Archive for December, 2011

Mental Health Q&A

December 30th, 2011

Could this occur within authentic go?

I be watching a rerun of ER. In it a girl who be pregnant tried to commit suicide.While they be trying to treat her she pulled out the gastric tube etc. They restrained her and as you would expect, forced treatment. I know this is a no brainer but if…

BiPolar and marrieds – does your spouse ever use it against you too?

My husband other pulls the “you’re too emotional” card out of his butt when we fracas. Especially if he’s surrounded by the wrong. Does anyone else concordat next to this? Are you ever afraid that you’ll NEVER know how to communicate…

How did you quit smoking? How did you operation beside your cravings and cope next to anxiety/nervousness?Thank you!?

I quit cold turkey 5 years ago after smoking for 17 years.

It wasn’t easy by any mechanism, but it really wasn’t that hard any. You just involve to accept that you will crave…

I attempted suicide?

On friday I attemted suicide by taking 40 – 50 valium tablets, I be taken to hospital and I amazingly survived (I be taken out yesterday). I spoke to the support workers and I told them I looked-for to die because of the bullying I obtain at college (I’m 15) and I also…

How can I stop anyone so angry?

I have a amazingly, very rock-hard time controlling my temper. I started going to a psychiatrists 3 years ago and I can no longer see him very soon because of my insurance company. Anyway, he used to ask me to talk around my childhood and I would always…

I am fear so massively alone, and worthless right immediately……?

I have lost adjectives of my friends because of my depression, so I have nobody to confide within.

I just quality like my live is surrounded by a “nose-dive” heading for a big crash. Has anybody else felt this track before? How…

More Mental Health questions please visit : HealthFreeFAQ.com

The Dire Affects Of Substance Abuse

December 26th, 2011

From major cities to small town America, the incidence of substance abuse is a problem that has reached out of control proportions. It often begins with young teens, who feeling under pressure from their peers, make the choice to give using a drug a try. For some that is all it takes. One incident leads to two, until the user is hooked to a lifetime of drug abuse. Oklahoma substance abuse is not immune from these problems.

Depending on the drug of choice and how often it is used, it can be difficult to determine who the abuser is. They become experts at hiding the problem from family or relatives. In addition, there are family members who are suspicious, but remain in denial. They just cannot allow themselves to admit that their loved one is using illegal drugs.

In today’s society, there are very few families that do not know of at least one member that has a problem with drugs. It could be a son or daughter; brother or sister; niece or nephew. Substance abuse does not discriminate and is an equal opportunity addictive agent. Problems can begin with a few drinks of alcohol, and once under the influence a user is more apt to be susceptible to trying other substances. A person is under the illusion that if they handle one drug well, they will be able to handle others.

The first thing one has to do is watch for ways to recognize someone who may have a problem with illegal drugs. If of school age, they may be missing more and more school and losing interest in school activities. Money and valuables may come up missing from around the home as drug use is an expensive habit. Personality changes and odd behavior are often noted.

Caring family members will sometimes set up traps and try and catch the abuser or locate their ‘stash.’ Even when confronted under these conditions, the addict will deny all use. Very few will admit to having a problem. They foolishly see themselves as the ones in charge and they are capable of handling the situation. It is a once and a while thing that is only done for kicks. Any possible excuse is better than the alternative of facing life drug free.

The truth of the matter is that help is available. Yet, unless one is caught breaking the law while using, or is still young enough to be under parental control, there is not a lot that can be done to stop the abuser. Only in a few cases where they have hit rock bottom, do some abusers reach out for help. Usually the thought of entering rehab and having no access to their drug of choice, is the very thing that keeps many from entering.

Occasionally, getting a user to go for counseling with a highly trained dependence facilitator can get them to begin to see the error of their ways. There are those who will begin to see that that drugs are controlling their lives. They will begin to see the error of their ways and want to work toward a drug free life. Sadly, these people are the exception and we are helpless in stopping the loss of life to drug addiction. Oklahoma substance abuse is as critical a situation as it is in all of our United States, and the journey back to health for many be a long and difficult one.

Anxiety – Mental Health Problem Or a Normal Mental State?

December 22nd, 2011

Anxiety can affect the mental health of people and appears to be a large and growing problem in the Western world.

First let us ask if feeling anxious a normal state for human beings? The answer here is a definite yes. Anxiety serves to keep us safe from possible perceived threats that we need to process. It is an early warning system that tells us we need to observe our environment differently and pay special attention at least until we have more information and know how to handle a situation. Very often this early warning system enables us to take appropriate action before a problem gets worse.

