Discuss the differences between civil and criminal courts. Is the line between these two courts absolutely definitive? If not, what types of cases might “blur the line” between both courts? Can you briefly describe a real world example where a case was tried in both courts?    

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1. What is your gut reaction, if any, to Singer’s depiction of the TREATMENT of veal calves and chickens on the modern industrialized farm? Did his article change your attitude toward the treatment of animals? Why or why not?

 

2. How would Kant’s ethical perspective on the MORAL status of animals compare or contrast with Singer’s? Explain how their ethical perspectives may determine how animals should be treated? Which one do you tend to favor and why?

 

3. Evaluate and debate a classmate’s post that opposes your view on the treatment of animals. Defend your position well using arguments from Kant and Singer, and/or from personal experiences.

 

4.  Is there validity to the claim that “if you are a consumer of animal meat products, you are partially responsible for the horrible treatment of animals”? If yes, what are some possible ways for such consumers to stop being “party to the crime” aside from simply boycotting meat products or turning vegetarian? If no, explain why you think there is no validity to this claim.

 

5.  Give an argument for vegetarianism using any of ethical theories discussed up to this point in the course.

Discuss the differences between civil and criminal courts. Is the line between these two courts absolutely definitive? If not, what types of cases might “blur the line” between both courts? Can you briefly describe a real world example where a case was tried in both courts?

How might you handle this case?  I just had a 7 year old to to criminal court after sexual abuse by an adult male. She was my youngest child client to go to criminal court. I was really concerned that the defendant would be found not guilty due to her young age and no forensic evidence. I did address this with her and indicated that sometimes the jury get in wrong (she had been explained jury, judge, etc and visited the court room on 2 occasion). He was found guilty in  2 hours and the jury also eat lunch during that time.

Explain what you believe to be the greatest challenges in the use of psychoactive medications over the next several years. Support your statements with references and logical arguments.

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In your initial post, describe what you believe are the greatest strengths and weaknesses of using the medications to treat psychological disorders. 

Using medication to treat psychological disorders has many strengths along with weaknesses. I feel that understanding psychological disorders can be difficult for some individuals. I can speak for this first hand because until I began battling depression, I did not understand this disorder. Although I do not currently use psychoactive drugs to treat my depression, there are various medications that exist to treat this disorder along with many others. Using medications to treat psychoactive disorders helps individuals cope and live a more normal life. They help with the health and well-being of the individual. Although the medication itself may not cure the disorder, it helps with the treatment of symptoms associated with the disorder. On the flip side, sometimes mental disorders may just be a phase in an individual’s life where the use of psychoactive drugs may be necessary. For example, individuals who have encountered a very traumatic experience may cause a mental health disorder such as depression. Various treatment plans, which may include a combination of therapy and psychoactive drugs, may assist in this difficult time of dealing with depression. Over time the individual may begin healing, causing them to no longer need the use of medication. Also, the use of various medications may assist with symptoms related to ADHD. As the child ages and goes through various developmental stages, the use of medication may not be needed.

The use of psychoactive drugs is aimed to alter the chemicals in the brain which may be causing symptoms related to various disorders, but the use of medication can be harmful and dangerous. For example, the use of antidepressant drugs may cause an increase in suicidal thoughts. Various drugs can also cause developmental damage, especially in youth. Psychoactive drug use can also become addicting and dependency may occur. The use of medication may lead to other symptoms or disorders as well. Prescribing medication to treat mental disorders should be used with caution and planned out, assessing the pros and cons.

Evaluate the employment of psychoactive drugs in the treatment of disorders over the lifespan from both an ethical and risk-benefits perspective.

Treating disorders using medication over a lifespan may provide risks and benefits. Society, environments, and the culture where medication is being used to treat a variety of mental disorders is sending a message that self-medicating is acceptable, especially in children (Gup, 2013). Children then grow up with this exposure and using medication is carried with them throughout a lifetime. The individual may have a perspective and understanding that psychoactive drugs are acceptable to use anytime. Whenever they need to alter their feelings, just pop a pill, have a drink, or combine various medications to get a desired feeling. Overtime, dependency and addiction may occur and may lead to death. However, the benefits of using medication may alleviate symptoms which may be necessary to function in every day life. Individuals, including children need to have an understanding the risk and benefits of using medication and that sometimes medication is necessary and should be used. In addition, the use of medication to treat when unnecessary is on the rise. In fact, pharmaceutical companies are encouraging physicians to prescribe medications other than what the drug is designed for and medications are doing more harm than benefits (Dolan, 2011). Every individual including health care professionals, patients, and parents should be held to ethical standards. Prescribing medication should only be done when necessary and psychoactive drugs should be used properly, understanding the risks and benefits involved.

Summarize the theories of psychiatric disease and the scientific rationale behind its treatment through the employment of drug therapies.

Several theories exist that provide a better understanding of psychiatric diseases. The cause of psychiatric diseases varies amongst individuals as well as the illness. Mental illnesses are very broad and affect individuals differently. Some may experience minor symptoms while others may experience major symptoms. Although the cause of psychiatric disease continues to be researched and may not be completely understood, there are various factors that contribute to the development of the disorders. The development of psychiatric diseases can be caused from environmental, biological, and psychological factors. Sometimes a combination of factors may lead to the disorder, which makes it difficult to discover the exact cause. Therefore, a combination of treatments, rather than one treatment option may provide benefits. Results of a study on depression using psychological therapy treatment versus drug therapy indicated that psychotherapy treatment was shown to be slightly more effective (Advokat, Comaty and Julien, 2014, p. 603). Thus, it can be concluded that objective and scientific ananlysis is crititcal when trying to determine the best option for psychological and pharmacological treatment as treatment of psychiatric disease is complex (Advokat, Comaty and Julien, 2014, p. 603). Depending on several factors, a combination of treatments may be the best option.

