dimanche 14 juillet 2013

Top Mental Health Conditions And Their Indications


Mental health conditions are quite tricky to recognize specifically when you are unaware of their symptoms. Just like any bodily diseases, they can lead to an incurable state if not addressed early. As these affect the personality of the individuals concerned, their families also get hurt in the process. This is because memory loss and hostile behaviour may be evident among them. Thus their social function is affected and their family names could be dragged to embarrassing situations.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of these syndromes. People who suffer from these are usually fearful of different things. For one, thoughts about death do not only send shivers down their spine. These also cause them sleeplessness and withdrawal from activities they used to enjoy. Rapid heartbeat, sweating and uncontrollable responses to certain situations are clear symptoms of these disorders. Phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behaviour and social anxieties are examples.
Abrupt and extreme mood swings are characteristic of mental health conditions. Formally known as affective disorders, these involve extreme feelings of sadness and feelings of happiness. Depression, mania and bipolar disorder are common illnesses under this category.
On the other hand, those that affect a person's way of thinking are called psychotic disorders. These cause affected individuals to have distorted awareness of many things. Delusions and hallucinations are two illnesses one should be aware of. A person suffering from delusions see unacceptable behaviours as acceptable. A person suffering from hallucinations hear sounds or voices and see things that are not happening in real life.
Personality disorders are the usual reasons why people think and act outside the norms of society. Sufferers of these seek for mental health therapy because they interfere with their performances at work, school, or social relationships. They could be anti-social, obsessive compulsive and paranoid in most cases.
Generally dubbed as freedom of expression, sexual disorders also impair the minds of most people. The way they project themselves gender wise and their respective sexual behaviours. As they have distorted thinking about their gender and sexual desires, they are dressing up and acting differently from their female or male orientation.
Other illnesses that involve the brain are tic disorders. Do you see people repeating sounds or body movements? These are tics which are uncontrollable. They happen involuntarily such as Tourette's syndrome, sleep-related problems, varied forms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The brain or mind can be very powerful. It can cause the body to experience symptoms of certain diseases even the latter are non-existent in the person's system. This is very true in the case of psychosomatic illnesses. An individual experiences sickness as the mind conditions the body to be so.
All these mental health conditions have corresponding cures which are combinations of medical and psychological services. It is important that professional help is sought as soon as any of the symptoms becomes visible. There are relevant facilities which provide related services. Be keen to choose from accredited mental institutions. Any of these is a sensitive matter to be dealt with. Thus, it must involve utmost care.


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Are Physical and Mental Health Linked?


People nowadays spend a lot of time at the gym, running or doing other exercises to better their physical health and get a good figure. Although maintaining your physical health is all well and good, many people tend to overlook the benefits and importance of mental health and even how the two coexist.
Sure, the difference between mental and physical well being is relatively obvious and straightforward, however their similarities and how are they connected may be a little more elusive.
Mental health and a sound state-of-mind, in fact, are just as important to your overall health as working out, correct diet and doing "cardio" and actually affects how well all of those things maintain your physical health. Speaking generally, in 2009 a research team in the United Kingdom concluded that mental fatigue leads to the body becoming fatigued faster (Mental and Physical Health). Why? The answer is simple but multifaceted:
Firstly, mental exhaustion inhibits the mind's ability to motivate itself and to push through a physically draining task. That being the case, if you are in a sound mental state, and you go running, your mind will be ample prepared to push your body further and harder, past the initial signs of fatigue. On the flip side of that coin, if you are mentally tired, frustrated or distracted, your mind, chemically (due to the decreased levels of dopa-mine), will not be able to find the motivation to push your body, leading to a shorter, less productive workout.
Secondly, we can see a similar aspect of the issue from the perspective of apathy, which often arises when someone is not in sound mental well being. Take the example of an emotionally distressed person, being asked about something not particularly important to them. Their answer to questions such as: "What do you think about this?" or "What should we do in this situation?" will most likely be: "I don't care" or "It doesn't matter". Similarly to our first point above, the indifference caused by the person's mental state, which I am sure we have all felt, directly affects their physical state when the questions become internalized: "Should I workout today?", "Should I cook myself something healthy?" or "That portion looks a little too big for me."
That being said, it is easy to understand how, while physical and mental health are not identical, they are, without a doubt, deeply intertwined and rely heavily on each other. While physical health may be seen as a chemical or biological state of the human body, it dictates how well your body moves, reacts to stimuli and how well you focus on things. Thus, with poor physical health, your mental health will suffer. Similarly, mental health may seem unrelated and not as important, because it is intangible and harder to regulate, but mental health has a direct effect on the body's ability to overcome difficult physical tasks (the heart of doing any physical workout) as well as heavily affecting one's ability to motivate themselves to do anything.
All in all, in order to be a "healthy" human being, one must not look at diet and exercise, but also at how they are feeling and the state of their mental health.


