Many people associate Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with the military, and that is a valid reason to have the disorder; however, there are many other traumatic experiences that can cause a person to experience PTSD. For instance, a home invasion, rape, or any kind of violence can cause a person to experience PTSD.
PTSD was first associated with veterans returning from the Vietnam War. These veterans had problems dealing with the violence they had witnessed and even participated in. Since that time, PTSD has been well researched and documented. Today we know that not only war veterans, but people from many walks of life may experience PTSD. Women in violent marriages, children who have been abused, and survivors of natural disasters are just some of the people who may find themselves experiencing PTSD.
Not everyone who has a violent experience will have the same reaction, but many people will find themselves reliving the events over and over again. Along with that comes flashbacks, nightmares, rapid heart rate, sweating, detachment, amnesia, sleep problems, irritability, and an exaggerated startle response.
Other symptoms of the disorder include an inability to deal with the everyday stresses of life. There may be trouble maintaining employment because of an inability to concentrae. Also, people with PTSD have trouble maintaining relationships. Many people with this disorder get divorced.
Long-term studies of Vietnam era veterans show that PTSD is a risk factor for disease in general. In other words, if PTSD is treated soon after the traumatic even, the sufferer is more likely to have serious health problems in the future. This finding has staggering implications when you think of all the disasters in recent memory and the number of people who lived through them.
Fortunately, there is effective treatment for PTSD. Although the person suffering with this problem may be loathe to do it, talking about their experience is very helpful. Medication is also a very valid option. Several drugs have proven to be useful in treating the stress and depression that accompanies PTSD.
Lately there has been an increased number of people being diagnosed with PTSD. These numbers are related to the number of catastrophic events in the last few years: 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and recently floods in the Midwest. Survivors of catastrophic events are at a higher risk than most for PTSD.
Although a diagnosis of PTSD must be made by a doctor, if you are experiencing the symptoms for longer than one month, chances are good you have the disorder. It’s possible to have periods of time when the symptoms wax and wane, but this does not mean the disorder is gone. You still need to seek help.
One problem that many people with PTSD have is that they are reticent to talk about their experience. They feel that no one will understand. There is also a fear of being judged. This is sad because it means they will miss out on the peace of mind they deserve. A catastrophic life event, doesn’t have to last a lifetime.
—
Denise Harris blogs about health and disability at Able-Mart.com.
Interested in gust blogging with us? Submit your post for possible publication.
Somebody once aptly said that the only people who love change are babies with wet diapers. Change is scary, especially in midlife. It’s a time of doubt and questioning. “What am I doing? What have I achieved and what are my goals?” You feel tense, irritable, and feel like crying. “I forget things; I have very little energy left in me to do any work. I do not sleep well at night. I keep awake for hours together. What has happened to me?” These are just some of the uncertainties that plague you.
Your younger days seem so far away now. As you move into your 40s the only certainty is that of change. Everything is changing from your body to your spouse, your children and even your own interests and desires are not the same today. In reality though, the transition to midlife is gradual. There are no obvious changes or telltake signs which signal your entry into this new and unexplored domain. People hope that life begins at 40 but the great anxiety is that it ends there. Fearing this may be true, people become frantic at 40. They are making this transition from youth to a time of adulthood without hope or optimism. But what you need to understand is that this transition is inevitable, natural and a normal part of growing up.
Then why is midlife a period of stress? Because it is that stage of your life where you begin to feel uncomfortable and experience a wide range of changed feelings. This change occurs in a part of you that does not reveal in X-rays, cannot be measured by medical equipment or tested in a laboratory. It happens inside you. You begin to:
- Feel unhappy with life and your existing lifestyle.
- Get bored very easily, sometimes even with people who are close to you.
- Do something completely different because you feel like a change.
- Question the meaning of life.
- Question life decisions which you have previously made.
- Feel confused about what you are doing are where life is taking you.
- No longer feel and look young.
- Feel like you have no purpose in life.
- Feel inaqeuate as your kids have all grown up now and they don’t rely on you as much.
