Therapy in the Hood

[Sexy English Teacher]

This morning I was listening to the radio on my way to school and one of the hosts was talking about how therapy helped him get through depression.

Now, normally I don't actually listen to talk radio, but the way he was talking about how it helped him deal with emotional issues probably caused by a lifetime of living in a low-income neighborhood really struck a cord with me.

A prevalent cultural practice within low-income communities is the practice of "manning up" which, in his own words, amounts to bottling up your problems and drinking by yourself. Starting from a very young age, people growing up in ghettos are expected to deal with such crippling psychological issues as depression, social anxiety, and addiction, by themselves, with no help professional or otherwise.

And while this has the "common sense" outcome of creating a stronger individual who is more independent and can solve issues by themselves, it hardly ever has that effect.

Let's talk for a minute about this video, "Hood Life".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5MGJ87hPGw

Summarized, this "movie" is basically just an hour of footage of life in a low-income neighborhood plagued with gang-violence and general ignorance.

Now, a lot of people will watch this video and dismiss it as just another example of loud, obnoxious black people. However, there are several key examples of human behavior shown in this movie that point to a much deeper problem.

Allow me to post (from wikipedia, sorry) the symptoms of dissocial personality disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-social_personality_disorder

Callous unconcern for the feelings of others;
Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations;
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, though having no difficulty in establishing them;
Very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence;
Incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment;
Markedly prone to blame others or to offer plausible rationalizations for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society.

Does this sound familiar? Doesn't this make sense? This is a real, documented personality disorder that requires professional treatment and the people in videos like this are demonstrating it to a "T". On top of this, to be considered a dissocial personality disorder, a subject only has to demonstrate three of these traits.

More effort needs to be placed on treating mental affliction in those who cannot afford it, or we will only be contributing to a continuation of a vicious cycle.

[Exoth XIII]

What they need isn't therapy. What they need is a role model worth emulating.
They need less of this:

and more of this:

[Sexy English Teacher]

Exoth XIII

What they need isn't therapy. What they need is a role model worth emulating.
They need less of this:

and more of this:

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

[Exoth XIII]

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

What they need isn't therapy. What they need is a role model worth emulating.
They need less of this:

and more of this:

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

[Fermionic]

LuxuriousVacation

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

ABBA can solve most anything.

[Sexy English Teacher]

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

What they need isn't therapy. What they need is a role model worth emulating.
They need less of this:

and more of this:

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

I never implied that culture didn't play a role, just that a shift in it would be insufficient in reversing damage already caused.

And, well, this is a pretty widespread problem, and I don't hear often of anyone making a huge effort to raise money of spread awareness, so the idea that it's absolutely impossible to treat is a little hard to swallow without a handful of salt.

[Exoth XIII]

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

I never implied that culture didn't play a role, just that a shift in it would be insufficient in reversing damage already caused.

I disagree.
See, the reason why dissocial identity disorder is so hard to treat, is because the patient doesn't see that there's anything wrong with how he's acting. I specifically picked an angry song that forces introspection right down their throats, it's exactly the sort of thing that *might* work.
It's also hard to dismiss cultural shift altogether, as, even if it can't fix damage, it could prevent it.

Quote:

And, well, this is a pretty widespread problem, and I don't hear often of anyone making a huge effort to raise money of spread awareness, so the idea that it's absolutely impossible to treat is a little hard to swallow without a handful of salt.

It is pretty widespread, and that's exactly why that's so believable to me. Can you imagine how much money could be made in treating it? What's more, the treatment would help prevent social climbers, and you know how people with money like to encourage the class gap.

[Sexy English Teacher]

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

I never implied that culture didn't play a role, just that a shift in it would be insufficient in reversing damage already caused.

I disagree.
See, the reason why dissocial identity disorder is so hard to treat, is because the patient doesn't see that there's anything wrong with how he's acting. I specifically picked an angry song that forces introspection right down their throats, it's exactly the sort of thing that *might* work.
It's also hard to dismiss cultural shift altogether, as, even if it can't fix damage, it could prevent it.

Quote:

And, well, this is a pretty widespread problem, and I don't hear often of anyone making a huge effort to raise money of spread awareness, so the idea that it's absolutely impossible to treat is a little hard to swallow without a handful of salt.

It is pretty widespread, and that's exactly why that's so believable to me. Can you imagine how much money could be made in treating it? What's more, the treatment would help prevent social climbers, and you know how people with money like to encourage the class gap.

I guess, I'm still a bit skeptical that hearing a song can set off any dramatic change in something as deep seated in a person as personality.

I mean don't get me wrong, hopsin is the s**t and all but...

And I'll have to disagree with your last statement. Antisocial disorder probably actually encourages the class gap, since it means that in communties where it's an epidemic there will be more people going to jail, more absentee fathers, less development of social skills, and limited ability for individuals to hold down jobs (because of the whole unable to form lasting relationships thing)

[Knobist]

I refuse to accept that any person is unable. I've witnessed the miraculous in my life and I will work like hell so others can see it too. Those people who buy what the manufactured cool is haven't been acquainted with what a god damn fool is. This isn't a culture of antisocial personality disorder, this is a whole culture of Cluster B traits which are infectious.

[Exoth XIII]

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

I never implied that culture didn't play a role, just that a shift in it would be insufficient in reversing damage already caused.

