Different psychological approaches and their treatments of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

At university you are asked to write a lot of Essays.  In year one, I was asked to discuss Treatment options for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.   This is the Essay I came up with and it was graded B.  I hope this helps anyone trying to learn about OCD and what is available to help with this. 

Discuss different psychological approaches and their treatments of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

When looking treatments for Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) we can approach the treatment from different psychological fields. Firstly we need to understand what obsessive-compulsive disorder is. 

OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder and defined as the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both.  Obsessions are defined as persistent thoughts that are intruding. Compulsions are repetitive or ritualistic behaviours, such as washing hands, counting or ordering. These are carried out to relieve anxiety caused by the obsessive thought (American Psychiatric Association., 2013). 

Throughout this discussion, this essay will explore the Behaviourist approach to OCD by discussing behaviourist treatments and utilising information of studies carried out by Foa et al (McLeod, 1997). Focus will also be given to the Cognitive theory and their treatment, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This will be done using the case study of Karen Rusa (Oltmanns, Neale and Davison, 1995). To conclude, there will be an evaluation showing why CBT is the most effective method for treatment for OCD.

Skinner (1948) argues that obsessive fears cause anxiety which are reduced using compulsive behaviours. These behaviours are maintained through this negative reinforcement (McLeod, 1997). As Behaviourists do not see these behaviours as symptoms of another issue, only behaviours are treated because they are seen as the key issues. (Gleitman, Gross, and Reisberg, 2011., Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, and Hood, 2011).

There are several studies which support the Classical conditioning method of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Using ERP, Behaviourists aim to break the connection between the obsessive fear and the anxiety it causes through exposure.  They also concentrate on breaking the habit of the performance of compulsive rituals after the exposure through response prevention. (Foa et al 1985., McLeod 1997). This entails the client being exposed, to what they fear, for instance, a ‘contaminated’ vase, then being delayed or prevented from washing their hands.  This treatment shows  effectiveness amongst patients who suffer from contamination, counting or checking rituals but cannot be generalised to other forms of OCD (Ball et al 1996., McLeod 1997).

Ost (1989) reviewed seven cases in which 85% of patients retained improvements after ERP treatment. Nine further studies by O’Sullivan and Marks (1991) showed improvements maintained from between one and six years.  Follow up findings continue to report improvement at 79% which strongly supports this treatment. (McLeod, 1997).  Keister et al (1994) however, stated that most often the documentation did not account for patients who discontinued treatment, when these were considered the success rate dropped to between 40%-50% (McLeod, 1997).

The Cognitive approach to this condition not only focuses on behaviours but on the thought process behind these. Becks argues that when in a state of depression/anxiety the patient has an unrealistic way of thinking.  They think themselves as useless, their experiences as terrible and their future as being worse.  Becks Calls this the ‘Negative Triad’ (Sammons, 2011) also known as dysfunctional beliefs. These beliefs inflate the patients perceptions of responsibility and they believe that they can stop negative outcomes (Olatunji, Rosenfield, Tart, Cottraux, Powers and Smits, 2013).  This theory also states that the individual controls their own thoughts and that abnormality occurs when that control is faulty in some way (Williamson, Cardwell and Flanagan, 2007). This faulty control is dealt with by working on these dysfunctional beliefs.

In the Case of Karen Ruso, she had put many rituals in place.  Shopping became difficult because of numbering rituals. Smoking was also transformed into a number ritual as she had to smoke one cigarette for each child, one after the other, to prevent harm coming to them.  Karen had a strong religious emphasis within her life.  It was noted that Karen no longer attended church as they had updated things and this horrified her, as she thought these modern changes were disrespectful. Her four children constantly misbehaved. Her husband was out of work due to illness, and was quite demanding of her; ie: asking her to get beers from the refrigerator as he was not supposed to walk far. Karen admitted that things had not been going well and that her situation was stressful (Oltmanns et al., 1995).  She felt unhappy with her life but did not make the connection between her beliefs, rituals and current situation. The demands from her husband and children had caused a lack of assertiveness. The loss of her church routine impacted on Karen's confidence. It was apparent that the rituals were Karens way of maintaining some form of ‘faulty ‘control over her situation (Oltmanns et al., 1995). Treatment began by developing assertiveness to deal with the family. Karen kept a diary to log all situations where she needed to be assertive. She was challenged to write down (dysfunctional) thoughts of what would happen if she was assertive and further challenged to test these thoughts.  She was asked to visit traditional churches, she joined one and gained more confidence. (Oltmanns et al., 1995).  When Karen felt confident, she began the next stage of therapy, ERP. She was exposed to an obsession (cigarette) but the compulsive ritual was delayed. (Oltmanns et al., 1995).  This removed the ‘faulty control’ by only allowing her one cigarette. By the  end of Karen’s treatment her family life had improved and the rituals were minimal with little anxiety.

