Biddick 2024 Spring Dual Enrollment Comp/Psych Discussions
Gina B: 1/31 Discussion Forum Psychology
Gina B: 2/6 Discussion Forum English Comp.
Gina B: 2/23 Discussion Forum Week-In-Review
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Many different factors can impact mental health. Using the linked article, explain what factors contributed to an estimated 25% increase in anxiety and depression following the COVID-19 pandemic. What should be done on different levels to address this?
Use the link above to write a 300-word response with textual evidence. Afterward, reply to at least 2 classmates (on their post directly). These replies should address what they have to say specifically – “I agree” or “I disagree” are not acceptable replies.
I hit “Reply” to the topic post to reply directly to the question posted by the teacher.
I hit “Reply” to my classmate’s specific post (NOT the overall class question) so that it showed up underneath that specific classmate’s post. When I did it that way, notice that it is a sub-post that shows up aligned slightly to the right and directly underneath the post that I am trying to respond directly to.
One of the main factors that contributed to an estimated 25% increase in anxiety and depression was the lack of mental care for individuals, especially face-to-face. In the article “COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide”, it was stated that majority of the provided services to mental health care were deeply disrupted which could even be shown in the results to usage of online services. Due to much of the support people received being online, it did not mean that everyone would be able to access it for their mental health. There were still plenty of people that either had no access to the internet, were in unsafe places where they could not express themselves truly, or were limited in their resources contributing to the increasing percentage of those with specific issues like anxiety and depression. In order to fix or at least make this issue less troublesome for those in need, organization and programs could give people the option to go to clinics and therapy sessions face-to-face, but masked. In addition, there could even be call centers established for people to talk to licensed psychiatrist anonymously if they wanted to.
I like this idea, I agree that this would’ve made these problems less severe for those people. More could’ve been done to ensure that people in need for help can get it when they need it.
I agree, people were struggling a lot during that time. It made people feel as if getting help wasn’t that beneficial to some people. And they could have done more to help ease people when it came to their mental health.
I agree with the response as it rightly emphasizes the impact of disrupted mental health services on the increase in anxiety and depression during the pandemic. The proposed solutions, including face-to-face options and anonymous call centers, seem practical and considerate of diverse needs.
Many factors contributed to the increase of mental health disorders during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These include stress from losing jobs, anxiety from the fear of getting sick, isolation, and many more. There are things that could’ve been done to reduce the harmful effects of these issues. For example, the government definitely could’ve done more to help the people that were losing their jobs. This in turn could reduce the anxiety that those people had. I also believe that the government could’ve been more transparent so that people wouldn’t have to have as much anxiety about getting sick. As for isolation, people have become more introverted over the past few years. Group therapy helps with that a lot. Also just having support groups is beneficial to reducing social anxiety. Reaching out to people is very important so you can check up on them and make sure they are feeling okay. Overall, what we needed then was for people to come together and help each other out.
I agree with your points. I like the fact that you touched on the stress and anxiety that people were feeling when they realized their jobs were on the line. In very serious and tough situations such as this one, I believe the government should definitely find ways to ensure that people are able to maintain working, supporting themselves, and supporting their families.
I agree with the response as it rightly identifies various factors contributing to mental health issues during the pandemic and suggests practical solutions, emphasizing the role of government support, transparency, and community engagement in alleviating the challenges people face.
The surge in anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed to various connecting factors. Firstly, the fear of infection and uncertainty about the future created a sense of helplessness. Social isolation resulting from lockdowns distributed feelings of loneliness. The article states, “Loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and for loved ones, grief after bereavement and financial worries have also all been cited as stressors leading to anxiety and depression.” Self-care practices, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep and mindfulness, contribute to mental resilience. Seeking professional help when needed is also a great way to go.
I agree with your response as well. I think during this time many people stopped finding ways to care for themselves which makes your tips of getting sleep, seeking professional help, and doing exercise very important.
