Jodi Arias is currently under the public's microscope as she goes on trial for the murder of her ex boyfriend. Originally, Arias claimed she hadn't been there when Travis Alexander died and later recanted that story to say two intruders broke in and killed him while she hid. After further examination, Arias admitted that she did, in fact, kill Alexander, but that it was in self defense.

On the stand, Arias often doesn't recall stabbing or shooting her ex boyfriend in June 2008. While the prosecution seemed skeptical, the defense provided a psychologist who offered an explination to her behavior. Dr. Richard Samuels believes Jodi Arias suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD. This disorder is often referenced in context to former military men and women who return from war, but Dr. Samuels believs Jodi may have it too.

He also believes PTSD explains why she fabricated another situation in her mind and continued to call Alexander's phone after she had killed him. He claims she had a break with reality after killing him and she made up an alternate reality to help her cope. "Memories are not formed in many people who are experiencing acute stress, because, chemically, it just doesn't work," Samuels told the court.

The prosecution believes that even if Jodi does have PTSD, that occured after the killings and doesn't justify any pre-meditation that took part.

As a student in online psychology courses, what do you think?

     recently I was reading online different articles on brain chemistry and imbalances in the brain along with many articles on neurotransmitters. I started thinking what if one day we could create the technology to scan a brain, or take blood and know exactly what chemical was imbalanced and by how much. If you could find out how much or how little dopamine, serotonin, noreprinephrine or GABA someone needed, would it improve on someones mental illness. or if you could pin point exactly with neurotransmitters were not working properly, could we fix them? would any of this better the quality of life someone is having? I didnt take into account how there mental illness was triggered or anything to do with anyones enviroment or DNA. I also didnt take into account the severty of the illness. I dont know if changing the brain chemistry of someone who has a mental illness due to head injury or abuse would help. for instance if a person developes dissociative identity disorder due to being severly abuse, would changing the chemical imbalance in there brain truely help them?  but it was just a thought that came up in my head, I figured I would share it with all of you and get your point of veiw. I hope I explained my idea well enough. I never could get my point across when I thought of something good! thoughts anyone?

Imagine being sick with strep throat and once the sore throat subsides, you're left with a crippling psychological disorder.  That happened to Karli Bossman when she was just five years old.  After being diagnosed with strep throat, the once happy little girl who loved school turned into a girl who would rip off her clothes because they "hurt", refuse to get into cars because she was worried they'd run out of gas, and avoid elevators out of fear.  She even was scared to go to bed at night for fear she'd have a bad dream. 

Karli was diagnosed with PANDAS or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection.  "It's not a rare disorder, it's just rarely diagnosed," said one of the top experts on PANDAS. "There are a lot of children actually misdiagnosed as having a primary psychiatric symptoms, when, in fact they are autoimmune and organic."

Have you ever heard of this disorder?  When you become a psychologist, would you watn to help children with OCD?

There has been a new report conducted by psychologists that now say swearing is actually good for you.  Although people might judge or look at you strangely if you let out a string of curse words, psychologists now say that dropping an F-bomb or two actually has a positive impact pain receptors in the brain. 

"Swearing is such a common response to pain that there has to be an underlying reason why we do it," says psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University.  "I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear."

It also doesn't matter which language you cuss in; the effect is the same.  "I know that certain phrases can be used in front of my parents in Spanish without any thought at all. But if I say the same phrase in English in the same way, it is considered trouble. The words are interpreted culturally, " said a psychology professor at the University of New Haven.

Why do you think we curse?  Does it actually make you feel better when you do?

September 11th, 2001 not only brought about changes in security and national pride, but it also gave a literal scenario to an idea psychologists had been debating for a long time.  Before this situation, psychologists had long since argued about the amount of lasting trauma an event like this would have on the psyche.  They also wondered if seeing the events play out on television would have the same emotional distress as those who witnessed it in person.

Before this event psychologists used "talk" therapy to have the victim talk through what they had witnessed, felt, and experienced.  In the case of 9/11, this caused the patient to plunge farther into depression and caused them great anxiety.  Now psychologists have begun using "psychological first aid" which focuses on coping skills and only urges the person to discuss their experiences when they feel prepared.  Those partcipating in the study also realized that now, ten years later, the psychological effects aren't as great as they once imagined. 

Do you think September 11th caused trauma for everyone (including those who just watched it on TV) or do you think we have all had enough time to heal? Are the memories as fresh and upsetting as they were that day?