psychiatric disorders

The professional practice of psychology covers several different areas. These are teaching, psychotherapy, studying forensics, conducting research, administering programs, treatment and prevention programs. Medication is not prescribed in the field of clinical psychology, but rather psychotherapy is explored as a form of treatment for psychiatric disorders. Assessment tests make up a bulk of the clinical psychologist’s work to diagnose a serious mental illness.

There are four main perspectives of clinical psychology: psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral and systems/family therapy. First, psychodynamic psychotherapy developed out of the works of Sigmund Freud and sought to make the unconscious desires come to the surface, rather than remain suppressed. Popular interventions include free association and the examination of transference and defenses. The history of mental illness is examined through the exploration of childhood memories.

The humanistic perspective of psychology was based around the work of Carol Rogers, Victor Frankl and Rollo May. Rogers argued that people needed congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathetic understanding as mental health treatment. The humanist perspective seeks to help the person towards self-actualization and connecting with their natural born potential.

The cognitive behavioral perspective looks at the interaction between how we think, feel and act. Psychology experts believe that we interpret the world through schemas (set patterns of thinking and categorizing information) that sometimes results in behavioral problems. To uncover irrational thinking, professionals try desensitization, Socratic questioning, relational dialectics therapy or note taking.

In systems or family therapy, psychology therapists focus on the interaction of the family and their interpersonal dynamics. Interventions include a spouse, parent, sibling or close friend. While some of the intervention involves a group discussion, homework assignments are often given to help patients keep working, thinking and assessing outside of their therapy sessions.

Other areas of clinical psychology center around philosophical notions of reality, processing information and developing behavioral and cognitive beliefs. Therapy perspectives include: Existential, Gestalt, Post Modern and Transpersonal. Existential psychotherapy teaches patients to accept responsibility by showing how humans make choices in how to relate with others. These choices are based upon past history, coping mechanisms, personal identity, interpersonal relationships and the quest for deeper meaning. Post Modern psychology examines how a person’s reality is shaped by language, history and social context. In this view, there is no definitive “truth” that can be uncovered since everything is subjective. Transpersonal therapy helps patients transcend their earthly consciousness to find a deeper spirituality.

There has been some criticism in recent years that clinical psychology is “too subjective” and difficult to prove with empirical evidence. A major problem is that health insurance companies refuse to cover therapy costs, which limits many lower income individual’s mental health treatment options. Since clinical psychologists receive less schooling than psychiatrists, many medical doctors downplay the importance of therapy. However, one need only pick up a journal of psychiatry to see that psychotherapy is still a valid profession and one that can supplement medication for unbelievable results.

Do You Know What Clinical Psychology Is? is from Healthcare Blogs

Diet is what comes first in mind as safe method to treat and to control any disease including hypothyroidism. If you restrict your diet from the beginning, it will not only prevent all the diseases but will also keep thyroid gland healthy and to function normally. Foods that depress the thyroid glands’ activity should be avoided. The food such as soy, beans, cauliflowers, cabbage, broccoli, mustard greens etc can depress thyroid activity one or the other way.

One should also avoid refined foods, sugar and dairy product in abandon. Give up wheat, caffeine and alcohol when you are suffering from hypothyroidism. The food that is to be taken is essential fatty acids. Take 1000 to 15000 mg of essential fatty acids three times a day. This helps the thyroid to produce normal level of thyroid hormones.

It is proven by researches that vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin A and vitamin E are very beneficial for thyroid hormone production and thyroid gland’s health. Take these all vitamins regularly but the caution here is, one should take all vitamins in proper dosage as less or over dose will be harmful to the body. Along with the thyroid functions, essential elements like L-tyrosine and calcium are also effective. Many dieticians recommend selenium and iodine.

There are many herbs, which are proven to have good effect in hypothyroidism case. For example, the tea or a tincture that is made up with horsetail (Equisetum arvense), oatstraw (Avena sativa), gotu kola (Centella asiatica) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is said to be very beneficial in hypothyroidism. Some of the herbalists advise Kelp (Laminaria hyperborean), Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) and irish moss (Chondrus crispus). They not only help in production of good quality thyroid hormone but they also keep the quantity under control.

Another good concept to treat hypothyroidism is something called contrast hydrotherapy. This is the therapy in which, there is cold and hot applications. These applications are applied alternately to neck and the throat. It is said to be stimulating for thyroid glands. The ideal method is to keep the hot application for three minutes and then applying cold application for about one minute. The entire procedure is repeated three times as a set and there should be two to three sets each day to gain maximum benefits.