CBT is widely accepted as the most effective treatments for OCD (Taylor, Thordarson, Spring, Yeh, Corcoran, Eugster and Tisshaw, 2003). Dysfunctional thinking may cause the patient to perceive the treatment as confirmation that they are incapable of improvement. It is apparent however, from Karens case, that by dealing with this dysfunctional thought process as the priority, you can then deal with the faulty control of the rituals with more optimism from the patient.  This can be done during the behavioural aspect of the treatment with less likelihood that patients will discontinue the treatment before completion.

The behaviourist treatment alone, is harsh and abrupt.  Behaviour is the key focus and puts the patient under immediate pressure as they are exposed to their fears.  There is no mental preparation for the patient and the focus is solely on the behaviours.  As evidenced by the CBT Karen received, the behaviours treated during ERP are highly unlikely to have been the cause of her OCD. Alone, ERP can make the patient feel out of control causing patients to discontinue treatment prematurely and success rates to drop as evidenced by Keister. Although Behaviourism does acknowledge fear is the obsession, they see this as a learned behaviour rather than a thought process.  This leaves a gap in the theory causing a lack of insight into the root cause of the patients form of OCD.

In conclusion CBT provides the insight needed to get to the root cause of the issue.    This treatment can support the patient on different levels because it focuses on giving ‘true’ control back to the patient through correction of dysfunctional beliefs, followed by Behavioural therapy to correct faulty control methods such as rituals.  The treatment of dysfunctional beliefs also helps to prepare the patient as treatment moves forward.  This makes the transition into ERP smoother as the patients beliefs are more logical and overall anxiety is lessened, as evidenced clearly in Karens treatment.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychiatric Association. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Gleitman, H., Gross, J. and Reisberg, D. (2011).Psychology. New York: W. W. Norton & Co..

McLeod, D. (1997). Psychosocial treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. International Review of Psychiatry, 9 (1), pp. 119--132.

Oltmanns, T., Neale, J. and Davison, G. (1995). Case studies in abnormal psychology. New York [etc.]: Wiley.

Olatunji, B., Rosenfield, D., Tart, C., Cottraux, J., Powers, M. and Smits, J. (2013). Behavioral versus cognitive treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: An examination of outcome and mediators of change.. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 81 (3), p. 415.

 Sammons, A. (2011). Beck’s Cognitive Theory of Depression. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/resources/abnormal/a2_aqa_abnormal_moodcognitivebeck.pdf [Accessed: 11 Nov 2013].

Schacter, D., Gilbert, D., Wegner, D. and Hood, B. (2011). Psychology. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Taylor, S., Thordarson, D., Spring, T., Yeh, A., Corcoran, K., Eugster, K. and Tisshaw, C. (2003). Telephone-administered cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 32 (1), pp. 13--25.

Williamson, M., Cardwell, M. and Flanagan, C. (2007). Higher psychology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

An Insight into me

Who am I?

This last five years has not been the easiest five years of my life but it has taught me who I am and who to trust.

In the last five years both me and my man were made redundant after 15 years of  solid employment each. working,  We were unemployed for over a year and had to watch our debts just get higher and higher.  We then took on the permanent role of kinship carers for our niece, I went to college, My man finally managed to get a job and a good one at that and I managed to pass all my exams and get to university. Every summer is a financial nightmare as I cannot find work that fits around childcare so we make do with what we have from my mans wage.  So every year we manage to get the finances under control and then in summer it gets blown to pieces but we have worked hard and every year summer gets a little bit easier.

All of  three of us have gone through high emotions, heartbreak and just sheer frustration at getting one step forward and knocked ten steps back.  There has been underhandedness, family breakdowns and sheer non-acceptance of certain situations, to the point where the best thing to do was cut out the negativity altogether. There are also still ongoing meetings and hearings etc, that go along with being kinship carers.

