Explain to your friend, using research-based findings and language he or she will understand, the avoidable – and possibly unavoidable – risks for the development of anorexia or bulimia.

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Answers must be paraphrased (restated in your own words with no quoting permitted), properly APA format source credited – including within-answer citations and a list of references included at the end of each answer – and at least 600 words each, not counting source citations and references. Answers should be succinct, thorough, articulated in well-organized paragraphs (lists, sentence fragments and bulleted items are not permitted), and more substantive than just definitions of terms, procedures, or issues.

1. A friend says to you,“I’m really concerned about my teenager eventually developing an eating disorder. What should I do or not do?” Explain to your friend, using research-based findings and language he or she will understand, the avoidable – and possibly unavoidable – risks for the development of anorexia or bulimia.

2. Imagine you are a clinician at a community mental health clinic.Your client, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has brought his mother in so the three of you can discuss his treatment options. Using general terms, the client and his mother are sure to understand, describe the various types of (a) psychotherapy and (b) medications available for the treatment of schizophrenia, the types of symptoms they each treat, and their potential limitations and risks.

3. Two of the most common–and most troubling–of the personality disorders are antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Compare and contrast these disorders. Be sure to cover the primary symptoms, predominant causal theories, and the possibility of gender bias in the diagnosis of these disorders. Finally, suggest an effective course of treatment.

4. Psychological problems of the elderly can be divided into two groups: those that are unique to them and those that they share with other age groups. Discuss disorders of these two groups; be sure to indicate how disorders that occur in persons of all ages are nevertheless different in the elderly.
5. The impact of culture and gender are important factors in the development and maintenance of Substance Use Disorders. Briefly describe some of the components of each of these factors and how they might be addressed in culture- and/or gender-specific treatment programs.

Based on the Learning Resources from this week, explain which solution you think will be most effective in reducing dissonance and explain why.

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The concept of disequilibrium denotes a lack of balance (equilibrium) within schemes and operations. Cognitive dissonance can be likened to disequilibrium in that maintaining contradictory beliefs leads to feelings of discomfort and a desire to adjust those beliefs to remove any inconsistency. Schemes could be adjusted to accommodate the new information. Alternatively, the new information could be rejected and the scheme remains intact. The individual might seek out or interpret information so it supports their beliefs (known as confirmation bias). One real-life example of cognitive dissonance involves childhood vaccinations and autism. A number of parents have not had their children vaccinated because they believe vaccinations cause autism. Despite scientists being unable to find a link between childhood vaccinations and autism (CDC, 2015), the belief persists. As you read the McLeod and O’Leary articles, consider how these parents resolved their cognitive dissonance.

Photo Credit: James Woodson/DigitalVision/Getty Images

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). CDC statement regarding 2004 Pediatrics article, “Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: A population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta.” Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/cdc2004pediatrics.html

For this Assignment, you will examine cognitive dissonance through a specific scenario.

To prepare

  • Review the Cognitive Dissonance Scenarios found in this week’s Learning Resources and choose one of the following scenarios:
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #1
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #2
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #3

To complete

Identify the scenario you chose and based on this scenario, write a 2- to 3-page paper that includes the following:

  • A definition of cognitive dissonance and a description of the dissonance present in the scenario you chose.
  • Include two suggestions to resolve the dissonance: one using accommodation and one using assimilation, with a detailed explanation for each.
  • Based on the Learning Resources from this week, explain which solution you think will be most effective in reducing dissonance and explain why.

Choose one of the scenarios:

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #1 Coral is 30 years old and has lived in Texas, U.S., for the past five years. She works as a receptionist for an insurance company. Coral works long hours sitting behind a desk. After work she goes out to eat dinner with her friends, then goes home to watch television until bedtime. She has been steadily gaining weight due to her diet and sedentary lifestyle. She had a medical checkup when she turned 30 and her doctor told Coral that she is extremely overweight and that her blood test indicates she is pre-diabetic. The doctor has told her the best way reduce the likelihood of developing Type II diabetes is to lose weight through regular exercise and diet. Coral doesn’t know where she will find the time to exercise and she enjoys eating out too much to give that up.

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #2 Stefan is a conscientious grade school teacher. He values his job and cares about his students. Stefan is also a camping enthusiast who prides himself on having the latest and best equipment. He discovered a new piece of camping equipment that was required for his next big trip and eagerly ordered it online. The next day, Stefan reads that the equipment was manufactured using child labor and at least one child is reported to have died.

