Spotlight #3

--Original published at Marlee's Psych 105 Blog

In today’s world, it is nearly impossible to escape peer pressure. It is not tied to race, gender, or age. It is all encompassing and something everyone must cope with on a daily basis. It can affect anyone from teens to college students, even parents. Peer pressure or peer influence is “when you choose to do something you wouldn’t otherwise do, because you want to feel accepted and valued by your friends” (Peer Pressure and Influence Teenagers). This idea can also be referred to as normative social influence. Normative social influence results from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval. Peer influence doesn’t always have to involve doing something you don’t want to.

When we hear the word peer pressure we instantly assume it’s a bad situation, but it’s not always the case, peer influence can also be a positive thing. Someone could be peer pressured into listening to different music or even into becoming more assertive. These are not bad things, but they might be out of character for the individual. Being said, there are also bad types of peer pressure. Teens and college students can be pressure into trying drugs or drinking. Most people will give in to the pressure because they want to conform to the group or be “cool”. Conformity occurs when we adjust our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. This sense of conformity is very present in teens and young adults. Today’s world revolves around appearances. Everyone sees the fake wall we put up on social media. We are constantly trying to mimic other, whether it be their appearance or their lifestyle, but sadly we are trying to reach a fake standard. This constant desire to reach approval can be seen in some age groups more than others.

Upon arrival to college you are instantly faced with so many new things. You are away from you parents for the first time, meeting new people and making new friends, but most importantly you are making decisions as an adult. In college your parents are no longer there to baby you and make sure you are on the right track; the cards are in your hands now. With this new sense of freedom comes a lot of students wanting to push their boundaries and try new things while also making an image for themselves. While it will be hard to go through your day without being peer pressured at some point, it is important to know ways to fight it. One way to cope with peer pressure is finding a group of friends who share the same interests as you; people you know who will not force you to do things you do not want to do. Another approach you could take could be just a simple “thanks but no thanks” response. Sometimes all it takes is just a clear no to tell the person you are not interested. These are both effective ways to avoid and address the situation directly.

Another population which faces peer pressure are teens. Teens are undergoing one of the biggest changes; going from being a child to a young adult. At this stage in life teens are trying to find themselves. This involves trying new things and even taking risks here-and-there. The teenage years are heavily influenced by pop culture: music, clothes, makeup, hairstyles. Everyone wants to do what their friends are doing even if it’s not what they would typically do. It’s all about finding a balance and making sure you do not loose sense of who you really are. It is important to talk to your parents during this time. Ask your parents for ways to say no. You might need these in certain situations when you are feeling influenced to do something you do not want to. It is also important to have a good self-esteem. This can allow you to feel confident in your decisions and not feel trapped when faced with peer pressure. Now it’s very easy in theory to say you need to have good self-esteem and talk to your parents, but in reality, we all have things we wish we could change about ourselves as well as situations we aren’t comfortable talking to our parents about. These are things which will be helpful if you can practice them.

Finally, one group we don’t think about when we hear the word peer pressure are parents. Being a parent, you are constantly being judged and criticized how you raise your child. As a parent you are not only making decisions for yourself, but also your child. For example, your child comes home from school one day begging you for the new iPhone which just came out because they still have the iPhone 5. He says his friends have been making fun of him for having such and old phone, but in reality, you don’t have the money to purchase the phone. You decide to pick up extra shifts, so you can make the money to buy the phone as a surprise, but because of this you’re not home as much and cannot attend any of the school functions you normally would have. So, the other parents begin to question your parenting skills. They tell you, you need to be more involved in your child’s life. It all turns into a vicious cycle. The peer pressure in this situation is coming from two angles: the peer pressure on your child as well as the peer pressure from other parents. In order to deal with this, it is important to make compromises as well as look inward at the situation. Both of these are effective depending upon the situation you’re dealing with and if you want to benefit your child or yourself.

Website 1 (Teens): https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/behaviour/peers-friends-trends/peer-influence

Website 2 (Parents): http://blogs.uwhealth.org/kids/2017/05/parent-peer-pressure/

Website 3 (College Students): https://www.bestcollegereviews.org/dealing-peer-pressure-college/

spotlight post3: How to resist peer pressure

--Original published at Manami PSY105blog

Some people suffer from peer pressure which people feel to have to follow majority regardless of whether they do right things or not. It is difficult to resist peer pressure. People have a fear that may be excluded There are some methods to deal with peer pressure.