- You begin to feel like you are nearing death and there’s nothing you can do about it.
- Ask questions regarding your faith and God.
These feelings of midlife can occur naturally, or result from some significant loss or major change in your family or relations. Coming to terms with any loss or change is difficult as it is, but when it is entangled with midlife, the process can seem bewildering and overwhelming. So it is now that you need to understand what is midlife. This will enable you to see your way clearly out of the confusion and will help you avoid making any rash decisions that you might regret later.
Consider noted psychologist Carl Jung’s famous words on midlife: “We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life’s morning.” In other words, learn to adapt to change. And with a positive attitude. You may hear a lot of comments and wisecracks about the end of your youth, the waning of your powers, the unmistakable signs of age and so on. Don’t pay any attention. Midlife is a great opportunity to reaffirm your belief in yourself and others. For far too long, it has been taken and understood as a period of stress, discontent and crises. Midlife does not have to be crisis time. Take control of your life, think positively, change your attitude and you will enjoy the autumn of your life. After all, sometimes the best begins in the middle.
Related Directory Categories:
One of the most intriguing and challenging illnesses to inflict children are perhaps developmental disorders. For one, these special situations can never be returned to normal or at least reverted back to what it was supposed to be. Children who are inflicted with various developmental disorders can have impaired basic functions involving motor, intellectual, and even social skills. This is primarily because the problems in these children are caused by abnormalities in the brain. It may be that a certain part of their brain has not developed fully well.
The plight of developmental disorders still continue to amaze and even puzzle the medical profession, specifically development psychologists. These particular specialists are the ones who diagnose the different type of developmental disorders which are suspected to be experienced by an individual. Diagnosis of developmental disorders entails a long road to work on, with a series of tests being done to make the final decision. One of the challenging developmental deficiencies being experienced these days is the oppositional defiant disorder. This particular type of disorder is often diagnosed alongside the guidelines contained in the DSM-IV-TR.
It is not enough that symptoms be plainly observed. When it comes to oppositional defiant disorder, the effect of the individual’s actions is also taken into major consideration. In general, oppositional defiant disorder is characterized by the negativity of the individual. It can also be observed as early as during the one’s childhood years. The child may generally exhibit disagreement even on the simplest of things. A child suspected with oppositional defiant disorder may also be found difficult to deal with and compromise with. He or she finds it hard to understand other people’s perspectives.
But in a more detailed account, oppositional defiant disorder can be pinpointed as occurring if the characteristics observed in the child hampers in his ability to interact and follow directions in the home, in the school, and even in a bigger community. Aside from this, it can only be classified as oppositional if the defiance exhibited by the child does not come from any other disorder such as anxiety, depression, or another type of conduct disorder. And lastly, a child suspected to have oppositional defiant disorder is only finally classified as such if the negative behavior has already been observed for a over a span of six months.
When it comes to treating the oppositional defiant disorder, therapies are usually being prescribed. Diagnosing the disorder during childhood is also highly recommended so that therapies can successfully intervene and possibly regulate the behavior. As therapies begin for the individual, the support of his or her family is deemed very important. Therapies do not simply involve a one on one situation between the patient and the therapist. Family and other types of group therapies are also being advised to help slowly mainstream the patient into normal and general situations he or she may always find himself in. Only in extreme cases can medications be advised for this particular type of disorder as therapies are usually made to suffice it.
Attention deficit disorder, also known as ADD, is a tough thing to manage. Up to this day, there is no known cure for the said neurological disorder as doctors only get to diagnose the illness and propose a way that it can be effectively maintained. Once a person gets afflicted with the said disorder, that person will exhibit obvious symptoms in terms of behavior. An increased level of distraction is often noted, as the person with ADD shows difficulty in trying to stick with an activity for a long period of time. They also tend to be more hyperactive and shifts from one place to another apart from simply switching in between activities.
