Psychology in the News - Annotated Bibliography

Introduction

From the ever-expanding social media world to radio talks, gossip magazines and television news, modern life is splintered in numerous ways by the modern-day communication tools jointly known as the media. The information consumed by the general public and how often they consume has a significant effect on how people perceive themselves and the world around them. Also, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter significantly influence how frequently and with whom people spend their free time. In an increasingly connected society, it can be challenging to rein one's use of the media and employ the techniques of news literacy. Media users, however, learn to consume information carefully and apply social networking techniques to enhance their goals and complement their personality. This article will, therefore, highlight some of the psychological issues presented in the popular media in the last six months.

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The New York Times-Managing Other People's Pain https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/well/family/the-challenge-of-managing-other-peoples-pain.html

This media article sheds light on the challenge that comes with trying to manage other people's pain. The author talks about pain in children and the physical weakness that accompanies it. The writer also talks about chronic pain, pain after surgery as well as pain with medicines and specialists. The author interviews some of the most renowned pain experts about the different ways people experience pain from the same stimulus (Klass, 2019). The main question that arose was why one child cries inconsolably after a needle prick while another of the same age, same needle size watches curiously as the shot is being administered without even flinching.

There is significant variation in how much pain people experience. This implies that some people are prone to pain; some are relatively less sensitive while others are straight up hypersensitive. Also, people process pain differently, and they respond differently to drugs. As regards to psychological factors, individuals who are more anxious or terrified of pain or have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may generally experience more pain said the experts. This is because pain circuits in their brains are enhanced.

MSN-Depression Symptoms https://www.msn.com/en-xl/northamerica/life-arts/the-depression-symptom-we-rarely-talk-about/ar-BBTeqXI?srcref=rss#page=2

Indeed, anger is part of being human. In some circumstances, however, constant rage could be an indication that one is depressed. According to this news article, a 2014 study established that anger is genuinely a common sign of a mental health illness. Psychologists put forward that individuals who have difficult anger coping strategies are at more risk of developing depression. Mental health experts describe this as self-directed anger (Blackwood, 2019).

Research shows that anger is associated with greater symptom severity when it is part of a mental health illness like depression. That is why it is recommended that anyone feeling angry should seek help instead of brushing it off. Moreover, people with depression sometimes distract themselves not to feel sad by engaging in activities but instead end up getting angrier instead.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people who suffer from depression are naturally inclined towards isolating themselves from other people. Generally, the first useful step is to find help by talking to a mental health professional who will help manage the depression and its accompanying symptoms.

CNN Health https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/06/health/mental-tricks-food-drayer/index.html

Indeed, food is necessary for all humans. However, how we eat naturally varies from one individual to another. And while our food preferences often determine what we consume, which eventually influences your health, research points out that our lifestyle significantly affects the quantity and quality of our diet. This news article, therefore, examines how messiness and self-criticism causes one to eat poorly.

This news article highlights some of the lifestyle factors that influence our diet as well as the techniques used to improve our health. Having a messy kitchen can lead to poor eating habits and can lead to weight gain in the long run (Drayer, 2019). Also, a dirty kitchen can make one feel stressed or lose control. The easy way is, therefore, to declutter your kitchen as you would your workspace. Put everything in their rightful places and in hard to reach areas especially for sensitive appliances.

BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47133338

Poor mental health among young people has been described as an escalating crisis. As such, the number of mental health cases has increased over the past two years. However, it is difficult to establish how much of this represents an actual rise in the number of youths experiencing problems (Schraer, 2019).

A study by the NHS survey in England found a rise in diagnosable emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety among young people. This study was based on routine psychiatric evaluations among a sample group of ten thousand youths. It was established that the proportion of young people under the age of sixteen experiencing any mental condition had risen from eleven to thirteen per cent between 1999 and 2017. The total included conditions like anxiety and depression as well as behavioral disorders.

Older teenagers were also included in the study, and it was established that women aged seventeen to nineteen years were more likely to experience poor mental health. Also, according to the national surveys conducted every year, there was a rise in the number of youths saying themselves to have a mental condition.

Atlantic Monthly https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/suicide-memes/582832/

Online meme sharing has taken a gloomy turn. However, some mental health experts believe this could be therapeutic for isolated young people. Nonetheless, suicide memes remain an unexplored territory fundamentally. Though disturbing, they are far less graphic than the actual representations and many at times they are often sinisterly funny.

As social media users wrestle to police this tendency, some suicide prevention experts certainly see a window of opportunity. Usually, suicide members are not mocking suicidal thoughts or tendencies; they are only empathizing over being suicidal (Brown, 2019). Suicide prevention experts believe morbid memes act as a foot in the door to one of the most vulnerable and distant populations mainly socially isolated youths.

In the article, April Foreman a licensed psychologist is a seasoned veteran of the dark web. She has clicked through the obscenest content on the web to keep tabs on the volatile souls that live out there. Foreman describes that she was not surprised when suicide memes began to infiltrate the internet. She was heartened by the meme's increased social tolerability and acceptability. Like many anonymous social media platforms,9gag struggles with aspects of racism and misogyny among others. With the predictable responses that arise in the comments section, messages from the support tend to be held up by hundreds of up votes.

Overall, psychology is increasingly being sought by the media for insights into social issues and for guidance to deal with mental conditions and interpersonal problems. As such, this opportunity offers millions of people a credible and inexpensive way to get educated on psychological issues. Psychology in the media has another side as well. In this regard, the media's portrayal of people influences the very behavior that is studied in psychology.

References

Blackwood, E. (2019, February 5). The Depression Symptom We Rarely Talk About. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-xl/northamerica/life-arts/the-depression-symptom-we-rarely-talk-about/ar-BBTeqXI?srcref=rss#page=2

Brown, E. A. (2019, February 15). Suicide Memes Might Actually Be Therapeutic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/suicide-memes/582832/

Drayer, L. (2019, February 8). How messiness, self-criticism and screens can cause you to eat poorly. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/06/health/mental-tricks-food-drayer/index.html

Klass, P. (2019, February 4). The Challenge of Managing Other People's Pain. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/well/family/the-challenge-of-managing-other-peoples-pain.html

Schraer, R. (2019, February 11). Is young people's mental health getting worse? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47133338