Get the Crud out of Your Blood

Sadly, this is my last Unit in my favorite class, Cure. In this last unit, we learned about prevention of diseases. We didn't have very much time to complete this unit, so we did some math concepts like probability, to relate to the probability of contracting diseases and medications working. We also created a family tree for ourselves to look t any diseases that are present in our family. I liked this activity because I got to learn more about my family and what they were affected by. For our field experiences, we had a certified Yoga Nidra instructor come in and guide us through a meditation session. This was to show us alternative ways of healing other than medication or surgery which we covered in our previous unit. I thought this session was relaxing, although, I couldn't really get into the meditation but I enjoyed seeing ways of healing that I am unaware of. For this action project, we combined pretty much everything we learned in Disease and Cure. We were essentially playing doctor. We had to create a patient profile for a fictional person, that could be based on someone real. For my purposes, I chose someone fake. In this profile, we had to discuss their history, their main concerns and the reason for a consultation. We had to make recommendations to the patient about their lifestyle, their diet, and other therapies we wanted them to do. I chose to create someone with a risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms (PE) because I am very interested in vascular surgery.

In the end, I am very sad that this class is over, as it was my favorite I have ever taken at GCE, and probably will ever take. I am so grateful I got to participate and share my knowledge. I really liked this action project because it was a very nice closure to both Disease and Cure. It incorporated most things and really had us show off what we learned in these classes. I had some trouble with making up a person for this project because the original person was based off a real person who had a rare syndrome but it didn't really affect his life so it would have been hard to do. I am very sad that this class is over, but I toughly enjoyed it, and I am very proud of all the work I have done.

Feminism Throughout Time

In our last humanities class for sophomore year, Drama, we read Henrick Ibsen's "A Dolls House." We read this in the same format as we did with Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." We would read an act or a scene and then have a quiz on the play. Once we were finished with the play, we watched the movie version of "A Dolls House." I really liked the movie and thought it stayed very true to the play. It was almost word for word. I enjoyed "A Dolls House" a lot. It was shorter than "The Taming of the Shrew," and the language was much easier to understand. I thought maybe we should have read "A Dolls House" First to get used to reading scripts, and then gone onto "The Taming of the Shrew" which was more difficult to read."A Doll's House" takes place in the late 1800s in Norway. It is about a woman who is controlled by her husband and keeps a secret from him. He then finds out the secret and is upset, but after learning it would be ok, he forgives her. This causes her to see how badly he treats her and she leaves him. For this unit, we went to the Goodman Theater in Chicago to get a tour of their stage, and then to work on our plays with some of their staff. I thought these field experiences were helpful, but not very fun. For this action project, we were randomly paired up. I was paired with IF and ZG. You can see their blogs here and here. We had to write a script discussing feminism throughout different times. This was a daunting task, but with 2 other people, it was fairly straightforward. We then filmed up acting out the play.

In the end, I liked this project. It was very daunting at first, but with partners, it was fairly easy to split up the work so we were not overwhelmed. I liked the creative process of writing the play, and it was also very fun to act out the play. The most difficult part was to get good lighting and audio in the video. I am happy with how this turned out, and I really liked the action projects in Drama.

Put Pain in its Place

For our second unit in our STEAM class Cure, we learned about different treatments and medicines. We studied how different drugs affect the body and how medicines are different from medicaments. Medicaments refer to just the drug that is taken, but medicine can refer to the whole practice. We learned about the different categories of medicaments and how they work inside the body.

For one of our field experience days, we did a miracle berry lab. This is when we took miracle berry capsules and tried different foods. The miracle berry is a berry that blocks the sour taste receptors in your tongue, so sour food can taste sweet. We did this to study the lock and key mechanism. The berry's molecular structure fits right into the tongue's sour receptors. This helped us better understand how medicaments work, and to experience it in our own body. We tried different food like salt and vinegar chips, pickles, and even hot sauce with and without the miracle berry to compare the taste. They worked a lot better than I thought they would, and it was a very fun experience.

 For this action project, we had to choose a symptom to study. I chose post-surgical pain because I am very interested in surgery. We then had to research three treatments for the symptom, one prescription, one over the counter, and one remedy or behavior. I chose Oxycodone, Tylenol, and Bromelain. We then had to create a medicine box to show our research. We created drug facts for each of the treatments and made a comparison of the three. I really liked this action project because I got to learn more about surgical pain management which is something I have not studied very much. I love to study surgery, but this project opened my eyes to the recovery process.