The onset of ADD is often seen during childhood years. From as early as two to three years of age, a child afflicted with the neurological disorder may already begin to exhibit its symptoms. However, it does take a long rigorous process before a child can really be pronounced as having attention deficit disorder. It is best to consult a developmental pediatrician to be able to diagnose the said disorder, as these medical professionals do not simply deal with biological factors but they also consider a great bulk of behavioral profiling for them to fully assess the child. Although a child can be suspected with ADD, behavioral assessment becomes imperative because the number of neurological and developmental disorders belong to a rather large umbrella.
Once a person becomes finally diagnosed with ADD, a series of intervention becomes mapped out. You should remember that when it comes to addressing attention deficit disorder, it does not simply involve diagnosis and then prescription of the needed medication. People afflicted with ADD are actually not that much prescribed with medications unless they really need or in extreme cases as well. Kids diagnosed with the said disorder are rather entered into an intervention program whereby behavioral therapy will be observed. Usually, this is where special education classes come in.
Aside from the individual, family therapy or even group therapy is also prescribed for people afflicted with attention deficit disorder. The person’s family must duly understand the situation of the patient and how they can cope up with the irregularities in behavior. Keeping up and even living with a person known to have ADD becomes extremely difficult especially since these people do not usually let themselves become involved in strict rules and regulations. For the most part, people with ADD will just do what they needed to do regardless of the circumstances.
When it comes to ADD, experts and medical professionals observe that it is the family who becomes affected the most. Those afflicted with the illness themselves do not really realize the gravity of the entire thing. But for the most part, people with ADD do get far ahead in life and they end up in good condition eventually. However, this will not be possible if the person will not undergo early intervention especially during the formative years of his life. Which is why therapies are becoming extremely important.
Do you often eat after an unpleasant experience? Do you find yourself craving for food even when you’re not hungry? Do you turn to food to make you feel better? If you do then you could be an emotional eater. An emotional eater is someone who eats not because he or she is hungry but as a response to a mood or an emotion, both positive and negative.
Emotional eating is dangerous because it leads one to take food that the body does not need. Food that is often high in fat and high in calories. Emotional eating can lead to weight gain, and more often than not, to excess weight. We all know that when a person is overweight he opens a door to a myriad of diseases and conditions that can afflict the body. What exactly are the reasons people emotionally eat and how do you solve this problem?
One of the reasons why people emotionally eat is because of too much stress. When a person experiences continuous stress in his life, increased levels of cortisol is released. High doses of cortisol makes a person crave for salty and sweet food. That is why when you are stressed you often crave for your favorite ice cream or a bag of chips. The social patterns that we have established as we are growing up can also be a cause of emotional eating. It is not uncommon for friends to get together and talk when they have problems. These social gatherings often involve talking over lunch or cake or pizza or may be some chips and beer. People who are in pain seek social support from other people. And with this social support comes munching on your favorite comfort food. Through time this behavioral pattern becomes engraved in one’s mind and whenever one has problems one turns to friends and food.
Another reason for emotional eating that involves social patterns are family traditions. Whether it is going out for ice cream or eating when celebrating or eating when getting together, one will be hard pressed to find someone who has no fond childhood memories that involves some emotionally charged dining experience. These traditions or childhood experiences have been engrained in our memory and when times get tough or really well, we turn to what we have been used to: eating. Aside from our social patterns, people also eat to hide from their emotions or as a direct response or coping mechanism to emotions. Food becomes an escape or a temporary reliever of what one feels.
While we cannot run away from the sad and happy moments in our life and the stress that our everyday activities bring, we can find a way to combat emotional eating and ultimately excess weight. The first thing to do is to evaluate yourself and examine how you feel. You have to note the difference when you are really hungry and when you are just craving for food because of your emotions. Write down what you eat, when you eat them, how you feel before you eat and how hungry you are. A pattern of eating will emerge and you will see what events in your life ‘trigger’ your emotional eating.
