Actual Damage To The Brain Through Injury example essay topic

And in a study of macaque monkeys, when the monkeys were taken away from and raised without mothers, they were found to grow up with lower levels of serotonin, causing aggression, antisocial behavior and depression. Still, with all the research that has been done there are no answers with regards to biology. Actual damage to the brain through injury is yet another possibility for cause. Damage to certain parts of the brain can indeed interrupt impulse control and emotional responsiveness. Such was the case argued by John Wayne Gacy, Jr., the killer clown. For the most part, he had a normal childhood except for the fact that he suffered abuse at the hand of an alcoholic father.

Then, at 11 years old, he was hit in the head by a swing. At first, there appeared to be no serious injury but then he began to have blackouts. The blackouts continued until he reached 16, when it was discovered that he had a blood clot in his brain. He was given drugs to dissolve the clot, no surgery was performed.

After that he began to display signs of APD. He dropped out of school, after having attended four different ones, and moved to Las Vegas. There he held a series of odd jobs none of which lasted long. Then he met a woman he thought he loved and they were eventually married.

Going to work for his father in law selling cars was ideal for Gacy who was a smooth talker. He felt an intense need to belong and satisfied it by becoming a member of many civic groups such as the Jaycees. He even dressed as a clown to entertain children. But the faa de began to crumble when a 17 year old boy accused Gacy of tricking him into being handcuffed and then sexually assaulting him. Gacy denied the charges by saying that some higher members of the Jaycees were out to get him. Later, he was accused again and this time was convicted.

While on parole, Gacy could not resist picking up yet another young boy and sexually assaulting him. That time he landed in jail. When he was released, the downward decent to hell continued and in the end, more than thirty bodies of boys were found in his house and more were found in area rivers and woods. While monster would seem to be the only appropriate word to describe him (albeit inadequate), his friends and neighbors couldnt believe that the man who had thrown such wonderful luaus and bar-b-ques could have done these things. Even his next door neighbor, who smelled the dead bodies at Gacy house, believed him when he explained it as a sewer line problem.

So, in the end, it is doubtful that an injury at the age of 11, could be the lone cause of such a horror. Finally, there is the idea of environment as cause. Children of lower economic status and ethnic minority also appear to be at greater risk for APD. Since persons of lower economic status tend to live in higher crime, inner city areas where drugs are prevalent, they may learn disregard for others and the law at an early age. Violent and aggressive responses are learned in order to survive. Parental guidance may also be lacking due to the high rate of absent fathers, mothers who must work long, late hours away from home and the prevalence of substance abuse.

Environment, biology, genes, brain injury - all appear viable causes and yet it cannot be determined which actually is. More likely it is a combination of all of them. Perhaps the researchers should turn in the direction of finding ways to end poverty, stop child abuse and rid the country of drugs if they ever intend to put a cure to this disorder..