Abstract
This paper describes the history of antidepressants in the U.S. and explains how they physiologically work with the body and affect mood and behavior. The paper then examines four studies conducted on antidepressants. The studies discussed examine the long and short term effects of antidepressant use, the affects of antidepressant use on insomnia, and the effects of antidepressant use in the Latino population.

From the Paper
"The world of Psychology is advancing more and more everyday with research and studies that can help provide loads of information on different aspects of the science. The four studies presented in this research paper can provide good information on the long-term treatment of depression with antidepressants, the short-term effectiveness of antidepressants when dealing with depression, antidepressant response to sleep deprivation and light therapy in bipolar depression and how Latino's living in the United States have are more likely to discontinue their antidepressant treatment. For future researchers of antidepressants and their effect on the brain, one suggestion would be to elongate the test periods for the different drugs or combination of drugs used to help cope with depression. As mentioned before in this text, the first antidepressant drug was found to have toxic side effects (Drugs and the Brain: Antidepressants, Trujillo, Keith A, Chinn, Andrea B). If researchers are not careful in their tests or rush their drug on to the market without testing it thoroughly, there could be very large consequences."

Tags:psychology, antidepressants, drugs, latino, psychology, mood, behavior

From the Paper
"William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, is the story of a man who becomes insanely jealous and suspicious of his wife and his friend. This is a play of sin, of acknowledgment of sin and of repentance. Although the story is entertaining, Shakespeare's intention goes beyond merely pleasing his audience. Shakespeare offers his audience the opportunity to learn and understand about the human behavior and nature of man. By examining, in detail, Leontes' jealousy and repentance, Paulina's controlling and manipulative behavior, and Hermione's graciousness, a person is given an insight into human nature with all its complexity, its beauties and its flaws."

Tags:hermione, jealousy, leontes, love

Abstract
Behaviorism, as described by philosopher B.F. Skinner in his work "Walden Two", is a scientific manner of understanding human actions as based on a certain set of principles. The paper examines Skinner's view that all actions are the result of a series of determined factors in "competition" with each other. Whichever factor proves to be dominant will determine the final action. The paper argues that while these factors can be "charted" to determine the probable end results of human action, it should be noted that these factors are not always totally predictable. It shows that Skinner, though, would simply argue that this lack of predictability was merely a technical problem that would eventually be resolved.

From the Paper
"Finally there exists the problem of ultimate control. His whole concept of society is to be based on regulated planning to produce favorable situations, but who or what would be responsible for this centralized control. Skinner proposes that the "charlatans" who now have control over certain segmented areas will be replaced when all is "united", but he does not suggest who it is that will replace them. Obviously someone or something must be in overall command of this series of controls, but on what basis will this be decided."

Tags:reinforcement, humanity

Abstract
This paper defines violence and mental disorders and discusses the correlation between the two. It discusses whether people suffering from mental disorders have a predisposition to violence and if there is a higher rate of violence in mental disorder patients than the general population. The paper examines the contemporary view of mentally ill patients and whether or not mental illness is a contributor to violence in the society.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Defining Violence and Mental Disorders
Classification of Mental Disorders
Categories of Mental Disorders
Relationship between Mental Disorder and Violence
Conclusion

From the Paper
"From the various studies conducted in attempting to determine the link between mental disorders and violence, it is concluded that severe mental disorders do not independently predict violence, but these findings challenge perceptions that mental illness is a leading cause of violence in the general population. People with mental illness, however, do report violence more often, mostly because they show other factors associated with violence. Consequently, determining the link between violence and mental disorder requires consideration of its association with other variables, such as substance abuse, environmental stressors and a history of violence."

Tags:psychotic, anti-social, attack, crime

Abstract
This paper looks at depression, a mental disorder affecting people of all ages from many walks of life. It examines the current research on its main causes and describes the four major types of depression that are known of today, clinical, bipolar disorder or manic depression, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and chronic depression, all of which have a varying detrimental effect on the person they are acting upon. It shows how the type of depression a person has is usually determined by a careful study of his/her background and the symptoms they exhibit on a regular basis. It also discusses methods of diagnosis such as psychological evaluation as well as methods of treatment such as psychotherapy, medication or antidepressants and exercise.

From the Paper
"In the past decade, depression medication has improved dramatically. Not only are the current drugs much more effective than before, the side effects are fewer and less severe (Cohen, 2002). Before the influx of new medications, few drugs were available to fight depression. Without drugs tailored to treat specific symptoms, treatments were rarely effective (Britannica, 2003). Now, with the wide array of drugs available to the public, antidepressant drugs can be matched to the symptoms they are customized to treat. Instead of having a single drug to combat depression, multiple drugs are available to treat specific types of depression. When multiple symptoms are displayed by a patient, an assortment of medication may be required (Staab-Feldman, 1999). It is not uncommon for a secondary medication to be prescribed to boost the effectiveness of the primary medication."