Once you know the reasons, you are in a better position to respond to them differently. Rather than emotionally eating, you can choose to do some other things or activity to alleviate your emotion. You can exercise or go on a walk, talk to a friend, read a book, pray or do any other healthy thing that would help you cope. It would also be a good idea to only eat healthy food. Keep comfort food, fatty and high calorie food to a minimum. If you can, don’t stock up any of these foods at home. Stay healthy by eating a balance and regular diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep.
Related Directory Categories:
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a meditation technique developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is a practical technique that will help you gain better health, happiness and success, and improve your energy, creativity and intelligence. Here’s how:
- Simple, effortless technique: TM is a simple mental technique that can be learned easily without much effort. You don’t need any special ability to concentrate or control your mind, as in other meditation methods. In fact, it. s so simple that even a 10-year-old child can learn it easily.
- Absolutely natural: The best thing about it is, it. s absolutely natural, which means you don’t have to suffer any mental manipulation or suggestion, as in hypnosis.
- No physical postures: TM is not a physical exercise session either. There are no special postures or techniques.
- Not time-consuming: To practice TM all you need is 15-20 minutes, twice a day. You have to sit comfortably with your eyes closed and follow the technique. As simple as that.
- Works for everybody: TM works for everybody. No matter how busy or stressed you are. Extremely busy executives and businessmen may think, “Oh God, I can never sit still for 20 minutes.” But they need not worry; even they can learn to meditate the TM way. And it will work for them.
TM, then, is a simple and natural technique that you can learn without spending much time or doing any physical or mental manipulation. Anyone of any age, profession, education, religion, or culture can learn TM. It is as natural and automatic as atmospheric air.
How does TM help in relaxing?
- TM will make you relaxed by removing the stress and tension inside you. And this will in turn increase your energy and intelligence levels. TM returns the mind to its own original state of calm, which is a reservoir of energy, creativity and intelligence. After 20 minutes of practicing the technique, you can plunge into any activity with more creativity, zeal and intelligence.
- The natural way to remove stress is by taking deep rest, and the deeper the rest the better it is. This is the principle that TM uses in a unique manner. The deep rest that TM provides releases accumulated stress and tension, which does not happen even if you take a good night’s sleep, a restful vacation, do relaxation exercises, do jogging, or play golf or cricket. It is not just another form of activity or recreation.
All other forms of meditation or self-development exercises, like yoga and simple meditation, involve either concentration or contemplation. But there is no need to concentrate or contemplate on anything in TM. You can learn it easily and practice it without any effort. Research comparing TM with other meditation and relaxation techniques has found this technique to be far more effective for reducing anxiety, increasing self-actualization, improving psychological health and reducing the use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.
Autism is a very important yet challenging issue that must be addressed today. At present, there is still no cure for autism and upon its onset the only way to go about it is by regulating it properly. Autism affects the developmental capacity of a person, rendering him deficient in other skills that many consider to be practical. Usually, autism is rather difficult to diagnose but the signs of it appear during childhood. Nowadays newborn screening already enables parents to have an idea if their child has the tendency to have some developmental problems as he or she grows up. Upon detection, parents can already begin to treat the problem accordingly. But this does not mean that it can be totally cured.
For children, autism often becomes apparent during the formative years. Signs of autism may begin to show up as early as two to three years old. This is the age bracket when the child can exhibit unusual behavior such as not looking into the eyes, not referencing on any other people including parents, and the inability to do motor functions such as talking and walking. These things are the telling signs that a child may possibly be in for a case of autism. If ever these symptoms should already arise, the next step that must be taken is to consult a developmental pediatrician. A developmental pediatrician will conduct a series of tests to make a proper diagnosis of autism. It should be noted that autism is a diverse umbrella which can be further sorted out into many different types.
In addition to that, autism also comes in different levels. These levels pertain to the depth or degree of autism and subsequently define the capacity of the person inflicted with the developmental concern. There are those who are identified as low functioning, and these children often come with impairments in motor and social skills. On the contrary, those considered to be high functioning in terms of autism are those who will be able to accomplish simple tasks independently. They may also be able to do motor and social functions on basic levels. In both cases, therapy is the best for of treatment as it facilitates normalization and eventually streaming the children into a normal environment.