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What Is Mental Health?


To see sense changes in their lives, it is important to feel hope for the future and believe that change for the better is possible. Autonomy - self-determination Autonomy is to cope with everyday life, have power over themselves and be able to make their own decisions and to have the ability to like and believe in themselves.
Health is closely linked to personal development and achieved towards a set goal, so it is important to manage to arouse the desire to set and work toward goals in life. This is an essential element of the concept of health and can be experienced as a feeling enhanced by opportunities to influence their situation. Abilities and timing is essential for health
We often talk about health or mental health, but what is it? Health is often considered to be the same as the absence of disease, but it is an oversimplification of the concept of health. The ability to influence and change according to their own values?
In society and personal life is built up with the help of that person's autonomy and is respected in the social interaction between people.
People are inherently creative and make their choices based on what is perceived as meaningful, therefore strengthening the motivation of participation to be able to formulate their own goals in life.
Community in a social context: To be able to experience the health, it is essential to feel equal, meaningful and free. To be autonomous is to be a self independent person and make their own decisions and take responsibility for them.
Health as a concept has been discussed since the 1700s, but at the time was perceived body and mind as separate from each other and health was seen as a state free from disease.
Health is a positive concept that deals with social and personal resources, and physical ability.To have hope, freedom, independence and participation are respected strengthens the will, confidence and responsibility as well as the individual's ability to influence the situation.
A person may experience health even at a diagnosed disease and good health has a positive effect on both the resistance to disease and the ability to recover and recover from injury and disease.
Being together, enjoy fellowship and love is central to experience health. Similarly, the confirmation of one's own value, in dialogue with other people, a vital contribution to the experience of health.
Another important factor for health is timing, because an unhealthy activity at one time usually does not affect health, while a long-term unhealthy behavior can lead to ill health and ultimately to serious illness. The concept of health comes from the word "health" which means a state of being healthy and whole.
Many people who have chronic illnesses or physical limitations, even those experiencing health by finding strategies to cope with or overcome their difficulties. The concept of health means to perceive himself as a positive and independent individual in development, to feel hope and meaning in life and fellowship with others.
All parts are important for health to be achieved, developed and preserved. It is impossible to clearly distinguish the boundaries between these key components of the concept of health.
The World Health Organization says that every person's opportunities to health includes both physical and mental health and must be seen in context of personal development through life. The risk with these rather broad and universal definitions is that they are perceived as unattainable ideal state.
To enjoy, appreciate and see the positive in their situation, and to have positive experiences of past changes is the basis to set and implement goals in life. Health can be seen as a resource for everyday life, not as the goal of life.
An important definition of health that many scientists are describing is that man has the ability to realize or achieve vital goals. An important prerequisite for knowing health is to have autonomy. Autonomy means self-determination and the right to self-determination over their lives. Autonomy and independence are fundamental and health adversely affected if options are missing.
These abilities can be cognitive, such as to solve problems, to perceive emotions and impressions, and interpersonal skills (the ability to socialize with other people). A deficiency in any of these abilities affect the person's health.


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samedi 13 avril 2013

4 ways that to psychological state



These following area unit four areas of focus to market our psychological state.

1. ACTUALISING OUR skills

We all have to be compelled to feel capable to try and do things. Having an honest understanding of our skills and our capacities could be a true blessing, for through such an edge we've got a platform for continued growth.

Our skills area unit connected with our dreams. we tend to all wish to succeed in for the sky in some areas of our lives. Having the opportunities to actualise our skills is what we tend to all richly need.

Let us be stouthearted enough to chase those dreams.

2. addressing THE STRESSES OF LIFE

Stressors are available all shapes and forms, and there's a time for each one in every of them.
If smart psychological state is regarding addressing the traditional stresses of life, we tend to area unit allowed times once we don't cope - once there area unit stresses abnormal to life.

Our normal goal during this space ought to be to create resilience. the flexibility to get well upon setbacks can characterise U.S. as able to address the traditional stresses. however as a result of stress is Associate in Nursing abstract idea we tend to should not get too adorned up regarding header and not header, what we are able to endure and what we won't.

Instead, we tend to cope the simplest we are able to. we tend to enable God's grace to permeate our lives.

3. ACHIEVING PURPOSE IN OUR VOCATION

Many, many folks in our world live for a purpose that pivots on their vocation. {when we tend to|once we|after we} work and that we gain that means for our work and that we will see we area unit productive, and our work bears fruit, we tend to gain an excellent deal of satisfaction.

This proves that job - paid or unpaid - could be a blessing.

