Dealing with serious issues in a patient’s past can be one of the most important things a mental health professional has to help with. When it comes to dealing with trauma, continuing education can keep these professionals on the cutting edge of new research, always ready to avail themselves of new weapons they can use in the fight against mental illness. The American Psychological Association has a number of standards and recommendations when it comes to guiding the course of further learning by psychologists and psychiatrists. These standards help to ensure that learning and teaching is done in such a way that both individuals and groups continue to advance in this field.
It has been long known by professionals in the mental health field that many issues of current mental health in a patient can be traced back to a singular point in the patient’s background. If a patient was abused or neglected or faced some terrible incident in their past, it can have a tremendous effect on their current life, even without them knowing that the incident in question was the root cause. Some could consider these concepts to be at the very foundation of much of modern psychology. Because it is so important, doctors in the field should do everything they can to stay abreast of the latest research in the field. This means reading academic journals, attending workshops, and even listening to lectures from other prominent mental health professionals.
Some professionals eschew the idea of furthering their studies after graduation, at least in anything that could be considered a formal manner. This feeling is common in many fields, actually, not just psychology. Most educational experts, however, warn that this is a dangerous position to take. In a field such as this, that is ever changing, a doctor does himself and his patients a grave disservice by not continually updating their knowledge of their chosen field. A doctor who is just five years behind the current research can find themselves hopelessly out of date. Does that mean that the knowledge that came before is worthless? Sometimes. But usually the new research simply expounds on that earlier base and a doctor who doesn’t take advantage of the new ideas in the field is a fool.
When it comes to psychological trauma, continuing education is even more important. Every day, we learn a little bit more about the human brain and how it functions. Every day, the science gets a little clearer. With greater understanding, mental health professionals can modify their techniques and have greater results with their patients.
Obsessive Compulsive Treatment
I think obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is a greatly misunderstood disease in today’s world. If a disease is misunderstood then it is very hard to treat. Obsessive compulsive treatment currently includes a wide range of options some have pros, but mostly there are inadequate attempts to cure this disease.
Lets take a look at a couple of the options available right now. First off we have medication. Now while you should always seek the advice of your doctor first I don’t believe that medication is the way to go even though they may suggest it as the best route. Medicines aren’t particularly selective when it comes to emotions. We don’t yet fully understand how emotions are created and interact within the brain. Medicines often go under-tested before being released. Therefore the common way a medicine works is like using a tank to smash a block of butter, it gets the job done but it’s overpowered and can often cause damage elsewhere due to factors that weren’t understood or taken into account.
Other obsessive compulsive treatment can be found in the various techniques of the self help industry. I think that most of these are actually a lot better than medicine because the side effects and damage that you might see from medicine you don’t see from these techniques. For the most part if these techniques don’t work nothing changes. The draw backs for these techniques then is that too often they require constant repetition day after day to get them to take hold. They can take more time to get to work than you are saved by not suffering from OCD, which for some people is a huge amount of time. Another problem with them is that a lot of them try to overpower the symptoms you are suffering, they don’t really work on the real underlying issue.
OCD is caused by an over attachment in the primal brain to emotions like fear and anxiety. These emotions are all movement initiators and have nothing to do with thought. This is why people with OCD will do things over and over again, it’s because they can’t actually connect to the part of their brain that thinks “the oven is switched off, next task” or “the door is locked” etc. It’s a constant movement issue.
If you are looking for an effective obsessive compulsive treatment the essence of what you need is a technique that focuses on balancing out the movement part of the brain with the thinking part of the brain. A balance is what most people have in most areas of their life, and indeed even people with OCD aren’t obsessive compulsive about everything, so there is balance there. Once a balance is re-achieved (people aren’t born with OCD it is generated at some point in their lives through an experience with a high emotional attachment) the OCD will naturally disappear, and in more cases than not it will disappear in all the places they experience it. If you achieve proper balance you won’t ever need to repeat the process again and you can go on with your life.
Steve Hyde was a long time sufferer of both OCD and social anxiety. He has tried many techniques to rid himself of both these afflictions. Upon discovering a technique several years ago that completely eliminated both his OCD and social anxiety he has dedicated himself to helping people achieve at least the same levels of change in their own lives. He now runs a one-to-one coaching business helping people who are as dedicated to achieving the life of their dreams as he is.
Panic Away Review
Panic attacks are a serious problem plaguing people today. We where genetically engendered to have Fight or Flight instincts this is a chemical reaction to fear and danger a long time ago it was necessary for survival it warned us of danger, it gave us the strength to fight for our survival. But now it is 21st century and those old habits that should be gone have awoken within us and become our own personal prison.
Imagine getting the same reaction when a 40 foot beast is going to eat you and not being able to decide what to wear in the morning? It’s the same old song and dance every time you start to over think something next thing you know it is blown up into something that isn’t even real, now you lost out on your day because the small clothes dilemma was blown up into a 40 foot beast I know I have been there.