What is worrying in today’s world is however that the word anxiety now denotes a mental disorder. You only have to Google in the word anxiety to realise that most people feel it is something that they need to get over. What is less apparent on the web is anxiety skills training.

It is almost as if it is by chance that we learn how to deal with our own anxiety. Few of us know how to process our anxiety – one of the cognitive skills that is sadly lacking from our educational curriculum.

Anxiety can be seen on a continuum. At one end anxiety arises when there is a perceived threat that needs processing and at the other end is the person whose anxiety mechanism is out of control which leaves them in a state of heightened anxiety most of the time. This end of the anxiety continuum has a hugely negative impact on a persons’ life.

However there is another continuum. That is the continuum of people’s ability to process anxiety and deal with it effectively. At one end is the person who always seems to be able to stay calm, react appropriately and resolve the anxiety inducing situation.

At the other end is the person who is totally controlled by the unpleasant feelings and physical symptoms associated with extreme anxiety.

Added to those two situations is the fact that anxiety is taught to us by out society, and certainly as children we can develop very negative reactions to anxiety producing situations if that is the behavior we see around us. Throw in for good measure our personalities and our personal environmental experiences and perhaps we have a valid case for teaching anxiety appropriate skills as part of our educational system.

This might just go a long way to reducing the incidence of anxiety from becoming a mental health problem. Worth thinking about!

Substance Abuse Services and How They Can Help Addicts

December 18th, 2011

 

Many substance abuse services provide the necessary tools to get over not only an alcohol addiction but any other type of addiction. It does not matter if you use prescriptions or street drugs; the fact is there is help available.

 

What Do Substance Abuse Services Include?

 

Twelve-step programs are very popular and have been around since the late 1930s. These programs are designed to help the substance abuser change bad habits and own up to all of his past errors that led him to the addiction. The steps are meant to be followed in a certain order and an addict can take as little or as much time as he need to complete each of the steps. There is no set time limit as long as the addict is actively following the steps.

 

For all types of abuse, there is a program with similar steps that allow an abuser to get over his addiction whether it is to food, shopping, gambling, or some other thing.

With a 12-step program, there is reference to a higher power for the addict to draw strength from. This can be God or any other higher power he believes in and helps him to deal with the addiction in a spiritual manner. Past errors are confronted, dissected, and even resolved during treatment. There is a sponsor who, of course, will help the addict get through his addiction by guiding him through each of the 12 steps.

 

Substance abuse services may mean using a rehab program, detox, or some other form of assistance to get over an addiction. There are many types of services available and the hardest part may just be choosing the one that is right for you. There are programs that can meet the needs of anyone and all it takes is for the addict to do some research.

 

The person looking for substance abuse services will have to be able to own up to his behaviors and addiction. If the abuser needs help, there is no better way to find it than to be honest and try to be as detailed about the substance abuse as he possibly can. The more honest an addict is about his needs, the better the fit will be in the program that is recommended. Any program an addict chooses will be the right one for him because it will take care of the needs he has that are most important to him.

Substance-Abuse

Improve Your Mental Health with Ayurveda

December 13th, 2011

When the intensity of negative reactions to our life situations become repetitive and frequent, symptoms of depression begin to crop up. Do you often experience the will of shutting out from the world and remaining isolated? Do you feel your self-worth and self-confidence eroding away for no specific reason? And do you find yourself sitting for hours together and thinking about nothing? If your answer to these questions is yes, you might be entering into an episode of depression and anxiety. Depression refers to a state of persistent anxiety, sadness and feelings of sadness and hopelessness. It is characterized by the feelings of contemplating suicide, fatigue or loss of energy, irritability or restlessness, insomnia and so on. The symptoms of depression may occur in people of any age group -whether children, youth or old.

These symptoms can be stirred up even by minor routine stress.

All of us are not equally well equipped to handle changing life situations and hence, many of us find it difficult to adapt to new challenging situations. And such situations accompanied by stress lead to depression among people. Especially in our modern hectic life schedules, stress has been identified as the single biggest contributor to depression.

Sometimes, high intake of antibiotics can also cause a temporary state of depression. Anxiety, too, can be one of the factors causing depression. However, the exact cause of depression cannot be identified, as it is closely linked with one’s mental disposition or inner personality, which varies from person to person.

