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Citation: Gander, Maclean. "Column: Is ADHD Overdiagnosed?" USA Today. Gannett, 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. The questions asks about the treatment of ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a disorder that is diagnosed on subjective impressions of symptoms. This means that pediatricians can diagnose children with ADHD and put them on medication based strictly on intuition. The problem with these medications is that they have serious side effects. Also students diagnosed with ADHD live with being singled out of regular school environment. Another problem with this disoder is that the number of students diagnosed goes up everyday; in fact in a couple of decades, at this rate, 1 in 5 students will be diagnosed. The author MacLean gander also talks of how medication has really helped some children diagnosed with this disorder. MacLean finishes by saying how the problem is real and if school systems are not changed to fit the needs of these children, they will suffer life altering consequences.

I think that this is not only a good health topic, but a very controversial topic. I find it hard to believe that people may believe that ADHD is not actually a real disorder. Though it may be easily faked, because there is no biological symtoms that may suggest that a person has this disorder there are physical ones. My friends brother has ADHD and he said that the symtoms were really bad nausea, diaria and suicidal thoughts. He immediately got off the medicine but never went to see about his disorder again. This made high school and getting goods grades very difficult. This is why it is so difficult to decide what to do about this situation, because there is no middle way. I think that ADHD is a serious disorder. Because of the growing diagnoses, the education system will have to be changed to accommodate the needs of these students.

Citation: Louis, Catherine Saint. "Effects of Bullying Last into Adulthood, Study Finds." The New York Times. New York Times, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. . Summary: Both bullies and victim of bullies at a young age experience psychiatric problem when they're adults. Researchers followed 1420 subjects who were assessed 4-6 times between the age of 9 and 16. They categorized them as bullies, victims, bullies who were also victims, and children who weren't bullied at all based on the children themselves and the caregivers. Later, at the age of 19, 21 and between 24-26, they tested them again. Researchers then found that victims of bullying were 4.3 times more likely to have anxiety disorder at adulthood, and bullies who were also victims were 14.5 times more likely to develop panic disorders and 4.8 times more likely to experience depression as adults. Men who were both bullied and victims also were 18.5 times to have suicidal thoughts in adulthood. Bullies who were not victims were 4.1 times more likely to have an antisocial personality disorder as adults. Female bullies were 26.7 times more likely to have developed agoraphobia (anxiety). These were all being compared to the people who weren't the bullies nor the victims. Victims could have anxiety disorders, bullies who were victims can have panic disorders/depression/suicidal thoughts, and bullies could be antisocial when they are adults.

I found that this article informative that what may happen in schools will have a long time effect to the student's life. I know that bullying will have a psychological and emotional effect at school, but I have never thought it would last when the bully or the perpetrator reach adulthood. Knowing how the effects are long-lasting, I feel this should be a warning to bullies and victims to not get involved with any type of bullying, or else it will leave a bad psychological scar in your memory. Hopefully I will never see an incident of bullying during the time at school.

Citation: "Al Roker On Being 'The Jolly Fat Person'" NPR. NPR, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. Summary:  Al Roker lived a tough life.  He was obese, and was often made fun of at school.  This was during the time where the TV show, Fat Albert was becoming popular, and made his fatness more of a joke rather than an insult.  When he pursued his television career, it was an advantage at first, as more people viewed his show, but soon it became too much.  His wife told him to lose weight, and bariatric surgery was performed on him to lose more than 100 pounds and he is now on a strict diet.  He is now 200 pounds, compared to his 340 pounds he was, and still at times enjoys his high-fat foods.  

I think that this article is very significant to many people's lives. Al Roker was at the point of being so fat, that it was dangerous for his life. I think that if some obese people read this, they could realize that their life could be in danger because of their weight. This will not only affect your life, but others around you as well. I think it was very brave of Al Roker to perform this life threatening procedure and change his diet to lose weight, and make people close to him happy.

Sample, Ian. "Sleeping Less than Six Hours a Night Skews Activity of Hundreds of Genes." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . This article, from The Guardian, talks about an English study on sleep patterns and genes. The study found that the genes of people who sleep less than six hours per night become suppressed and much less functional than those of people who sleep for healthier periods of time (i.e. 8 hours or more, typically). These changes can affect more than 700 genes that govern the human body's immune system, metabolism, sleep and wake cycles, and responses to stress. 

This is very relevant to not just the Health course, but to people's everyday lives as well. As high school students, many of us are too preoccupied with doing schoolwork or procrastinating to go to sleep on time, which leads to sleep deprivation. We all know that sleep deprivation will also deprive one of his or her ability to focus properly, but this article provides a very solid scientific explanation as to why we should be sleeping right. I think that this kind of stuff is fascinating -- the whole idea of digging deep into how the human body works is just amazing, especially since we're always learning new things.