Clinical Psychology @ Ashoka University Class Blog

                 Obsessive-compulsive disorder has been classified as an anxiety disorder in the DSM-4 and is “traditionally” thought of as an anxiety disorder (APA Dictionary Of Psychology, n.d). But the truth is that “nosological status as an anxiety disorder has been debated for years” (Nutt D. & Malizia, A. (2006). But to understand why the debate exists, we must first understand what OCD is. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be defined as “a disorder characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that prompt the performance of neutralizing rituals (compulsions)” (APA Dictionary Od Psychology, n.d).                 Whereas anxiety can be defined as a set of disorders “that have as their central organizing theme the emotional state of fear, worry, or excessive apprehension” (Apa, 2015). The definition of these two disorders is very distinct from each other which i...

Psychedelic medications were outlawed almost fifty years ago, but they are re-emerging as extremely promising therapeutic solutions for mental health conditions. Since it was outlawed, many individuals have used it clandestinely to enhance their mental health, and many of them have experienced significant improvement. In light of these results, scientists have initiated clinical trials to determine whether psychedelic-assisted therapy can be reintroduced in the treatment of mental health diseases, specifically clinical depression. “The psychedelic experience has been described by some participants as being among the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives”(Artin et al., 2021) ‘Charles Raison, a psychiatrist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was amazed by his observation that a single treatment (of psychadelic drug) produced a long-term change in emotional state. He contrasts this with conventional antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake i...

When Ariana Grande sings, " Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin.' How do I know if this shit's fabricated? Time goes by and I can't control my mind" (Grande, 2018, 0:29), or when Shawn Mendes goes, "Laying on the bathroom floor, feel nothing. I’m overwhelmed and insecure" (Mendes, 2018, 0:15), or when Rihanna sings, "It's a thief in the night to come and grab you. It can creep up inside you and consume you. A disease of the mind, it can control you" (Merritt, 2008, 0:33) – most of us feel a sense of relatability with their words. A common theme that emerges from the popular songs quoted above is the experience of anxiety, including symptoms like restlessness, difficulty concentrating, muscular tension or feeling easily fatigued (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p.222). Grande's song 'Breathin' or Mendes' 'In My Blood' or Rihanna's 'Disturbia'—all quoted above—are in fact only a fe...

Not Okay is an American 2022 satirical film about a young aspiring author that gains overnight fame, and later notoriety, or deceivingly convincing social media that she was a survivor of a terrorist attack in Paris. The film mainly concerns itself with themes surrounding trauma, PTSD and its interplay with popular media. Danni Sanders, the anti-hero of the film, is a photo editor at a web magazine titled “Depravity.” Danni is unsatisfied with the status of her career and desires to be promoted to a writing position at Depravity. Right from the initial scenes of the film, the filmmakers have well-established the unlikeability of Danni’s character. A specific scene that marks her–arguably–objectionable and distasteful character traits is when Danni attempts to pitch an article to her superior and fails to do so, she mentions the micro-misfortunes of her life–one being her “FOMO” of missing out on 9/11 owing to a cruise ship vacation and consequently is unable to experience the collectiv...

Psychoneuroimmunology describes the study of interactions between the brain and the immune system (Danes & J Lewis, 2016). Initially, the two were thought to be independent, however over the past few decades, incredible insights have surfaced regarding the numerous ways in which stress influences immunity. Psychological stress, defined as pressure and challenges on physical and mental well-being that exceed coping abilities, has been found to impair immune responses when the stress is chronic and enhance when it is acute ( Schedlowski, 1996 ). Specifically, this occurs through changes in a type of white blood cell: lymphocytes. Lymphocytes’ neutralization potential—the rate at which lymphocytes neutralize pathogens— and proliferation rate—the rate at which lymphocytes multiply—are compromised when stress levels are high for a prolonged period of time (WHO). At the molecular level, hormones in the blood increase due to stress, and these hormones attach to receptors on white blood ce...

Introduction With the advent of case-reports of various mental illnesses, there remains an immediate need for cognisance on the subject. Such awareness may stem from two fronts: increased awareness regarding the identification of such illnesses and increased awareness over plausible treatment options. Whilst the former front isn’t limited to being propagated via academia, the latter is more bound to the scientific community; its members are uniquely positioned to test, validate, and accredit treatment options — both conventional and novel. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is one such novel method and this blogpost aims to investigate said method’s efficacy in patients suffering from anxiety disorders and Post-traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). Background Within exposure therapy are two oft-used forms, both utilised in treating anxiety disorders and PTSD: real ( in vivo ) exposure and imaginary (imaginal) exposure. Through a supervised subjection to anxiety-inducing stimuli, ...

Tenzin Tselha TW: Trauma, Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, Sexual Assault, Physical Assault, Motor Vehicle Crash and Tragic Death, Loss of loved ones, and Suicide. Exposure to an overwhelming stressful event(s), such as war, rape, abuse, etc. often results in intense or prolonged psychological distress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Among all the contributors of trauma to PTSD, data has shown that Sexual Assault , Physical Assault , Motor Vehicle Crash, and Tragic Death respectively as the highest percentage of adults developing PTSD. The likelihood of developing the illness significantly heightens when such negative events occur in childhood. Numerous studies, including Austrian and Resnitriwati (2016) , have demonstrated how traumatic events as a child affect both the mental health and personality of adults. This compounds the stigma associated with mental illness, which is created worse by erroneous representations of PTSD in the media and popular culture.    ...