Our identities area unit stitched into our vocations. once we area unit disgruntled with our work it should have Associate in Nursing ultimate impact on our psychological state. job discontentedness can place our identities in crisis. The thanks to higher psychological state is to form alignment.
We need work that satisfies U.S..

4. causative TO OUR COMMUNITY

Volunteering could be a healthy trend in most areas of the globe nowadays. causative among our communities not solely aids others, there's a private payoff too.

But still too many folks area unit isolated, safely cocooned in their own lives. Having no outlet of contribution among the community is one mode of psychological state starvation. this is often one reason why happiness among a church framework is sweet. Church additional typically than not facilitates work which may be exhausted the community.

keyword:

mental health
psychological state
Sound mental health






mardi 9 avril 2013

5 Ways to Promote Positive Mental Health


Positive mental health is a great way to ensure you lead a long, happy and healthy life. Maintaining your mental health is easier than most people think and will have a significant impact on your everyday life.
Would you like to have more energy? What about a good night sleep? How you would like to go an entire year without catching the flu once? Achieving a positive mental health state will not guarantee these things, but it sure will help.
Here are the top 5 things you can do to help promote positive mental health in you and your children:
1. Eat Healthy. Eating fast food 3 times a week and downing a few cold ones before bed might be easier than making a home-cooked meal and more enjoyable than drinking a cold glass of water but it won't do a whole lot for your health. Eating home-cooked foods (especially fruits and vegetables) and staying away from the fast food joints will help you achieve the healthy lifestyle you desire.
2. Drink Lots of Water. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, average individuals are expected to consume at least eight glasses of water a day. And while this seems like it may be a lot, it's actually not. Eight glasses is almost equivalent to filling up your water bottle a few times between waking up and going to bed. Remember, if you work out, you will need to increase your water intake to compensate for the water you're burning off while exercising. Drinking water will detoxify your body and restore it back to a healthy state - especially after drinking coffee or alcoholic beverages.
3. Kick the Bad Habits. We've already mentioned it a few times but eliminating significant alcohol intake will have positive results on your mental health. Likewise, kicking other bad habits like smoking and drinking considerable amounts of coffee will also help keep your mental health at its best.
4. De-Stress. Stress is one of the leading causes for poor mental health. When you're stressed out, your body has to work harder to keep up and, overtime, it will take its toll on your body and your brain. Next time something stressful happens, try lighting some candles and taking a bath. If that doesn't work for you, try letting off some steam by going to the gym or going for a run. Keeping a positive frame of mind will promote positive mental health and eliminate undue stress on your brain.
5. Book Regular Check-ups. Unfortunately, you can do all of the things listed above and still suffer from mental health problems. In fact, you might have a mental illness and not even know it. Make sure you're mental health is in good condition by booking regular appointments with your doctor. He/she will be able to confirm whether you're lifestyle is healthy or identify where you may need to make some changes.


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vendredi 16 novembre 2012

Let Your Kids In on Family Mental Health Issues





Mental Illness is a common medical condition. In fact, approximately 1 in 4 American adults can be diagnosed with a mental illness in any given year. The most common of these are anxiety disorders and depression. If you or someone in your family struggles with any kind of mental illness, you know that it can be difficult to talk about it with family, friends, co-workers and especially, children.
When mental illness strikes a family, it is often instinctive to keep it hidden from the children. We want to protect our children from the "adult world" and the problems that can come from it. We also find it very hard to explain these types of problems to children, especially since it can be very hard for us to understand it ourselves.
But it is important to talk to your children about mental illness, especially if it affects someone in the same household. By withholding information or avoiding discussion, you may inadvertently be making the topic more mysterious, more taboo and more frightening to the child than it needs to be.
If you or someone in the household is experiencing mental health problems, your child probably already knows something is wrong. The first step is to get help for yourself of your spouse (or whoever is ill) and acknowledge that the person is sick with a medical condition and needs to get help. Nearly all mental illnesses are treatable at some level. Certain conditions, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia require lifelong treatment but the symptoms can be managed. Other disorders, like many anxiety disorders, can be treated with medication, therapy or a combination and can lead to a full recovery. Depressive disorders may show themselves in episodes that are treated as they come and go. Still others may present themselves only once in an entire lifetime, such as a panic attack.
It is important to talk to your child about your specific illness, how it affects you personally and what your customized treatment plan is going to be. This helps the child understand that something is wrong, but there is a solution that you are working towards. Get other family and friends involved in your treatment as well, and let them know that you are talking openly with your child about it. Studies show that people who have the support of their family and friends recover better than those who do not.
By letting your child in and keeping them informed of your illness and your treatment, you are paving a path of understanding instead one of fear.
Sue Shotan is a mental health advocate and educator working in collaboration with community partners to help eliminate stigma, promote awareness, and help improve the lives of those living with mental illness. Sue is currently partnering with Connee Gorman, LLC, a mental health education company, to provide mental health education in the Midwest.


