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Thursday, March 27, 2008
NEWS | 5
Financial crisis may lead to recession LIZ GARRETT ASST. NEWS EDITOR EGG722@CABRINI.EDU
The top U.S. papers have been focusing on the dayto-day news coming in from the Federal Reserve, concerning the deepening of the nation’s financial crisis. Economists are looking at the risk factor of the Federal Reserve’s temporary solution of pushing more and more money into the economy. The forcing of money seems to be the Fed’s quick-fix in order to avoid a recession. Economists are now pointing out the importance of how long a recession could last. Americans are in agreement with the economists. A recent poll showed that 76 percent of the nation feels that a recession is already in action, according to USA Today.
Obama confronts negative publicity
DIANA TRASATI/ASST. COPY EDITOR
Wendy Odyniec was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 36. From the time she was a little girl, she faced the many symptoms of the disorder, but was not diagnosed properly. Odyniec now uses prescription medication and schedules regular visits with her psychologist in order to stabilize her illness.
Bipolar disorder causes misconceptions to arise DIANA TRASATTI ASST. COPY EDITOR DLT722@CABRINI.EDU
“I always knew that there was something wrong with me,” Wendy Odyniec said, as she brushed her dark hair back behind her ears and sipped her warm coffee. “A lot of years were spent just thinking I was crazy.” Odyniec is just one of the 5.7 millions of Americans who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Bipolar disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, which leads one to have extreme up and down moods. During the manic state of the illness sufferers tend to engage in behavior that can be considered risky or dangerous. It is in the depressive state that they feel upset with what they’ve done and in a sense, crash. Odyniec is no stranger to either side of the illness. “I always felt there was a hole inside of me and nothing could fill that hole up,” Odyniec said. In an effort to fill up that hole, Odyniec turned to drugs and alcohol at the age of 11. Being misdiagnosed as hyper, she was given Valium, which the doctors hoped would calm her down. By the age of 16, Odyniec and her friends were all taking the Valium, a way to combat their “hyper-activity.” “It really wasn’t the right answer, but I didn’t know
what was wrong with me and I wanted to feel better.” At 36, Odyniec hit the bottom. Subsiding into a major depression caused doctors to finally diagnose her properly. Upon being medicated for depression and having it produce the opposite effects, doctors were able to tell Odyniec the cause of that hole she felt and the ups and downs she experienced since she was 11. Bipolar disorder can begin anywhere from the early childhood years up until the age of 50. It does not discriminate against race, gender or social class. It is found in all different types of people from all parts of the world and of all varying statuses, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Since the illness is caused from a chemical imbalance, it also carries a genetic link. Those with parents or relatives who have the disorder are also likely to inherit the illness. Despite increasing knowledge and medical advances, society still looks down upon mental health illness and does not fully understand it. “People say to you ‘Just snap out of it.’ Well, you can’t just snap out of it. It doesn’t work that way. I think that’s the thing that bothers me the most. I don’t choose to be this way.” Everyone may experience a depression or mood swings within the course of their life, but consistency and extremity in this trend may constitute for concern. You will see the typical ups and
downs that everyone will encounter, in bipolar patients. It is a cause for concern when the shifts in moods become more extreme and occur on a regular basis, according to Dr. Anthony Tomasco, professor of psychology. Some of these shifts in moods have caused Odyniec to do things such as paint her entire ceiling in black, overturn her fully set dinner table and simply walk out and leave the hospital in which she was being held after a confrontation with the police. A steady use of the prescription medication lithium and regular visits with her psychologist have helped Odyniec live with and stabilize her illness. In addition, Odyniec uses laughter as a means of coping. “What else can I do? You have to be able to laugh at yourself. Crying is not going to get me anywhere.” With the proper medication and treatment, those with bipolar disorder are able to live a regular life. “People will say to me all the time ‘I would never know you’re bipolar.’ I’m not embarrassed about being bipolar. If you had diabetes, would you be embarrassed? If you had cancer, would you be embarrassed? You would want to get help. So, I’m not embarrassed.” That hole inside of Odyniec, which she desperately tried to fill since the age of 11 still resides, but in a different way. “I was always trying to fill that hole up. I think I’ll always have it, but now I know what it is.”
Senator Obama has chosen to face the negativity the media has let loose about the controversy surrounding the sermons of his spiritual advisor, Reverend Wright. He delivered his speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, beginning by saying that Wright’s comments were conflict-ridden and wrong. Obama continued on to say that the words spoken by Wright were a result of African-American’s ongoing aggravation concerning racism. He defends his point by stating that there is a reason behind these sermons, and it must be taken into consideration in hopes to lessen misunderstandings between races.
Invasion of Iraq marks fifth anniversary The invasion of Iraq has come to its fifth anniversary. President Bush has concluded in Washington that the war has blown away all original expectations. However, he said the war is something that the nation cannot give up on. Bush focused on the success he feels has been obtained by sending more troops overseas. Democrats argued that the president lacks a plan to bring the U.S. troops home.
Search for AIDS vaccine is unsuccessful The search for an AIDS vaccine has led to the conclusion that scientists have shown little to no improvement, now 20 years after they began looking for a preventive vaccine. The news worsens when the public found out that the only possible answer to an AIDS vaccine could cause an increase in chances to catch the infection. These failures are causing officials to become unsure about why $500 million is spent annually for these inquiries.
Nosing into passport files causes deeper concerns Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently made a public apology on behalf of the State Department employees for looking through presidential candidates’ passport files. Even though the workers viewed the files without approval, officials say that they did not violate any laws, according to The Washington Post.