Living with a BiPolar Family Member

December 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Living with a Bi Polar family member can often be a difficult learning process. Whether the family member is a spouse or a child, watching their personal struggles can often be painful and frustrating as well. Learning some ways to keep the focus on a mentally healthy surrounding for a loved one can be very important.

Improve General Knowledge

It is very important to do some research on some of the signs, symptoms and triggers for bipolar episodes. This can help you to recognize the signs of an impending melt down and in the very least be prepared with all of the available stress relieving exercises you may have learned from researching.

Do Not Personalize

Try to understand the ups and downs of this mental disorder and do not allow any personal affronts to really get to you. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of mania episodes is that the person suffering can sometimes act out verbally, and potentially even physically.

Do Not Make Assumptions

If you have preconceived ideas of what mental illness are and no real concrete evidence or education, try not to let any biased ideas effect how you deal with and help out a bi polar loved one.

Encourage Social Behavior

One aspect of bipolar disorder can be a slow withdrawal from social activities, or even a refusal to share emotions and feelings. Be sure an individual suffering from this disorder knows they have someone to talk to about anything at anytime.

Attending counseling and having an unlimited amount of patience may also be
something that can help everyone involved along the road to acceptance, understanding and hopefully a sense of recovery when family, friends and loved ones know the roads a person with bipolar disorder has to travel. Understanding is the truly the key to providing a healthy atmosphere for your friend or loved one.

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Children with Anxiety at School

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

If a child is suffering from an anxiety disorder school can quite often be very difficult. A refusal to even go to school may be a sign of a common anxiety disorder called separation anxiety. While separation anxiety is fairly common in small children between the ages of six months up to when they are about three years old, it is not as common in older children.

The anxiety about going to school for older children may be attributed to several factors. They could be anxious about their performance in class or the social interaction with the other kids. Children with special needs also many have a hard time understanding what is expected. The anxiety commonly shows up in physical ailments. A child may start complaining of headaches or stomachaches in order to stay home. It is also common for children with school anxiety to go to the nurses office frequently with physical problems with a request to go home.

It is important to first make sure there is nothing physically wrong with your child. Once you know they are healthy, you need to acknowledge that there is a problem. You then need to get to the root of the anxiety. Find out what they are most worried about. If they can pinpoint what they are anxious about it will be easier to deal with the problem.

Once you have a specific anxiety to work with you can help them by do some role-playing. You can talk about scenarios that might happen at school and then act them out to help the child with appropriate responses and techniques for coping with the events that are causing them anxiety.

It is also extremely important to keep communicating with your child. Make sure they know that they can talk to you about what is going on at school.

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Spotting Bi-Polar

November 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Perhaps you have been on TheCyn.com lately, looking up treatment centers for someone you think is suffering from bipolar disorder. You are probably concerned for their well being and want them to have the best care humanly possible. However, just because you are interested in making sure they are well taken care of doesn’t mean that you are in a position to judge if they have such a disease.

Bipolar disorder is a disease that affects millions of people every day. Those afflicted have the potential to really put a strain on the rest of the family and themselves. Figuring out if someone has bipolar disorder is not an easy thing to do. You must be very sure that they have the disease before you can even approach them about getting the help they need.

There are two very distinct and damaging sides to the disease. There is the side that is depression. This side of bipolar disorder can keep a person in bed for days or put someone in a mood that makes them even consider suicide. Then there is the manic side. This is the side that initially gets confused with the individual being in a good mood but it is quickly realized that it is a serious mental shift. These two sides are in complete opposite of each other.

Knowing whether these two sides exist in your loved one will be paramount in determining if they need serious professional help. What you are looking for is repetition in these behaviors. It is also helpful if you have someone close in your life that can see these shifts from an outside point of view. Usually those suffering from the disease can’t hide it from those around them. It’s best to catch the disorder early so treatment can begin immediately.

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Eating Disorders

October 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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An eating disorder is an extreme way of eating or dealing with food. Many times, eating disorders stem from weight and body issues. An eating disorder can start out just like any addiction–in small quantities at first, and then more and more as time goes on. If you are in Nashville drug treatment or any other treatment programs, you are getting the help you need. If, however, you don’t recognize that there is a problem, evaluate your eating habits and ask friends and family for their opinions. Anorexia nervosa is a disorder in which a person refuses to eat out of fear of gaining weight. A person suffering from anorexia will often not eat or will eat very small amounts of food. Gaining an ounce is cause for concern. Some people with anorexia lose weight by excessively dieting and exercising. Others lose weight by taking laxatives or other diuretics. People with bulimia nervosa will often eat large amounts of food and feel out of control about their eating. After binge eating, these people will often compensate for the extra food by throwing it up, or excessively exercising or fasting. Binge-eating disorder is a condition where a person indulges in binge eating. However, unlike bulimia, people with binge-eating disorder will not purge their food, which often leads to them being overweight or obese. People in this category will often feel guilty and shamed about their out-of-control eating habits. Anyone with an eating disorder should seek treatment immediately before the symptoms turn worse. Eating disorders have killed people before, and they do not discriminate based on race, age, or sex. If you know someone who may have an eating problem, try to confront the person about it. The individual may not realize what her or she is doing and may need to get professional help for the problem

