Tag: Mental Disorders

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Adolescents

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD starts from adolescence onwards. OCD is feeling of strong obsessions and compulsions which result in intense discomfort and affects daily functioning. Obsessions are thoughts which are persistent and recurrent. They even include unwanted images and impulses which lead to distress and anxiety. These feelings and thoughts are usually irrational or unrealistic. Compulsions are repetitive rituals or behavior such as checking something again & again, or mental acts such as counting. These obsessions & compulsions cause intense distress and anxiety and can interfere with the daily activities, relationships, social activities and academic functioning. The person with OCD thinks that he has no control over his actions. OCDs are relapsing and chronic illness.

The thoughts change as the adolescent grows. Younger children suffering from OCD often have thoughts of harm befalling on them and their family such as thief getting into the house through an unlocked door. This will make the children to recheck the door and windows again and again fearing that they might have left the door unlocked accidentally. Teenagers suffering from OCD fear that they might get fall sick due to germs, contaminated food and AIDS. The adolescent develops certain rituals, such as washing hands innumerable times, in order to get over the fear. These rituals help them to think that they have overcome the problem for the time being and give them temporary relief. If they do not perform these rituals, they become more and more anxious.

OCD is a sign of brain circuitrys unusual functioning and it involves the striatum part of the brain. The brain activity patterns of such people differ from normal people and people with other mental disorders. Researchers have concluded that OCD is usually a family problem and is a disorder of the brain. Streptococcal bacterial infection can create or worsen the condition of OCD. Adolescents with no family history of OCD can also develop it. Most of the adolescents feel embarrassed to talk about their OCDs. They think that people will label them as crazy and this will make them feel ashamed. This will make it difficult for the parents to talk to their children about their OCD, in order to solve them. Parents need to develop good communication skills for this purpose. Parents support is also very important to the adolescent. Cooperation is extremely important along with treatment, because if the problem is not treated the adolescent will grow into a disturbed adult.

Most of the adolescents with OCD can receive effective treatment. The treatment can include psychotherapy and intake of medications such as fluoxetine, clomipramine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline and other serotonin reuptake inhibitors. When OCD is caused due to streptococcal infection, the adolescent can be administered with antibiotics to kill the bacterium which is causing it. Exposure and response prevention behavioral therapy is very useful in solving OCD. In this therapy, the adolescent is wontedly exposed to his/her fears which give him/her obsessive thought. After that he/she is trained to avoid these thoughts and the rituals which he/she carries out to tackle the anxiety.

An adolescent having OCD can also have depression, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, and other types of anxiety disorders. When a person with OCD and other mental illness, is treated, OCD becomes more difficult to treat and even diagnose.

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Panic Attack Medications Can You Live Without Them?

Medications, a quick fix solution, are the most common way out of panic attacks. They are, for sure, not the ultimate solution to all behavioral dysfunction and many people have become well without the aid of them. Nonetheless, they are still being prescribed for two reasonsbecause they work and because they are convenient.

But can people with panic attacks truly live normally without the medications? For those who believe in their capacity to help themselves intro treatment other than taking pills and tablets, they can. Sadly for those who are used to the idea of resorting to meds for cure, it may be a bit hard not to take them.

People who depend too heavily on medication for the alleviation of panic attack symptoms know for a fact that dependence will ultimately occur. Along with the possibility that they will not get cured of their behavioral condition, they also will create another problem for themselveshow to recover from dependence on the medication? This truth is perhaps further exacerbated by the fact that panic attack medications are not the typical over the counter drugs that one could easily get over with.

Oftentimes, these drugs (e.g. valium and antidepressants) are meant to cure serious cases of mental disorders. Eventually, the patients will no longer suffer from only one condition but two serious conditions. The bonus? The addiction adds and aggravates the unpleasant experiences accompanying panic attacks. This is the common experience of people who rely too much on laboratory-produced substances.

Apart from drug dependence, panic attack medications can also trigger side effects at varying degrees. Typical examples of side effects are slower reflexes, light headedness, lack of energy, nausea, dizziness, upset stomach, blurry vision, disorientation, memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, reduced brain activity, slurred speech and depression. Beyond the typical side effects, panic attack medications can also pose added risks overtime especially when certain combinations of medications are used.

Another problem that may be experienced are the paradoxical effects they could elicit. Paradoxical effects include those conditions that are excited by the use of specific medications which include irritability and anxiety at the less serious levels, and mania, aggression and hallucination at the more advanced stages.

Further, panic attack medications come with hefty price tagsnot really the best way of exacerbating your already serious behavioral disorder.

However, despite all the negativities surrounding panic attack medications, their effects should not be counted as entirely useless or dangerous. They were made to provide symptom relief and possible cure to start with. Thus, not all effects are bad. Nonetheless, it must be remembered that relief from the symptoms should not be entirely dependent on their effects. They must only be used when extremely necessary. Otherwise, these medications, which are by nature foreign chemicals, might destroy something in you that is beyond repairable.

The truth is, there are a number of ways to cure yourself from panic attacks apart from depending on medications to give you the solution. Behavioral therapies as well as cognitive approaches are among the best alternatives to drugs. Group and individual therapies are also good options. But despite all the promises of these therapies and treatments, if the person lacks the determination to take himself out of the grip of panic attacks, all these may prove useless.

Over the years, medical professionals and patients alike proved that only the person, the patient of panic attacks, could find the cure for his condition.