Among the many types of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome is considered to be very popular although it is particularly newly identified. Asperger’s is classified by a defect in social skills. People inflicted with this often find it hard to socialize with others and may tend to be fascinated in certain patterns. However, some of those who are with Asperger’s are considered to be very intelligent. Some experts even classify Albert Einstein as an example.
Kenner’s Syndrome is the type of autism which is considered to be a classic case. This particular type of autism is considered to be extremely low functioning as those afflicted often cannot really talk and apart from being socially withdrawn, they may also be unusually interested with the features of different objects (ex: a moving propeller, sparkling items).
Everybody procrastinates from time to time. We put off all those “must do” chores we’re not particularly fond of doing. People who deal with their chores immediately and without hesitation are rare, but ADDers (i.e., people with Attention Deficit Disorder) who tackle such tasks with vigor are…well…pretty much non-existent.
It’s not that ADDers are lazy or unwilling to take on tough projects–quite the contrary! ADDers are full of spontaneity and inspiration. They tend to be what an ADD writer friend of mine once labeled “idea factories.” The problem is, they’re so busy generating new ideas, and the urge to move on to bigger and better things is so strong, that they have a difficult time completing projects, and often find themselves putting off mundane or repetitive chores all together.
So, how does a person with ADD resist the inborn urge to procrastinate? Thom Hartmann, author of the ground-breaking book, Healing ADD, suggests we need to tone-down our inner voice.
Each one of us, ADD and non-ADD alike, has a “nag.” It’s that little voice we hear in our heads that tells us, “You’ve got to do this. Why don’t you do that? Do you know how behind you are? Why can’t you get anything done?” Have you ever stopped listening to the voice of your nag–that ranting wicked step-mother in your head? It’s a shrill, demanding voice. My own nag rattles on incessantly, sounding like an audio track played a bit too fast. The tone is urgent…whiney. I’m reminded of Miles, the uptight editor from the TV show “Murphy Brown.”
Having our own personal nags in our heads doesn’t make tackling tough chores very appealing. In fact, that critical voice makes it darn near impossible for the ADDer to even consider actually knuckling down and getting some dreaded task completed. The solution is so simple, but it escapes most of us. While few people have the power to completely tune-out or turn off their inner nag, we do have the power to change its tone. Instead of letting it rant and whine and cajole ad nauseum, why not turn that voice into a soothing, gentle, almost sexy voice–a voice of encouragement?
The next time you’re trying to get to sleep and the nag in your head demands that you stay awake and dwell on problems and must-dos that are piling up, tone it down. Turn down the volume, slow down the pace, and make the voice in your head speak sweetly, like a supportive friend or lover. “Hey, it’s okay. Once you’re rested and refreshed, you’ll be able to get down to business. Can’t accomplish anything tonight, anyhow.” Then, in the morning, let that sexy voice encourage you again. “All right, let’s get down to it. This stuff’s not a lot of fun, but it’s not all bad, either. You’ll feel better once it’s done, and you’ll be able to get on with your day. No problem!”
I’ve had insomnia for two weeks. Last night, I decided to give Thom Hartmann’s advice a try. Any time that nagging voice started to kick in, I turned it into Barry White (you can, of course, select your soothing voice of choice). I was asleep within fifteen minutes, and I slept right on through the night. It may take some practice to perfect tuning-in to your nag and adjusting the tone, speed and volume, but it’s worth the effort. Once you put this technique to use, you’ll be amazed at what you can get done.
Related Directory Categories:
Do you sometimes feel as if a day is not enough to get every one of your responsibilities accomplished? Do you usually find yourself cramming up so many things given a short and pressured amount of time? Do you often find yourself fighting off panic attacks because of looming deadlines with work still swamped on you? You can never really blame time for these things, especially since time comes and goes leaving you with all of the options on how you choose to use it. Instead of cursing out everything else that goes wrong, maybe it’s about time you change the way you work. Better yet, maybe it is about time you change the way you schedule your work.