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Reclaiming Good Mental Health





What is good mental health? We are all more or less mentally healthy, and this usually varies through our lives especially as we deal with difficult life events, change and so on. Whether we call this psychological wellbeing, happiness, contentment, positive mindset, all these terms relate to good mental health.
With our physical health, it's part of our everyday discourse to be aspirational. We want to feel physically fit, energetic, strong, balanced in our weight, eating a healthy diet, supple, resilient and not prone to minor ailments. Sure we complain about our problems, and talk about how we can't do all the things we know we ought to do. We know it's not easy to stay physically healthy without working at it, especially if we've experienced health problems. We know that even if we reach the peak of physical fitness, we can't maintain this for the rest of our lives without paying attention to it.
Research tells us that good mental health is even more beneficial than good physical health. A positive mental outlook increases the rate and speed of recovery from serious, even life threatening, illness. Psychological resilience and wellbeing gives people the strength to turn problems into challenges into triumphs.
Yet whenever I ask a group of people to tell me what words come into mind in relation to 'mental health', their responses are about mental ill-health! It's as if the term has been hi-jacked to become totally problem-focused.
In the meantime, we're experiencing an epidemic of mental ill-health. About 1 in 4 people are experiencing some form of common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety and various stress related symptoms. GP surgeries are overwhelmed with such problems, mental health services are only able to provide support for the 1% of the population with much more severe mental health difficulties, and there's a plethora of largely unregulated services, treatments and remedies out on the private market. A recent research study showed that the majority of long term sickness absence from work resulted from stress related conditions.
The trouble with focusing on the problems and the pain, is that that's what we become experts in. We're looking for cures and treatments to fix the problem, instead of focusing on what makes for good mental health. We know that physical health is multi-dimensional - no-one imagines that pumping iron to build your muscles is a recipe for overall physical health, although it will certainly make you stronger for certain activities.
So what are the essentials of good mental health?
Connection is certainly one of the best known. Having positive close relationships is good for our mental health, as is having a wider network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances which will vary over time. Giving to others is another really important aspect of connection, improving our sense of self worth and wellbeing.
Challenge is about learning and development, it's how we grow. For children, everyday brings new challenges, yet as adults we often become increasingly fearful of change, unwilling to learn new skills or put ourselves in unfamiliar situations. So expanding our comfort zone, sometimes in small ways if we're feeling particularly vulnerable, will help develop our self-confidence and sense of personal achievement.
Composure means a sense of balance, and ability to distance ourselves from our thoughts and emotions. It means our ability to respond rather than react. This could be described as our sense of spiritual connection, which may come through a particular belief or faith, or may be found through connection with nature. A mentally healthy person will feel an inner strength of spirit, and find ways to support that.
Character relates to the way in which we interpret our experiences and our responses to them. We all have our own personal story, or stories, which we may or may not tell others. We may cast ourselves as the hero, the victim or the villain, and however we do this will impact generally on our mental health. Someone who has experienced severe life trauma may have great difficulty piecing together their story at all, leaving them feeling literally fragmented. Good mental health means having a strong sense of personal values, awareness of our own strengths, skills and resources, and personal stories of learning from mistakes, survival, success and appreciation.
Creativity represents the fun, childlike aspects of our mental health. As children we are naturally creative and we play. As we grow into adulthood, our creativity and playfulness is often discouraged or devalued, and this can cause great frustration, literally diminishing the capacity of our brain to function as well as it could. Exploring creative activities has often been found to have a powerful therapeutic effect, and good mental health certainly depends in part on opportunities to bring fun, playfulness and creativity into our lives.
These 5 C's of good mental health offer a framework within which we can think about our mental health in the same way as we might our physical health. It's pretty damned hard to be a perfect specimen of physical health,but then who needs to be perfect? Just like our physical health, our mental health is a work in progress and always will be.
In years gone by, many people with physical illnesses were treated cruelly because of ignorance and shame. I recall when cancer was spoken in hushed whispers as the Big C. Nowadays mental ill-health is the 'elephant in the room' which we need to be looking at long and hard, exposing to practical common sense and intelligent discussion.
World Mental Health Day on October 10 has been a timely reminder that good mental health really is something we can aspire to for everyone. Let's make it so!
Carolyn Barber, Bsc (Hons), CQSW, is the founder of Wayfinder Associates, a social care training and consultancy business specialising in team development, independent supervision and staff wellbeing. As a serial social entrepreneur, Carolyn has developed community based programmes to promote understanding of mental wellbeing using positive solution focused approaches.

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