Depression is a mental illness that is experienced by most people if not all at one time or another in their lifetime. This is because we all go through some life changes be they physical, emotional or psychological which cause us to depress
Depression can manifest as feelings of sadness, low self-esteem, hopelessness, weariness, sleeping problems and physical pains. It is important to consult a doctor if the symptoms are affecting your daily functioning and for a proper diagnosis. There are many other illness that may manifest as depression or cause depression and it is therefore important to rule out other medical conditions that maybe the cause of your symptoms.
The doctor may prescribe antidepressant but it is also important to seek a mental health therapist who will assist you to process your thoughts and feelings that maybe causing the depression. Depression is caused by feelings that are internalized which may cause chemical imbalance and the way to deal with them is to externalize.
Ways to help yourself Recover
1) Depression will cause you to want to isolate and feed on your negative emotions that are in the first place causing you to depress. The first thing to try and do is to avoid isolation. This in the beginning can be done by taking walks near where you are. Even though you are not talking to people, you will find observing your surrounding or people around you will help you take the focus out of you. If you can, take walks in the park because there is always some activity going and it is also serene.
2) Connected with this, is when you are outside you enjoy the sun. People who depress have been found to be short of Vitamin D. The sun is the greatest supplier of vitamin D which is absorbed through the skin. Most depression happen during the gloomy season and indeed the cases of depression in Africa are very low perhaps because the sun is up most days of the year.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/366241_8-simple-ways-to-manage-depression#ixzz11ueGQGT1
This is a blog that I educate and express my opinions on some health and mental Health issues. Different therapies used in psychotherapy are also discussed.
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treatment. Show all posts
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Managemnet and treatment of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental condition or illness that occurs in people from all cultures and from all works of life. The disorder is characterized by an array of diverse symptoms, including oddities in perception, thinking, action, sense of self and manner in relating to others. The hallmark of the disorder however is the significant loss of contact with reality.
Before the 1950s the prognosis for schizophrenia was rather bleak because there were very few treatment options. Treatment was mainly based in institutionalizing the patient in overcrowded hospitals and treated with electroconvulsive “shock” therapy. Dramatic improvement came in the mid 1950’s with the introduction of “anti-psychotic” drugs.
Currently there are two phases of schizophrenia treatment and recovery. One phase addresses severe symptoms of an acute psychotic episode and the other focuses on improving functioning and preventing relapse during the maintenance or recovery phase of illness.
Acute Phase: The aim of treatment in the acute phase is to get the psychotic symptoms under control so the patient is not in danger to self or to others. Hospitalization may be required during this time. At this time medication is the primary treatment.
Maintenance Phase: During the maintenance phase of treatment, the goal is to sustain symptom remission or control, reduce the risk of relapse and hospitalization, and teach skills for daily living. Maintenance treatment typically involves medication, supportive therapy, family education and counseling, vocational and social counseling.
Medication:
The medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia are known as antipsychotic (neuroleptic drugs). These medications do not provide a cure but rather work by reducing the psychotic symptoms of the illness. They are thought to work by changing the balance or activity of chemical that transmit message in the brain (neurotransmitters).
The antipsychotic medications are particularly effective at controlling the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The positive symptoms include hallucination, delusions, paranoia, and disordered thinking. These drugs are however less helpful in treating the negative symptoms such as social withdrawal, lack of motivation and lack of emotional expressiveness.
The two main groups of medications used for treatment of schizophrenia are the older or “typical” antipsychotic medications and the newer “Atypical” antipsychotic medications.
Read more at: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/351487_treatment-of-schizophrenia
Before the 1950s the prognosis for schizophrenia was rather bleak because there were very few treatment options. Treatment was mainly based in institutionalizing the patient in overcrowded hospitals and treated with electroconvulsive “shock” therapy. Dramatic improvement came in the mid 1950’s with the introduction of “anti-psychotic” drugs.
Currently there are two phases of schizophrenia treatment and recovery. One phase addresses severe symptoms of an acute psychotic episode and the other focuses on improving functioning and preventing relapse during the maintenance or recovery phase of illness.
Acute Phase: The aim of treatment in the acute phase is to get the psychotic symptoms under control so the patient is not in danger to self or to others. Hospitalization may be required during this time. At this time medication is the primary treatment.
Maintenance Phase: During the maintenance phase of treatment, the goal is to sustain symptom remission or control, reduce the risk of relapse and hospitalization, and teach skills for daily living. Maintenance treatment typically involves medication, supportive therapy, family education and counseling, vocational and social counseling.
Medication:
The medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia are known as antipsychotic (neuroleptic drugs). These medications do not provide a cure but rather work by reducing the psychotic symptoms of the illness. They are thought to work by changing the balance or activity of chemical that transmit message in the brain (neurotransmitters).
The antipsychotic medications are particularly effective at controlling the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The positive symptoms include hallucination, delusions, paranoia, and disordered thinking. These drugs are however less helpful in treating the negative symptoms such as social withdrawal, lack of motivation and lack of emotional expressiveness.
The two main groups of medications used for treatment of schizophrenia are the older or “typical” antipsychotic medications and the newer “Atypical” antipsychotic medications.
Read more at: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/351487_treatment-of-schizophrenia
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Causes, diagnosis and treatment of autistic Disorder
Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. It is estimated that three to six out of every 1,000 children in the United States have autism, and the number of diagnosed cases is rising. It is still not clear whether this is due to better detection and reporting of autism, a real increase in the number of cases, or both.
Common Signs of Autism:
There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child.
As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement. They may also fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people.
Autistic children have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they cannot understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and do not watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging.
These children may not know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. They have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.
Those born with the disorder appear to have a higher than normal risk for certain co-existing conditions, including fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis (in which tumors grow on the brain), epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. For reasons that are still unclear, about 20 to 30 percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/232698_the-causes-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-autistic-disorder#ixzz0xdvK9nZY
Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. It is estimated that three to six out of every 1,000 children in the United States have autism, and the number of diagnosed cases is rising. It is still not clear whether this is due to better detection and reporting of autism, a real increase in the number of cases, or both.
Common Signs of Autism:
There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child.
As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement. They may also fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people.
Autistic children have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they cannot understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and do not watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging.
These children may not know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. They have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.
Those born with the disorder appear to have a higher than normal risk for certain co-existing conditions, including fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis (in which tumors grow on the brain), epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. For reasons that are still unclear, about 20 to 30 percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/232698_the-causes-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-autistic-disorder#ixzz0xdvK9nZY
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