Depression can be of various types even though most people are unaware of these as the term ‘depression’ in itself is taken as an umbrella term for all stress and anxiety related problems.

The most common types of depression include: Major depressive disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Bipolar disorder, Seasonal Affective disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Atypical depressive disorder.

Depression is not a disease; rather it is an illness wherein the state of our mind, body and thoughts work towards negativity. It can, thus, be treated with one’s efforts and strong will to fight depression complemented with some home remedies. There is also a wide range of herbs available for treating depression such as: Rosemary, Purslane, Lemon balm, Basil, Licorice, Borage, Clove, Ginger and Kava-Kava.

Ayurveda, too, provides a highly efficient range of depression supplements which help in the natural treatment of depression. One of its highly potent natural supplements for depression is DeprsnCare which helps in improving the mental health. DeprsnCare naturally helps lessen anxiety and restore vitality of life without causing any unpleasant side-effects. This depression supplement contains no chemically generated compounds or artificial addictives. However, Ayurveda also recommends practicing meditation as the second fold treatment to keep the mind restful.

Think healthy; live healthy, naturally, with Ayurveda’s highly efficient range of natural health supplements.

Inpatient Treatment for Substance Abuse

December 10th, 2011

. Drug addiction is a disease that is incurable, but with willpower, focus and flexibility as well as a good quality treatment program, it can be accomplished. A substance abuse inpatient facility provides excellent treatment and an organized program that will assist the person in adapting to the issues that society brings and confront it head one.

Some addicts will crave for drugs just from initiating the habit of smoking. Not all of them that smoke will do drugs and alcohol, but in most cases drug addict start out with smoking cigarettes and then graduate to marijuana and then begin to abuse harder drugs.

They are always experimenting and trying new things. Smoking becomes an activity that is recreational and when that is not enough, they want to get an even higher feeling by doing drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Most people that habitually smoke cigarettes on a regular basis are the ones that are curious about marijuana.

Teenagers start out with cigarette smoking and then go on to trying marijuana or reefer and so do adults. When the marijuana no longer gives them that high, they resort to stronger kinds of drugs or even prescribed medication. Over the counter drugs are easier to get so some do resort to that instead. Substance abuse inpatient care treatment will help the individual to commit to a program that will take them on the path to recovery.

People abuse drugs for various reasons. There are some who just want to escape the problems of life. There are some that want to be a part of a group and are influenced by their peers. There are some that participate when they are in a social gathering and then there are others who don’t know their reason. Family history of addiction can be a result of some people’s drug and alcoholic abuse.

Substance abuse inpatient care programs offer individualized treatment that gives these individuals who are defiant the opportunity to come to terms with their issues, deal with those issues and correct them. They are offered life skills as well as social skills to help them to handle the pressures of life.

Someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol generally is a person who has no self confidence, lonely, uncertain of why they were born and depressed. These are the people that search for a substitute to deal with the problems that they are faced with every day. Some people may think of these addicts as being cowardly, but they are really people who are hurting and need a helping hand to guide them to a place where they feel comfortable in regaining confidence and living a normal life.

Someone who is heavily into alcoholism and drug addiction will assume that there is no help or that it is not necessary. They will think that their sobriety can happen when they are good and ready. In the meantime, the will continue to steal from family members to get drugs and alcohol. The results are catastrophic and that is why substance abuse inpatient care is important.

Teen Substance Abuse: 8 Risk Factors You Should Know

December 7th, 2011

To find out the cause of a teen’s substance abuse analyze the following, if any of the parents struggle with substance abuse, find if the teen lacks parental guidance, if the teen faces problems at home, if the teen faces peer pressure, look into the neighborhood where the teen lives, find if the teen was abused in any way, find if the teen suffers from any untreated or hopeless illness and lastly analyze the personal characteristics that may have lead to substance abuse.

Substance abuse includes using alcohol, illicit drugs, and other substances often that can also harm a teen’s health and future. The only way to help a teenager who is drinking and drugging is to get to the root of what set them off in the first place. Read on to learn the tips on how to determine the risk factors of teen substance abuse:

Determine if the parents also struggle with substance abuse

One risk factor for teen substance abuse is that one or both parents who are substance abusers.

Often if parents abuse drugs or alcohol, their teen will struggle with substance abuse as well. Often the adolescent will assume that he or she is not at risk for alcoholism or drug addiction, as the parents are positively disposed toward their own use. In this situation, teenagers at risk will think that because their parents are abused it is alright for them to do likewise.