Tags:bipolar, disorder, illness, mental, chronic, sad, manic, clinical, psychotherapy

Abstract
This paper considers the problem of social order in a micro-sociological context, by looking at the works of symbolic-interactionist H. Blumer. It attempts to explain the reason we are able to do things collectively as a society.

From the Paper
"Each of the main sociological paradigms has a different explanation for the problem of social order; that is, how are members of a society able to do what they do together. This paper will attempt to explain my view that the reason we are able to do things collectively as a society is because, as individuals, we can rationally decide what our goals are, what our best course of action is to attain those goals, and where necessary, we are able to interpret and interact with our surroundings towards completing what we set out to do."

Tags:blumer, interaction, order, problem, social, symbolic

From the Paper
"Over the past decades a number of prominent individuals have been attacked or killed by people with a psychosis or other mental disorders, including ex-Beatle John Lennon and former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan. Although these cases may be spectacular, violence and aggression displayed by the mentally ill is usually directed against partners or family members, rather than others (Danielson et al, 1998). There is little evidence of an increasing number of violent acts made by patients with psychosis, but literature suggests that patients with major mental disorders have an increased risk for committing such acts compared with the general population (Munro, 2000). ). Fed by highly selected information in the mass media about their very rare contribution to one type of tragedy, homicide, the public and politicians believe, or are being encouraged to believe through the mass media, that unless people with a mental disorder are once more segregated, the streets will not be safe."

Tags:abuse, asylum, homicide, insane, integration, schizophrenia, substance, violence

Abstract
Could the way we treat our children have an effect on how they think, look, and act? The paper brings in research in which psychologists analyze the behavior of infants to learn whether or not gender roles are created or stem from something biological. The writer looks at examples from items in any store that are geared towards boys and girls. The paper attempts to prove that we are possibly responsible for these stereotypes.

From the Paper
"The reasoning for gender differences is not always clear. It may have been human nature to label infants in order to better interact with them. It might be a way of dividing society into groups. There does not seem to be one clear reason for the labeling, but one thing is certain, there is a division. We treat children differently depending on their sex. Boys engage in rough and tumble play while girls often mimic the actions of their mother in the home, like cooking and cleaning and looking after the baby. These examples are not always what happens, but are believed to be the norm. Boys follow the example set for them by their father and girls in turn follow the example set for them by their mother."

Tags:masculine, feminine, labelling, research, children

Abstract
Using historical evidence of cannibalism existence, this paper identifies different forms and practices, and explains the motives for such behaviors.

From the Paper
"For millions of years, the majority of humans and their ancestors around the world have eaten meat, derived from a countless number of animals. However, the majority of these people have avoided one particular kind of meat: human flesh. For a human to knowingly eat the flesh of his own kind has been taboo to the most extreme definition of the term. Even the thought of it provokes a deep-rooted, enculturated repulsiveness that is so powerful it has actually prevented modern humans from eating remains of dead people for the sole purpose of survival (Barker, Hulme, and Iversen 1998:37). In other words, they would rather die than eat the meat of another person. The general practice of eating human flesh, anthropophagy, commonly referred to as cannibalism, has always been a subject full of controversy and debate. Hundreds of scientific studies have been published on the subject, but few have focused on the anthropological reasons for its supposed occurrence. In order to understand the true nature of cannibalism, it is necessary to examine it from a number of different perspectives. First, the historical evidence indicating that it took place must be carefully analyzed and interpreted. Second, the different forms of cannibalism must be identified and defined, and examples of their historical presence must be cited. Lastly, the motives of each type need to be explained, detailing the various tendencies of cannibalistic peoples and their practices. Only then will the appropriate significance of cannibalism and its existence become clear."

Tags:ancient, anthropophagy, archaeology, cannibal, cannibalism, culture, endocannibalism, exocannibalism

Abstract
This essay focuses on the work of Durkheim entitled "Suicide. " The author attempts to understand Durkheim's work, the role of sociology in suicide, the ambiguity surrounding the definition of suicide and the forms of suicide.

From the Paper
Suicide, Durkheim's third major work is of importance as it was his first attempt to bring empiricism into Sociology. Empiricism would provide a sociological explanation for phenomena such as suicide, which was traditionally regarded as restrictively psychological or biological. Durkheim defined the role of Sociology as comparable to Biology in natural science. Both disciplines study the normal or abnormal characteristics of phenomena, which affect the strength, or weakness of the organism. Sociology's main focus is to "study facts external to the individual" (Thompson 1985:92). When the term suicide comes to mind, we do not automatically link it with Sociology. Suicide can be argued to be a mental state, which is reserved mostly for the discipline of psychology. Durkheim looks at how this perceived mental state can be brought into Sociology by looking at elements such as family, occupations and social ties, all of which are a part of society and the root of Sociology. These elements are "always contemporaneous with some crisis which temporarily affects the social state" (Thompson 1985:95). Looking at society's groups, Durkheim noted that each "population had its own suicide rate, and that this rate is more constant than the general mortality".

Tags:alturistic, anomie, durkheim, egotistic, empiricism, sociology, suicide