Monday, 30 January 2012

Story Of How I Live With OCD. 30/02/12

Since primary school i have been growing up with a mental health problem which was only diagnosed in May 2011 as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Over the years it has got worse and to the point it was starting to take over my life. I started washing my hands all the time when i was in year 4-5 but I thought it was normal so i just kept it to myself. The hand washing was starting to get excessive and I was starting to do different riterals from; Hand washing, making things symmetrical, getting unwanted thoughts of cancer, illnesses, death, touching things a certain number of times and other things. When i get these thoughts of cancer or illnesses i would do my compulsions (Things I have to do) which would make these thoughts go away. Some of these compulsions would vary between praying in my head, washing hands, covering my mouth, cleaning, making things symmetrical or tapping things a certain number of times till it feels right. I would fear that if i did not do these things, all my thoughts would come true.

When i experience these thoughts my anxiety rises up to a level where it is unbearable to cope with which then makes me carry out these compulsions, but it would only last for so long until the thoughts come back again. The most stressful compulsion that I carry out is my praying. When people talk about praying they assume you are praying to god but the praying I do is like I am begging my mind to not let these thoughts come true and this praying can last up to 10 minutes in one go. For example, I get a thought of me getting cancer so I pray to myself saying 'Please don't let me get cancer, please don't let me get it' and I would do that over and over again until i feel better. I can pray up to at least 30 times a day.

I grew up with OCD with no help throughout school as I was scared that people would think I was mental, I thought I was the only person in the world who dose all of these things. Near the end of year 11 I finally came out and told a teacher about the things I do and the teacher took me to see another teacher who told me about CAMS. however the teacher who told me about CAMS was saying I could have schizophrenia and that I could be putting students and the school in danger. I felt like I was being discriminated because I knew I was not a danger to anyone and I knew I did not have schizophrenia so I was pulling myself back from people and keeping my OCD to myself. however I finally got an appointment at CAMS and was soon told that I suffer from OCD. I was then put on medication but the medication was not working so I make the chose to come off. I soon started my CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) which is helping me controlling what I do and soon to minimise my OCD. CBT helps me believe that my thoughts are not true and that everyone gets unwanted thoughts. Also it has made me stronger and more determined to beat my OCD.

Having OCD in my life is really hard, its like having a bully in your head that is so strong I believe everything my OCD tells me but I have learned to live with OCD and I am getting my life back to how it was. I want people to understand that people who have OCD are not different from other people our minds just work in different ways and I want people who suffer form OCD but are too scared to come out that it is okay, there is help and you can get treated. Get it sorted before it takes over your life. You don't have to be on your own.

This image shows what a normal person brian looks like compared to an OCD person.

This video explains what OCD is

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Homework - 5 Types Of Documentaries.

EXPOSITORY DOCUMENTARY








Expository documentaries are documentaries that expose a person or a topic. It is a well known form of documentary, one of the four main types of documentaries. Expository documentaries are well known for having a commentator, talking over the pictures or videos and explaining the story about someone or something. In an expository documentary the commentator talks specifically to the audience explaining what is going on. They include footage, Interviews or pictures exclusive To the documentary.

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Initial Idea- Documentary-Discipline In Secondary Schools 26/01/2012

Is Discipline Working At YOUR School?

My initial idea for this documentary is to look at if sending students to the IER or Time Out Room is really a good discipline. I want to get view points from both students and staff and find out what they actually think if this discipline system. I want to see if this system actually works because nearly everyday you can see the same people in IER or the Time Out Room and looking like they are enjoying their time in there. Also i want to find out if sending students to these rooms is effecting their learning. I want to find out what actually happens within these 4 walls. I am also going to try and interview students who have been in the IER or Time Out Room and see what they think about this discipline, I am going to talk to the people who run this system and talk to all the house heads and get their views across.

Also we are going to go to Whitley Academy and see how staff discipline students and see if it works. I am going to interview students and staff from that Academy and get their views on discipline.

What To Do
Interview students and staff.
Find out what happens in these rooms.
See how discipline was back in the olden days and what its like now.
See how discipline runs at different secondary schools as well as Sidney Stringer Academy
Go to Whitley Academy and interview students and staff.

Things we need to do Check List 26/01/2012

Things we need to do
  • Get an appointment at Whitley Academy and find out about discipline within Whitley Academy.
  • Interview students from Whitley Academy and see how they feel about their discipline.
  • Get an interview with Mrs Tomes and talk about what she things about discipline at Sidney Stringer Academy.
  • Talk to students and staff at Sidney Stringer and get different views on if they think discipline is working.
  • Interview students who have been in the Time Out Room and IRE and see if t effects their learning and if it helps discipline.
  • Find out how Whitley Academy copes with discipline compeared to Sidney Stringer Academy.
  • Organise who will being doing the voice over, filming, and asking questions in the interviews.