On top of all this we are now having to move because we the landlord has decided to move back into this place, we have two months to find a deposit and a month advanced rent, removal costs etc etc and keep this family together... and so it all begins again.

There have been good things too however, My man has excelled so much so that he has achieved two promotions in the last year.  He absolutely loves his job! His employer is one of the best we have ever come across, putting focus on staff moral and supplying free fruit, soft drinks, tea coffee every day.  They organise a monthly presentation on business progress with food and drinks afterwards and anyone can go to this, they also organise a yearly away day for all the staff and everything is paid for so his work is great.

My niece is turning out to be the little genius when she puts her mind to it and we do our best to give her a full and interesting life.  She did kickboxing for nearly two years getting to yellow belt and now is looking to try out Judo.  She sings in the school choir and has achieved her goal of singing solo.  she loves history which is great because we are avid learners with books and books on everything from history to computer software.  She also plays football and basketball and does her own research on the internet in relation to history.  I also met one very good friend through my niece and her best friend who is also there to listen when I need to talk and understands how passionate I can be about different things.

Up until this point I can say that I have passed every assessment and exam I have taken over the last three years, I do my best to get the best marks possible and to date, I am sitting with A's and B's with one C sitting messing it all up (I suffer from OCPD so the C really irritates me) I am not counting my chickens however because each year does get harder.  Through college and university I met another really good friend who has been through many of these situations with me so already knows who I really am.

The people in my life that I expected help and support from where never really there when I needed them, never took the time to understand who I was, never accepted who I wanted to be which is probably why it took so long for me to go to college.  It seems they all had preconceptions of what and who I should be.  They were all wrong, I am me, my man is who he is and I would never dream of changing that because it's why I fell in love with him, and my niece is learning who she wants to be everyday and we will continue to allow her to make that decision for herself.

We are honest, we are hard working and we trust each other like we trust no-one else on this planet to get through each and every one of these hurdles.  Life keeps throwing these things at us and we keep facing them head on, I tend to charge in full steam ahead and just deal with the situation as soon as it happens, he is much calmer than me.  He slows me down a little and plays devils advocate a lot when I go charging into situations, so we are a complete balance.  We have practically no support in what we do except for one family member.  They are there to praise us when we achieve something or to tell us when we are wrong about something, but they are and always have been, there.

We don't expect hand outs or people to do things for us but just acknowledging what we do is all we ever asked.  We didn't ask for any of the situations that life threw at us but we don't run form them.  We deal with them.  Neither of us believe in shoving your head in the sand as that fixes nothing and neither of us is a great believer in the blame culture as that fixes nothing either.  We are two people that, like many, have gone through hell repeatedly only to come out stronger on the other side.  We have managed this because we fight for each other.  We believe we are doing the right thing, the honest thing and the best thing for this family.  We do this so as we can have a better future and we truly believe that one day this will happen but until then we will keep on fighting.  This is who I am.

Who is accountable for the rise in neglect?

I was checking all my various social media sites today and came across a post asking to share against child cruelty which I did.  Someone asked if it was abuse to leave a child on the street and I replied yes it was. I was then asked a question regarding this, which gave me food for thought.  I was asked who was to blame for this type of abuse and it was also stated that the ones that survived today would be raised in abuse and thus turn out to be tomorrows problem.  

This saddened me that this is what is thought of about children in care today.  I will admit that not all children respond to their new carers well, however I will also admit that not all carers are adept at caring for a child that has been through so much at such a young age.  I will start at the beginning however and try to restore some faith that the children in care today can be your leaders of tomorrow with the right help.

My response to the question  “was it child abuse to abandon a child on the street”  was not based on personal feeling, I am passionate about the subject and as such have read through as many laws and legislations as I can to understand it.  My response was thus based on the following legislations and laws.  Cruelty to Children Act 1889 and 1904 alongside the Children and Young person’s act 1933 including all up to and including 2014.  As well as these I also based my response on the definition of child abuse from the UN convention paraphrased below.  The UN convention it states  “Key child protection articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are Articles 9 (family separation), 10 (family reunification across borders), 11 (illicit transfer of children), 16(right to privacy, honour and reputation), 19 (protection from violence, injury, abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation), 20 (alternative care), 21 (adoption), 22 (refugee children), 23(disabled children), 24 (harmful practices), 25 (periodic review of alternative care), 32 (economic exploitation), 34 (sexual abuse and exploitation), 35 (abduction, sale or trafficking of children) , 36 (other forms of exploitation), 37 (juvenile justice and protection from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), 38 (protection in armed conflict), 39 (recovery and reintegration) and 40 (children in conflict with the law).  This is also available on their website in more detail below” (Unicef, 1992)  

All of the above acts would consider the abandoned child as neglected which causes numerous other forms of maltreatment in the process.  Although I do also see this as a form of neglect and thus child abuse I cannot honestly answer or respond to the question asked in a few lines.  The situation is much more complex.

