Mental Health Unit Reflection
According to the National Institute of Mental Health “approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. experiences a serious mental illness...that substantially interferes with... major life activities”. These illnesses can affect not only the patient, but those who are close to them as well. This number is also rising, so my class decided to understand more about mental health in our last unit by integrating our class subject into projects dealing with the brain, DNA, the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, and personal websites like this one. Throughout our mental health unit, I learned science in a DNA Lab, English min a psychoanalysis of characters essay, and technology in my mental health unit project.
To understand the how the brain takes commands for its moods we needed to understand DNA, so our most recent science lab was DNA focussed. This lab’s purpose was to be able to find out which DNA sample matched the “murder suspect” in a theoretical outcome of Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”.
To do this, the DNA would go through a process called gel electrophoresis, in which the negatively charged DNA would be pulled across a gel medium to a positively charged wire. 
The difference in distance the DNA travelled in the time that the wire was charged was how different DNA from different people were recognized. This lab, however, had two flaws dealing with the rusting of the electrically charged wires and the thin consistency of the gel. The wire we used was not rust resistant, so when it sat in the aqueous gel solution it rusted over the weekend that we were not in class (even worse was how when the electric current went through the wire the electricity removed the rust because of electrolysis). 
When this rust was removed from the wire it went into the gel solution and mixed up with the DNA, making the speeds of the DNA inconsistent. This was further worsened by the thin consistency of the gel which had allowed the DNA to relatively move freely about the electrophoresis chamber. All of this combined led to invalid/unreadable data, but the failure helped us understand science further by looking deeply into the cause of the failure.
To do this, the DNA would go through a process called gel electrophoresis, in which the negatively charged DNA would be pulled across a gel medium to a positively charged wire. The difference in distance the DNA travelled in the time that the wire was charged was how different DNA from different people were recognized. This lab, however, had two flaws dealing with the rusting of the electrically charged wires and the thin consistency of the gel. The wire we used was not rust resistant, so when it sat in the aqueous gel solution it rusted over the weekend that we were not in class (even worse was how when the electric current went through the wire the electricity removed the rust because of electrolysis). When this rust was removed from the wire it went into the gel solution and mixed up with the DNA, making the speeds of the DNA inconsistent. This was further worsened by the thin consistency of the gel which had allowed the DNA to relatively move freely about the electrophoresis chamber. All of this combined led to invalid/unreadable data, but the failure helped us understand science further by looking deeply into the cause of the failure.
My mental health unit project helped me understand technology further since my entire project was based online (http://autisminformationandhelp.blogspot.com/). This complete immersion into the virtual world was a step out of my comfort zone because of my usual incompetence when it comes to technology. This project allowed me to focus on what I really needed to learn, which specifically for this project, was how to create a website that was appealing to the reader. I learned how to make aesthetic visuals and easy access throughout the website as well as the perfect pattern of formatting and consistency of the text. This project definitely helped me learn about what I was most weak in and made me a miniature expert in the mental health subject which I was raising awareness to, which was autism. I now see autism in a new light as well as creating media online, and will help me in the upcoming years of tech-integrated work.
After we read/acted out the play “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare we wanted to go deeper and connect the play to our unit, which we did by doing a psychoanalysis of the characters. In my psychoanalysis, I used textual evidence to backup my claim that Juliet had anxiety which involved embedding quotes which included signs of an emotional disorder. In order to find these quotes, I had to do a search for signs of anxiety in the behavior of Juliet. 
While doing this project, I realized that my search for symptoms of anxiety in the play could be applied to my everyday life because it would help me look for symptoms of anxiety in real life as well. This kind of application to the real world was what was intended, because that kind of application into the community is what NEW School emphasizes.
While doing this project, I realized that my search for symptoms of anxiety in the play could be applied to my everyday life because it would help me look for symptoms of anxiety in real life as well. This kind of application to the real world was what was intended, because that kind of application into the community is what NEW School emphasizes.
I learned an enormous amount of material from my mental health unit, whether it was the shaky mental health of a play character, the understanding of microscopic macromolecule, or the creation of an audience pleasing website. The most important skill to learn, however, is how to apply these newly learned concepts to the real world outside the classroom. Only after these applications are seen in the community for a positive change, can NEW School really be appreciated for its unique teaching style and ultimate goal.
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