When I was younger panic was very prevalent inside of me. I could take the simplest of things and blow them up into huge monsters. It affected my life, my friends and my family it was terrible. I had a good friend that taught me the hard way to get rid of anxiety. I was pretty lucky to have him I had pretty much disassociated with all my other friends I was quite surprised that he stuck around, when you have anxiety it is very easy to push people away.
Well after 3 years of him pushing my buttons to the limit and a whole lot of broken patterns later I am finally free from that prison nothing fazes me now it is pretty cool I feel like a million bucks I can believe it. I honestly never thought i would ever be rid of that.
Panic away helps you break patters and move on with your life. My advice to anybody suffering from panic attacks defiantly needs to address the situation head on. It isn’t worth losing your life over. I lost a good 10 years of my life suffering from this and I had to endure pure hell to get rid of it, Panic Away will help you in way less time and show you an easier way.
If you want my friend to come over to your house it will cost you, he is a registered therapist that enjoys inflicting as much pain on his patients as humanly possible pushing and poking every little detail until you have only one option break the pattern or curl up in a little ball and beg for a quick death. It was the hardest thing I ever had to endure I spent many days and nights curled up in that ball when I finally couldn’t take it anymore he was going to get punched in the face. It was like a light bulb flashed in my head and everything became clear. He got a big smile on his face and congratulated me for breaking my patterns I was shocked I thought we were going to be slugging it out.
It’s the 21st century I don’t need to go out and kill any 40 foot beasts I only have to go to the McDonald’s Drive Thru, and I hunt at the local food store, my wild beasts are pre packaged for me. If I lost everything today it wouldn’t matter because it’s just stuff. Life really is that simple folks.
Panic away has a lot of great material and i agree with their methods read it and push yourself to the edge and over the cliff before you know it you will be jumping off the cliff with a big smile on your face. Good Luck.
Schizotypal Personality
The schizotypal personality is described as a severe disorder in which a person has very little or no intimate relationships with others. They experience intense anxiety when faced with social interaction, and thus, avoid it altogether.
People with this type of personality disorder are unable to socialize with others and are perceived as possibly being unfriendly. They isolate themselves and cultivate false beliefs about how relationships develop. Their behaviours are often very strange, delivering improper responses in social situations, and fostering bizarre beliefs.
The onset of this disorder commonly starts in young adults and continues all through life. No cure exists, but can be managed with the help of psychotherapy and medications. Studies indicate that positive events during early childhood can help to decrease symptoms experienced by young people who suffer from this disorder.
What are the symptoms:
Schizotypal personalities are often people who spend most of their time alone and have very few friends, if any at all. They find themselves feeling anxious in the company of others, due to trust issues, and feel they do not belong in the main stream.
They have problems similar to schizophrenia, which include:
- Strange and disordered speech
- Dresses oddly
- Abnormal view of the world
- Believe they have the power to emotionally control others
Adolescents may exhibit signs of:
- Isolation and solitude
- Extreme social anxiety
- Socially delayed in relation to peer group
- They are often picked on and bullied by others.
Other common symptoms include:
- Difficulty correctly interpreting events
- Odd beliefs and behaviour patterns
- Believe they possess special powers
- Complaints of phantom pain
- Incoherent speech patterns
- Paranoia
- Little or no friends
- Intense anxiety in social situations
The schizotypal personality may be similar to shizophrenia, but is not as extreme. In addition, people with this personality disorder are able distinguish between reality and imagination, while those with schizophrenia have lost touch with reality and cannot discern reality from what they imagine.
Causes:
The cause of this mental disorder is unknown, but being abused and neglected during childhood, stress, and having a close relative with this disorder may be factors. People with schizotypal personalities are also at risk for developing schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other associated mental conditions.
Treatment:
Treatment for this condition usually involves antipsychotic medications to control symptoms, and psychotherapy sessions with a trained mental health professional. Sessions and activities may include behavioural, cognitive, and family therapies.
Families are encouraged to actively participate in attending sessions and offering their loved one the needed support in learning new skills to cope with schizotypal personality disorder.
A Bipolar Disorder Update
I’ve written about my bipolar disorder before. Initially, I wrote to point out Why Bipolar Disorder Patients Don’t Take Medicine. Then, I wrote Living with Bipolar Disorder: Is It Just Me? And now, I update with more pharmaceutical detail.
I offer this quick synopsis of the situation thus far: About a year ago, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder by my family physician. He told me at that time that he was reluctant to prescribe any medication for the disorder but he felt compelled. I understood, started taking Geodon, and ended with a nice and toasty nervous breakdown that made me afraid to ever take any mood stabilizer ever. Ever.
But I did. The next one was lithium carbonate. I waited at least a month before I started taking it. And Lithium was good for almost a whole year.