adolescents and young adults

According to the article, How to Resist Peer Pressure, Paul Chernyak says they can help adolescents and young adults to resist peer pressure to choose healthy options, to select good friends and to identify yourself. It is difficult to reject a friend’s recommendation such as alcohol and drugs. It is because people prefer conformity in a group. There is the result in the experiment of Solomon Asch people tend to answer same with the other although the other’s answer is obviously wrong. The experiment also showed that people answer differently when they are not in a group. In this case, it will be an effective way to respect individual decision to ask friends to have time to think of their demands, find an excuse such as over-protect of parents, give friends better or another idea. Because, if people can contact with one of their group’s members individually instead of making a decision in a group, it would be much easier. In addition, proposing a better idea will be helpful to enjoy to have friendship in a group. For example, you can bring a non-alcohol beverage to a party if you do not want to drink. Moreover, it is important to question whether your friends influence positively. Firstly, it is never good to hang out with friends who make you feel bad because it is stressful. People will be happier by having a new friend who gives you positive influences. For example, the author says social roles such as joining group activities in school help people to avoid to get in trouble. Besides these, it is important to identify your values, goals and what you like to be. Life decisions based on personality and goals to accomplish may be beneficial excuse to resist negative peer pressure. Everyone has differences. People need to know their what they feel comfortable to do and have a right to say no to avoid from other’s judgment such as stereotype and prejudice.

Workers

In the article, Three Tips for Resisting Peer Pressure at Work, Ryan W. Hirsch suggests that suggesting opinions directly, preventing social loafing and being consistent can be good strategies to deal with peer pressure at a workplace. In detail, the author recommends readers to indicate what you think directly. For example, people should suggest disliking sushi when coworkers ask you to go dinner instead of using different reasons so that you can prevent next invitation to go to sushi restaurants. Next, people should not break a role in terms of works just because others break a role. Social loafing is that people are likely to lose responsibility and motivations to complete given tasks in the group. Social loafing at a workplace may create unfair treatment and negative consequences. Therefore, workers need to

set a clear goal and think of themselves as individuals in the group. Consistent communication is also helpful to make a decision without peer pressures.

Female athletes

Lindy Wilson, the author of the article, Female Athletes and Peer Pressure, says female athletes are more likely to lose a chance to succeed and keep harmony in girl’s group not to be excluded and have to support physical handicap by other strengths. Especially, female athletes sometimes are required to choose either their happiness in group or own success. There are five processes to resist peer pressure: awareness, the simple question, gather support, own in every day and inner armor in the article. Firstly, being aware of your social role which is changing frequently and putting yourself in comfortable places can be helpful. If you can be in a smaller group, it would be easier to say your idea to get conformity without normative influence which people do not want to break a harmony. Finding another supporter will help you in several situations to achieve a highly future goal. It can change entire group’s motivation to focus on own task because people tend to be active when they have a clear goal and specific roles. The others may get inspired from you and the group identification can increase.

#Spotlight #Social

Citation:

Chernyak, P. (2018, March). How to Resist Peer Pressure. Retrieved from https://www.wikihow.com/Resist-Peer-Pressure

Hirsch, W. R. (2014, October 17). Three Tips for Resisting Peer Pressure at Work. Retrieved from https://thecpt.org/2014/10/17/three-tips-for-resisting-peer-pressure-at-work/

Wilson, L. (n.d.). Female athletes and peer pressure. Retrieved from https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/blog/female-athletes-and-peer-pressure

Spotlight Blog 3: Peer Pressure

--Original published at Rachelsblog

Peer pressure is something that is not easily avoidable and is usually present in every social situation. Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s social group. Everyone is guilty of falling into peer pressure, especially college students, parents, and athletes. Although, peer pressure is hard to avoid, there are tips on how to help it.

College students are one of the biggest population of people who fall to peer pressure. They are entering a world with no adults telling them what to do or to watch their every move. They are on their own making their own decisions. An article on College Life gives a ton of tips. One tip to college students on avoiding peer pressure is knowing when to say no. Saying no can be hard but it is important to know when you have to draw the line and say it. Building self-confidence is something that can lead you to being able to saying no easier. Another tip is to follow your heart but to take your brain with. This means, do what your heart wants you to do, but use your brain to make sure it is a smart thing to do. In the textbook it mentions “attitude affects actions”, which basically explains how people react based on their attitude to the situation and not thinking of the consequences of their actions. If it is what you want and is smart, then do it. If it is what you want but is not smart, don’t do it. Another tip is make sure you do something because you feel it is right, not because someone is telling you to. A lot of college kids look to go out and drink on the weekends and this is not right, but in college that can be the atmosphere that kids tend to get sucked into due to peer pressure. College kids also conform to the normative social influence of college, which is not always the right thing to do. Although, if a kid goes out to a party and everyone is drinking, they may feel pressured into doing it because it is the social norm at the given moment and they don’t want to be looked at as different. Knowing right from wrong is a big key to avoiding peer pressure. I think all of these tips are very helpful and I tend to use them in my daily life since I am also a college student.