I disagree.
See, the reason why dissocial identity disorder is so hard to treat, is because the patient doesn't see that there's anything wrong with how he's acting. I specifically picked an angry song that forces introspection right down their throats, it's exactly the sort of thing that *might* work.
It's also hard to dismiss cultural shift altogether, as, even if it can't fix damage, it could prevent it.

Quote:

And, well, this is a pretty widespread problem, and I don't hear often of anyone making a huge effort to raise money of spread awareness, so the idea that it's absolutely impossible to treat is a little hard to swallow without a handful of salt.

It is pretty widespread, and that's exactly why that's so believable to me. Can you imagine how much money could be made in treating it? What's more, the treatment would help prevent social climbers, and you know how people with money like to encourage the class gap.

I guess, I'm still a bit skeptical that hearing a song can set off any dramatic change in something as deep seated in a person as personality.

Oh, I don't think it'll change their personality, but it will at least point them in a better direction. Instead of being a sociopath that destroys himself and everyone around him for the sake of self-gratification, the patient would likely try to make his fortune, so he can afford the self gratification he wants so much.

Quote:

And I'll have to disagree with your last statement. Antisocial disorder probably actually encourages the class gap, since it means that in communties where it's an epidemic there will be more people going to jail, more absentee fathers, less development of social skills, and limited ability for individuals to hold down jobs (because of the whole unable to form lasting relationships thing)

Except there's already a large class divide between the wealthy and the middle class. Dissocial personality disorder is more likely to be found in the lower class. I grant you, reducing the prevalence WOULD close the gap between the middle and lower classes, but there isn't that much of a gap there in the first place, for unrelated reasons.

What I mean is, when antisocials DO decide to try and cross class divides, they have the tenacity necessary to make that jump. The wealthy don't care about people jumping into the middle class, but they don't like people jumping the gap to their own.

[Knobist]

Exoth XIII

What I mean is, when antisocials DO decide to try and cross class divides, they have the tenacity necessary to make that jump. The wealthy don't care about people jumping into the middle class, but they don't like people jumping the gap to their own.

You make the wealthy sound like evil central planners. If more people became rich wouldn't that be horrible for the economy?

[Sarah Louise Kerrigan]

Jacque De Molay

Exoth XIII

What I mean is, when antisocials DO decide to try and cross class divides, they have the tenacity necessary to make that jump. The wealthy don't care about people jumping into the middle class, but they don't like people jumping the gap to their own.

You make the wealthy sound like evil central planners. If more people became rich wouldn't that be horrible for the economy?

Isn't that the only thing that drives the economy?

[Knobist]

Sarah Louise Kerrigan

Jacque De Molay

Exoth XIII

What I mean is, when antisocials DO decide to try and cross class divides, they have the tenacity necessary to make that jump. The wealthy don't care about people jumping into the middle class, but they don't like people jumping the gap to their own.

You make the wealthy sound like evil central planners. If more people became rich wouldn't that be horrible for the economy?

Isn't that the only thing that drives the economy?

No, what drives the economy is conspicuous consumption and individuals who can't make a trade-off because they need that new status symbol.

[AliKat1988]

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

LuxuriousVacation

Exoth XIII

What they need isn't therapy. What they need is a role model worth emulating.
They need less of this:

and more of this:

I'm pretty sure a shift in music taste is insufficient treatment for psychological disorders.

Right, because culture doesn't play any role at all.

In fact, therapy is the only cure for dissocial personality disorder. Or not at all. Oops.

I never implied that culture didn't play a role, just that a shift in it would be insufficient in reversing damage already caused.

And, well, this is a pretty widespread problem, and I don't hear often of anyone making a huge effort to raise money of spread awareness, so the idea that it's absolutely impossible to treat is a little hard to swallow without a handful of salt.

The people with it have so much difficulty improving because almost none of them want to stop being exploitative and insensitive and think other people are the cause of their problems. Social climate involving greater awareness will not help people who completely disregard social norms of both mainstream and countercultures. They have been this way since they were children even though stigma/prognostic accuracy issues make it so you cannot diagnose children with antisocial personality. If you were going to treat it successfully I think you would want to start with one of the precursor disorders for it-conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. If you were going to treat it in adults successfully, I would bet that it would be a primarily biological method would be necessary.

Because I do not have a youtube account, I could not watch that video but I can safely bet the OP was wrong to call the behavior in the video antisocial personality-the hood is a counterculture and if behavior is consistent with cultural values than the personality disorder diagnosis would be inappropriate, especially since a lot of people like that do still respond empathetically to select people like their grandmothers. Those people can get help unlike real cases of ASPD. You need more extreme cases of deviance than that like Ted Bundy or Charles Manson in real life or in fiction characters like Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.

[Sarah Louise Kerrigan]

Jacque De Molay

Sarah Louise Kerrigan

Jacque De Molay

Exoth XIII

What I mean is, when antisocials DO decide to try and cross class divides, they have the tenacity necessary to make that jump. The wealthy don't care about people jumping into the middle class, but they don't like people jumping the gap to their own.

You make the wealthy sound like evil central planners. If more people became rich wouldn't that be horrible for the economy?

Isn't that the only thing that drives the economy?

No, what drives the economy is conspicuous consumption and individuals who can't make a trade-off because they need that new status symbol.

But if more people become rich then everyone gets poorer as a direct result. That's growth.