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #3 Jenny is a 45-year-old smoker who also has a family history of lung cancer. Her father, who was also a smoker, died of lung cancer. Her last physical revealed that she is suffering from high blood pressure and her doctor advised her to quit smoking due to all the associated health risks. However, Jenny not only enjoys smoking but also believes that it provides great help when she is stressed out. She also believes that if she quits smoking, she will put on weight.

Describe some of the people who might participate in the intervention. Provide a rationale for including these individuals.

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Assignment 1: Scholar Practitioner Project: Addiction Intervention

 

Most individuals do not decide to seek treatment on their own. Often, some form of leverage from outside influences is required to provide the necessary incentive to seek treatment. The broad term for this leverage is intervention. Interventions are not limited to the confrontational family scenarios currently popularized by reality television. Intervention can be any action taken by others to persuade the person with problems with addiction to seek help.

 

There are several models of family interventions, but the one used most often is the Johnson Model, developed several decades ago by Episcopal priest Vernon Johnson (Clark, 2012). In this model, an addiction professional guides family members and significant others in rehearsing and carrying out an unannounced confrontation with the person with problems with addiction. The end goal is to have this person agree to enter into a prearranged treatment setting.

 

In this assignment, you apply intervention strategies to address Marge’s addiction and you consider potential ethical dilemmas related to the intervention.

 

In a 2- to 3-page APA-formatted paper, address the following:

 

Using the Johnson Model, design an intervention as it might have occurred six weeks prior to Marge’s admission into treatment. Include the following:

 

o   Describe some of the people who might participate in the intervention. Provide a rationale for including these individuals.

 

o   Describe the qualified professional to guide the process. Explain why this person would be qualified.

 

o   Explain the preparation process prior to Marge’s intervention.

 

 

o   Provide three examples of strategies that participants might take in Marge’s intervention.

 

o   Describe three potential sanctions that participants might employ if Marge refuses treatment.

 

o   Explain any ethical dilemmas that might arise from Marge’s intervention.

 

 

 

References (use 3 or more)

 

Doweiko, H. E. (2015). Concepts of chemical dependency (9th ed.). Stamford, CT: Brooks/Cole.

 

Clark, C. D. (2012). Tough love: A brief cultural history of addiction intervention. History of Psychology, 15(3), 233–246.

 

Mee-Lee, D., & Gastfriend, D. R. (2015). Patient placement criteria. In M. Galanter, & H. D. Kleber (Eds.), The American psychiatric publishing textbook of substance abuse treatment (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

 

Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross, J. C. (1992). In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist, 47(9), 1102–1114

 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012b). Counseling session 1.

 

 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012c). Counseling session 2.

. Care for patients needing therapy and medication would be more efficient and cost-effective.C. Clinical psychologists would have an edge over therapists who cannot prescribe.

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Proponents of clinical psychologists obtaining prescription privileges argue that with prescription privileges:A. Clinical psychologists would be able to treat a wider range of clients. B. Care for patients needing therapy and medication would be more efficient and cost-effective.C. Clinical psychologists would have an edge over therapists who cannot prescribe.D. All of the above.

 

In 1993, the Ad Hoc Task Force on Psychopharmacology of APA published recommendations regarding competence in prescribing. According to these recommendations, in order to achieve the highest level of competence (Level 3) and practice independently as a prescribing psychologist, the psychologist must have completed:A. A one-semester survey course in psychopharmacology.B. Six months of prescribing experience supervised by a psychiatrist. C. A strong undergraduate background in biological sciences, two years of graduate training in psychopharmacology and a postdoctoral psychopharmacology.D. A Ph. D or Psy. D. in clinical psychology.

 

According to APA ethical principles,A. Clinicians with doctoral degrees can simply present themselves as “Doctor” and need not specify the nature of their training.B. A clinician with a Ph. D. in clinical psychology may use any treatment or assessment procedure available, even if they have not been specifically trained in it. C. Dual relationships, which can cause exploitation or harm of the client, are to be avoided.D. All of the above.

 

A psychologist is seeing a client who reports that he/she is planning to kill his/her spouse. If the ruling in the Tarasoff case is applicable to this situation, the psychologist should:A. Maintain confidentiality and not share this information with anyone.B. Break confidentiality and inform the police of this threat. C. Require the client to call the police and inform them directly of the threat.D. Break confidentiality and inform appropriate persons, including the spouse of the treat.