How to Identify Mental Health in a Normal Condition

The following article presents the very latest information on mental health. If you have a particular interest in mental health, then this informative article is required reading.

It had been painstaking for some to identify the real deal behind mental health. Some may experience a glitch of being depressed or aggressive then go back to normalcy. While others show some behaviors that are quite odd and uncertain may indicate that there is a shifting of attitude in the person and can result in mental disorders.

Health providers concerned with how the mind works are capable of distinguishing the difference of being mentally healthy and mentally ill. They judge through the specific signs and symptoms that the client may or may not manifest upon undergoing series of tests. There are a lot of approaches and here are some:

1. Ones own perception

Here, you have to asses yourself internally. Are you thinking about anything that is quite morbid or something really insane? Your behaviors, thoughts and functioning which means the way you perceive every detail of your thinking can readily determine if you are totally normal. If experienced is a sudden shift from the normal things that you do like daily habits and routines which you used to enjoy, then there might be something wrong.

Other people who experience depression in the severe tense can oftentimes go on with their lives without doing chores or even bathing themselves. Therefore, it is important to asses yourself. If you can no longer pinpoint whats wrong or is unable to do something about the condition then, you can regard yourself as mentally ill.

2. Other peoples perception

It is still important to go over poles apart peoples opinion about yourself and the way you behave. You can lie aboutyour allow feelings and pretend that nothing is wrong thus, making authentic all subjective. This may not help in bringing out a very accurate assessment. People around you, those whom you know and trust, may symbolize the best outset for an objective opinion. You may notice yourself to be perfectly typical while others may disagree. Schizophrenia is one true good standard of this wherein a person may admit seeing or hearing things where in fact nothings there.

3. Ethnic and cultural norms

Oftentimes, a persons normalcy is defined by their culture. Because people are living within contrary boundaries and different cultures, what is normal being others may not seem normal for you. Vigor back to the case of schizophrenia, when a person tends to hear things and let the people around him believe that there is entirely something, through others this may be insane but for some religions, this is normal and is a sort of divine intervention. Culture within the family may again affect the way you see others big time. What you normally do within the four sides of your home may not be the same with others.

4. Based on statistical numeric

Within the range that is what normal is repeatedly stated as. Generally, what is within the average counting defines what normal is and if statistics goes high or blue, it becomes abnormal because of the extreme fluctuations in changes which are not considered as the average.

Based on the four approaches, by oneself can clearly identify if a particular individual or a member of the family is suffering from mental illness. Mental health depends on the state of psyche which is not hindered by any kind of abnormal manifestations.
Those who only know one or two facts about mental health can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you’re learning here.

Awareness as the Solution for Dual Diagnosis

So what is diagnosis really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about diagnosis–info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Proper and appropriate treatment for people who are exhibiting and experiencing dual diagnosis which is also referred to as mental health illnesses combined with positive substance and alcohol addiction is hardly impossible. It has been quite difficult and tiring for medical health professionals dealing secrete personality disorders to point out both problems at the alike time. Identification has also been a terrible headache although, with the subdivision, efficient are possibilities to further treat besides rest the clients.

Dependence on chemicals had been found out that it is not only a symptom but a problem that can be completely sour when inappropriate medication is given. Medical professionals major in addiction believe that mental disorders are symptoms or drug addiction. While mental practitioners who specialize in mental disorders beg to differ now they have stated that its the other way around. Here is where the confusion stands and yes, effectiveness of treatment is vague for patients who are diagnosed dually.

Even at the brink of proper diagnosis and case finding, there is still dwarf hope for treatment. Majority of those who are regarded as mentally disturbed will choose to medicate in a way that will benefit them negatively. Addiction states that there will be no proper sobriety again cleanliness unless the person stops taking medications which are prescribed. Discrimination of clients will be felt through the professionals treatment modalities and also those addicts and alcoholics recovering through medications because of the statement that majority of drugs are bad.

Difficulty in domicile at their own homes and other rehabilitation programs will not produce tolerated thus, making these dually diagnosed clients lose their coping mechanisms and support systems. With this kind of rejection, hospitalizations are probable and they may suffer relapses that are frequent again sometimes, severe. Mentally ill patients with substance dependency and abuse carries a burden that can cause them to drop out of mental health treatment centers as clients who didnt have any substance addiction problems which can become a future predicament.

Awareness is the key

It is important that a medical professional dealing with a dually diagnosed patient address to both disorders in a way thatll be fruitful for the persons totality. With addressing both disorders simultaneously, treating one disorder will mean nothing. Awareness of both of the disorder is important. Adrift awareness there is no tolerant and treatment.

In doing a simultaneous approach, treatment of acute stage and stability of the persons attitude can contribute to focus on both the disorders. Its like shooting two birds with one stone. In relation with rehabilitation further maintenance of the patient, the adept must attend to the aboriginal disorder.

The antecedent of the system of care in rehabilitation programs must appear as designed in order to meet the needs of the patient in each phase of recovery from every illness. These programs must address the different levels of disability and severity thatll be invaluable for clients who are motivated to bring out responsibility in order to attain their recovery.

Awareness about the dually diagnosed situation is the crucial element for providing the effective and efficient care to the patient. Education thatll demonstrate the disorders as illnesses is necessary to advocate the mentally ill patient. Advocacies happen in order to take meaning the disorders which are addictive and otherwise may cause the heating up of the other.
Knowing enough about diagnosis to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about diagnosis, you should have nothing to worry about.