A lot of people end up clamoring for time management techniques. This is especially true for people who just have so many things to think about in their lives while they are left with little to no room left to relax. So once they have some extra time off, they tend to overdo it and in the end eat up some precious time left for doing actual work. Perhaps it is true that one of the most difficult things to achieve is to have a sense of work and life balance. But with just a few essential and practical time management techniques, this may be within reach.
The first thing you need to do is write a to-do list. Before you end up each day, make sure you accomplish a to-do list for the next day or even the next few days. This will include all the things you needed to do which may have just come in during the day. In your to-do list you can also consider putting in some of the tasks you are currently working on and are yet to accomplish. As soon as you have listed down everything you needed to do on the following day or the days to come, the next step would be prioritizing your tasks according to their urgency.
As you have made your to-do list, you may have simply listed down everything you needed to do. When you begin to prioritize, you will already classify these tasks according to the order in which you needed to do them. Typically, you should arrange them according to their deadlines. However, if it happens that any of these tasks have the same deadlines you can classify them according to their difficulty. It is advisable that you finish the easier ones first so you can save up plenty of time to accomplish the more difficult ones.
Now that you already have your list of things which you must do and when you should finish them up, your next obstacle to face will be yourself. All that’s left for you to do now is to act on the tasks you have to accomplish. In order to keep up with your schedule, you should do them as soon as you have time. Fight off the urge to stall and steer clear of alibis. You should also kick out excuses in your life. To help make this process easier, you should refrain from coming across any type of temptation which can easily sway you to disregard your tasks.
Related Business Directory Categories:
People dealing with emotional problems are often uncomfortable opening up to a therapist or psychologist, and exposing their deepest darkest secrets. But what if the psychologist was actually a robot? Two Dutch psychologists have developed the world’s first robot psychologist (no, really!).
The cyber-shrink, also known as MindMentor (www.mindmentor.com), is the brainchild of clinical psychologists Jaap Hollander and Jeffrey Winjberg, both of whom are researchers at the Institute for Eclectic Psychology in the Netherlands.
The programmable MindMentor operates by asking a series of clever questions, designed to utilize unconscious strengths and resources the client already possesses. Both of the program’s designers are specialists in neurolinguistic programming, or NLP, and the MindMentor focuses on shifting the perspectives of clients in relation to their problems — in effect, changing how they view a situation until it is no longer an insurmountable problem.
It is difficult to explain exactly how MindMentor works, as the process takes up to an hour or more and the MindMentor software continually consults with a huge database of potential problems and solutions. But cleverly, the program does not simply regurgitate known emotional disturbances and potential solutions, but actually guides the user through a series of steps to discover their own hidden internal strengths and resources, resulting in them finding their own satisfactory solutions, and coming away from the experience feeling empowered.
That may sound like a pretty bold claim for a cyber-therapist, but test studies including 1600 clients from around the world have showed that MindMentor is an effective way for many people to work through their emotional issues. Of the 1600 clients tested, 47% of those reported that their problem had been solved in only a single session (most practicing psychologists would be thrilled with a 47% success rate on the first session).
According to its creators, MindMentor helps individuals discover and take advantage of unconscious knowledge they already possess. But it doesn’t work alone: MindMentor has several cyber-colleagues to help assess a client’s situation, including RoboRorshach, which provides projective testing, and the Provobot, which helps uncover hidden strengths through the use of provocative humor.
While the thought of discussing emotional problems with a team of robot specialists might seem less threatening than actually baring your soul to another real human being, the important question is, can a computer algorithm be trusted to counsel individuals on emotional and psychological problems and offer advice?
The jury is still out on that one, but many experts agree that robo-counseling is likely the wave of the future, and the technology can provide emotional support and guidance to many individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford a series of expensive office visits with a real “flesh and blood” psychologist.
Related Business Directory Categories:
Comments