CM "Surgical Pain." (2018)

CM "Oxycodone" (2018)

CM "Tylenol" (2018)

CM "Bromelain" (2018)

CM "Comparison" (2018)

CM "Ingredients" (2018)

The reason I chose to put the pictures of the molecular structure of the medicaments is to help explain the "lock and key" mechanism. The lock and key mechanism shows how well medicaments work based on their molecular structure. If a medicament has a molecular structure that fits into the body's molecular structure nicely, like a key fits into a lock, then usually, the medicament will work better. An example would be Advil, which is a pain reliever. Advil blocks the pain receptors by sending itself into the receptors and blocking their signals, stopping the body from receiving pain signals, and reducing pain.

In the end, I liked this project as it was more hands-on than most projects. I actually got to make something rather than make a digital slideshow or video like normal. I liked researching these medicaments, but it could be challenging to find good information. It was also a little challenging calculating the price per dose, as doses can be different than the price of the bottle. I am very proud of how the box came out, and I am very sad to be ending this class soon, as it was easily my favorite class of all time.

Works Cited:

“Bromelain.” Health Line.com. Health Line Media. N.d. https://www.healthline.com/health/bromelain

Cintron, Lynn M.D. M.S. “Persistent Postsurgical Pain.” Practical Pain Management.com. Vertical Heath. 19, June 2017. https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/persistent-postsurgical-pain?page=0,1

Erikson, Kim. “Natural Healing After Surgery.” Mother Earth Living.com. Ogden Publications Inc. January, 2003. https://www.motherearthliving.com/Health-and-Wellness/Operation-Recovery

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Pain Medication After Surgery.” Mayo Clinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 30, June 2017. https://www.mayoclinic.org/pain-medications/art-20046452

“Oxycontin.” Good Rx.com. Good Rx Inc. 2018. https://www.goodrx.com/oxycontin

“Oxycontin.” RxList.com. Rxlist Inc. 6, January 2017. https://www.rxlist.com/oxycontin-drug.htm#clinpharm

“Regular Strength Tylenol.” Tylenol.com. Johnson & Johnson Inc. n.d. https://www.tylenol.com/products/tylenol-regular-strength-tablets#directions

“Tylenol.” Rxlist.com. Rxlist Inc. 4, December 2017. https://www.rxlist.com/tylenol-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Is Kate Really a Shrew?

In Drama, our 3rd sophomore humanities class, we read Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." I have never read this play, and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. We read an online version and all picked out parts and read each act and scene. After each scene, we took a test. I liked this format of picking the roles and reading the play. We discussed the gender roles of the play and the patriarchal society at the time, as the play takes place in Italy in the 1500's. We were asked to write down words that we do not recognize throughout the play. We then would define them and put them into our glossary. For this AP, we had to write a sonnet about a character. We looked at different sonnets that Shakespeare wrote. A sonnet is a kind of poem that follows these specific guidelines: It has to have 14 lines, 10 syllables for each line and has 3 quartets or stanzas of 4 lines, and a rhyming couplet at the end, which is 2 lines that rhyme at the end. A sonnet also follows the iambic pentameter or a rhyme scheme. This says that either every other line rhymes or the 2 in the middle and the 2 on the ends rhyme. I chose to do it the second way, mostly because that was how my first lines came out, and you have to stick with the same rhyme scheme through the whole sonnet. I decided to write to Kate, one of the main characters in the play who is being tamed by her husband. I wanted to tell her that she should not let him push her around and that she was fine the way she was behaving.I thought that it was wrong that Petruchio (Kate's husband) was manipulating Kate and telling her that she was wrong about everything. This just shows how much of a patriarchal society everyone was living in.

Here is a video of me performing my Sonnet

Here is the sonnet. The bold words are my vocabulary words. The quote is one I found in the play.

Dearest Kate, I have heard of your story.

I understand your situation well.

You were a shrewish wench straight out of hell.

Being sassy, you were in your glory.

Petruchio is not a gentleman.

There was nothing wrong with the way you talked.

You were so strong and sure, everyone gawked.

He only wants you to be feminine.

You should not have let him be a rudesby.

He only wants to manipulate you.

You should not have let him take your mind too 

"By this reck’ning, he is more shrew than she.”

Prithee, do not let him beguile you too.

