Personality Traits and PTSD Resilience Research Paper

Personality Traits and PTSD Resilience - Research Paper Example The TR in DSM-IV-TR refers to† text revision†s. Numeroff et al. (2009), a reprint of the work of Numeroff et al. (2006), reviewed the state of science in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors pointed out five key points. First, PTSD is frequent among women than among men. Second, the presence of group C symptoms after exposure to trauma can predict the development of PTSD. Third, increases in corticotrophin-releasing factor or CRF concentration associated with PTSD â€Å"may be reversed† with paroxetine treatment. Fourth, â€Å"hippocampal volume appears to be selectively decreased and hippocampal function impaired among PTSD patients.† Fifth, prolonged exposure therapy is effective in modifying negative cognitions that are frequent among PTSD patients. Note that in Numeroff et al. (2009) or state of science on the PTSD, there was no mention on the role of personality traits and resilience. In the 2000 guidelines of 50 pages for treating PTSD wri tten by Foa et al., there was no mention on the role of personality traits in hastening or slowing down the treatment or management of PTSDs. The treatment guidelines were developed under the auspices of the PTSD Treatment Guidelines Task Force organized by the Board of Directors of the International Society for Trauma Stress Studies (ISTSS) in November 1997 (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The treatment guidelines described PTSD as a serious psychological condition resulting from an exposure to a traumatic event (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The 2000 guidelines mentioned that the symptoms associated with PTSDs are â€Å"reliving the traumatic events or frightening elements of it; avoidance of thoughts, memories, people, and places associated with the event; emotional numbing; and symptoms of elevated arousal† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The treatment guidelines pointed out that PTSDs are â€Å"often accompanied by other psychological disorders† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). Fu rther, the treatment guidelines elaborated that the â€Å"PTSD is a complex condition that can be associated with significant morbidity, disability, and impairment of life functions† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association (1994) guided the guidelines. The guidelines recognized that research that shaped the guidelines came largely from western industrialized nations and little is known about the treatment of the PTSD in non-industrialized countries (Foa et al, 2000, p. 540). The guidelines also noted that there are limitations in the scientific literature on the PTSDs because most studies have used inclusion and exclusion criteria and, thus, each study may not fully represent the complete â€Å"spectrum† of patients (Foa et al., 2000, p. 541). In particular, it is customary in the studies of PTSD treatment to â€Å"exclude patients with active substance dependence, acute suicidal ideation, neuropsychological deficits, retardation, or cardiovascular disease† such that generalization of the findings to all populations may not be appropriate (Foa et al., 2000 p. 541). However, like Numeroff et al. (2009), Foa et al. (2000) did not mention anything on the association

English law allows parties the utmost freedom to agree their own legal Essay

English law allows parties the utmost freedom to agree their own legal relations and liabilities without limitation and interrup - Essay Example This means that a salient factor that distinguishes contractual obligations from other forms of legal obligations is that contracts are premised upon agreements. Likewise, this is important since people can agree to exchange any goods and / or services, provided they are legit. Similarly, if the basic requirements of a contract have been met, then English law may not step in to curtail parties the utmost freedom to agree on their own legal relations and liabilities. Some of these essential requirements include the presence of offer and acceptance, consideration which supports the agreement, and an intention to create legal relations. The exception to this is when the modalities such as the Sales of Goods Act 1979, the Exclusion Clause and UCTA and implied terms therein as laid down to govern contracts have been violated. An exception that curtails the utmost freedom for parties to agree on their legal liabilities and relations without restrictions is the Exclusion Clause. This is bec ause the Exclusion Clause restricts or excludes the liability of one of the parties. Normally, it is the seller whose liability is restricted. However, it is important to note that the Exclusion Clause is not accorded blanket application so that wicked sellers can breach their initially agreed upon contractual obligations. On the contrary, the Exclusion Clause is applied in light of the contra proferentum rule. This can be seen in the case Wallis, Son & Wells v Pratt and Haynes. In this case, a seed sale contract clause argued that sellers did not give any implied or expressed warranties concerning the description of the seeds. The seeds were not found to match the description they had been previously given. In this effect, it was held that the clause was only applicable to the warranty and that the description being referred to was part of the conditions that made the contract. Particularly, the House of Lords ruled that there was no instance in which sellers are not to fulfill the ir warranty, whether this warranty is implied or direct. This is to the effect that any clause which does not explicitly detail conditions will normally not exclude liability for breach of conditions (House of Lords, 2012, p. 1). The crux of the matter above is that the circumstances which may compel the seller in the contract to apply to be absolved from the responsibilities or liabilities spelt out in the contract must have been caused by unforeseen circumstances (D. Ashcroft and J. Ashcroft, 2010, p. 66). Conversely, in this instance where unforeseen circumstances bedevil the business or the seller, the liability limitation may come into succour businesses which cannot afford to shoulder the burden on consequential and unforeseen losses that may threaten to subject a business to insolvency. Siems (2003, p. 35) explains further that the situation above was exemplified by the case British Fermentation Products Ltd v Compair Reavell Ltd [1999]. In this case, the British Fermentation Products Limited was the purchaser of a compressor of air supply under proper pressure to aerate and mix well, which was to help produce yeast. The supplier would be Compair Reavell Limited. The compressors failed to work well several times even after several replacements were delivered. Even though the amount of damages surpassed ? 1 million, Judge Bowsher Q.C.