What If They Didn't Exist?

         This week in AP Psychology, we learned about psychological disorders, Axis I and II of the DSM-IV-TR. The first type of psychological disorder is anxiety. Within anxiety, there are 5 different disorders that one could obtain. However, first things first, anxiety itself must be defined. Anxiety is basically just sympathetic nervous system arousal, aka the fight-or-flight response. When anxiety comes in the form of the fight-or-flight response, meaning when there is actual stimulation, then it can be a tremendous help. However, it is when your sympathetic nervous system is constantly aroused and your body is in constant activation, especially with the absence of stimulation, that it becomes a real problem.

         The first type of anxiety is generalized anxiety disorder, where one feels the physiological symptoms of the fight-or-flight response over everything. There is constant worry, and usually, the person makes a huge deal when there really isn't anything there. The second, more well-known disorder, is that of phobia. Phobias are fears that take over your life, your thoughts, and your dreams. Usually, the fear is irrational, and it is only when it negatively impacts your like that it becomes a phobia. Sometimes, there are specific triggers such as snakes or dogs. Two examples of phobias would be agoraphobia, the fear of going outside, and social phobia, where one is anxious in social situations.

         Another well-known disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder, better known as OCD. This disorder does not contain the components that people usually think it does. Being super neat does not mean that you have OCD. As an anxiety disorder, it involves having obsessive thoughts, which later develop into anxiety. You then develop compulsion, or actions, to relieve that anxiety. You constantly use those compulsions to get rid of the constant worrying. For instance, you would check the door 54 times to make sure that it is locked before going into a different room. Being neat is one thing, but when you continuously act in a certain obsessive way, so much so that it beings to impact your life, then it becomes a disorder.

         The last two disorders are post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is most common among veterans and those who have experienced major trauma. It usually involves major anxiety, flashbacks, and mental paralysis. Those with PTSD simply cannot function in life. Panic disorder is basically anxiety on steroids. You basically feel like you are going to die and you stop breathing. Sometimes these panic attacks are caused by something, but sometimes they're just completely random. One of the most debilitating aspects of panic disorder is the fear of having another panic attack.

         When learning this, I thought of an example of PTSD that I had seen in my dad's favorite TV show, The West Wing. Basically, this show revolves around the life of the president (though not the actual president, of course). The White House Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, is shot in the first season finale while protecting the president's aide, Charlie. He has to go through surgery for 14 hours and ends up being put through psychotherapy after showing signs of PTSD, which included yelling at the president in the Oval Office and smashing a window in his apartment.

         Stories like these make me increasingly thankful that I haven't been diagnosed with anything of that magnitude. Wouldn't the world be a much simpler place if psychological disorders didn't exist?

(Josh after smashing the window in his apartment)