2009...

This year has been good, but the last months have been so strange. I think it has been strange because I had a lot of vacation, so I spent my time dancing and having fun, but I didn’t remember that I had to study. Anyway, these last days I’ve had to study so much, everything I didn’t study in these month, so I am really tired. But I know that all the time and the energy that I’ve spent in these days will bring positive consequences for me. I am sure I will be happy when this nightmare finish.

When I started this year, I was so happy because it was the second one in University, so I had a lot of experience to face this new year. I had a lot of subjects that I had never seen, as psychopathology and neurophysiology, so I was so happy, because there were a lot of things to learn. I enjoyed my study so much. Really, I learned everything I wanted, so I felt that everything I wanted was be a great psychologist. When the semester finished, I was so tired, but I was happy with my achievements and the effort I made to achieve them.

After my vacation, I started my classes with a little of energy. I felt that I hadn’t enjoyed my free time; I felt that it had been so short, so my body was tired yet. That’s the reason why I couldn’t wake up every morning, so I missed a lot of classes. When I was feeling better, and I recovered my energies, September holidays arrived, so I lost everything I had achieved. I spend my time sleeping and having fun for two weeks, until I returned to class. Since that day, everything was terrible! I didn’t want to read anything; I didn’t want to see a notebook or a paper and anything. When I went to class, I couldn’t concentrate, so when I had to take a test, I suffered so much, although my marks were good. In conclusion, it was horrible!

Now, I feel I spent my time waiting for a semester that never arrived for me. I am sorry about it, but I think I have to start this new year with all the energy I didn´t use the last semester. Anyway, I feel that I learned some important things that I need to know if I want to be a good psychologist, although I don’t remember others. I know I will have a great 2010!

Psychology's challenges

Hello!

Today, I’ll talk about the challenges of my discipline, psychology.

The use of technology is frecuently in neuroscience area. Psychologists use special technology for researh about brain answer after a stimule, for example. The instruments we use are electroencephalogram, MRI, etc. These instruments measure the electrical impulsos that are generated by a stimuli. We can identify the stimuli that produce a high respons, so we can know what stimuli are more significant for every person.

In social matters, I think psychology has much to say. We can intervene in a lot of areas, as collective memory. In this subject, psychologist have to take the meanings that have been associated to a particular fact. In our case, the meaning that have been associated to military dictatorship. I think this is very important, because we can contribute to heal the wounds that this period left in the Chilean memory, as much as we research the real meaning that these events have for them, and the pain it leads. In this way, we can stop the resentment that lives in many people or at least, we can decrease it. Obviously there’s a lot of topics we can study. Actually, I think sexuality in teenagersis a great subject, because they start their sexual life very young and sometimes, they don’t consider the consequences. We can see worrying figures about pregnancy in teenagers, for example.

Education is one of my favorite areas. When I start to study this career, I didn’t imagine how important is the discipline for mental development. Now, I can see that we can help children who has a mental retardation, because the enviroment is extremely important for children’s achievements in their development. We have to stimulate them, so they will increase their skills and competencies, although the children show a delay in their brain. We have a great responsability with the children who are discriminated because they aren’t at the same level as their classmates.

Another subject that I think is very important is stigmatization that mental sick people suffer from. We have to contribute to remove this stigmatization, and we have to help them to reintegrate to society normally. Schizophrenics are who suffer this discrimination the most, so we have to help them to go out from psychiatric hospitals to the streets.

Bye!

In my free time I...

Hi!

The activities I enjoy the most when I have some free time are watching movies, going out, especially with my best friend and listening to music.

The first activity, watching movies, is one of my favorites. I like to go to the cinema. When I have free time, and my best friend too, I go with her, but that is not frequent.

Also, I like to watch movies in my house, with my family or alone.

In general, I watch all kind of movies. It depends of my mood. If I wanna laugh, I watch a stupid American comedy. Generally, Jennifer Aniston or Drew Barrymore features these movies.

If I want to see a movie with a light topic, I like to see movies as Amélie or La Mala Education. I like Almodovar films. I think La Mala Educación is a great film. I was very impressed when I see it, because protagonist’s life is so hard. Carne Trémula or Todo Sobre Mi Madre are great too. Other good films are Eternal Sunshine of a spotless Mind or En la cama.

When I have free time, I like to go out with my best friend. Daniela is my best friend since 2002, so we know each other very well. I like to go to the same places. We like to go to a park or to the zoo. Also, we go shopping when we coincide with our free time. At night, we like going to some pubs and have some drinks and go to dance to a disco.

We love each other, so we enjoy all the time we spend together, although we were laying on her bed or mine, talking about a stupid thing.

The last activity I love is listening to music. I think this is my favorite activity. I adore music. Really, it’s very important for me. I think I can’t live without it. When I listen to music, I like to be alone, because I connect absolutely with the songs I listen. My favorite band is The Cranberries, so I listen to their songs every day, a lot of times in the day. I like the lyrics, because these are so deep and beautiful. Also, I like them because the music is so powerful. Drums are my favorite music instrument, and they use them in every song.

Bye!

My faculty

Hi!

Today, I’ll talk to you about my dear faculty.