Another population of people that face peer pressure are parents and their kids. Parents are more of the group who have to teach their kids how to avoid peer pressure. It is important for a parent to teach their kid young to avoid peer pressure so when they get older they can do it more easily. In an article on The National, there are a lot of ways parents can teach their kids how to avoid peer pressure. One tip is to promote positive friendships and to meet their friends and really get to know them. If your child has friends you do not know, you do not know what they are doing or if they are good friends for your child to be hanging out with. Another one is to have an open relationship with your child, so that way when they are being peer pressured, they can come to their parents without hesitation and know that they will be helped. Parents are also told to teach their kids how to say no and mean it so when they get asked something that they don’t want, they can be confident in saying no. It is also very important to teach your child that they are responsible for their actions, and while doing something wrong in the moment while falling to peer pressure may seem “cool” or “fun” to their friends, the consequences will not be. I think all of these tips are very helpful to parents to help teach their child to avoid peer pressure and I think it would be very effective.

One last big group that falls to peer pressure is athletes. Athletes tend to want to go out with their teammates to social events with other teams in their college or at their high school. In an article on Teen Drug Abuse, it has tips on how athletes can avoid peer pressure. One thing that can stop athletes from falling to peer pressure in social settings where there may be drugs or alcohol, they can offer to be the designated driver for those who are consuming the alcohol, that way they do not feel pressured to drink because they are driving. Another tip is to be firm when saying no, or refer to the fact that you are an athlete and have a lot to lose if you were to make a mistake under peer pressure. Being an athlete comes with a lot of responsibilities and they can use their title of “athlete” to confirm their answer of no when being peer pressured. Also, having the whole team say no makes them feel as if they are not the only one saying no, the athlete and their team are sticking together to not fall to peer pressure. I think this would be very effective and would help the athlete out of peer pressured situations.

Works Cited:

Alexandra, Shawn Francine. “Peer Pressure: 9 Ways You Can Avoid as a Student.” College Life, College Life, 28 Dec. 2017, collegelife.nl/peer-pressure/.

Lewis, Rachel. “How Parents Can Spot and Deal with Negative Peer Pressure.” The National, The National, 3 Jan. 2012, http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/family/how-parents-can-spot-and-deal-with-negative-peer-pressure-1.410899.

“6 Tactful Tips for Resisting Peer Pressure To Use Drugs and Alcohol.” NIDA for Teens, teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/6-tactful-tips-resisting-peer-pressure-to-use-drugs-and-alcohol.

Spotlight Post- #3

--Original published at RachelsCollegeBlog

There are two different types of treatment for major depressive disorder. These two treatments are psychotherapy, which is counseling or therapy, or medication to help with the illness. Depression is very common in the United States and both treatments have been used and both work effectively.

“Psychotherapy vs. Medications: The Verdict Is In” is one of the articles that I found that supports psychotherapy as the better treatment option for mental illnesses. Though, antidepressants and antianxiety medications have the highest rate of prescription around the world. Most studies show that there is an advantage of not taking the drugs and going straight to the therapy. There is also concern that drugs may not treat the illness and can also add to it unfavorable side effects. This article is credible as the author is Susan Krauss Whitbourne, and she has a Ph. D. in this area of study

Another source that I found was “Are Antidepressants and psychotherapy equally effective in treating depression?” which is written by Michael A. Sugarman. This is a credible source as it was published in Issue 6 of the Journal of Mental Health. This research showed that psychotherapy is the better long-term treatment. The medication had positive short-term effects, but psychotherapy had better long-term effects. People who did go with the treatment of medicine, have a great chance of relapse following the medicated treatment.

Another source that I came across was “Cognitive Therapy vs Medication in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Depression”. The authors/researchers of this study consisted of people all containing a Ph.D. making the information for this source reliable. This source did a study on the effects of both medication and psychotherapy. This study expressed that, after a second analysis of the study, people who were more severely depressed had better outcomes when they used medication to treat their illness. This finding has led to the recommendation, for people who have moderate to severe depression, to use medication for a treatment first before trying to use psychotherapy.

The final source that I came across was “Comparative Efficiency and Acceptability of 21 Antidepressant Drugs for the Acute Treatment of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder.” This is a reliable source as it was a study published in volume 391 of The Lancet. It is a study conducted by people who have obtained there Ph.D. or MD. This was a recent study on the efficiency of antidepressants. The results were able to conclude that antidepressants were very effective, when it came to treating major depressive disorder in adults. Though, the efficiency slightly varied going across different age groups as well as the cause for depression for someone. Though, some antidepressants are more efficient them others are. Sertraline and Paroxetine are just a couple that the article mentioned that had one of the higher responses when treating depression.

I think that psychotherapy is the better treatment for depression. Though, antidepressants and other medications can help someone struggling with depression, it is often not a permanent solution. People that go through psychotherapy, take a bit longer to get to a less depressive state, but they are less likely to relapse and go back into a severe depressive state, as they are often given different techniques that they are able to use to help them deal with their illness.

