REFLECTIONS AND OPINIONS OF A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 2

Every single one of these chapters was developed at length and was kept simple and accessible The first chapter focuses on some “Anxiety Disorders” such as “Social Phobia”, a condition that could paralyze the individual suffering from it when he is placed in a social situation where he is being scrutinized. As a result of this the subject who becomes unable to perform to his full potential, is converted into a pathetic, lousy performer. “Reflections And Opinions Of A mental Health Professional” also describes some other anxiety disorders that focus on certain subjects who do have a universal fear involving every existing entity. They have a fear of height, bridges, elevators, animals, airplanes, blood to name a few items, This condition Known as: “Specific Phobia” is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in Women. The second Chapter on “Personality Disorders” describes certain personality disorders and talks about how, regardless of the psychological schools or the founders involved, the primary care taker or “Object”, is always at the center, of the solidly engrained maladaptation, resulting in the genesis of most personality disorders. This is the case whether we are dealing with “Self Psychology”, “Ego Psychology “or “Object Relation”. Whether we are dealing with the different schools mentioned above, the theorists who are their founders all emphasize the influence, the powerful impact of the “Object” in the genesis of these personality disturbances. Based on this assumption, “Reflections And Opinions Of A Mental Health Professional”2 describes some personality disorders such as: the “Avoidant Personality Disorder” which refers to an individual constantly dreaming and fantasizing about closed relationships but is way too scared to initiate that. The book also describes at length: the “Antisocial Personality Disorder”, another type of personality disorder, picturing a disgusting and appalling individual acting as a fake or impersonated gentleman, in order to fool people around him. The subject with “Paranoid Personality Disorder” perceives some threats and presents with a nagging insecurity, which seem to go on forever. The patient with “Schizoid Personality Disorder” with his dynamic of oddity was placed under the microscope. And his constantly displaying oddity to secure tranquility was his first line of defense. His success in keeping people away from him, by using this strategy was greatly emphasized. The Book pursued its exploration of personality disorders by scrutinizing the individual with “Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder” and its prominent feature of being an achiever, a perfectionist and workaholic. Pursuing its exploration of different personality disorders, the book elaborates on “Avoidant Personality Disorder” which was just described above, his constantly dreaming, longing and fantasizing about close relationships but at the same time avoiding it by fear of rejection and humiliation. The book switches gear and in the chapter on “Universal Concepts”, engages in the description of some universal concepts such as “Destiny”, “The Fascinations of Nature”, “Earthquake Disaster” and the never-ending stereotype toward mental illnesses. The book describes how, no matter what we do to avoid it, no matter what we put in line, we simply can’t escape our destiny. Sometime we desperately wish we could trick the course of time, in a helpless attempt to modify it. We would like to accomplish the impossible task of going back and reverse the course of time, in order to avoid the bad outcome, which was reserved to us. However this turn out to be wishful thinking, since this is an impossible unrealistic task. “Reflections And Opinions, Of A Mental Health Professional 2” describes in the Chapter on “Universal Concepts” as mentioned earlier, such interesting concepts like: “The fascinations of nature” and how one should be armed with a certain sensitivity in order to be captivated by the beauty of nature. When our mood spirals in a downward slope, the charms and the beauties of Nature exist as if they were not around. In the same chapter the book describes, how the catastrophe of an earthquake pushed an entire nation backward, by what seems to be like a century, destroying all its historic monuments and breaking the spirit of its people. Reflection and Opinions passionately argues in the Chapter on “Universal Concepts” how the ancient, erroneous conception about psychiatric illnesses, is still breathing strong in spite of the progress made in biological psychiatry over the years; and how some of us consciously or unconsciously enjoy keeping this sub-specialty of Medicine with an aura of mystery. The stigma toward mental illnesses seems to be going on forever. Moving on to the “Forensics Concepts”, the book can’t help wondering whether they will ever be a solution for these mass killing, and emphasizes the puzzling ongoing issue of violence. When one focuses on this issue, it seems like realistically, there will never be a solution. In the chapter on “Geriatric Concepts”, it went on to describe how most of us feel, as we get older; and look at our reflection in a mirror, and see the picture of an old man; an elderly individual who took over our youthful appearance. We feel we have been violated by the unstoppable passage of time. We feel like “a fish out of water”. However, there is nothing any of us can do against the natural evolution of the organic mater. The book continues its journey by commenting on sleep physiology and different categories of sleep disorders, in the chapter on “Sleep And Sleep Related Conditions” Reflections and Opinions describes in the chapter dedicated to “Cultural Matter”: “the Vodoo Divinities” and the “different subgroups of Loas” including: “The Group Rada”,“The Group Guede” and “The Group Petro”. The Book describes in details how “The Group Petro” predominately from the Congo is considered the most aggressive among the different groups of Vodoo Divinities and includes Divinities like:”Legba”,”Marassa”,”JeanPetro”,“ErzulieGerouge”, ”Simbi”,“Marinette” and “Makaya” among others. They represent the rage, the violence and the delirium that threw off slavery, in the Haitian revolution leading to the formation of the first Black Nation.