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Disability to Do Much Better and Better

October 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is a personality disorder which comes under the mental disorder . This personality disorder is characterized with the need in perfection, rules or organization of a person’s personality. Some persons around us try to be perfect in everything they do and they make sure about the time to complete their task. If at all the task is not completed in time or if is not done according to their wish, they get irritated and try to harm themselves by breaking things. This is one of the main symptoms of OCPD. This makes them angrier and the behavioral patterns changes. Changing rules or routines which are made by them creates anger against the person who changed it and a mind for taking revenge occur causing harm to oneself and others. Studies have revealed that OCPD is seen mostly in males rather than females. OCPD individual shows stubborn characters sometimes and reluctance in agreeing the opposite person’s opinion.
Reasons or causes of OPCD is considered to be the environment where they live and the way they live, personal hygiene, relationships and family, the place of work ,everything contributes in this personality disorder. OCPD is cured only by making the individuals face the outside world, understand the changes happening in everyday life, trying to make their life flexible to changes, openness and efficiency to do works in possible manner. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy is also done to cure personality disorders but other medications are not preferred as it includes medications to lessen the fear and anxiety which might make a negative effect on OCPD individual. OCPD is observed in most of the persons. A little of the symptom is shown by almost all working people and students. But repeated reluctance, bothering much about cleanliness,time and perfectionism should be taken care off. Personality disorders are thus considered to be a part of the mental health.

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An Overview of Dissociative Disorders

October 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Dissociative disorders are what happens when someone takes normal, relatively healthy escapism and it goes way too far. Usually, dissociative disorders are defense mechanisms that people have developed to cope with trauma and distance themselves from painful memories and emotions. Dissociative disorders are treated with a variety of tactics. While dissociative disorders are difficult to treat, there are many success stories, and many individuals who function fairly well despite still having the disorders. The major dissociative disorders are dissociative fugue, dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and depersonalization disorder.

Common symptoms of dissociative disorders include partial memory loss, depression, and anxiety. Dissociative disorders are usually developed out of childhood trauma, most often a home environment that is very frightening and/or unpredictable for one reason or another. Potential causes include physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; natural disasters, invasive medical procedures, or torture. In much more rare instances, an adult may develop a disorder like this after severe trauma. As with many disorders that develop in the wake of traumatic events, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible after trauma to prevent a full blown disorder from developing.

Dissociative disorders are also associated with a number of other psychological problems and disorders, including self-mutilation, anxiety disorders, extremely bad headaches, sexual dysfunction(including avoidance or addiction), sleep disorders, eating disorders, and serious problems with having relationships or a career. Dissociative reactions can cause others to think the individual suffering from the disorder is unreliable. Usually the person with a dissociative disorder has a great deal of difficulty dealing with stress in relationships or professional situations.

The main treatment used for dissociative disorders is therapy. Cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, and art therapy are all common modes of treatment. Drugs or hypnosis may also be used, but if you choose to undergo hypnosis, it’s very important to find a competent therapist who will be careful about the possibility of implanting false memories.

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Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as Heller’s syndrome, and it is an autistic spectrum disorder. With this particular autistic spectrum disorder, a child will develop on schedule until they are two to four years old, and then suffer a severe regression in social skills, communication skills, and some other faculties. In contrast to autism, childhood disintegrative disorder tends to present itself later than autism and involve a more dramatic regression in development. It’s also less common than autism. Treatment can involve medication and a variety of behavioral therapies.

When children have childhood disintegrative disorder, they loose skills in at least two major arenas. Potential areas of skill loss include language skills, ability to play, motor skills, social skills, and bowel control. This traveling backwards through development can happen in as little as a few days, or can take months. Any loss of established development is cause to worry about a child’s health, and you should consult your doctor about it if you see any of these symptoms in your child. If you go to the doctor to ask about symptoms of childhood disintegrative disorder, try to make sure you have a clear record with you of all the symptoms and regressions you have witnessed. The records of developmental screenings from at well-child visits will be invaluable here.