I like that you put that people felt “a sense of helplessness”. I think that’s a really accurate way of putting it because people truly had no control over the situation whatsoever and just had to hope for the best.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, everybody was forced to do everything online for months. Although this sounds like a reasonable solution that may not have many bad effects on people at all, however this was not the case. As a result of being forced to remain indoors, unable to see others, lots of people began to develop anxiety and depression. The amount of people with anxiety and depression increased by 25% due to the pandemic. One cause for this is that many people lost their jobs due to COVID shutting businesses down. When someone has lost their source of income, even though they had unemployment coverage while the pandemic lasted, they had to find a new job afterward, which can be incredibly difficult, especially for this who had been in their job for years, or even decades. Also many people got incredibly ill or even passed away due to COVID, causing stress about one’s own health or their loved ones’, and being unable to talk with them in person certainly didn’t help their case. The people who developed mental disorders also often were at risk, women, or young people. The pandemic was especially bad in countries whose technology wasn’t as well developed because they couldn’t do everything online. The people affected in these countries had no contact whatsoever with their loved ones for as long as their countries were shut down, likely causing significantly worse effects on the people.
Social Isolation caused a drop in peoples mental health and it wasn’t until late in the pandemic that countries started to really pay attention to the mental health of their citizens. The pandemic made many people lose there jobs and added an even bigger lack of care for people in need of mental health treatment and counseling services. Things like allowing for more job openings in mental health can address the rise in mental health problems across the country. Accepting others despite their mental health struggles and not making them feel lesser than anyone else can also help to counter the mental health crisis.
I also think the fact that many people have been taught their entire lives that mental illness is shameful had a negative impact on them actually seeking help when they began to experience symptoms. Letting people know that their feelings are valid and understandable would really go a long way in helping them.
I agree with your points about the pandemic making people lose their jobs added a lack of care towards people with mental health problems, causing a bigger problem in the mental health struggle.
The factors that contributed to a 25% increase in anxiety and depression following COVID-19 pandemic are loneliness due to the lockdown, fear of infection, and fear of death for loved ones. Another two factors include exhaustion and a decline in health for people who had to work during the pandemic. A few more examples of leading causes to an increase in depression came from the prolonged social isolation, and financial struggles from having to take time from their job or getting fired. Lack of social support is another large factor in the increase of depression and anxiety during the pandemic and even with online support, problems still came with it that caused people to be stressed.
The way you formatted this is excellent. Really puts into perspective how much the pandemic affected people and why.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in mental health. Mainly anxiety and depression being the main factors, people were scared of what would happen to their jobs, family members, themselves, and how much it would change lives. People with mental health issues or went through things that led to mental health issues felt affected the most. This also contributed to getting help, feeling stress, and risk of being in the middle of a pandemic that affected their health.
In the article discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, it was revealed that the global prevalence of anxiety and depression surged by a substantial 25% during the initial year of the pandemic (“COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide”). The profound stress induced by factors like social isolation, hindrances in work and seeking support, coupled with experiences of loneliness, fear, grief, and financial concerns, contributed significantly to the escalation of mental health issues.
A noteworthy aspect outlined in the article is the varying impact on certain demographic groups. Young people emerged as particularly vulnerable, with an increased risk of suicidal and self-harming behaviors. Additionally, women were found to be more severely affected than men, and individuals with pre-existing physical health conditions, such as asthma, cancer, and heart disease, were more likely to develop symptoms of mental disorders.
The article underlines the critical need for heightened attention to mental health on a global scale. While countries have recognized the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and are taking steps to provide support, there is a clear call for increased investment in mental health resources. The chronic global shortage of mental health resources, revealed by WHO’s Mental Health Atlas in 2020, emphasizes the urgency for countries to act swiftly to ensure mental health support is available to all (“COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide”).
You’ve highlighted the multifaceted nature of this issue, touching on the emotional, social, economic, and structural aspects that have impacted mental health globally. Your suggestions for addressing these challenges at the individual, community, and policy levels provide a comprehensive framework for promoting mental health and well-being in the wake of the pandemic.