I have to admit that I was not expecting the response that I received “I was asked who was to blame for this type of abuse and it was also stated that the ones that survived today would be raised in abuse and thus turn out to be tomorrows problem”.   I genuinely worry that this is the standard thought process about children in care today.  Many of these children have been emotionally scarred because of stresses and trauma in early childhood and it takes a particular type of person to take a child in and care for them.  I have known several kinship and foster carers and all have their strengths and they treat the children they care for with respect and understanding.  They work closely with professionals to try and resolve some of the mental issues caused in early childhood.   From all of the children I know or have met, none of them look, to me, as though they will be tomorrows problems.  Actually, it is quite the opposite, I see children being rebuilt, children understanding a lot more than they should and children who will continue to grow stronger as their carers continue to understand and remain dedicated to helping them. 

These children, I believe, will grow up to be team leaders and managers, supervisors and inspirations.  The logic behind this thought is that these children have dealt with stress ten times more dangerous to them than making a snap decision on the shop floor.  These children are the most logical answer to our stagnant economics and failing businesses.  Not only can they deal with stress, but they will remember how all they wanted when they were younger was to be listened to or to be treated fairly or not to be scared.  Given the right care, they can be the person that listens, treats people with dignity and doesn't choose to frighten their staff but rather, motivates them by using loyalty and dedication. 

When asked who is to blame however, this takes deeper thought.  In our time now, I could look to the government starving its population enough for a young girl to abandon her baby because she just does not see a way to make ends meet.  It could be that sex education carried out by schools isn't a big enough deterrent as serious issues like HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are just briefly touched on because of adult embarrassment of the issues. It could be that the parents didn't follow up on the sex education to highlight the important factors such as STD’s, pregnancy and what motherhood is all about.  It could be culture, the girl may be disowned if she dishonours the family with a child out of marriage.  It could be that the girl is too ashamed of her situation and she just wants it forgotten and no one else to know about it (many girls have been known to go through pregnancy unnoticed, birth the baby and abandon it without anyone knowing).  In these cases we must stand back and look at the girls situation, what made her so desperate in that situation.  Can we blame the people around her, the state, or do we blame her for being scared of the consequences.  I am aware there are girls that abandon their baby for more selfish reasons but these are minimal compared to the girls that are terrified of the consequences from the people around them.  Can we realistically blame the people around her however? 

I feel that there is a lack of education out there about motherhood, responsibility, living with the consequences or even the help they can get if they knew where to look and that’s how we can lessen the amount of abandoned babies, as well as lessen other forms of cruelty and maltreatment such as neglect.  There is a rise in tolerance of various forms of neglect as they are now seen as normal, such as seeing your friend leave her baby in the baby walker all day, this is neglect and can damage limb development but so many youngsters do not know this and think it’s ok.  A good understanding of child development and their own expected life changes is required in schools and at home but it is not forthcoming as we stand and let governments dictate what we can and cannot teach, what we can and cannot learn so in this scenario, we are all to blame, because we do not fight to change things any more.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1889/44/contents/enacted

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/23-24/12

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2014/8/contents/enacted

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/cruelty_to_a_child/

http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/Our-mission/UN-Convention/

Overview of Mars One analysis

Mosaic image taken on Jan. 4, 2004, by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit

 Mars One, the project that aims to send 4 people to Mars and colonise it.  The project that cannot bring them back again.  Reality TV on Mars,  access to TV and email.  Four people to live out two full years on Mars before another four arrive.  Four people that will need to learn how to survive, not only on another planet, but in a completely different atmosphere with completely different terrain.

These four people will be responsible for building the next colonised part of Mars for the next group of successful  colony members and throughout all of this, they will be alone, dealing with such things as Engineering, Medical, physics, architecture, various science fields and many other factors to support them and their colony throughout the first two years.  When the next group are sent, they will be sent with further supplies to do the same for a further four to be sent 6 years after the first four.   This repeats, until I presume, funding runs out. 