 

Researchers show participants one of several short films that vary in the extent to which they provoke anger and measure the heart rates of each participant immediately after each film. This research method is best described as:A. A series of case studies.B. Unsystematic observation.C. Controlled observation.D. Naturalistic observation.

 

Watson’s study of Little Albert is a classic example of:A. A mixed design. B. A case study.C. The double-blind procedure.D. None of the above.

 

_____ refers to the rate of new cases of illness that develop within a given period of time, while ____ refers to the overall rate of cases (old or new) within a given period of time.A. Incidence; distribution B. Incidence; prevalence C. Prevalence; incidence D. Distribution; incidence

 

If epidemiological studies link depression with alcohol consumption, it can be concluded that:A. Alcohol causes depression.B. Depression causes alcoholism. C. All of the above.D. None of the above.

 

As r statistic of – .85 suggests that:A. As one variable goes up, the other variable goes up. B. The two variables are unrelated to each other.C. On average, the first variable is .85 less than the second variable. D. As one variable goes up, the other variable goes down.

 

____ is a statistical method that utilizes many separate correlations in order to determine which variables change in concert and thus can be considered functionally related.A. Longitudinal correlation.B. Factor analysis.C. Multiple baseline correlation.D. Scatterplot analysis.

 

Researchers at a psychology clinic screen all new clients via phone interview, and over a few weeks a list of 40 new clients who meet criteria for depression. Twenty receive cognitive-behavioral treatment, and the other are told that they are on the waiting list. The independent variable in this study is ___ and the dependent variable is ___.A. Depression level; treatment  B. Treatment; depression level C. Time of interview; depression levelD. Treatment; treatment

 

Which of the following is the best example of a confounding variable influencing the internal validity of a study?A. Researchers perform a factor analysis and in the inferential factor-naming stage, assign names to the factors that cause disagreements with other researchers.B. A participant in a psychotherapy effectiveness study receives counseling from a minister in addition to the therapy provided in the study.C. A participant in a psychotherapy study who is placed on a waiting list receives no treatment while other participants in the same study are receiving psychotherapy. D. Two variables are found to correlate highly with each other, when in fact they are both caused by a third variable.

 

A clinical psychologist assesses a client’s behavior using an objective test and finds that the score on the test is outside of the range in which 98% of scores fall. The psychologist concludes that the client’s behavior is abnormal. The psychologist’s conclusion is based upon the definition of abnormality that emphasizes:A. Experience of distress.B. Disability or dysfunction. C. Conformity to norms.D. All of the above.

 

Which of the following examples is most clearly abnormal according to the “subjective distress” definition of abnormality?A. A mean, callous supervisor who remains unaware that his/her employees hate him/her. B. A librarian whose religious hallucinations are interfering with her ability to work.C. A child whose IQ is measured below the cutoff point for mental retardation.D. A high-functioning accountant who feels depressed about several aspects of his/her life.

 

Diagnostic categories are advantageous because they facilitate:A. Communication among mental health professionals. B. Research.C. Treatment choice. D. All of the above.

 

The most revolutionary changes in DSM, including the first application of explicit diagnositc criteria for the mental disorders and a multi-axial system, appeared in:A. DSM-II.B. DSM-III.C. DSM-III-R.D. DSM-IV-TR.

 

Changes incorporated in DSM-IV and maintained in DSM-IV-TR were based on ____ to a greater extent than changes incorporated in any previous edition.A. Psychoanalytic theory.B. Empirical data.C. Cognitive-behavioral theory.D. Consensus of expert opinion.

 

Marcus is a psychotherapy client whose depressive symptoms emerged soon after he was diagnosed with cancer, for which he is currently undergoing treatment. In the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic system, the cancer diagnosis:A. Would not be listed.B. Would be listed on Axis I. C. Would be listed on Axis III.D. None of the above.

 

Jennifer is a college student seeing a psychologist in the university counseling center for test anxiety. The only other symptoms she reports are occasional verbal arguments with her boyfriend of 2 years. In the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic system, Jennifer’s GAF would appear on Axis ___ as approximately ____.A. I;50 B. V; 85 C. IV; 95D. V; 10

 

 

According to the diathesis-stress model of psychopathology:A. A vulnerability or predisposition (such as genetics) is necessary and sufficient to develop psychopathology.B. Environmental stress and a vulnerability or predisposition are both required to develop psychopathology.C. Possessing a disthesis for a disorder guarantees its eventual occurrence. D. All human beings are born with the same likelihood of developing a particular disorder.