For Petruchio wants to tame a shrew.

In the end, I liked this action project. I was very unsure about poetry, as I am usually not very good, but I found this kind of poetry to be fun and fairly simple. I liked having to find words that rhyme, and also having to use our own vocabulary words. I think my biggest challenge was starting to write the sonnet. This was because I doubted myself in what I could do, but once I got the first few lines, I was able to do the rest pretty easily. I am most proud of how the poem came out, and how I tied in all the words to make it sound nice. 

What is a Carotid Endarterectomy?

In the first unit of our 3rd sophomore STEAM class called "Cure," we learned about surgery, kind of. I have been looking forward to this class since the beginning of freshman year. I could not wait to flaunt my extensive surgical knowledge. To my disappointment, we did not really talk about surgery in the first unit. We still have to do this action project though. In our first unit, we learned about cells and cell reproduction and division, as well as conic sections, which I am not sure how that relates to the class, but they are very fun. We took an FE to the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago. I love this museum. It is in a beautiful old house on Lake Shore Drive. We got a tour of the museum and then got to explore it on our own. For this project, we had to pick a surgery and analyze it. I went all out and actually did the surgery which I am very proud of. We had to make a slideshow and explain all the organs, tissues, and cells affected by the surgery. I had a really hard time deciding which surgery to do. I choose a carotid endarterectomy because it is a cool procedure but it is not super complicated.

I really wanted to go all out for this AP, so I decided to use my surgical app called "Touch Surgery." I found this app about a year ago and it has greatly improved my skills and understanding of different procedures. I used the screen record on my phone and then recorded a voice memo and overlayed it onto the video. I think it came out really great. 

If you would like to view the script of the video, you can use this link.

In the end, this is definitely my favorite action project I have ever done. I am disappointed in the lack of surgery talk in class, but we still got to do this project. I struggled with choosing a surgery, and I did doubt myself several times throughout the process, but I am happy with the procedure. I had a lot of trouble with recording the video. I didn't realize that the screen capture on the iPhone does not record audio, so I was talking to my phone for an hour like an idiot. I also had trouble with the screen capture working, as it would keep shutting off in the middle of the procedure. In the end, I am very proud of this project, but I still wonder if I could have done more.


Works Cited:

Alberts, Bruce. “Blood Vessels and Endothelial Cells.” NCIB.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26848/

“Cell Anatomy.” Home Science Tools.com. Home Science Tools. n.d. https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/anatomy-of-a-cell-science-lesson/

Dr. Pounds, C, Lori. “Carotid Endarterectomy.” Vascular.org. Society for Vascular Surgery. n.d. https://vascular.org/patient-resources/vascular-treatments/carotid-endarterectomy#description

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Carotid Endarterectomy.” Mayo Clinic.org. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 3, April 2018. ttps://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/carotid-endarterectomy/about/pac-20393379

“What is a carotid endarterectomy?” My Cleveland Clinic.org. Cleveland Clinic. n.d. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16849-carotid-endarterectomy

All Books are Not Created Equal

In the final unit of our class Forbidden Books, we learned about censorship. We did not do an action project for Unit 2 because our teacher thought this project was more important. In the 3rd unit, we learned about the censorship of books. We read Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian." We had weekly book clubs to discuss the book. We visited our local public radio station, WBEZ, to meet with their south-side correspondent Natalie Moore. Ms. Moore wrote a book about the South-Side that was banned in Illinois prisons. We talked with her about what it was like to be an author of a banned book. At the beginning of this class, we chose one of five banned books. The options were: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Animal Farm by George Orwell. Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I chose The Outsiders because it is one of my favorite books of all time. We then had to read the book and write an essay about why it was banned. I liked this project because it was challenging. We don't write essays that often, and I like writing them. I am proud of how it came out and happy that I got to write about my favorite book.

TheeErin. "“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” (1972) Flickr. Web. 23, March 2018.

