WP3
Depression
is a mental disorder characterized by constant feelings of sadness, anxiety,
and hopelessness and is influenced by a “happiness” hormone called
serotonin. Either low serotonin levels
in the brain or excessive neuronal reuptake of serotonin can cause depression
symptoms. Many people of all ages experience this disorder worldwide, and the
negative consequences include lack of motivation, job loss, relationship
dysfunction, and even suicide. I have also had personal experiences with
dealing with depression, which makes me very passionate about the subject. The
prevalence of people diagnosed with depression, especially in the United
States, calls for an increase in accessible medical and counseling resources
for people seeking help as well as health education and prevention programs to
raise awareness for the disease. Therefore, I am using the topic of depression
to construct my final Writing Project. I have selected an article that researches
the physiological processes behind depression and transformed it into two new
genres, one that engages a younger audience and one that targets adults.
I chose to
evaluate and transform the scholarly article Differential abnormalities in plasma 5-HIAA and platelet serotonin
concentrations in violent suicide attempters: Relationships with impulsivity
and depression (Differential Abnormalities), written by Spreux-Varoquaux et
al. and published in the Life Sciences journal.
The
primary objective of the article is to evaluate the plasma and platelet
serotonin concentrations in “violent suicide attempters” and examine the
association between these factors and depression and impulsivity
(Spreux-Varoquaux et al. 2001). A group of twenty-seven suicide attempters
admitted to intensive care units were selected upon a certain criteria, as well
as a control group of fifteen subjects, to be interviewed by trained
psychiatrists and evaluated on their levels of depression and impulsivity.
After the interviewing process, both groups underwent the same blood sampling
procedures in which “biochemical determinations” were made for the chemicals
5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) (a serotonin metabolite) and homovanillic
acid (HVA). 5-HIAA and HVA levels are measured
through blood processing of both types of subjects to analyze adjacent to the
interviews taken to qualitatively assess depression levels, which demonstrates
the study’s overlap of the biological and psychological disciplines. Both
physiological and cognitive assessments are performed to create relationships
between hormone levels, mental health, and impulsive actions.
The “younger”
genre I created is a set of instructions for an educational and interactive
game intended for 3rd—5th grade elementary school
students. The goal of the game is to use a sensored “wand” to identify a
certain brain region that an automated voice from the game asks you to locate. The
“brain” is an enlarged, plastic, but realistic model of a brain that lights up when
the correct region has been touched. The intended context is a classroom
setting in which the teacher assigns students to groups so they can work together
to play the game.
The genre I tailored to an older
audience is a Web MD post. Web MD is a valuable medical internet resource that
provides information on countless disorders and diseases, as well as treatments
and other resources for those seeking help.
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