Third Week Mandatory Posts (All 3 Questions)

1. Classmates and professor, please give me your input on the following, it is a tentative introduction/thesis for my final paper. Also, if there are problems with the APA format of my reference please let me know.
Untreated bipolar disorder affects many areas of a person’s life, especially teenagers. Most people do not want to admit how desperate they feel or know the difference between normal sadness or teenage rebellion and true depression. Along with that, even when parents recognize the extreme behaviors, they are often overlooked. There is a shame associated with admitting there is a real problem, more predominantly with mental illness. Many parents and sufferers alike believe they can handle the situation and fix the problems on their own due to the fact that they do not truly realize the intensity that different phases of bipolar disorder really have. Some of the more extreme cases can result in life long repercussions. A few of the indicators that should be recognized and further examined are sudden changes in behavior such as a noticeable change in grades, lack of interest in hobbies and friends, and also reckless or dangerous new behaviors. (Dyson, 2009)
　
　
Dyson, C. (31 May 2009). “Parents reach out through their grief: After the suicide of their 18-year-old daughter, Spotsylvania County parents vow to educate others about bipolar disorder.” The Freelance Star, Fredericksburg, VA. Retrieved on November 16, 2009 from EBSCO: Newspaper Source.


2. In a lot of ways, especially in my writing classes, I am thankful for the anonymity of online classes. It makes it easier to share my work when I don’t have to look anyone in the eye. However, I do miss the real time interactions of a traditional classroom. It is much harder to get input and work as o team or group when you have to wait for peer responses. I do think that this required blogging can e helpful in making our “classroom community” stronger. By adding pictures and some extra personal facts about ourselves (without reveling more than we are comfortable with) can make it easier to get a real sense of each other’s personalities. That in turn can help us put comments in perspective by “knowing” each other better.


3. I think that in a lot of ways the “blog-o-sphere” can be a useful tool in our writing. By posting any type of writing we do on here opens it up not only to classmates, but anyone else that “stumbles” upon it to comment and help us gain insight to how others interpret what we are saying. However, with other’s outside of our classroom being able to comment, they are liable to not be as constructively critical as we have become accustom.