CM

Forbidden Books

16 March 2018

The Censorship of The Outsiders

Imagine a writer working hard for years on a book that she is so proud of. She can’t wait to get it out into the world for everyone to read it. Just as she thinks she has made it, her book is banned all across the country for its explicit nature. This is actually very common all across the world and has happened for a very long time. S.E. Hinton was only 16 years old when she started writing her famous novel The Outsiders in 1967. This book follows the lives of teenagers in a gang in Tulsa, OK in the 1960s. Their gang is called the Greasers. They are rivals of the gang the Socs. The main character is Ponyboy Curtis, who is the youngest member of the gang. Ponyboy’s brothers are Sodapop and Darry. Their parents were killed in a car accident leaving Darry, the oldest, to look after the brothers. One day, the Socs beat up Johnny (who is another member of the Greasers) and Ponyboy which ends up with Johnny killing one of the Socs in self-defense. The Greasers then have to go into hiding to try to run away from their crimes. Some of the Greasers try to deal with the consequences, some of the Greasers become heroes, and some end up having a tragic end. This book’s main theme is the importance of family and sticking together. Ponyboy and his brothers have to figure out their lives as they try to cope with their parents' deaths and the actions of the other gang members. This book was censored because it depicted underaged drinking, smoking, and drug use. It is also very violent with many graphic fight scenes depicted. Many churches also banned this book because it went against the Christian path. Even though there is violence and illegal activities, The Outsiders should not be banned in schools or churches.

The Outsiders was banned in schools and churches because of its depiction of underage drinking, smoking and drug use. It is also violent and describes gory fight scenes. The book was first challenged in 1986 in a school district in Milwaukee Wisconsin when the book was put on an 8th-grade reading list. It was banned because according to the University of Tulsa, “Drug and alcohol abuse was common and virtually all the characters were from broken homes”(Rosenthal). It was later challenged in a Boone, Iowa school district because of the “Glamorizing drug and alcohol use and uses obsessive violence and obscenity” (Rosenthal). It was then challenged in a West Virginia middle school because of its depictions of gang violence. The Outsiders was also banned in many churches around the country because of all the depictions described above, which could lead the readers to fall out of the “Christian path” (Rosenthal). This book was banned mostly for political and religious reasons.

The Outsiders was banned for many reasons that were stated before. These reasons can be explained with quotes directly from the book. In this first quote, Johnny and Ponyboy are hanging out at the park late at night smoking. They then see some of the Socs come into the park. One of the Socs, Bob, shoves Ponyboy’s head into the fountain, almost drowning him. Johnny feels that Bob will kill Ponyboy, so he pulls his switchblade and stabs Bob. Johnny said, “‘I killed him," he said slowly. "I killed that boy" (Hinton 48) Ponyboy describes, “Bob, the handsome Soc, was lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still. A dark pool was growing from him, spreading slowly over the blue white cement. I looked at Johnny's hand. He was clutching his switchblade, and it was dark to the hilt. My stomach gave a violent jump and my blood turned icy”’(Hinton 48). This quote is controversial because it shows gang violence and describes emotional trauma and gory details.The next quote is from when Johnny and Ponyboy run away to Windrixville and hide out in an abandoned church. They are trying to hide from their crimes. In this quote, Ponyboy describes the fifth day of hiding out. They have had barely anything to eat and have smoked many cigarettes. Ponyboy said, “On the fifth day I had read up to Sherman's siege of Atlanta in Gone with the Wind, owed Johnny a hundred and fifty bucks from poker games, smoked two packs of Camels, and as Johnny had predicted, got sick. I hadn't eaten anything all day; and smoking on an empty stomach doesn't make you feel real great. I curled up in a corner to sleep off the smoke” (Hinton 68). This quote is controversial because it depicts underaged minors smoking and starving themselves. Ponyboy describes the effects of not eating much for days and smoking two packs of cigarettes, and how that makes the body feel. This is another reason why some people find The Outsiders controversial.

Even though many schools, churches, and people have banned or challenged The Outsiders, and they do have a good reason, this book should not be banned. The first reason is that this book teaches a valuable life lesson. The main overarching theme of the book is being loyal to family and trusting loved ones. This is a valuable life lesson that can be taken away. Secondly, all of the topics that are seen as “controversial” are all real-world topics and issues that come up in a teen’s life. Sheltering teens away from these “bad” behaviors won’t make them not want to do it, it will just make them uneducated about the subject and more likely to endanger themselves. Lastly, banning books is a bad way to keep ideas out of people’s minds. Deciding whether something is worthy or not for people to see is ridiculous. People should be able to decide for themselves if they want to read things. S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders spoke to Willamette Weekly. When asked about the controversial topics in her book Hinton said, “In the beginning sometimes it was banned—just from parents seeing the book's cover and not reading the book. Teachers said to students, "Take the book home and read it." Nowadays grandparents share it with their grandchildren.” (Korfhage) Authors of banned books also have an opinion on their books being banned.