Alternative therapies do help in preventing and treating hypothyroidism. However, this therapy is not to be considered as first line therapy.

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Alternative Therapies For Hypothyroidism is from Healthcare Blogs

for pain management

The number of Americans with arthritis increased 60% from 1997 to 2002, encompassing over 70 million people. While an aging population warrants the increasingly high number of sufferers, doctors say that getting treatment early can help relieve many of the symptoms, even though no cure currently exists. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis but the basic premise is that they all involve joint inflammation.

How do you know if you have arthritis? While symptoms and severity vary from person to person, the most common symptoms are: pain, swelling, stiffness, tenderness, redness and warmth. Osteoarthritis is characterized by progressive stiffness without swelling, chills or fever. Rheumatoid arthritis is the painful swelling, inflammation and stiffness in the fingers, arms, legs and wrists, which are prevalent on both sides of the body and are usually worse in the morning. Children with on-off fever, loss of appetite, weight loss and a blotchy rash on the arms and legs might have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. You should call the doctor if symptoms appear suddenly, or if they are accompanied by a fever or rash.

There are several common misconceptions about arthritis. Myth # 1 is that every day is the same for patients. In reality, this form of chronic pain comes and goes, which makes it difficult for diagnosis. Myth # 2 is that only older people have arthritis. However, in some cases, even children have this type of pain. Myth # 3 is that arthritis is caused by cold, wet weather or a poor diet. In reality, there are no easy cause-and-effect connections, but contributing factors include: age, weight, anatomy, infection of the joint and trauma. Lastly, some believe that joint replacement surgery (arthroplasty) should be avoided for as long as possible. Yet the surgery has helped millions of Americans and is seen as a viable option when exercise, physical therapy and medication fail.

Research has shown that early treatment prevents many arthritis sufferers from becoming deformed, long-term disabled or overwhelmed with pain. Treatment includes disease modifying drugs (DMARDs like Methotrexate, Azulfidine or Arava), NSAIDs and corticosteroids. While a complete cure isn’t yet available, these drugs help manage the pain symptoms and restore mobility. Physical therapy can give additional assistance for pain management as well.

Arthritis – How To Cope is from Healthcare Blogs

The methods on how to treat anxiety attack depends upon the type of anxiety disorder. Given below is a discussion on different type of anxiety attacks and its available treatment methods.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

It is the most common type of anxiety disorder and around 4-5% of the population is affected by this kind of disease. Medicines along with therapeutic treatments are prescribed for treating this kind of anxiety attacks. A common drug for anxiety disorder is Busipirone. Several relaxation techniques and cognitive and behavior therapy are parts of Therapeutic techniques. the physician counsel the patient to find out the realistic and unrealistic thought process of the patient and accordingly develops strategies to manage with the unproductive thought patterns. Basically the therapy helps the patient to get control over unwanted and abnormal behavior. The process is definitely effective way of complete recovery, it take time to produce positive result though.

Phobias

Exposure therapy is the best answer to how to treat anxiety attack for phobia. The therapy includes constant exposure of the patient to the source of phobia so that he or she can overcome the fear. In some cases, medicines such as antidepressants, tranquilizers and anti-anxiety drugs are prescribed.

Post-Traumatic Panic Attack

Attending support groups or peer counseling groups is generally suggested to patients where they can share their experience. The patients can overcome their trauma by working through their pain and grief in individual psychotherapy. The commonly prescribed medicines for post traumatic stress are benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, and lithium.

Panic Disorder

Panic attack is the most dangerous form of anxiety disorder that can weaken the patient physically and emotionally. Reports say that over 3 millions of people in US suffer from this kind of anxiety disorder. Also, researches have found that women are more vulnerable to panic attacks than men. The important fact is this kind of diseases is curable and proper therapies and medicines can bring substantial improvement in the patient’s condition. Anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants are also solution to how to treat anxiety attack. But, it is not recommended to continue with medicines for longer period of time.

Besides these, there many natural remedy available  “to treat anxiety attack”. Herbs such as Passion Flower, Melissa Officinalis, St John’s Wort and Lavender are useful for treatment of anxiety attack.

You can find more information about treatment for anxiety and how to cure anxiety attacks, the key is to have faith in yourself and the treatment. Check out the website if you need help for panic attacks, you should find many useful information to help you fight anxiety attacks.