Can it be done?  Can this rightfully be called a colony?  Why hasn't procreation been looked at further as yet?  What are the implications of this project and is it right to let 24 people do this knowing they can’t come back. 

A few days ago I wrote a blog about researching this topic.  As the days have gone on I have to say I have more questions than answers but over the next few weeks I plan on finding more answers to these questions.   

This topic is very complex in terms of financing and technology available so I will be working on several blogs regarding different key areas.    The Mars One Timeline Key areas to be critically analysed are as follows :

Crew selection and Training

Mars-bound Demonstration Mission

Communication Satellite

Rover mission

Operational outpost

Crew departure and Landing

Each of these is part of Mars one own road map to the success of the project, there are other steps however these areas are ‘standard’ for any exploration project and do not raise moral or ethical, philosophical or psychological questions.  The areas above however need in-depth understanding and further detail in order to conclude whether this project will be any of the following:

Successful

Ethical

Moral

Educational

Insightful

Beneficial

I have listed several of the websites I have taken much of my information from and will be adding to this list as I analyse each factor.

I hope you will join me on my journey to assess the Mars One Project.

Bibliograghy with links

http://www.mars-one.com/about-mars-one

MarsOneProject

In-text: (YouTube, 2014)

Bibliography: YouTube. 2014. MarsOneProject. [online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarsOneProject [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/overview/index.html#.UtBJFNJdU40

NASA.

Mars Overview

In-text: (NASA, 2014)

Bibliography: NASA. 2014. Mars Overview. [online] Available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/overview/index.html#.UtBJFNJdU40 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/life-on-mars-irish-man-signs-up-for-colony-mission-1.1648449?page=2

Irish Times.

Life on Mars: Irish man signs up for colony mission

In-text: (Irish Times, 2014)

Bibliography: Irish Times. 2014. Life on Mars: Irish man signs up for colony mission. [online] Available at: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/life-on-mars-irish-man-signs-up-for-colony-mission-1.1648449?page=2 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/30/5249354/mars-one-narrows-applicant-pool-to-1058-in-first-cut-for-2025

The Verge.

Mars One narrows applicant pool to 1,058 in first cut for 2025 colonization mission

In-text: (The Verge, 2014)

Bibliography: The Verge. 2014. Mars One narrows applicant pool to 1,058 in first cut for 2025 colonization mission. [online] Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/30/5249354/mars-one-narrows-applicant-pool-to-1058-in-first-cut-for-2025 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/more-2-700-pay-chance-take-one-way-trip-mars-8C11115364

Alan Boyle, S. E.

More than 2,700 pay up for a chance to take a one-way trip to Mars - NBC News.com

In-text: (Alan Boyle, 2014)

Bibliography: Alan Boyle, S. E. 2014. More than 2,700 pay up for a chance to take a one-way trip to Mars - NBC News.com. [online] Available at: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/more-2-700-pay-chance-take-one-way-trip-mars-8C11115364 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/mars-no-place-children-yet-6C10046900

NBC News.

Mars is no place for children -- yet - NBC News.com

In-text: (NBC News, 2014)

Bibliography: NBC News. 2014. Mars is no place for children -- yet - NBC News.com. [online] Available at: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/mars-no-place-children-yet-6C10046900 [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/08/europe_russia_a.php

DVICE.

Europe, Russia announce joint mission to put boots on Mars first

In-text: (DVICE, 2014)

Bibliography: DVICE. 2014. Europe, Russia announce joint mission to put boots on Mars first. [online] Available at: http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/08/europe_russia_a.php [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.dvice.com/2013-10-8/new-reality-shows-bring-private-spaceflight-your-tv

DVICE.

New reality shows bring private spaceflight to your TV

In-text: (DVICE, 2014)

Bibliography: DVICE. 2014. New reality shows bring private spaceflight to your TV. [online] Available at: http://www.dvice.com/2013-10-8/new-reality-shows-bring-private-spaceflight-your-tv [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.geek.com/science/lockheed-martin-receives-250000-in-ambitious-mars-one-project-1579513/

Templeton, G.

