Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Essay Example Unshakable belief: Anxiety and depression are both featured in OCD, and recent research has also pointed out the importance of unshakable belief systems in the development of OCD. O'Dwyer and Marks (2000) give the example of a young man who "Came to believe in a 'power' that could bring him luck if he could retain it within his possession through ritualizing" (O'Dwyer and Marks, 2000. Page 281). Initially, the rituals begin so that the man can keep his 'power'. Soon, however, a second set of rituals develop, in order to ward off evil. O'Dwyer and Marks considered that roughly a third of all OCD patients in a study were delusional. Obsession: Obsession in OCD may take the form of compulsive thoughts and actions, the most well-known being the repetitive washing of hands. These should not be considered normal, everyday thoughts, but intrusive, repetitive and unwelcome thoughts and fears. Strock (1994) gives the example of a woman who was plagued with thoughts about harming her child: "She became terrified to use the kitchen knives of her sewing scissors. She knew she did not want to harm her child. Why did she have these distressing alien thoughts" (Strock, 1994). In OCD, the thoughts themselves can be innocuous, but it is the invasive nature of the thoughts, and the actions which are taken to get rid of them, which mark out OCD. In extreme cases, the OCD may take the form of hoarding, or collecting items, usually in massive quantities. Sufferers with this form of OCD may live in only a small space within their apartment, with the rest given over to the collection. Compulsion: Compulsion is the other half of the obsessional thoughts; such compulsion might include: knocking at a door or chewing food a certain number of times, counting actions, excessive washing rituals, returning to check that the fire is out repetitively, and so on. The important features of these compulsions is that 1) they have to be performed again and again, one action may be repeated until it satisfies the compulsion. Ritual Behavior: The elements of ritual are very important in the diagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Rituals such as touching something a specific number of times may seem bizarre or psychotic, but the sufferer is compelled to perform them in order to ward off tragedy. OCD might be seen as a form of magical thinking, where an action is performed in order to protect an unrelated object, or prevent bad things from occurring. Sufferers may

Public international law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Public international law - Essay Example The result is often referred to as crystallization.3 In general, national courts are not expected to apply national legislation in a way that is inconsistent with international treaties, but there is no expectation that the inconsistent legislation is deemed null and void.4 This may sound simple enough. However, since law is not a science, national courts are not always consistent in their respective approaches to customary international law.5 Essentially, the problem begins with national constitutions. National courts must first begin by reference to their own constitutions.6 National constitutions determine the status of international law within the national legal order.7 In this paper, the difficulties implicit in national constitutions in shaping and defining the relationship between national law and international law are examined in the context of the UK’s constitution. The extent to which the reciprocal application of international and national laws by national courts an d international tribunals function effectively, is compromised by the interpretation of and application of international treaties at the domestic level. ... Complicating matters, some constitutions may even fail to incorporate international treaties.8 The UK provides an even more interesting enigma in that it does not have a written constitution. The UK’s constitution is comprised of a convention, common law and various statutory instruments.9 The difficulty for the UK, is manifested by the fact that state constitutions will generally direct how and where an international treaty stands in relation to national statutes. For instance, if the treaty is to prevail over national statutes where there is a conflict between the two, the Constitution will make this declaration. The UK’s constitutional conventions however, do not make any such declaration but merely establishes that Parliament remains supreme and has the ability to make and repeal any law.10 The UK’s unwritten constitution is usually characterized as dualist in nature, although there is evidence that the UK’s constitution is also monist in nature.11 By way of background, the relationship between international law and national law is fraught by two primary concerns. The first is theoretical in nature and commands attention to whether or not pursuant to the monist doctrine, both legal regimes form part of the international legal regime, or whether they are two different legal regimes according to the dualist doctrine. The second concern is practical in nature and involves ascertaining the approach for resolving conflicts in international and national law.12 The theoretical and practical implications for the relationship between national and international law from the perspective of the UK’s constitution are compromised in that the UK’s national courts do not have a constitutional document by which to determine the