psychological stability

Anorexia Nervosa

2010-12-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

   Anorexia Nervosa affects the way we look at ourselves. People with Anorexia see themselves as 'fat' when in fact they are underweight (the picture above shows this). Anorexia causes the sufferer to not want to eat in fear of getting fat and normally someone with anorexia will exercise at any given chance.
   In this day in age it shouldn't be a surprise that there are new cases of anorexia each day. With the constant media attention on super skinny actors and models it's easy for anyone to be drawn into the mind set that 'size 0' is the perfect size. Both men and women are affected by anorexia so it's not just something that affects women even though it seems more prevalent in females.
   It's sad really, to think what the media has done to teenager's self esteem. Anorexia takes over the persons like and it won't ever really leave them. If the media wasn't focused on showing the thinnest of people and the magazines showing unrealistic ideals of what people look like that cause people to start believing that they need to change when in fact they don't...

this blog is a bit of a rant but certain things have been going on that make me really annoyed with the media's control over the minds of society.

Schizophrenia

2010-12-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

    Talking to members of your family can reveal a lot you might not have expected. Just this morning I was talking to my grandmother and found out some information that left me, for lack of a better word...shocked. My great, great grandfather had paranoid schizophrenia. His schizophrenia ended up having him taken to a psychiatric hospital for quite a few years. I guess I shouldn't be shocked due to Schizophrenia affecting 1% of the american population and isn't all that uncommon. This psychological illness tends to affect people at the age of 15 to 35 years of age.


   After hearing about my great great grandfather I did some more research on schizophrenia. There are three types:

Paranoid Schizophrenia (this is commonly where the person will experience delusions)
Catatonic Schizophrenia (this is a disturbance in the person's movements)
Disorganized Schizophrenia (this is were the person exhibits disturbed behavior that are inappropriate thus causing the person to become isolated and withdrawn)

Something I wasn't expecting was to find out that there were positive and negative symptoms involved with schizophrenia. It was hard to comprehend how any of the symptoms could be...well positive...wouldn't they all be negative? Well, turns out there are positive symptoms and that just means that the symptoms are easier to recognize rather then being anything positive -they're just easier to notice. These include: hallucinations, delusions, and distorted perceptions. These are easier to notice in someone with schizophrenia as it will greatly affect their behavior. the negative symptoms are harder to recognize as they include disorganized speech and lack of motivation which can be linked to other things other than schizophrenia so tend to be passed off as something of a phase or not feeling well.

Men and women are equally affected and there are quite a few reasons as to why someone develops schizophrenia. One could be drugs (marijuana) which affect the neurotransmitter dopamine which causes the hallucinations and can make the individual slowly develop the psychological illness. Other ways this psychological illness could be developed is through genetics. These brain scans show the difference, can you see it?

From all this information can you tell me what you think the best treatment will be?

Social Anxiety Disorder/ Social Phobia

2010-12-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Phobias are interesting to think about. What causes them and why do we react the way we do around what we fear. A phobia which is also known as a disorder is Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder. This is a very common psychological illness affecting about 13% of the American population. The effects that come from this psychological disorder are more or less debilitating and cause the sufferer to withdraw and isolate themselves from everyone in fear of ridicule. It's horrible to live with. This is one of the reasons why depression is commonly associated with Social Anxiety Disorder. Someone with Social Anxiety Disorder has this constant thought pattern of: " I'm going to fail and look stupid", " why did I say that? they're going to hate me and think I'm a complete idiot". The negative thought patterns never stop and keep on replaying in the persons mind like a broken record. This in turn causes them to avoid situations where they might have to interact with other people where there is a chance (no matter how small) that they might embarass themselves. After all this phobia is the fear of embarassing your self infront of others (similar to Taijin KyofuSho (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijin_kyofusho) in Japan although the sufferer is more affraid of embarassing/offending others rather than themselves). Sufferers with Social Phobia don't want others to notice that they are blushing, shaking, sweating, stuttering, hear their heart pounding in their chest...this in turn causes the symptoms to worsen and become noticeable which is what the person idealy wants to avoid. It's a vicious cycle that's hard to escape from. Due to the symptoms and the worry of them being noticed it is common for someone with social anxiety disorder to make up excuses as to why they cant...go to a party. They might say something along the lines of " I have homework", "I don't feel well", or even " I'm already doing something tonight, sorry, maybe next time". There is however treatment for social anxiety disorder. Everyone has something that will work for them whether that be medication or therapy - everyone will respond in a different way. Some medications out there tend to target the serotonin (a nuerotransmitter) becuase seratonin is associated with social anxiety disorder (as well as depression)...although this isn't proven scientifically as it's hard to seel exactly what goes on in someone's brain without getting a little bit unethical. A common Anxiety medication is known as Zoloft (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001017) which is also used to treat a handfull of other psychological disorders. Then there are the talking therapies (cognitive behavioral therapy which again, in my opinion is a great option as it changes the negative thought patterns that cause the anxiety to become a debilitating issue and hazard to one's health). Therapies like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) work with the individual to find the root of the problem (whether environmental factors (being teased) might be involved or if it is indeed an imbalance of chemicals in the brain). ALthough CBT works well and has it's advantages it might not always work on it's own. A common treatment option psychiatrists put together is to have the patient go on a course of medication as well as going to something like cognitive behavioral therapy. This has been proven to work through studies and it a good way to deal with your symptoms while at the same time getting to the root of why you feel the way you do around other people.