Explain what you believe to be the greatest challenges in the use of psychoactive medications over the next several years. Support your statements with references and logical arguments.

We live in a society and culture where psychoactive drug use is becoming more and more common. According to Advokat, Comaty and Julien (2014) the use of psychotic drugs amongst adults grew 22% over a recent 9-year span with antipsychotic prescription drugs and adults using ADHD drugs being the largest increase for use (p. 592). In the generation of our children, mixed messages are being sent often times indicating that when life gets hard, using a substance to cope should be used. I think it will be very difficult trying to help individuals understand when using psychoactive drugs is acceptable and unacceptable. The legalization of marijuana indicates that individuals have different view-points. While for various reasons, some may feel that using marijuana is acceptable and others may not.  Psychoactive drugs are also becoming easier to obtain, which makes it difficult to monitor and keep off the streets. In addition, more mental illnesses are being discovered and treatment options are often not successful. Mental illnesses are becoming more and more common amongst our youth and elderly alike. With mental illnesses becoming more prevalent, I feel that health care professionals may be having a difficult time diagnosing mental illnesses and understanding when prescribing medication is necessary. Therefore, policies and guidelines should be in place for individuals to follow. Advokat, Comaty and Julien (2014) state psychiatric professionals along with pharmaceutical companies are responsible for promoting drugs that are not effective or appropriate, causing mental illnesses to augment (p. 596). Since there is no “one size fits all”, professionals should strive to do their best professionally and ethically to correctly diagnose, follow proper policies and guidelines, and aim to implement successful treatment plans in order to benefit the health and well-being of patients.

References

Advokat, C. D., Comaty, J. E., & Julien, R. M. (2014). Julien’s primer of drug action: A comprehensive guide to the actions, uses, and side effects of psychoactive drugs (13th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Dolan, E. W.  (2011, August 7). Antidepressant use increasing among those with no psychiatric diagnosis. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. The Raw Story. Retrieved from http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/07/antidepressant-use-increasing-among-those-with-no-psychiatric-diagnosis/

Gup, T. (2013, April 2). Diagnosis: Human (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/opinion/diagnosis-human.html?_r=2&

Discuss the historic and cross-cultural perspectives of psychopathology that could potential impact the diagnosis and treatment of Tina.

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Review the diagnostic criteria on pages 99-100; 160-161; 561-562 of the DSM-5.

A counselor’s own perception of psychopathology is extremely important in the diagnostic process.

Using the case study of “Tina”, write a 500- word essay in which you examine your thought process about her presenting issues. Include the following in your paper:

  1. Discuss the historic and cross-cultural perspectives of psychopathology that could potential impact the diagnosis and treatment of Tina.
  2. After reviewing the several diagnoses that could pertain to Tina from the latest version of the DSM, what is your diagnostic impression?
  3. Substantiate your diagnostic impression with appropriate criteria from the current version of the DSM.
  4. Discuss how historic misconceptions of psychopathology could potentially impact the treatment of this client. As part of this discussion, you may include a diagnosis, any referrals that you would make, and a general course of treatment. At least five scholarly references in addition to the textbook in your paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Describe the specific strategies and techniques that you will implement in order to enhance your interpersonal communication—both personally and professionally—and how you plan to do so.

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This Practical Book Review provides an opportunity for you to reflect on, respond to, and evaluate the ideas, concepts, and techniques in Petersen’s (2015) Why Don’t We Listen Better? based on your own life experiences and ideas from other course texts, and apply these to your interpersonal communication context. Begin the body of your paper with a brief introductory paragraph, then organize your review in 3 sections, using the headings Response, Critique, and Application, following the specific directions provided below. Your review must be well written and organized, free of grammar and other writing errors, and formatted according to current APA style. A title page and a reference page are expected, but an abstract is not needed. Also, you may use the first-person pronoun.

Response

Articulate a personalized response that demonstrates meaningful reflection on the core content. Describe insights you gained about your own communication skills, strengths, weaknesses, and habits. For example, what concepts and principles were especially enlightening to you? Were you reminded of any past conversations? Did you identify with any of the communication traps? Your response should be between 400 and 500 words.

Critique

Evaluate the book from your own point-of-view and based on its intended purpose. What did you identify as its most valuable contributions? Did you find any of the concepts unclear or insufficiently developed? Also, compare and contrast 3 of Petersen’s ideas with related concepts articulated in Stewart’s Bridges Not Walls as well as in France & Weikel’s Helping Skills for Human Service Workers (and list these texts on the reference page along with the Petersen text). How are the perspectives of the three authors similar and/or different? Briefly analyze and discuss the relative strengths of each. Your critique should be between 700 and 800 words.

Application

Looking forward, apply what you have learned to your own interpersonal arena. Articulate the changes you need to make in light of the information gleaned from the content. Describe the specific strategies and techniques that you will implement in order to enhance your interpersonal communication—both personally and professionally—and how you plan to do so. Your application should be between 400 and 500 words.

APA Format

1600 Words

3 Scholarly Sources:

 

Petersen, J. C. (2015). Why don’t we listen better? Communicating and connecting in relationships (2nd ed.). Portland, OR: Petersen Publications. ISBN: 9780979155956.

Stewart, J. (2012). Bridges not walls: A book about interpersonal communication (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN: 9780073534312.

France, K. & Weikel, K. (2014). Helping skills for human service workers: Building relationships and encouraging productive change (3rd ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher Inc. ISBN: 9780398081089.