This is a very welcoming faculty, but obviously, has some infrastructure problems.
For example, there aren’t special laboratories for every investigation line. There’s just a behavioral psychology laboratory, but it is so precarious. We can’t experiment there because it’s a little place, so there’s just a group of people who can work there.

There isn’t a neuroscience laboratory. It’s terrible, because our university doesn’t produce new knowledge in this subject, so we are so in disadvantage, in comparison to other universities, domestic and foreign.

Also, it’s necessary to have more tests, because in the future, we’ll use it so much, and now, there’s a few. When we need to use them, we have to ask them for a little time, so we don’t have enough time to utilize them.

Also, we have some problems with the classrooms, because they are so small. The rooms are narrow when all my classmates come to class.

I think this is the first step to dealing with this situation. We need bigger classrooms than our current facilities. If this situation improves, we’ll never have problems to work in groups, as we have now, for example.

The second step is to build new laboratories. They must be big buildings, so everybody will have the chance to work there, when the person wants, and not when there’s a free place.

Obviously, to achieve these objectives, the faculty will need a lot of money. I think the solution is the Government gives the most part of the money, and the rest must come from fees.

Bye!

The air that I breathe...

Hello!

Today, I’ll talk about music. This is one of my favorite topics, because I love it. I think music is very important for human beings, because when we listen to a song, we can fly to another place, and stay there for a little time.

I like almost all types of music, especially some kind of rock. My favorite musical instrument is drums, because I think they give the strength and power, and for me, that’s the most important thing in a song.

My favorite singer is Dolores O’Riordan. She is ex-The Cranberries lead singer. I like her because she has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Her voice is soft and strong at the same time. Also, I like her because the lyrics are wonderful. They tell about love, happiness, sadness, war, etc. She’s really great.

My favorite band is called Lucybell. It’s a Chilean rock band. I like it because the lead singer, Claudio Valenzuela, has a sensual voice. Also, the band's lyrics are great.

I listen to music all day long. I listen to music when I’m on the bus, to go to University. I listen to music in my house too, because it relaxes me so much. I think it’s great for health. Music calms my mind down. I forget all my problems, but sometimes, I listen to music to reflect about them and choose a good decision. Also, music gives me happiness and peace.

Really, I think I can't live without music. For me, music is like the air that I breathe!

Bye!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OU9zrcqk7w - Dolores O'Riordan-Dreams

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Hello!

Today, I’ll talk to you about different treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

The article I chose is called “Obsessive-compulsive disorder. What treatments work for obsessive-compulsive disorder?”, and it tells about treatments for OCD, specially talking therapy and some drugs, as antidepressants and antipsychotics.

It starts with talking therapy. This is called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and it’s a mixture between two important psychological theories: Behaviourism and Cognitivism.  

The first one refers to the different ways psychologists can help people to live with their condition. The second one refers to how people think about the world, and how these thoughts are related to reality. 

So, this mixture will produce a therapy that pretends the person confronts the things that makes his/her anxious. This part of the therapy is called “exposure”. After this, the therapist asks to the patient to perform a behaviour that makes his/her anxious, for example, touch a dirty thing. The psychology helps to the person to cope without the compulsive behaviour, as wash his/her hands. This part of the therapy is called “response prevention”. The therapist gives homework to the patient that he/she have to do between every session.

For children, this therapy is the first treatment they have to follow.

Everything I say is supported by a lot of investigations.

Then, the authors refer about some kinds of drugs which can help to controle this disorder. The most important are antidepressants, specially “Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)”. This is a drug that increases serotonin, a chemical messenger that improves the signals between neurons. A little amount of this chemical could be one of OCD causes. These are the most successful and used drugs, although these cause some side effects.

When antidepressants don’t work, people take antipsychotic drugs. These help to have fewer symptoms of OCD too. These drugs have side effects too, but they are more dangerous.

 
Electroconvulsive therapy isn’t so used, so I won’t refer to it.

In my opinion, talking therapy must be the first option. When is doesn’t work, drugs are a good option, but both therapies must be together. 

Bye!

My favorite dish

Today, I’ll talk to you about my favorite dish.

My favorite food is costillar and pure. I like it because it’s a typical chilean dish. I’ve eaten this dish a lot of times, but I remember a special occasion. A long time ago, I went to a beautiful place, Pomaire, with all my family. It was a great moment, because we aren’t a united family, so these instants are very valuable for us. In this occasion, we had lunch in a nice restaurant, so typical. I remember the dish was enormous, I think it was the biggest dish I have ever seen. It was delicious. I couldn’t eat full, although I really wanted to eat it, buy my stomach didn’t allow it.

My favorite flavour is the mixture that pure and costillar make. Pure tastes so softly, so it can accompany any dish, and costillar is so juicy, so they make the perfect mix.

I think this dish can be eaten with a little chili. Really, I don’t know what kind of wine is the most appropriate. I don’t understand so much about it.

I have never cooked this dish. I’ve cooked pure, but costillar, never. I think it`s a great dish for a family lunch, or a lunch with friends. I don’t recommend it for dinner, because it can cause discomfort.

I really love this dish, because it’s delicious, and because it remind me a lot of beautiful moments that I lived in my life, with people that I love.

Bye!