Cure Anxiety Disorder – The Most Effective Methods is from Healthcare Blogs

The mania stage is the opposite of depression. It is an extreme high euphoric feeling. The patient is overly excited, may talk rapidly, and have an unrealistic view of his or her own abilities. This rush of energy and state of excitement can lead to rash impulsive behavior. The patient can be a danger to themselves or others during this stage.

Bipolar support groups are able to help bipolar patients with their excessive mood swings. Here, they are able to interact socially with others who have the same problems and discuss their own experiences along with ways of trying to deal with them. For people with bipolar, it is useful to learn how others cope with their mania, depression and other problems.

Joining a support group also shows the patient they are not alone in the struggle to live and function with the disorder. You can find motivation to keep following your treatment plan, gain hope for recovery and learn to look forward to a brighter future with the support of others.

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Majority of bipolar mania victims resort to alcohol and drug abuse in an attempt to control their episodes. Little do they know that this will only make their problems worse. However, treatment for these abuse problems are also dealt with in group therapy as well under the guidance of a professional or other moderator.

Not only will joining a group help solve these abuse problems, it will also take care of other problems related to this disorder. This is why finding the right group, for treatment of this particular case, is extremely important. A support group offers moral as well as emotional support and is a big help for the feelings of isolation that bipolar patients suffer from. If you are suffering from bipolar disorder then making good friends is also important as they will be there for you in the future if your problems ever get worse.

Online Support

Other sources that offer help for people struggling with symptoms bipolar mania are online support groups and forums. It is accessible at anytime of day in case they feel the need to interact and share their problems/experiences with others. They can learn how to cope with their moods and new ways to deal with their own problems by reading about other people’s problems and solutions. Making friends to share personal experiences and talking honestly about anything that comes to mind is also achieved by these sources. You can benefit from tips and advice other patients offer based on personal experience, whether online or offline.

Friends and family members of bipolar sufferers also benefit from joining a support group. It helps you learn new ways of offering help to your loved ones who have this disorder. With the terrible mood disorders that come with bipolar mania, it is honestly really difficult to witness a loved one struggle with it. You will understand bipolar better with the help of these support groups.

Copyright 2009 by Ken P Doyle

Bipolar Disorder Support Groups is from Healthcare Blogs

An allergy relief air purifier is an efficient means of removing virtually every allergen present in the air, and this in turn ensures better health as well as allergy-free living.

In a modern home there are dozens of allergy inducing things. Kitty litter dust, tobacco smoke, indoor pesticides and aerosols, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) found in items like paint, varnish, cleaning supplies, disinfectants, glues and adhesives in carpeting and furniture. Ingredients such as benzene, chloride, formaldehyde, and ethylene can all irritate the eyes, nose, throat and airways.

There are facts to consider before buying an air purifier.

Do not act impulsively and buy the first model you see. Assess the pros and cons of various models and makes. Make sure that you  consider the size of your home or the room in which you want to install this device. It is also necessary to understand the process by which an allergy relief air purifier works. Other factors worth taking into account include recurring costs as well as total cost and the efficiency of the purifier.

Before buying your allergy relief air purifier, measure the room you wish to clean. To ensure that the calculations are correct, you should sketch the room out on paper and write the measurements on each part of the sketch. Do not forget the height of the room. By knowing the size of the room, the sales person can determine which capacity of allergy relief air purifier will suit your needs the best.

There are 3 common methods used.

(1) Carbon Filters – mainly for odours (animal dander as well)

(2) Electrostatic Filters – no replacement filters (just clean it)

(3) HEPA Filters – can remove 99.97% of particles (but filters need replacing)

Thus, the decision is usually between the Electrostatic and the HEPA methods. You should also verify if there are any other maintenance costs.

Just before we finish, there is one more fact you should query the sales person about. What is the unit’s CADR, or Clean Air Delivery Rate? This industry rating has been specially designed by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturer’s to help consumers know how well an air purifier actually works.

With all this info in hand, you are ready to make an informed decision, and start to have more relief from allergy symptoms.

Some Facts to Understand About Choosing Your Allergy Relief Air Purifier is from Healthcare Blogs

Headache medicine can be an effective solution for the chronic pain sometimes associated with stress and tension headaches. These headaches can become a daily nuisance for patients, striking seemingly at random and seriously impairing quality of life. In some cases, headaches can become serious enough to cause an obstacle to daily functioning. It is important to treat these headaches promptly, so as to restore both quality of life and easy daily functioning.