Depression

2010-12-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

Living depressed is like a living hell. You can’t escape the cloud that hangs over your head and it encases your very bean as time continues. We all at some point deal with depression (After a break up for example) but what does it feel like to feel this depression, this hopelessness every minute of every day? Well it feels as if you have a leach on you continuously sucking the life and happiness
from your life, leaving you with no hope in site. As time continues this
depression can lead to self-harm and suicide.

There are different categories of depression - none of which should be overlooked. Here are a few of the different types of depression:

Major depression – this is the type of depression that can lead to suicide more often
than not and is known as the most serious classification of depression.

Then there is Dysthymic depression which is not as serious as major depression but can
still have the same serious outcomes to the body and mind.

There is also depression which is associated with a dramatic change in your life, for example, a move to a different country or someone you've been close to all your life dying.

And we certainly can't forget bipolar depression which has the individual experiencing highs and lows, almost never any in-between moments. The depressive episodes of bipolar is more abundant and frequent in women.

Now, all of these categories can end with the same conclusion…which is not a happy ending in the least. But, battling with depression is tough and hard to get through
alone- something you can't always help. You begin to withdraw and find everything you encounter as boring and that everything has lost its color. This leads to leaving you sitting at home
and pushing away friends, even though in this state of mind this is the last thing you want to do.
There are many different thoughts on how depression occurs...what causes depression. Some people think it's genetic (you get it from your parents) were as others say it's environmental...so it's that whole nature nurture debate. I personally am more towards the nurture side rather than the nature. I mean yes, my family has a history of depression so I'm not ruling genes out but up until the age of six I was happy and carefree...I only changed when there started to be continuous fighting in our home. then again like everybody else this is just an opinion and it's hard to know for sure what causes depression in people.

Know I know you're probably thinking, who am I explaining what it feels like to be depressed...well the truth is... I don’t tell many people this – heck not even my family know but I figure if I’m going to be having people read what I have to say I might as well be honest with all of you. I myself suffer from major depression and I have self-harmed (cutting arms, shoulders, and legs) and had daily thoughts of how I could ‘end’ this constant down I feel. This has gotten better with help but the scars mentally and physically are still there and that little voice in the back of my head, even though it’s faint still tries to drag me back towards depression every now and again when I’m at my most vulnerable. Unfortunately I know all to well what a depressed person goes through dealing with depression since the age of six years old. Although until recently I didn't realize it was depression (I'm 18). I honestly thought what I was going through was an anxiety disorder due to the withdrawal and anxiousness I felt. It just goes to show you how young depression can interfere with your daily life and how easily overlooked it can be as it can be a part of other mental illnesses thus leading you to believe that it’s not actual depression you are dealing with but something else.

The signs of depression are hard to miss and yet at the same time can be so easily overlooked by those closest to you. Some include, withdrawal, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, loss of interest in things once enjoyed. How can these be covered up? Here's some things you might want to keep an eye out for:Well, withdrawing yourself can be covered up by the sufferer by saying something as simple as they’re not feeling well or by saying they have work to do. Insomnia, which is often associated with depressive disorders is easily hidden because you can cover up the bags under your eyes with makeup, you can say that you were kept up all night studying, or that you woke up earlier so are tired – the only time someone can really know whether you are suffering from insomnia is if you tell them or if you keep falling asleep throughout the day. With any of these, if it keeps persisting you should keep an eye out on the person suffering and if they are in fact struggling with depression help them to get help…even if they try to resist keep perusing the issue as you just might save them from being completely consumed.

There are many treatment options available for depression, the most common being medication and therapy…personally, I am against taking pills due to the fact they alter the chemicals/ neurotransmitters in the brain....also medication is only a quick fix....you can't really get to the root of the problem with medication...and in the end it could lead to another life endangering issue (dependency/addiction to the medication just to feel normal).However, therapy has some real long lasting benefits that will stay with you for years. This is because talking therapies look for the root of the problem - they try to find out what is causing the symptoms instead of covering them up.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is just one of the therapies out there for depression and can help to alter your mindset and change the way you think by challenging your thought patterns. Even though it might sound impossible to the person receiving treatment that they can change their thought patterns it really does work…trust me I was skeptical at first. Although it is not my place to say what treatment you should get, that is between you and your doctor. So, if you or someone you know might have depression contact your doctor and find out what can be done to help you…I know that sounds like an advertisement but having dealt with depression myself I know what it feels like and hope that others can get help sooner than I did and hopefully get on with their lives and be happy.

Just a little test (not used for a diagnosis - don't take results seriously)http://psychcentral.com/depquiz.htm

well I'm signing off,
If there is a mental illness you'd like to know more about or if you want to know more about depression post your comment at the bottom of this page and I'll do my best to help you. :)