Stephen King is a prolific author (50+ novels and counting) who gives advice on how reading influences writing.
https://kami.app/w9r-CL4-f9Y-bKU
How does King explain that writing is deeply connected to reading – how does reading impact your writing? What do you learn from reading good writing vs. reading bad writing? What does the anecdote about his son Owen teach us about pursuing one’s ambitions? Do you agree with King’s opinions? What are your experiences with reading and writing in the past? Did any part of what he wrote in this PDF strike you as interesting or noteworthy? What’s your favorite quote from this excerpt and why?
Respond in 2-3 paragraphs to any or all of the questions above. Afterward, reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ posts following the discussion forum expectations.
King explains that you cannot be a writer unless you are a reader. He claims this because reading good writings gives you knowledge on how you want to write your stories, and reading bad writings gives you an idea of what you want to avoid at all costs. For example, if someone characterizes their characters well by giving them dynamic personalities, allowing them to grow throughout the story, interacting with others in a fitting way, etc. and you like how well the character is portrayed, you will remember that story and those characterizations for a long time and even subconsciously, or intentionally, include elements of that into your own stories. On the other hand, if you read a story about a character who had virtually no personality at all and was not characterized well, you will remember that and how much you disliked the story and character and avoid making a similar mistake in your own stories later on.
I definitely agree with King’s opinions in the sense that reading others’ writings is just as important as, or maybe even more important than, depending on your learning style, taking a high leveled and very knowledgeable class on how to properly write a plot and characters. When reading others’ writings, you subconsciously, or even consciously, pick up on a lot of the elements of writings that you either like or dislike and keep a note of them. You regurgitate these memories into your own writings, creating better writing than you would have done before. This is a huge reason why writing has gradually gotten better over centuries.
I liked how you phrased the act of taking in the writing of other people and applying it to your own. I find writing to be a lot easier when there’s an example to go off of, or at least having an idea of things that I would like to incorporate or prevent getting into my writing after viewing others’.
When reading good writing, you can learn a lot about effective communication and storytelling. Good writing often exhibits strong structure, clarity of thought, and good language. It can inspire you to improve your own writing skills and help you understand how to effectively convey ideas and emotions to your readers. On the other hand, reading bad writing can also be a valuable learning experience. It can help you identify common mistakes, such as poor grammar, weak arguments, or confusing narratives. By analyzing what makes bad writing ineffective, you can gain insights into what to avoid in your own work. It can also make you more critical and discerning as a reader, allowing you to appreciate good writing more.
I definitely agree that things such as grammar can be learned from reading others’ writings. For example if you see the way something is phrased in a book and have to read it multiple times understand it, you will likely remember not to phrase sentences like that in your own writing.
I fully agree with the points you made especially about how reading bad writing can improve the way you write. If you’re reading something and can tell that the writing is not fitting together or there’s too many mistakes, you’re likely to start catching them in your own writing as well.
Stephen King explains writing is connected by reading because they both help you learn the benefits of good writing. As well as, the important parts of a story when you read it. Mainly how it can allow you to achieve good writing and understand where necessary details are due. It also allows you to know the different between someone who knows how to write a good story and someone who writes something that makes you question most of what you are reading in the story. Reading also expands our style of writing and different genres that can also be a important in writing.
I don’t read a lot, but sometimes I get involved in certain genres I like. I’ve expanded my genres over the years and depends on what I’m reading to really enjoy it. I don’t have much experience in writing besides when I wrote some short stories for an english class.
King explains how writing is deeply connected to reading by using a past experience where he read a book, and witnessed there being an excessive use of a specific word. This reading experience made him think about how reading a lot helps the process of seeking out these kinds of mistakes in writing. Once the mistakes are caught, the writer can find better ways to tell whatever story they want without doing a massive disservice to themselves or the audience.
In my own experience, I recently learned that there’s been an increase in bad writing; people are starting to value quantity more than quality in not just the amount of books they produce, but the contents of them. I have seen many books receive ton of hype because of the authors relying on multiple tropes to drive the attention to their book. As I actually read them, I realize their writing suffered because they did not seem to be writing to tell a cohesive or even good story, just a popular one. Reading the many books that were badly written has only made it easier to recognize the authors that truly put time, care, and effort into their works. They don’t write for the audience to gush about the main characters and their actions, but write for the audience to understand human complexity. This is why I completely agree with King on the idea that in order to become a good writer, you have to continue to read and put hard work into your craft.