Over the counter medications such as ibuprofen, aleve, and acetaminaphen can do a great deal to alleviate headache pain. In some situations, more powerful headache medicine may be required in order to resolve the problem. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can usually do a great deal to reduce pain and symptoms, but sometimes more powerful medicines may be required. Triptans are a family of medications prescribed for serious pain, and are usually prescribed to sufferers of migraine headaches. Hormonal headaches can potentially be a cause of severe headache pain. This kind of headache is due to shifting levels of hormone production, and are difficult to prevent. Regular NSAID over the counter medication can also treat this variety of headache fairly effectively.

Sinus problems are another potential source of severe headache pain. Under these circumstances, sinus pressure that builds up behind the nasal cavity causes an uncomfortable sensation. In severe cases, the excess mucus that has built up behind the nasal cavity can become infected. When this happens, the pain can be quite severe. A dull ache behind the eyes or nose is a good sign of such an infection, as is any swelling or blood discharge from the nose. Decongestants, nasal sprays, and antibiotics can all act as effective treatments of are all good treatments for sinus infections, and may be necessary headache medicine.

In addition to headache medicine, preventative treatment is crucial. Primary headaches are by far the most typical kind of headache, and occur due to added tension or stress, either physical or emotional. Stress management can play a large role in treating headaches, thereby preventing them from occuring. Stress and tension headaches commonly begin as a feeling of tightness behind the eyes. This can be a good sign that headache medicine should be taken promptly to avoid further pain. Regular anti-inflammatories are typically a decent treatment when headaches begin to develop. Further treatment can include biofeedback, or massage therapy.

Headaches – What Medicines Are There For Headaches? is from Healthcare Blogs

Facing Your Phobias

Have you ever wondered how a person could develop a phobia, especially of kittens or balloons, or the other things you hear people having phobias of? Although many phobias do sound pretty outlandish, their development is not that odd. In facts, the development of a phobia is a natural survival instinct that is a little confused.

Although the creation of phobias is not an absolute science, all types of phobias form as the result of an extreme aversion to something. The difference between a phobia and simply being afraid of something is the level of fear that is characteristic of a phobia. In addition to feeling emotionally uneasy, phobia sufferers show physical symptoms of their fear, including increased heart rate and breathing, sweating, feeling faint, and feeling as though they are choking. Phobias strike people differently depending on the severity of their phobia and what triggers the phobic response. For example, for someone who has a phobic reaction to heights is usually not equally frightened by all situations involving heights, and how high they are, the presence of a handrail, and a number of other factors affect each individual phobic response. However, the classic example of phobia formation is that a fear of poisonous snakes gets transferred to all snakes, creating a snake phobia. Although the ideas about phobia development have progressed from this theory, the phobia forms because the brain identifies a great threat, in this case a snake, and sees the situation as out of control and dangerous.

In many cases, this causes the body to undergo a fight or flight response, or even have a full-blown panic attack. Another way to describe a phobia is that the brain forms false associations between a situation or thing, which caused the phobia sufferer to ascend into fear unnecessarily. An example of the phobia mindset would be that after burning your hand on a stove, instead of fearing or avoiding putting your hand on a hot burner, you have an intense fear of all stoves and fear their presence instead of being careful not to touch the hot burner. Some phobias are so severe that even the thought of the phobia trigger can cause a phobia episode.

While phobias can be difficult to deal with, the system that causes phobias to develop is a means of protection and was very helpful to our early ancestors. In specific places in the world at various times throughout history, it might have been the people who have snake phobias who were capable of surviving, particularly in areas such as Australia as well as Africa where they have an abundance of very venomous species of snakes. For early people, fearing and avoiding snakes may have kept them alive, but they were able to react in an extreme way to the presence of a snake. They were also allowed to kill the snake, which may help cure the phobia, if the presence of a snake was seen as a controllable situation.

Even though there is a name for a phobia of everything you can think of, you are much more likely to become phobic of certain things. It is thought that we develop phobias of certain stimuli because they are things our ancient ancestors were concerned with and threatened by. One study showed that phobias of certain animals can be nurtured much more easily than others. This phenomenon is likely a result of thousands of years of people dying from snake bites, falling from heights, and many other things that threatened our ancient ancestors.

To learn more further informative information go here Help A Panic Attack and certainly try Panic Attack Cycle with more helpful material at Symptoms Of A Panic Attack

Many People Ask The Questions – Are Phobias Normal? is from Healthcare Blogs