Citations

Whitbourne, S. K., Ph.D. (2015, July 21). Psychotherapy vs. Medications: The Verdict Is In.Retrieved December 2, 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201507/psychotherapy-vs-medications-the-verdict-is-in

DeRubeis, R. J. (2005, April 01). Cognitive Therapy vs Medications in the Treatment ofModerate to Severe Depression. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/208460

Sugarman, M. A. (2016). Are antidepressants and psychotherapy equally effective intreating depression? A critical commentary. Journal of Mental Health,25(6), 475-478. doi:10.3109/09638237.2016.1139071

Cipriani, A., Frurkawa, T., Salanti, G., Chaimani, A., Atkinson, L., … & Ogawa, Y., (2018).Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. The Lancet. 391(10128), 1357-1366. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7

Spotlight #3

--Original published at Rachel Bickelman's PSY 105 Blog

Parental Peer Pressure: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/life/2017/01/20/8-ways-cope-parental-peer-pressure/96835714/

According Grande to not succumbing to peer pressure involves an inner strength, a strong support system, trusting your gut, being assertive, avoiding debates, practicing self-care, gaining respect, and increasing family time. I think these methods for avoiding peer pressure are adequate but not perfect techniques in avoiding peer pressure. Much of peer pressure can stem from a desire to “fit in” with the group and this can happen across any age. Thus, Grande’s advice of having a supportive social system is good advice. Having a trusted and genuine support system can facilitate positive peer pressure as well.

Grande’s tips on spending time with one’s own family also fits in with a strong support system. Grande reasons that when one spends time with their family, they will be able to discern the unique values they possess. This advice is good because having a strong relationship among family can remind the person and ground them in their own beliefs since the influence of peers would not be present. Furthermore, there is no outside audience when one spends time strictly within their family and thus judgement would not be present. This could also help with conformity since one would just be with their family and thus there are no outside forces that facilitate feelings of conformity.

The first tip Grande provides, however, is not the best strategy towards combatting peer pressure. Though an individual’s willpower and own strength can aid in avoiding peer pressure, willpower throughout the day decreases and insecurities can seep in at any time, especially if one lacks inner strength. Likewise, inner strength can be hard to automatically turn on especially when one feels peer pressure and the pressure to conform.

Adolescent/Teenager Peer Pressure: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/peer-pressure.html

This website argues coping with peer pressure necessitates a balance between one’s own morals and fitting in with the group. The argument that one needs to have a strong sense of self can backfire though. One’s sense of self can be diminished if they are present within a large group of people and feel the pressure to conform to what the group is doing. While inner strength and self-confidence are both important, these skills can be spotty when in the midst of peer pressure.

Another tip offered by the website is to join forces with another peer and stick to a decision together. This may be a good strategy because the person would not feel alone in their decision. They also suggest joining a peer and simply leaving the situation together. Since two people would be together in their decision their combined confidence may help in escaping peer pressure.

One of the tips is to “choose your friends wisely,” however, this does not guarantee that someone will or will not experience negative peer pressure. The urge to conform to what others are doing still may be present.

College Peer Pressure: https://caps.ucsc.edu/counseling/aod/peer-pressure.html

UC Santa Cruz’s Counseling and Psychological Services provides a few methods to avoid and navigate negative peer pressure. The first few tips highlight one’s recognition of their own morals and values. While this could be helpful in discerning whether an individual feels they should or should not do something, it may not aid with peer pressure since with peer pressure there is an urge to conform or “fit in.” One of the specific tips is to weight the pros and cons of the situation at hand. This may help an individual to look at the situation rationally rather than through a peer pressure perspective.

Another tip that may prove helpful is the delay tactic. This tactic may be helpful because the individual withholds their morals and values and politely declines. The individual could still be in their friends’ company but would not partake in activities they do not approve of. Some helpful phrases the website suggests replacing “no” with are “not today” and “maybe another time”

Like the previous website, UC Santa Cruz suggests taking a friend who supports you. This was the tension of conformity is mediated by someone who possesses the same perspective on the issue at hand. Having a person “in your corner” may help to alleviate peer pressure because of the increase in confidence to say “no” and stick with your decision.

Finally, the website suggests removing yourself from the situation. While this may alleviate peer pressure in the moment, if the individual continues to spend time with the same group, negative peer pressure could arise again.

Spotlight Post #3 Option 3

--Original published at Zachs College Blog

Many television shows now a days include shows like My Strange Addiction, Hoarders, etc and turn these individuals mental illnesses into an entertainment for people to watch. Furthermore, Hoarders is a show that people are trying to get their homes and lives back in shape. In my opinion, I feel that these shows are tearing these individuals who suffer with mental issues that allow themselves to create the name as a “Hoarder”. These Tv producers create shows like this to attract people to view because they are usually so astonished with what these people have done to this life and living situation. These individuals brain functions in a “strange nature” meaning they have many behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that cause them to create these unbreakable habit. I personally believe these shows could be classified as unethical because these producers know they are offensive and show many examples of people with little or no insight. Overall, I feel that these types of show are negative and portray these people who truly can not help it as entertainment. Now I am going to compare both standpoints on whether not these shows are helpful or damaging.