Even if The Outsiders is banned in different places, it doesn't change that fact that it is a good classic young adult novel, and many people enjoy it. Books have been banned and censored for a long time. banning books has existed throughout history because even people thousands of years ago had an agenda about what people could and could not read. Things might be banned historically in different places for different reasons just like today. This agenda has carried onto today. Not everyone is going to agree on what people can and cannot see. Nowadays, with the internet and television, we have many different kinds of censorship. Whether it is bleeping out curse words in TV, or putting age restrictions on movies, people are letting other people decide for themselves what they can and cannot see. The Outsiders still should not be banned because it does have a wholesome message, and is not nearly as violent and gory as some other books and media in the world today.

Works Cited

Baldassarro, Wolf R. “Banned Books Awareness: The Outsiders.” World.edu. Global Education Network. May 8, 2011. http://world.edu/banned-books-awareness-outsiders/

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York City: Viking Press, 1967. Print.

Korfhage, M. “Outsiders Author S.E. Hinton Talks Matt Dillon, and Why Everybody Keeps Showing Her Their Tattoos.” Willamette Weekly. May 16, 2017. http://www.wweek.com/uncategorized/2017/05/16/outsiders-author-s-e-hinton-talks-matt-dillon-and-why-everybody-keeps-showing-her-their-tattos/

Rosenthal, K. “Banned Books: Young Adult Novels.” University of Tulsa. March 13, 2014. http://orgs.utulsa.edu/spcol/?p=3254


In conclusion, I really liked this project. I enjoy writing essays, and it is alwaus very rewarding when they are finished. I really liked being able to read and write about by favorite book. I have never really thought about my positions on banned books before. After this project, I now think censoring books is ridicuous. People should decide for themselves what they do and don't want to read.

How Does it Feel to Have PTSD?

In our second Unit of our STEAM course, Disease, we learned about mental disorders. This Unit was about the mind. We learned about different kinds of mental disorders, learning disabilities, and mental illness. We also learned about different brain waves and when they manifest. We used this information to learn how to plot these waves on a graph and solve a piecewise function. Another thing we learned about was the DSM-5 This is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. This is a manual of many mental disorders that have criteria used to diagnose people. We had a 2nd-year medical student come in and talk to us about diagnosing and talking to patients. I really liked this experience and got to show off my medical knowledge. For this project, we had to pick a mental disorder. I chose Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. We then had to create a lesson and simulation to try to get our peers to feel the effects of the disorder. We also had to graph the brain waves that we thought our lesson would provoke. We then graphed these as a piecewise function. We filmed the lesson so we could document the experience. I thought this action project was fun. I thought it was different than the usual slideshow or essay. We also got to see everyone else do their simulation.

CM. Flyer. (2018)

My definition of PTSD would be: PTSD is a disorder in which a person has triggering flashbacks, memories, dreams, or hallucinations about a traumatic event in their past. According to the Veterans Association: "PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault."

PTSD can be very difficult to live with. I wanted to find out what it was like to take care of someone with PTSD. I found an interview with a woman named Rebecca McCoy. Her husband Craig was diagnosed with PTSD. She states, “I basically guide him through each day, do things that he cannot do for himself or help him complete the tasks he cannot finish on his own. I am his primary emotional support, the person who he can talk to openly. I also help him realize and remember that he is worth the fight PTSD brings." This quote shows how hard it is for people who take care of someone with PTSD is. Rebecca and Craig's relationship is much different now that he has been diagnosed with PTSD.

According to the DSM-5 here are 3 criteria for diagnosing PTSD:

Criterion A: stressor

The person was exposed to: death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, as follows: (one required)

1. Direct exposure.
2. Witnessing the trauma, in person.
3. Indirectly, by learning that a close relative or close friend was exposed to trauma.

Indirect exposure to aversive details of the event(s), usually in the course of professional duties (e.g., first responders, collecting body parts; professionals repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse).

Criterion B: intrusion symptoms

The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in the following way(s): (one required)

1. Intrusive thoughts: Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive memories. Note: Children older than six may express this symptom in repetitive play.
2. Nightmares. Note: Children may have frightening dreams without content related to the trauma(s).
3. Dissociative reactions (e.g., flashbacks) which may occur on a continuum from brief episodes to complete loss of consciousness. Note: Children may reenact the event in play
4. Intense or prolonged distress after exposure to traumatic reminders.
5. Marked physiologic reactivity after exposure to trauma-related stimuli.