Lockheed Martin receives $250,000 from ambitious Mars One project | Science! | Geek.com

In-text: (Templeton, 2014)

Bibliography: Templeton, G. 2014. Lockheed Martin receives $250,000 from ambitious Mars One project | Science! | Geek.com. [online] Available at: http://www.geek.com/science/lockheed-martin-receives-250000-in-ambitious-mars-one-project-1579513/ [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-05/meet-the-britons-shortlisted-for-a-one-way-trip-to-mars/

ITV News.

Meet the British men and women shortlisted for a one-way mission to Mars

In-text: (ITV News, 2014)

Bibliography: ITV News. 2014. Meet the British men and women shortlisted for a one-way mission to Mars. [online] Available at: http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-05/meet-the-britons-shortlisted-for-a-one-way-trip-to-mars/ [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_12_19/Mars-One-mission-one-way-ticket-to-new-life-8765/

Voiceofrussia.com.

Mars One mission: one way ticket to new life

In-text: (Voiceofrussia.com, 2013)

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http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Mars+rover+photos+featured+exhibit+Smithsonian+museum+marking/9359648/story.html

www.calgaryherald.com.

Mars rover photos featured in new exhibit at Smithsonian museum, marking 10th year of mission

In-text: (www.calgaryherald.com, 2014)

Bibliography: www.calgaryherald.com. 2014. Mars rover photos featured in new exhibit at Smithsonian museum, marking 10th year of mission. [online] Available at: http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Mars+rover+photos+featured+exhibit+Smithsonian+museum+marking/9359648/story.html [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://ewn.co.za/2014/01/06/Mars-One-explorers-to-undergo-tests

Eliseev, A.

Mars One explorers to undergo tests

In-text: (Eliseev, 2014)

Bibliography: Eliseev, A. 2014. Mars One explorers to undergo tests. [online] Available at: http://ewn.co.za/2014/01/06/Mars-One-explorers-to-undergo-tests [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/11/mars-one-death-mission-delayed_n_4424300.html

UK, H.

'Death' Mission To Mars Delayed By Two Years

In-text: (UK, 2014)

Bibliography: UK, H. 2014. 'Death' Mission To Mars Delayed By Two Years. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/11/mars-one-death-mission-delayed_n_4424300.html [Accessed: 10 Jan 2014].

Picture is Courtesy of Nasa.com  and is the mosaic image taken on Jan. 4, 2004, by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.  It shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the rover on the surface of Mars.

Mars One - Will it Work?

Over the next few days I will be looking into the infamous project named 'Mars One'.  This project aims to send 4 people to Mars and on a regular basis send another four along with further supplies and equipment. There were thousands of applicants willing to be sent to Mars but the real shock, to me, at least, is that the applicants know that they cannot return to earth.

The technology required to a return journey is not available so it would be impossible to bring them back.   There are several other crucial factors in this project which I will be looking into, such as surface radiation, Psychological impact to the applicants and skills needed to run such a small colony.

I find the concept fascinating but dangerous, very interesting but I doubt it.  I am hoping to gain a lot more insight into this and give a full analysis of this topic based on information gained.

Stay with me as I journey through this project to find out just what it entails and whether it is feasible.

Pareidolia OR Seeing things with your Imagination

Please do not look at the pictures until you have read the article and test this psychological phenomenon for yourself.

Looking through my face book today I come across a post that really caught my eye. Now I love cute little rodents such as mice and rats so I follow a group dedicated to posting up cute pictures of these little fellows in their natural habitats. This picture however was not in their natural habitat it was in fact of a rat on MARS? 

Well I just could not believe this at face value so I did some digging and this actually ties in nicely to my previous article (rant) about the teapot. I have enclosed pictures so as you can see what I am referring too but please do not look (Psychologically I know now that I’ve told you not to look you want to so apologies for this but hang in there) 

I dug around on the NASA page and found absolutely nothing to confirm the sighting of rats on Mars (no surprise their heh heh) but I am aware of a psychological phenomenon called Pareidolia. Many people are capable of this ability. Keeping the terminology in plain English Pareidolia is the ability to form pictures from shapes and symbols. The mind does this by looking at the visual and then pulling past images from your memory and piecing the image you see together with images you know such as a rock can suddenly be a rat (you can look now ) or a teapot can suddenly resemble Hitler (yes my earlier rant was about this particular teapot).

So there you have it and as a side note, this is where the saying never believe everything you see comes in useful! 

Hitler on a Teapot

OR

Rats on Mars