Reading can impact your writing in many ways. Reading makes you smarter, everyone knows that. It also makes you a better writer too. By being a good reader you can understand how to structure your writing more efficiently. From my experience, I’m a better writer than reader. I feel as if I can organize my thoughts better than I can pay attention to a book.
There are some things that could potentially benefit your writing. That includes reading bad writing. Reading bad writing can help you spot the mistakes in someone’s writing so that you can catch those mistakes early in your own writing.
Reading good writing is also good for writing because it allows you to read smoothly and fully understand it, which in turn helps your writing to improve.
Stephen King stresses the vital link between reading and writing, urging aspiring writers to immerse themselves in both activities extensively. He emphasizes the educational value of reading, suggesting that it not only offers enjoyment but also serves as a crucial learning process for writers. King advocates for learning from both good and bad writing, asserting that exposure to poorly written work can provide valuable lessons on what to avoid in one’s own writing. His anecdote about his son Owen underlines the importance of pursuing activities that bring fulfillment, rather than solely focusing on talents that may not align with one’s interests.
I largely agree with King’s views on the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing. As a writer myself, I’ve found that extensive reading has significantly shaped my writing style and approach. Learning from a diverse range of literature, both exemplary and flawed, has been instrumental in refining my craft. King’s emphasis on the importance of joy and passion in creative endeavors resonates with me, as I believe that genuine enthusiasm is essential for meaningful artistic expression. His insights highlight the transformative power of reading and reinforce the idea that writing is not just a skill but a deeply personal and fulfilling pursuit.
Stephen King explains that reading people’s work is deeply connected to writing your own work because it can teach you about different writing styles and improving individual things in your writing. These things include creating believable characters and plot development. Reading Bad writing benefits by teaching what not to do, while good writing benefits you by showing you how to improve your writing and make it more enjoyable to the reader. King talks about his son learning tenor saxophone and how his practicing habits allow him to learn only to certain extent, his son played the sax for completing his lessons but not for his own enjoyment. King compares this to writing practices, noting how reading has to be constantly practiced and enjoyed to create a sense of ease when it comes to writing. I personally agree with King’s opinions on practice because it applies to more things in life besides writing.
Think about your DE classes – Write one (or more) question, comment, or concern about one or both of the classes that you have as this week ends.
Afterward, reply to at least 2 classmates on this forum.
I don’t think she’s given us a set date yet. I believe she said she’d make one for next week though, which makes sense since she said the final draft (I believe she was talking about) was due March 5.
My biggest problem with dual enrollment classes in general is that I never remember to check Canvas for assignments. I’m used to teachers telling us when they assign things, and while most of my professors tell us when they assign things most of the time, not all of them do. As a result I often don’t do assignments until past due because I genuinely did not know they existed. Anyone else also have this problem?
I can see where things can just get lost. My advice is to not stress about things. Always remember that things will get done eventually. Make it a habit to check canvas every night before bed maybe.
I was afraid of having this problem so I downloaded the Canvas app. It basically gives you live updates of everything the instructor posts and shows you what isn’t done yet. If you have an Iphone, it’ll even keep a red dot on the app so you know to check.
Definitely my biggest gripe as well. At least we get notifications for assignments when they get posted in google classroom. Can’t say the same for canvas. I also find Canvas to be so convoluted and hard to navigate that I end up wasting more time looking for things.
I don’t really have any questions or concerns, but I am curious as to what the future major essays are going to look like for English Comp. I wonder what the instructions for those essays might be.
Overall I’m just really excited about getting started with these courses. I absolutely love psychology. Mental health is very important to me, so I’m super excited to learn more about it as the semester moves forward. As for English Comp, I’m also very ecstatic about that class as well. In my opinion, her class is very relaxing. I enjoy it because writing is something I’m good at, so I like it. In all, I’m so excited for these courses.