Criterion C: avoidance

Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli after the trauma, in the following way(s): (one required)

1. Trauma-related thoughts or feelings.
2. Trauma-related external reminders (e.g., people, places, conversations, activities, objects, or situations).

Different parts of the brain are affected by PTSD. The parts of the brain that are most affected are the stress response centers like the Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Prefrontal Cortex. These are the areas of the brain that have Norepinephrine and Cortisol systems. These systems are known to have a dysregulated function after years of stress, according to US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

Below is my lesson plan for my simulation. You can follow this so you can also host your own simulation.

For my simulation, I decided to turn PTSD into something good. I didn't want to actually scare anyone or do something that might be traumatic. I decided to ask them about the happiest day of their lives. I asked them to think about all the sensory details they could think of from that day like, what was the weather like, what were the smells, what food did you eat, etc. I had people relax and think about this for a couple minutes. I then told them this is what PTSD could feel like. I then told them about PTSD and why this simulation relates to the disorder. I told them: "What if this day that you were thinking about was the worst day of your life?" I told them that PTSD is like repeating the worst day of your life over and over again. I then had them reflect on the experience and what it would be like to actually have PTSD.

Here is the graph of the expected brain waves of my peers throughout the activity.

CM 'Piecewise Function" (2018)

For the graph, I put the 5 brain waves on the graph. These are Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. These are the 5 brain waves that manifest at different times. Delta usually happens in deep sleep. Theta happens in light sleep or hypnosis. Alpha happens in meditation and relaxation. Beta happens in regular consciousness, thinking, and observing. Gamma happens in conversation, learning and problem-solving. I plotted each brainwave at each minute of the presentation. I then separated each piece into sections. I ended up having 7 sections. I then wrote their range. For each of pieces, I calculated the slope from their 2 points using y2-y1 over x2-x1. I then calculated the equation of that line and solved until I got what y equaled. I then put that into the f(x).

I think that if I had PTSD, daily life could be very hard. I think how difficult would depend on what kind of trauma I had gone through and what kind of triggers I would see in my day-to-day life. I could have a very severe case of PTSD or a rather mild one. I think my life would be different because I would be more anxious than I usually am. I would probably be looking for triggers and seeing how I could get out of situations that might trigger me. I would probably think about the trauma, definitely more than I would like to. I would have to make sure I had time to work my schedule so I could go to therapy to help deal with my symptoms. I might also have to pick up medication like anti-depressants to also help manage my symptoms. I might have night terrors or nightmares about the event that would make me emotional. I would have flashbacks and remember the incident. I would even sometimes be depressed and lose interest in activities and struggle with day-to-day life. I even might be struggling with survivors guilt depending on what kind of trauma I went through in the past. I think my life would be very different if I were having to deal with PTSD. I hope that I will never have to go through it, and if I do, I know the support I need to help get me through this difficult time.

In conclusion, I really liked this project. It was different than the usual projects we do and that was fun. There were a lot of different pieces to the project which did make it hard to keep track of. The part I struggled the most on with this project was coming up with how I was going to simulate PTSD. I talked with my teacher and he helped me with the idea. In the end, I enjoyed this project and have really enjoyed this class. I look forward to the next action project.

Works Cited:

"An Interview About Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Rebecca McCoy." (2014) Women's Health.gov. U.S. Department of Human Services. Web. 14, March 2018. https://www.womenshealth.gov/blog/spotlight-rebecca-mccoy

Bremner J. Douglas M.D. "Traumatic stress: effects on the brain." National Center for Biotechnology Information. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. Web. 14, March 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association. Washington D.C. (2013) 14, March 2018. 

"DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD" (2018) Brainline.org. Bob Woodruff Foundation. Web. 14, March 2018 https://www.brainline.org/article/dsm-5-criteria-ptsd

"PTSD Statistics." (2013) PTSD United.org. Web. 14, March 2018. http://www.ptsdunited.org/ptsd-statistics-2/

"Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder."(2018) PTSD Alliance.org. PTSD Alliance. Web. 14, March 2018. http://www.ptsdalliance.org/treatment/

"What is PTSD?"(2018)PTSD Alliance.org. PTSD Alliance. Web. 14, March 2018 http://www.ptsdalliance.org/about-ptsd/