Hello all and welcome to my week 2 of the SRP! (I’ll try to keep it shorter than last week)
Like last week, I did a lot of research. After doing hours of research, I have a tip for you: don't make your search terms too broad because after realizing half the papers I looked through were not suitable for the systematic review, I regretted not adding a search term to cut down the number of irrelevant search results.
Also, as I mentioned last week, I wrote my abstract:
Every country has citizens suffering from various disorders, in the US, 19 Million* suffer from depression, 100 Million** from chronic pain, and 40 Million*** adults from anxiety. In a country of roughly 320 Million, most of them living in more favorable conditions than those elsewhere, this is evidently a tremendous problem. For hundreds of millions of people to be subjected to the struggle of mental disorders - not only those who themselves have a disorder, but also their families, friends, and dependents - it is evident that finding a treatment or therapy which would augment the quality of life of those affected is paramount. A therapy which has had success in improving the quality of life of individuals enduring these particular disorders (and others with varying levels of success) is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, identifying a conductive therapy is not enough; analyzing it and understanding it is key to improving other therapies and the therapy itself. In order to do this, I will write a systematic review on the neurobiological underpinnings of ACT. This means that I will compile papers relating to the psychological underpinnings of ACT, the physiological aspects of ACT, and changes in neural pathways. The paper will explain how through ACT, neural pathways may be altered, enabling a life with less pain. I expect to find that ACT has roots in peaceful teachings and that it fosters physiological neural change.
Every country has citizens suffering from various disorders, in the US, 19 Million* suffer from depression, 100 Million** from chronic pain, and 40 Million*** adults from anxiety. In a country of roughly 320 Million, most of them living in more favorable conditions than those elsewhere, this is evidently a tremendous problem. For hundreds of millions of people to be subjected to the struggle of mental disorders - not only those who themselves have a disorder, but also their families, friends, and dependents - it is evident that finding a treatment or therapy which would augment the quality of life of those affected is paramount. A therapy which has had success in improving the quality of life of individuals enduring these particular disorders (and others with varying levels of success) is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, identifying a conductive therapy is not enough; analyzing it and understanding it is key to improving other therapies and the therapy itself. In order to do this, I will write a systematic review on the neurobiological underpinnings of ACT. This means that I will compile papers relating to the psychological underpinnings of ACT, the physiological aspects of ACT, and changes in neural pathways. The paper will explain how through ACT, neural pathways may be altered, enabling a life with less pain. I expect to find that ACT has roots in peaceful teachings and that it fosters physiological neural change.
I hope this helped clear up things a bit for those of you who were still a little confused about my project. If not, please comment specific things which are still confusing so that I can concentrate on better explaining those specific aspects.
Additionally if you are wondering about my experience as an intern at the Mayo Clinic, I have to say it is a really nice environment full of very friendly people. Everyone there is extremely kind and helpful.
*All About Depression: Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.allaboutdepression.com/gen_01.html
**The American Academy Of Pain Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_pain.aspx
***Facts & Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from
https://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
*All About Depression: Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.allaboutdepression.com/gen_01.html
**The American Academy Of Pain Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_pain.aspx
***Facts & Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from
https://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
PS: Last week, I gave a shoutout to my friend Saleena's blog because it explained misconceptions about anxiety. This week, she discussed depression, which is another disorder which ACT has had success in improving quality of life so click on her name if you want to check out her blog!
Hey Dani! It's great that you are working on research that affects many people in the world! From your posts so far, ACT sounds like it's impact could help many people with mental disorders and those who generally need to change their perspective on life in general. Can't wait for your next blog post!
ReplyDeleteHey Layla! Thanks for the comment and can't wait to hear from you next week.
DeleteI think it's amazing how you demonstrated the vast number of people suffering from disorders to show the impacting issues. If a country has more favorable conditions, does that mean there is a lower number of disorders in that country?
ReplyDeleteTypically, people with lower socioeconomic statuses have a higher likelihood of having mental disorders. Since the US has one of the highest standards of living and GDPs in the world, the commonness of mental disorders in the US is attention-worthy and is indicative of a subject which needs further research and aid.
DeleteThat's a bummer that your research topic is so broad, I hope you find away around it. That's amazing that ACT can positively affect millions across the U.S. and across the world. I hope ACT can be spread across the world. Can't wait for future updates!
ReplyDeleteWhile the broadness of the topic does make finding appropriate papers somewhat time-consuming, it is also a testament to both the innovative nature of ACT and the possibilities which it opens. I too hope ACT can be spread across the world!
DeleteHi Dani! I feel like your abstract cleared things up a bit more, so thank you for that. You wrote about the millions of people in our country who suffer from various disorders. If ACT becomes a common practice used for everyone, do you think that the same general methods will be used for everyone, or that care will be personalized for each patient?
ReplyDeleteHi Dhanya! If ACT becomes more mainstream, I imagine that it might have several variations so as to better care for the needs of people with different conditions.
DeleteHey Dani. Thank you for putting your abstract in this post as it really helped me understand what your SRP is about. I'm shocked that so many people suffer from these disorders. Does ACT allow one to enjoy life or experience life with less pain?
ReplyDeleteHey Nash. Yes it truly is shocking how many people are affected by disorders or other conditions. I suppose that ACT allows one to both enjoy life and experience less pain but patients might describe their experiences differently due to changes in definitions of enjoyment and pain or the importance of each from person to person.
DeleteHi Danielle! I am so glad you put your abstract in this post, it definitely cleared up some confusion I previously had. The amount of research you are doing sounds tremendous, I applaud you for your perseverance. Can't wait to read more next week!
ReplyDeleteHi Frida! Thanks for the comment and I can't wait to hear what you have to say next week.
DeleteHi Danielle, Thank you for the abstractness in the post, it cleared some of my confusion. Thats a lot of people who suffered from disorders, I hope the treatment for the ACT is not painful.
ReplyDeleteHi Ritika. If you ever have any questions please feel free to ask them! ACT is not generally viewed as painful, although I suppose that facing one's pain, depression, or anxiety is very difficult, taking much courage and willpower.
DeleteHey Dani! Your abstract was very well written and clearly stated everything. I like how you are really relating your blog to fellow students blogs. Thank you those links as well!
ReplyDeleteHey Bella! Thanks for the comment and I can't wait to hear from you again! :)
DeleteHi Danielle! I love your abstract post, it really helped me gain more knowledge and more clear on your research as well. I like the way you presented stats to show the effects on disorders, and I really hope ACT treatment can help many more.
ReplyDeletenice post..can't wait for your next post! :)
Hi Sruthi! Thanks for the comment and I can't wait to see what you say next week.
DeleteHey Dani! I think I could learn a thing or two from how comprehensive and well framed your abstract was, especially as it related to the underpinnings of ACT. Hope to read more about your findings soon!
ReplyDeleteHey Kayvon! Don't worry, your posts are fantastic and I love reading them. I can't wait to hear from you next week.
DeleteHi Dani! I think including your abstract in your blog post is a great idea. It gives a very precise summary of what you will be doing these up coming weeks. I'm happy to be following along.
ReplyDeleteHi Gillian! Thanks, you're too kind. I am really happy to follow your blog as well. :)
DeleteHey Dani,
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see you've made some progress with your abstract, it makes the research process easier once you see things starting to all come together. I'm looking forward to watching your systematic review take shape!