions

Usually meaningful to the person experiencing them Sensations experienced as if real, but in reality only in the mind Auditory and Visual Hallucinations are the most common

Use of: Loose Associatiations - rapid topic shifts with no connection Neologisms - made up words and phrases Perseveration - word/statement repetition Clang - meaningless use of rhyme

Disorganized Behavior

Decline in daily functioning Unpredictable emotional response Bizzare behaviors that appear to have no purpose Lack of inhbition/impulse control

Negative Symptoms

Lack of emotional expression Lack of interest/enthusiasm motivational problems, self care lack Speech difficulty/abnormality, inability to converse, monotonal speech, short and disconnected sentences

*If you do recognize these symptoms in someone you know, please do not diagnose them yourself using this article. Suggest that they see a psychologist or other certified professional about their symptoms.

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Under Pressure How stress and anxiety

takes a toll on our brains by Gabriel Moore

They say stress kills, but it’s not that simple. The little aspects of life that make it that much more irritating can toy with the mind both physically and mentally, sometimes resulting in irreversible effects. Stress has been called the “silent killer” and can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, and irregular heartbeats. But at the very same time, it is known to provide for the betterment of one’s overall health. This is supported by practically the entirety of the scientific community, and experts across the world recognize what stress and anxiety can do to a person. “Short term stress can sometimes improve memo-

Snapped-Photo from Gabriel Moore

teemed professor at the University of Texas. While humanity does not exactly know such sensations to be rather pleasant, they still enhance functionality and provide some of the most needed resources for survival. These same stressors have done it for all of society’s lives. Since childbirth, humanity has been prodded and guided by the invisible forces that manipulate both fears and desires.

Veil of Hair-Photo from Gabriel Moore

Stress and anxiety are not about any one individual. No matter social status, political view, race, or gender, stress is deeply rooted in minds. Because of this, humans are constantly working to better comprehend the origins and effects of stress.

ry and cognitive performance,” says Drew, Ph.D., an es-

It is a continuous force that affects people of all ages

in all places. No matter the geographical region, all individuals subject to stress experience it in the same exact area: the brain. All the separate feelings of potential pain, confusion, or humiliation caused by stress occur in one’s own mind. Humans undergo stress on a daily basis. It’s part of society’s lives. All the while, brains are sending out hormones, neurons are firing, and the specific individual feels the immediate, and possibly long term, effects of stress. All because of one’s perception of their surrounding circumstances and environment. What stress really is cannot be defined by a few simple lines of text. It is a complex process, one that can either enhance or destroy a brain, human or not. Due to such, one cannot truly define such a process. It’s effects vary, and it’s causes are wildly different. One can try, but inevitably, there will always be something left out or an unknown variable lost in the science. Stress is caused by a variety of different occurrences, all of which differentiate depending on the surrounding environment and personal position. Some individuals might experience chronic stress due to them losing a round in a cheap video game, and some might be barely affected from getting beat up on the side

“It’s natural to be afraid of things. When these things get to be unhealthy, it’s when anxiety/fear is too long lasting or general.” ---Dr. Drew of the road, as outrageous as it might seem. However, these different reactions all share a similar base cause. The structure by which stress is formed is relatively stagnant, whereas the is an uncontrollable demand on you so there’s something that happens. “There is an uncontrollable demand on you so there’s something that happens,” De Barbaro, Ph.D., a professor at UT says . “There’s a challenge that you’re trying to and it’s impossible for you to meet that challenge given the resources that you have.” This can in turn lead to the full development of fears and stresses towards them. When formed, these stresses have a variety of negative effects on the individual. It’s natural to be afraid. You feel fear almost every moment of your life. It keeps your mind sharp and your instincts primed. Stress and anxiety help to prod those fears for

Failure-Photo from amboo who? the betterment of oneself. “It’s natural to be afraid of things,” says Drew, Ph.D. “When these things get to be unhealthy, it’s when anxiety/fear is too long lasting or general. There’s a disorder called generalized anxiety disorder where people are just anxious all the time and there isn’t any particular event that that they’re anxious about.” So, it is when these fears and stresses cause you to be afraid in an unnatural way that the effects become unhealthy. Stress can also cause physical effects. “The hippocampus which is a region that is very important for memory shrinks,” says Drew. Along with direct brain function disruptions, it has been proven to be directly related to life-threatening diseases and conditions, the most common of which are heart attacks. In fact, these conditions will most often provoke more stress in the person subject to the condition, resulting in a cycle of stress and negative progression. However, stress can also promote positive physical effects. “the dendrites in that region actually become the more highly branched. And so it’s almost like the hippocampus shrinks where as this emotional center, the amygdala grows,” says Drew. As the emotional center grows, the person undergoing the process will begin to become more emotionally sensitive, as well as having variations in decision-making capabilities. Stress begins to form as early as the infant. As soon as one welcomes the world with their presence, first impressions of stress grow stronger. As children, one takes in the world around them and uses that information to program their mind to react as how they see fit. “It’s called social referencing where when they encounter something unfamiliar at a certain age starting around 9 months they’ll kind of check back with their parent or their attachment figure to see their response and to help them learn about how to

Finger of the mind Edited by Gabriel Moore Initial Image from Capri23auto

respond to these unfamiliar situations,” says De Barbaro. When an individual begins to develop even further, that’s when they start to form their own opinions and reactions/reactivity levels. But without those early years and parental figures, stresses cannot properly develop. Those early years soon transition into self-developing perceptions of life. While some people might think that what you perceive as a baby is permanent, humans actually develop even more throughout their life. And it doesn’t just get more stressful. “There can be changes to your stress response system throughout your life both in either direction,” says De Barbaro. So, it is entirely possible, and maybe even probable, that childhood fears can be washed away by years of experience and confrontations. Facing one’s fears can undo years of youth trauma. While these stresses can be shaped in either direction at any time, it’ not as simple as it may seem. “the degree of flexibility is probably less but at the same time an

infant doesn’t have a well-developed frontal lobe frontal lobes,” says De Barbaro. It makes the most sense that your first impressions are the longest lasting. Even when just confronting others, studies show that first impressions are made within the first 17 seconds of meeting someone new, and their effects can be almost irreversible. The same logic can be applied to first encounter. When a child sees something new, they develop a first impression of that idea, object, or condition. That leads to the further development of stresses and anxieties. When one gets older, just like with first impressions, it can be near impossible to reverse these effects. Stress as a whole can be both good and bad. Sometimes it kills. Sometimes it heals. From birth, minds register what is feared and what is not. Researchers around the world still don’t fully understand the concept, but they do agree on it’s effects. Whether it’s an upcoming test or the potential loss of a career, neurons

“There can be changes to your stress response system throughout your life both in either direction” ---De Barbaro fire and the brain produces stress hormones. It’s universal, and it pushes humanity forward as a species.