“The shows promote the idea that arriving at a house with a cleaning crew and pressuring people to discard possessions is the way to solve the problem.” This is what the first psychological researcher stated when speaking on the show “Hoarders”. Although, it is not just that easy to break an individual’s hoarding habits. For people dealing with these mental illnesses to break these problems, they require behavioral cognitive therapy to help diminish their attachment to certain possessions. “But what A&E has chosen to do is dramatize the outward manifestation of hoarding rather than truly getting to the root of the hoarding for either viewers or the hoarders themselves.” These producers even have a Youtube channel that provides bonus clips and house assessments which comes off as joking around about their situation when really these professionals are supposed to be there to provide tips and ways to break these habits. In one article, the author believed that these shows actually do not raise awareness because these producers seek out the most extreme cases to film. Although, in the shows opening it states that hoarding affects more than 16 million people in the US. By doing this, it provides the viewers with an idea that the episodes they show are impossible to understand or relate to. “Hoarding is showcased as out-there, over-the-top, monstrous.” The generalization is that viewers are supposed to feel sorry for these people going through that but these shows give us a vivid picture of what its like for these individuals to be going through something like hoarding. Overall, I feel that this information was credible as both sources provided very similar statements about the negatives on shows that exploit individuals mental illnesses.

Although, some people believe that these types of shows actually are helpful for both the individuals and the audience. One of the main reasons people want to get on hoarders is because of the finances. As a part of taking part of their show, the budgets from the show actually pay for all of the clean-up, therapists, and specialists who help the individual through the experience. One of the biggest stressors for these people is knowing the costs of the tons and tons of cleaning supplies for their current home. One researcher stated that extreme case of desperation an individual has to allow a camera crew, therapists, and specialists into their home just gives an accurate depiction of just how desperate and frustrating a hoarding situation can be on someone. Some researchers believe that these episodes can be somewhat beneficial to educate the general public. More specifically towards people who are currently mildly dealing with a mental illness tend to use it as a lesson to allow them to not let themselves reach a level like the people in the shows. You always have to remember that these shows do contain a lot of drama, but many times the producers produce and edit them from the original film. Many reality shows contain a particular stereotype or if they are actually “real” or not. Lastly, this show provides a common misconception on these people. Many times people generalize that hoarders are “nasty” people. In reality though, a psychologist stated that many times these hoarders are actually caregivers like teachers, social workers, etc which shows they are loving, caring people. Overall, I feel that this information is credible, but I still do believe the negatives outweighs the positives on the general outlook of this show.

Citations:

Adler, Lana. “15 Little Known Facts About A&E’s ‘Hoarders’.” TheThings, TheThings, 11 Sept. 2017, http://www.thethings.com/15-little-known-facts-about-aes-hoarders/.

Almendrala, Anna. “Hoarding Reality Shows Might Do More Harm Than Good.” HuffPost, Life, 17 June 2015, http://www.huffpost.com/entry/hoarding-reality-shows_n_7605804.

Bussel, Rachel Kramer. “Stop Watching ‘Hoarders’: Our Lurid Reality TV Obsession with Mental Illness Has Crossed a Line.” Salon, Salon.com, 23 Jan. 2016, http://www.salon.com/2016/01/23/stop_watching_hoarders_our_lurid_reality_tv_obsession_with_mental_illness_has_crossed_a_line/.

Asay, Paul. “TV SERIES REVIEW.” Plugged In, Plugged In, http://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/hoarders/.

Spotlight Post #3

--Original published at Sydney’s Side

When it comes to major depressive order, there are two main types of treatment. One is psychotherapy which is the traditional counseling and meeting with a therapist. The other option is medication which fixes hormonal imbalances in the brain.

Psychology Today published an article entitled “Psychotherapy vs. Medications: The Verdict is in.” The site is reputable and intended for the general public. It provides basic information about new studies in the psychology field. The author of this article is Susan Krauss who had a Ph.D., showing she is reliable. The article claims psychotherapy can do much more than medications. It has proven to be an effective form of treatment for depression in many cases. But people are more likely to turn to drugs first. This could be harmful because prescriptions are often given without much consultation and have adverse side effects. The author also states 95% of government funding for mental health goes into medication instead of psychotherapy. She claims this is a part of the problem. She further cites evidence as to why it could be helpful to not use medication at all. For example, it is cheaper, a therapist is someone the patient can trust, and there is more evidence showing psychotherapy is more effective than medication.