Fast forward to a few months ago. I was (and am) so apathetic that it’s not often that I leave the house. While I’ve actually enjoyed this, it’s improved. My favorite thing in the world now is to lie in bed when I don’t have to be standing up or sitting at the computer for some dumb reason. I want the remote control on the right and Mixie on my left with her spine in alignment with mine. My pillows remind me of the joy of my present existence.
Lithium makes my face sweat and I know that I am soon to replace the drug. It’s an odd sweat. It doesn’t stink like armpit stink, where-have-my-hands-been stink, or puked-into-gym-sock stink. It’s chemical. It’s weird.
I’m not keeping up with my blogs. When the telephone rings, I hope it’s not for me.
I think my favorite part of all of this is the friend who tells me to “just get out of the house.” She’s a wonderful person. And she doesn’t understand bipolar disorder. It would be nice if I could get everyone in the land educated. Is there such an e-mail address? Maybe everyoneintheworld@ hotmail.com?
Dr. No-No (my psychiatrist) is changing my Lithium after having read my last bipolar article. She was going to wait to change it pending further physical studies. I don’t blame her; of course I don’t. She’s awesome. It’s just hard to medicate us. Very slowly, I am being weaned off of Lithium and will soon be taking Seroquel XR. It seems like I’ve heard some frightening stuff about Seroquel. But if it works for me without frightening side effects, then it will be a very good thing indeed. I have to have my blood tested somewhat frequently because of the Lithium. I’ll miss that, and who wouldn’t?
In regard to bipolar disorder, I’ve now written about the pain and difficulty of trying to get the correct medication, what it’s like to be bipolar, and a pharmaceutical update. How will my next installment read? Even I do not know.
Anxiety Disorders
You’re afraid to walk down the street because you feel that everyone is looking at you. Or you are afraid to stand in line because you feel that you are too close to others for comfort. You sweat every time you think about making a call because you are afraid of the interaction you will have with the other person. It gets so bad that you hardly leave the house anymore. All these are called social phobias or social anxiety. They are acquired as we grow from infancy.
A social phobia or anxiety can be described as an intense fear of social interaction because you’re worried about how that interaction will turn out. Few of us have been spared a social phobia. Even the bravest of the brave would worry about having to give a lecture to a class full of geniuses for instance. This is healthy, and in most cases is overcome. It’s healthy because it is what pushes you to make sure that whatever you will say is up to scratch. It is much like the fear that makes you run from danger – if you didn’t feel fear, you wouldn’t run, and therefore you would be harmed.
When it comes to social phobia though, the reaction that’s experienced is on a much deeper level, and can spill over to harmless interactions like phone calls or saying hello to a neighbour or a colleague. Each time you are faced with the situation, your social phobia causes you deep anxiety and you feel it’s out of control. You will have physical manifestations, like palpitations, sweating, shallow and faster breathing, and blushing.
Social phobia is not to be confused with agoraphobia, although, in a sense some social phobia can stem from agoraphobia or the other way around. Agoraphobia causes abnormal fear of public places, such that when the person is out in the open, like in the street or the store, they cannot function properly. This is why they feel afraid to leave the house. Social phobia and anxiety is more than just this, and extends to social interactions of all kinds. You feel threatened by talking to another person, or the fact that they may be looking at you or hearing you. Sometimes, something like an email or a text message, especially from someone in authority, will trigger a reaction.
If you want to understand the kind of phobia that you feel, it’s important that you first understand common phobias so that you can eliminate them. For instance, fear of heights or enclosed places is a common phobia, but if you look into it, you will understand the point at which it becomes excessive and may become a problem – like if someone is afraid to climb something that’s one metre off the floor. Similarly for social phobias; it’s ok to worry about meeting a bunch of strangers, but if you find that you’re completely immobile because of it, you may need to seek help.
Once you understand the common phobias and the limits that are defined for them, you will know if you ought to be diagnosed. There is treatment for the anxiety that comes with social phobias; medications that will help control your reaction as well as therapy that helps you control the fear. Don’t hesitate to seek professional help, because what otherwise seemed like a mild problem could turn out to have repercussions later.
It’s also important that you work on your mental state, so that you can overcome some of the boundaries that hold you back. Use relaxation techniques, and when a situation s
The Most Effective Treatment For ADHD
Everyone has heard of the harmful side-effects of the ADHD drugs, right? However, people still depend on them as they do not know of too many other ways in which the problem can be addressed. If you or your children have been diagnosed with ADHD, you must most definitely go for a safe and effective mode of treatment for ADHD. Homeopathy proves to be very harmless and useful at the same time. Read on to know the various advantages of the effective homeopathy treatment for ADHD.
Reasons why homeopathy should be considered:
With so many advantages, the homeopathic treatment for ADHD is a must for consideration. If your child needs help for ADHD, turn to a homeopathic doctor and ask them the correct form of treatment. You could also read up the various online resources and educate yourself about homeopathy. The homeopathic treatments for ADHD are gaining a lot of popularity. You too can give it a shot and discover a world free of chemicals and side-effects.