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!