I agree, both classes are pretty relaxed as far as the work and classes go.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy these classes. :) I also love psychology and writing, so these classes are enjoyable for me as well.
I think English Comp depending on the work. Overall I like the class, but maybe as we get more into it the work might change.
Think about your DE classes – Write one (or more) question, comment, or concern about one or both of the classes that you have as this week ends.
Afterward, reply to at least 2 classmates on this forum.
I don’t really have any concerns or questions regarding class right now, but I do want to know what’s been everyone’s favorite topic in Psychology if we’ve gotten to it. My favorite so far has been perception and the way our brains take in things like optical illusions.
I think the inability to recognize faces has been the most fascinating to me because they can have totally normal memory but cannot remember specifically whose face belongs to which person.
I love when we talk about mental health. As someone who has some mental health issues, I find it so interesting to learn about why things happen and how to deal with it. All my life my parents didn’t talk to me about my mental health and how I’m doing, so to have a whole course dedicated to learning more about the brain and myself is beyond great for me.
I don’t have any specific questions about anything. However, I’m just excited to see what we cover next in our courses. It’s been very interesting so far. I love psychology class and learning about that so I’m wondering what we will talk about next. As for english comp, I’m excited to figure out what our next prompt will be. I really enjoyed writing about my belief.
I really liked writing about my belief as well. I hope we do more writings like that in the future.
I agree with your view on the classes, they have been pretty interesting so far. I also like the activity about writing what we believed in. It was nice to see what everyone put for those and helped me get to know you guys more.
I’m just curious what you guys personally think- how many more writing assignments do you think we’ll have? I enjoy doing them, but I also know that the course ends at the end of April, and we just had our first official writing assignment a month in and only have about a month and a half left.
Reflect on today’s topics from Psych Ch 4.
Which of the topics, terms, or concepts did you find most interesting? Explain it in your own words.
Which of the topics, terms, etc. did you still have questions about? Give at least 1 question that your classmate(s) can clarify.
Afterward, respond to at least 2 classmates – focus on the questions to help out with any confusion.
I liked talking about the different stages of consciousness. The altered-state of consciousness is very interesting to me and I’m excited to learn more about it. I also liked learning about the reason why we sleep and the idea of why we dream. The idea that we dream because of memory purposes is very fascinating to me.
I thought the altered state was really cool too!! I also really like the name- it has a very cool sound to it.
I thought it was really fascinating how we have different stages of sleep, and I really found it interesting how we dream during R.E.M., during which our body is paralyzed. If we wake up during this, we experience sleep paralysis, which is a really terrifying experience (I’ve experienced it a few times before, but I’ve also experienced it in a dream too!). Are we only able to dream during R.E.M.? I know we almost always do, but I wasn’t sure if that was the only time we could.
I thought it was really cool how we have 5 different stages of sleep too. I also think it’s cool how we dream in REM. I think it’s weird though. Like why are my eyes rapidly moving?
I also found the different stages of sleep quite interesting as well as the causes of sleep paralysis. It’s kind of crazy to know that interrupting the brain’s process can lead to something like that.
I found sleep disorders to be the most interesting topic so far considering they are fairly common such as Insomnia. Insomnia is a condition where an individual has a very hard time getting to sleep or even staying asleep throughout the night. My question would be for the sleep stages and reading a EEG. How can you completely tell the difference between similar stages like 3 and 4?
I found the topic of sleeping and dreaming interesting. Mainly how the brain works during the REM state and when people dream. Including how over time the amount of sleep we get changes by a lot depending. One question I have is why do people sometimes wake up at weird hours of the night even when the mobility part of the brain hasn’t become aware of it yet?
I thought the way R.E.M. affected our brain was fascinating as well.
The term I found most interesting was hypnosis, a focused state of heightened suggestibility where individuals may experience altered perceptions and behaviors. I found it the most interesting because the advantages and disadvantages were prevalent such as creating amnesia or relieving pain, but not giving superhuman strength or reliably enhancing memory. My question would also be regarding hypnosis, how effective is it compared to traditional therapy methods?
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