Determine whether the teen lacks parental guidance

When parents do not actively monitor or are careless regarding their teen’s whereabouts, it is easier for the teen to leave the home and use different substances. Studies have shown that teenagers who have a close relationship with family, or are at least being adequately monitored by them, have a smaller risk of abusing substances compared to teens who lack these controls.

Learn about the teen’s problems at home

Many adolescents who lack training in healthy coping skills are at risk for alcoholism and drug abuse. If you identify difficult problems at the teen’s home, such as divorcing parents, a constantly nagging mother, or an alcoholic father, then the risk for teen substance abuse is higher.

Determine whether the teenager is suffering due to peer pressure

Frequently, peer pressure encourages a teenager to start using drugs. Even if parents watch over their teenager, the teen can still find ways to get away with their behavior by creating excuses. A teen will try to go with the flow and make sure he fits in, if all or most of his friends are into drugs or alcohol.

Look into the neighborhood where the teen lives

Geography is as relevant as family structure. Wherever alcohol and illicit drugs are freely available, substance abuse by teenagers is also more common.

Find out if the teen was abused in some way in the past

Alcohol or drug use are often used as an escape for a teen who has suffered abuse, either emotional, physical or psychological. In order to determine the likelihood of substance abuse find out if the teen has been abused in any way at home or in school or by his friends.

Find out if the teen has any untreated or hopeless illness

A child in poor health has a much greater chance of abusing substances than one who is not. Alcohol and/or drug abuse may be a result of depression. As the conditions seem hopeless to them, the teens tend to think that whatever they do to their lives, does not matter in such situations.

Personal characteristics and behaviors can be analyzed in order to see if they will lead to possible substance abuse

A teenager’s demeanor can many times let you figure out if they are abusing alcohol or drugs. Some personality traits such as insecurity and rebelliousness are associated with increased risks.

Any teen can be vulnerable to using drugs and alcohol. You need to learn more about his family, his friends, his personality, and his condition to help determine the risk of substance abuse. It is better to be proactive rather than reacting after the problem occurs, therefore it is better to be aware of a teen’s environment and to prevent threats to his life and/or future.

Substance Abuse and Relapse

December 3rd, 2011

There are reasons that are too many to mention here, but substance abuse relapse can be avoided if addressed properly.Substance abuse relapse is something that many families have to endure over and over again. This is not intentional that the addict wants to happen, but it happens for a number of reasons:

1. The addict did not get the right treatment

2. Treatment was not personalized

3. The addict did not get involved with a follow up program

4. The addict only underwent a thirty day rehabilitation process

5. The addict returned to old friends

6. The addict returned to old habits

7. The addict was not committed totally to treatment

8. The addict did not receive support from important family members, which could be a parent or a child

9. The addict did not take the treatment seriously

10. The addict did not learn and adapt to the tools and resources provided while in the treatment center.

There are other reasons that are too many to mention here, but substance abuse relapse is something that can be avoided if all of the above reasons are addressed properly.

If the addict had to go through an outpatient treatment program, then it is likely that this could also cause relapse because the addict will have structure within the program, but outside of the program, there is no way that they can be supervised. This is difficult for all involved; the addict, the therapist and family members. Outpatient treatment allows the addict to go on with some type of normal life and keep their jobs and be with their families. However, it has its disadvantages because the addict who is recovering is able to still be around the same friends that influenced them. Of course, drug addiction treatment is a choice and the therapist can tell the addict not to hang around these people, but cannot force them to do so. In fact, the therapist is not aware of the addict’s external activities unless it is mentioned during therapy.

Family members who are afraid of substance abuse relapse should lend a hand in ensuring that their loved one does not cling to those that are a bad influence to them during their treatment process. Those addicts who have gone through numerous treatment programs and returned to their old destructive habits will find that it is like a revolving door and family members get tired of the same old story and want to move on and forget about everything. However, family members cannot do this or they will be contributors of a destroyed life. They should probably think about an aggressive intervention that will either allow the individual to accept rehabilitation or reject it.

In the rehab center, the addict needs to stick close to other residents who are doing well. They can both support each other and motivate each other to keep focused so that they can experience full recovery. All it takes is encouragement to stay on the course that has been set by the therapist for the addict. It calls for willpower and the strength of God in order to make it to complete recovery.