The American Psychological Association also published an article advocating for psychotherapy for all forms of mental illness. This is a credible source because it is published by the official association on their organization website. It incorporates evidence from previous studies to prove the point. The article claims psychotherapy is more of a long-term solution than medication. Psychotherapy is being used as a second choice to medication when it comes to treating mental illnesses. The article claims it is due to marketing from prescription companies. Overall, therapy is proven to have fewer relapses, especially when it comes to anxiety and depression.

There is also evidence supporting medication over therapy when it comes to major depression disorder. The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care published the article, “Depression: How Effective are Antidepressants?”. The publication is credible because it was published in a peer reviewed journal and is updated biannually. The article admits, medication is not beneficial in all situations, but it helps others. It is the job of the prescriber to determine if medication is necessary. The job of antidepressants is to relieve the symptoms of depression by correcting chemical imbalances in the brain. Studies have shown, forty to sixty percent of people with depression, who use antidepressants, noticed an improvement in their mental health. More importantly, medication does help prevent relapses in many cases.

An article was published by Hazelden publishing, which is reputable because they are known for publishing a variety of articles about mental health. In “Medications Play a Key Role in Treatment,” the article describes the positive effects of drugs as well as how they work in combination with other treatments. It claims medication reduces the negative symptoms in a variety of mental disorders. It also provides evidence about the effectiveness of medication. The article uses serotonin-based medication as an example. They claim it reduces the symptoms of depression by thirty to sixty percent. When medication is combined with support from peers and family, those affected by depression are helped greatly.

There is significant evidence to demonstrate both psychotherapy and medication are effective forms of treatment in major depressive disorder. All of the evidence, however, shows different treatments work for different people. After a diagnosis, the individual should speak with an unbiased professional to discuss all treatment options. The evidence has also shown, medication works better in combination with psychotherapy, so either way this treatment is necessary. Medication should not be the first option because there are negative side effects and the drugs may not even work. There will always be trial and error when it comes to treating individuals because everyone is different. Personally, psychotherapy should always be used first because as a society, Americans are too centered on solving all problems with drugs.

References

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/10/psychotherapy.aspx

Depression: How effective are antidepressants? (2017, January 12). Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK361016/

Psychotherapy vs. Medications: The Verdict Is In. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any- age/201507/psychotherapy-vs-medications-the-verdict-is-in

Tsharp. (n.d.). Medications Play a Key Role in Treatment | Behavioral Health Evolution.

Retrieved from http://www.bhevolution.org/public/medications.page

Spotlight Post 2

--Original published at Isabella's Psychology Blog

Evaluating Stress Management Websites

Stress is a part of daily life. Many people struggle with dealing with stress. Fortunately, there are stress management strategies. Many stress management strategies are published online along with other stress management advice. Websites hosting information about stress management have different target audiences. Using real stress management techniques from psychology, three websites with different target audiences will have their stress management content evaluated.

Help Guide Website

Help Guide is a website which tries to help people with a range of mental and emotional problems. The website’s target audience is people with mental and emotional problems. Stress is one of the website’s main topics. Stress Management is a subtopic to Stress. This subtopic has three authors, Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, and Robert Segal. (Robinson) Lawrence Robinson is a senior writer of Help Guide and has over twenty years of writing experience about health and fitness. Melinda Smith has a masters degree in psychology and is the editorial director and senior writer of Help Guide. Robert Segal has a masters degree in educational psychology and is the executive director of the website Help Guide. Based on the authors of the subtopic of the website I find the subtopic to be very credible. Most of the authors had a master degree in psychology, and all authors were important people in the Help Guide company (About Us).

The subtopic of Stress Management is made up of seven tips for stress management. Tip one is to find the stress; done by evaluating yourself by keeping a stress journal and access ones habits and attitude. The second tip is using a technique called the 4 A’ which stand for avoiding stress, alter situations, adapt to stressors, and accepting some stressors are unavoidable. Each of these four steps is broken down into smaller steps which are easier to complete. Being active is the third tip. The site recommends thirty minutes of exercise a day but recognizes even small activities can help relieve stress. Connecting with other people is the fourth tip; the website even recommends ways to build relationships. Tip five is to make time for yourself and to have fun. Improving time management skills is the sixth tip; done by not over-committing, prioritizing tasks, getting help, and breaking up tasks. The seventh tip is to live a healthy lifestyle through diet, abstaining from harmful substances, and sleeping. Then the final tip is to relieve stress at the moment (Robinson).

The first tip was good advice since it is half of problem-focused coping. Problem-focused coping is getting rid of stress by changing the stressor or our response to the stressor. So by identifying the stress, one is part way done with changing the stressor and our response to it. Tip two is very close to changing the stressor since it includes altering situations. Then adapting and accepting stressors one is changing their response to the stressor. Improving time management skills is a problem-focused-coping since time management helps eliminate stressors (Myers 406-437).