The cause of childhood disintegrative disorder is unknown. There is likely a genetic factor, and some speculate that the disintegration is caused by an autoimmune response, in which the body attacks itself. The disorder may be caused by a gene that must be triggered by exposure to something in the environment, like a toxin. Childhood disintegrative disorder is often found alongside several other conditions, including lipid storage diseases and tuberous sclerosis, in which benign brain tumors grow. However, the causative relationship between these disorders is unknown.

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Generalized anxiety disorder can start in childhood or adulthood, but often it starts when the person who suffers from it is very young. Medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and various other coping skills can reduce the impact of generalized anxiety disorder. The severity of the disorder, and the particular symptoms manifest, can vary a lot from case to case. Some symptoms include constant worry, fatigue, restlessness, insomnia, sweating and stomach problems, and tachycardia. People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder may feel anxious even when they aren’t worried about anything in particular. Many people with generalized anxiety disorder simply never feel relaxed.

This disorder is difficult to treat, and relapses are especially common in times of stress. It may be possible to relieve the anxiety, but that relief may require the patient to remain in treatment to be maintained. Generalized anxiety disorder often coexists with other mental disorders, such as mood disorders or clinical depression. Children who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder may worry about anything from natural disasters or their performance in school. Often such children will be perfectionist and especially anxious for peer approval. It may be easier to treat anxiety disorders if treatment is started early in the course of the disorder. Causes of generalized anxiety disorder are not well understood, but probably include both environmental and genetic factors.

Women are more than twice as likely to have this disorder as men are, and certain personality types are at much greater risk than others. Childhood trauma and abuse are risk factors, and so are severe illness, substance abuse, and severe stress. Generalized anxiety disorder can exacerbate or cause depression and insomnia, as well as substance abuse problems, headaches, and digestive problems. Medications used to treat the disorder include anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. Recommended lifestyle changes may involve being very careful about sleep, diet, and regular exercise.

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Seriousness of Mental Disabilities

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Mental is something which is related to mind or the functioning of mind. Mental illness or mental disorder is a psychological pattern of behaving that is, behaving abnormally. It is associated with each individual’s behavior subjected to his/her background. Mental illness happens usually due to stress and strain of life. The pace of life cannot be assessed by many and hence stress causes brain damage and the thinking ability gets destroyed as a result of which psychological imbalance occurs. Mental illness can be a genetic character also. Mental illness usually happens when a never expected situations occurs in one’s life such as tension about family, losing loved ones, disease, depression .Other than this, intake of drugs, over consumption of liquor, smoking also leads to mental illness which becomes a long term disability.
A lot of problems arise due to mental illness like suicide attempts, trying to harm oneself by some dangerous weapons like axe or knife, harming others by throwing stones, using abusive language. Mental illness is more in women than men and is not easily curable. Once it stays for long term it is very difficult for the person to come out from those stages. Mental illness affects different stages of mind like the conscious mind, unconscious mind and sub conscious mind. Once it reaches the subconscious mind the patient lives like he/she is living in a dream world of their own. Mental illness is cured in many levels. Patients are first treated by making them meet their family and friends recollecting the times spent with them. Smokers and drinkers are made to attend classes which describes about the harmful effects of these. Questions are asked to patients to know about what they feel and also to record the behavioral pattern, likes, dislikes. Psychological therapies and medications are also provided to cure the mental disorder and thus making the minds lighted to live better.

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An Overview of Personality Disorders

October 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Personality disorders are mental illnesses wherein the sufferer has accurately understanding situations and relating to people–including his or her self. Generally, personality disorders entail rigid patterns of thought and behavior, rather than adaptability to various situations. Common symptoms include poor impulse control, social isolation, substance abuse, frequent mood changes, a strong mistrust of other people, and a focus on instant gratification. Personality disorders are grouped into three clusters, based on symptomatology. Many people who suffer from one personality disorder have at least some overlapping symptoms with another disorder.

Cluster A personality disorders are characterized by eccentric patterns of thought and behavior. They include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. Cluster B personality disorders are characterized by the over-influence of drama and strong emotion. They include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder. Lastly, cluster C personality disorders are heavily characterized by anxiety. They include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Obsessive compulsive personality disorder isn’t to be confused as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which is classed as an anxiety disorder, not a personality disorder.

Personality forms during childhood, and is based on a combination of genetic and experiential factors. As with many psychological disorders, it is thought likely that individuals with personality disorders were born with the genes that made their disorders possible, and then experienced environmental situations which caused the disorders to actually happen. Personality disorders are thought to generally start in childhood, but are seldom diagnosed in childhood for fear of misdiagnosing based on something that is merely a phase. Risk factors for these disorders include a family history of mental illness, a chaotic or unstable early home, loss of one or both parents at a young age, poverty, neglect, and physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during childhood. Personality disorders can cause or compound numerous other problems, including disordered eating, depression, and child abuse.

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