Existentialism in the early 19th Century

Major Themes Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, the term is impossible to define precisely. Certain themes common to virtually all existentialist writers can, however, be identified. The term itself suggests one major theme: the stress on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Moral Individualism Most philosophers…

Paranoid Personality Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Paranoid Personality Disorder is a disorder commonly mistaken for schizophrenic personality disorders.  Schizophrenia, a psychosis, is when a person has an image of a world and its transpiring events, and he/she is “living” it.  Paranoid Personality Disorder, however, is a neurosis where an individual is living in the real world.  This disorder, though not as…

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Origin & Symptoms

Origin At least 50% of all adults and children are exposed to a psychologically traumatic event (such as a life-threatening assault or accident, human made or natural disaster, or war). As many as 67% of trauma survivors experience lasting psychosocial impairment,  including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); panic, phobic, or generalized anxiety disorders; depression; or substance…

Attention Deficit Disorder: History, Symptoms, Treatment

Attention Deficit Disorder is a long and somewhat mysterious sounding name that tries to describe something you probably already call Hyperactivity. But, attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is much more that Hyperactivity. History of ADD In 1902 children who demonstrated many of the symptoms that are today part of attention deficit disorder would be described as…

Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Anorexia Nervosa: A condition characterized by intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese, as well as a distorted body image, leading to an excessive weight loss from restricting food intake and excessive exercise. Bulimia Nervosa: An eating disorder in which persistent over concern with the body weight and shape leads to repeat episodes of…

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder “is defined in the DSM IV, a manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose all mental disorders, as an AXIS II disorder which has symptoms of impulsively and emotional dysregulation” (Livesley 146). People with BPD have feelings of abandonment and emptiness, and have “frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, going to extremes to keep…