The third tip of being active was great advice since exercise helps alleviate depression and anxiety. Even a short walk can create two hours of feeling better. Connecting with other people is good advice since a support system of people can help with stress management. Making time for yourself is a valid stress management technique since relaxing reduces depression, anxiety, and even headaches. Relaxing at the moment requires calming down through relaxation techniques. Then sleeping and eating well are also good for living a happy life since it makes the body healthy (Myers 406-437).

American Heart Association Website

The American Heart Association is a famous organization dedicated to helping people fight against heart disease and stroke. When it comes to fighting heart disease one of the important things a person has to do is manage stress. The American Heart Association put stress management as one of its main topics. The Stress Management topic page has a couple of articles and two infographics. After looking through the stress management articles and infographics, most of the stress management information on the website are summarised in the article “3 Tips to Manage Stress”. None of the website content had an author’s name, but the information is considered credible because it is published by a credible company (Stress Management).

The stress management advice the American Heart Association gives is separated into three different steps: positive self-talk, immediate de-stressors, and stress relieving activities. Positive self-talk is being nicer to yourself and thinking optimistically. Immediate de-stressors are counting to ten, take deep breaths, go on a walk, meditate, sleep on non-urgent stressors, take a break from the stressor, break down large problems, listen to relaxing music, hug someone, and workout. Stress relieving activities are being creative, read, connect with others, play sports, listen to music, meditate, and self-care (3 Tips).

The American Heart Association was focused mostly on emotion-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping is attending to the emotional needs created by the stressor but ignoring the stressor. Stress is eliminated by aerobic exercise, relaxation, meditation, and active spirituality. Immediate de-stressors and stress relieving activities closely related to meditation, relaxation, and exercise. Positive self-talk is also useful for stress management because it makes a person more like an optimist. Optimism is good for stress management because optimists are happier and react better to stress than pessimists (Myers 406-437).

Positive Psychology Website

Positive Psychology Program is a website which provides stress management resources ranging from paid courses to blogs. The website’s target audiences are people trying to become more positive and people becoming educated in positive psychology. One of the topics of positive psychology is stress management. One of the available articles about stress management is “62 Stress Management Techniques & Tips To Prevent A Burnout” by Amba Brown. Amba Brown is a credible author since she has degrees in both psychology and sociology. She has also authored books and presented a TEDx talk about major life transitions (Brown). These major life transitions are stressful times since even happy life changes cause a person stress (Myers 406-437).

The stress management content on the Positive Psychology Program website starts by defining stress management and stress in general. Then the article goes into information about stress and burnout. Next, the article goes into the “62 stress management techniques” it had collected from various resources. Some of these techniques even have videos to go along with them. The first set of technique given are understand stress, identify stress, recognize stress, recognize stress strategies, takes self-care, and ask for help (Brown).

Most of these techniques are problem-focused coping, which is reducing stress by changing the stressor directly. The only exception is taking self-care which is emotion-focused coping, which reduces stress by ignoring the stressor to focus on the emotional needs caused by the stressor (Myers 406-437).

The second round of techniques used three categories of stress management strategies which were action-oriented, emotion-oriented, and acceptance-orientated. Action-oriented approaches are being assertive, reduce surrounding noise, manage time, say no to others, and calming thoughts. Emotion-oriented approaches are giving yourself positive affirmations, challenge negative emotions, and use the ABC’s method. The ABC method is recognizing adversity, react with positive beliefs, and accepting the consequences of the adversity. Acceptance-oriented approaches are having a healthy diet, exercising, meditating, build resilience, talk to others, and get a good night’s sleep (Brown).

In psychology, there is (action) problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. Action/problem-focused coping is reducing stress by changing the stressor. The website used good examples that fit the definition. Emotion-focused coping is reducing stress by ignoring the stressor and focusing on the emotional reaction. Trying to be more positive and accepting of the stressor like the website suggested focuses on the emotion side of stress done by emotion-focused coping. Acceptance is not a coping strategy, but it is made up of many useful stress management techniques. Meditation, exercise, and relaxation are three of the four major concepts that reduce stress. Social support gives people calm and open heart therapy, where one can talk to others about stress. Eating healthy and sleeping well make the body healthy and reduces stress (Myers 406-437).

The third set of techniques is for stress management at work by setting realistic deadlines, take breaks, create a work-life balance, and going to therapy. Then the final set of techniques is to perform de-stressing activities like breathing exercises, listening to relaxing music, giving yourself hand massage, then focus on each of your five senses for a minute each. (Brown)

The advice in the third and fourth set of stress management techniques was also useful. Setting realistic deadlines was problem-focused coping, and then most the rest of the techniques were emotion-focused coping. Giving yourself a hand massage and focusing on each of your senses for a minute are not methods of relaxation I am familiar with when it comes to reducing stress. Since I have never heard of these stress management techniques anywhere else, I do not recommend these two methods of relaxation for stress management (Myers 406-437).

