Neurodevelopmental Disorders

    The podcast was very interesting because it gave us two different perspectives on what ADHD is or might look like. I also liked the discussion on overdiagnosis. I found the graphic at the top of the page and it made me laugh because I thought, "is that not just describing people?" We all have different versions of ourselves that tend to show up at different times. It is from a BBC article about a woman who has been diagnosed with ADHD for about ten years. I don't know anything about her or her life, but I think representations like this and that were discussed in the podcast can be dangerous We all have some level of difficulty when it comes to paying attention, but that doesn't always mean it is ADHD. But many people may be misled into believing they have ADHD and take unnecessary medication or feel defeated by it. 

       I think it is especially dangerous for children. It can make a kid feel like there is something wrong with them. A diagnosis could help a kid get the educational services they need, but if it is a misdiagnosis, then they might be pulled out of class unnecessarily. Growing up believing that you can't do things and that you are different from everyone can be very dangerous. I come from a small school and my mom works in education, most of the teachers I interact with are pointing out ADHD symptoms to the parents to tell them to get their child services. No disrespect to teachers, but they should not be unofficially diagnosing kids with ADHD. However, most schools lack the proper resources and can get extra funding based on how many kids are diagnosed. I think ADHD is the next big task we will have to tackle as professionals and it is important for us to be trained well in it. 

    It is important for me to understand the complexities of ADHD because of my forensic work. Since kids with ADHD are more likely to get involved in the criminal justice system, it's very likely that there will be a lot of people undiagnosed. I haven't looked into too much, but there is not a major benefit to having a diagnosis while incarcerated, but it would be important to know during treatment. Some facilities offer GED or other educational services as well as treatment, so it would be helpful to have accurate diagnoses so people can be helped in the most effective way. 

Feeding Disorders

 I think a network analysis with bulimia and anorexia is very useful as it encompasses the variety of symptoms present. There are many factors that can contribute to an eating disorder that are not listed in the DSM and can easily be looked over. For example, diet culture could be a reinforcing element of anorexia nervosa but it would not be routinely identified in the biomedical model. Even within the network, the diet culture can have different levels of influence. When preparing for my presentation, I found many articles that discussed the cultural aspects of eating disorders. One article I found discussed anorexia in relation to ideas of femininity. The social standards of what it means to be a woman were a large indicator in the development of eating disorders. The study didn't just focus on unrealistic beauty standards, but also on the role a woman is supposed to take on. A successful woman is often portrayed as a multitasking, powerhouse that manages kids, a family, and a company. The authors argued that even this idea of "womanhood" contributes to eating disorders because of the stress levels put on women. Women may fall into a restrictive habit because they simply do not have time to eat lunch during the day.  I thought this was an interesting perspective. When working with clients, it would be important to assess their ideas on food and their relationship with eating. Food is fuel, so the less food that is being taken in, the less fuel someone has. A person's relationship with food can affect several other areas in their life for better or for worse. This is an area I don't have much research interest in, but I think there is a lot of clinical utility to assessing for eating disorders with a network model.