Conclusion

Based on my evaluation of the three websites I found them overall useful and full of good stress management techniques. There may be a few weird results like giving yourself a hand massage, but there was also very good advice. Useful stress management techniques are repeated more frequently than the rare questionable stress management technique.

Links to websites:

https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/stress-management-techniques-tips-burn-out/

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

http://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management

Work Cited

“3 Tips to Manage Stress.” Heart.org, American Heart Association , June 2014, http://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/3-tips-to-manage-stress.

“About Us.” Help Guide, Help Guide, www.helpguide.org/misc/about-us.htm.

Brown, Amba. “62 Stress Management Techniques & Tips To Prevent A Burnout.” Positive Psychology Program, Positive Psychology Program, 23 Feb. 2018, positivepsychologyprogram.com/stress-management-techniques-tips-burn-out/.

Myers, David G. ”Stress, Health, and Human Flourishing” Exploring Psychology, 10th Edition. Worth Publishers, 2016. [Chegg].

Robinson, Lawrence, et al. “Stress Management.” Help Guide, Help Guide, Sept. 2018, www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm.

“Stress Management.” heart.org, American Heart Association, http://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management.

Spotlight Blog post 2: Stress

--Original published at HarrysCollegeBlog

Throughout my college life, i have so many responsibilities suddenly thrust upon me, on top of school work and my own health, and it has taken a toll on me with how much stress it produces. Dealing with it did not go as well as I had hoped, and it is when things get dire, that we seek a helping hand, in this case, in the form of online tips. I will be evaluating 3 different websites and their tips on how to reduce stress.

The first website is fairly detailed about dealing with stress. Not only does it give you the advice, but explains the reasoning behind it, in case you didn’t know about it, and even has links to where you can find more about this information. It gives advice such as avoiding Caffeine/alcohol, to suggesting Laugh therapy and getting more sleep, all while giving out the information and reasoning explaining why you should do it. The explanations behind them have sources linked to other parts of the website explaining how it benefits you, which serves as free advertising for itself, which is also a clever idea. This source overall did a great job, and I highly recommend you check it out! Source: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/stress-tips.html

The second website is a bit more questionable in its approach. It gives out the advice in a straight forward list, but not any reasoning or explanations behind it. Only broken links that send you to the page you were already on. although despite its straight forward nature, it has some decent tips, such as keeping a positive attitude, excising, and not accepting too much work. although many of these tips can be figured out on your own, like getting sleep, and making time for hobbies, positive attitudes, etc. This source was not as informative as I’d like it to be when trying to solve my stress, but it was short and simple. Source: https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/tips-for-reducing-stress

The third source is similar to the first one, in which every choice has a detailed list and explanation, however this one has an introduction, which introduces me to why this list is beneficial. it then lists the advice, and gives information on why you should follow it. Although this one doesn’t have any sources to back it up, so its reliability comes into question. It says facts such as stating exercise is proven to be uplifting, but without any source material I can click on and check out, it seems a bit suspicious. Its better than the second one, but not as reliably as the first one. Source: https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage-stress.aspx

Spotlight Blog #2 – Memory

--Original published at Wolfman Productions

When studying for tests/exams students tend to either cram the night before, study over a set period of time before the day comes, or don’t study anything at all. Students can fall into any of these choices and that all depends on their study habits/skills.

When it comes to college students may sites offer different advice for studying habits. The site I chose to look at is ExploreHealthCareers.org to see what tips they offer. The one I took the most to heart is there “Take a Break” section. They say it’s good to take a 10 min break after an hour of studying. They also say to limit the use of computers and social media and we tend to get distracted by these things. I can see this helping out, but some people are better off studying for hours with little to no breaks because they retain the information better that way.

High school students can have the same problems as others when it comes to studying, but they might be limited on their time if they’re dedicated to sports or other after-school activities. The source I found for these tips comes from LiveAbout.com. The one point that caught my eye was the very first one they list. They say to study alone if you don’t have friends that are super-serious about studying, but some people are able to study better in a group even if they get sidetracked. I can see the benefits of studying alone because you can focus into what you need to learn more and spread your time across the entire session. I still think studying with a group is better because you can ask questions if you don’t fully understand notes or a certain term.

Parents might have issues relating to their children on how to study their school work. The site I chose to look at is Edmentum.com which is a blog site that offers other information for parents and educators. The one point I picked out of these is “Teach your child to ask for help”. If parents don’t tell their children to ask for help when they need it, then they won’t be able to advance further with their studies because they don’t fully understand the topics they cover. I remember when I was younger, I was told to ask for help if I ever needed it for my assignments and other things I needed help with. I fully encourage this tip for parents everywhere to use on their children.

These sites are just a small selection of the ones I found searching. If you don’t like the tips in these sites then a good google search will lead you other sites with tips that you may find more to your liking. Hope these tips are able to help someone out with there study habits and I know some of these tips can help me out with studying my material.