Schizophrenia is one of the most disturbing chronic mental disorders. Neither the exact cause of the disease is known nor is there a cure. However, if a diagnosis is made at the very beginning and a holistic treatment is instituted immediately, the individual can lead an active, productive and socially acceptable life. The biggest problem is the periodic, unpredictable episodess the disease has. A commitment of a very high order is required by the family in looking after the patient. The medication has to be continuous even during the remittance period as the disease relapses quiet immediately after the interruption in treatment.

Researchers have suggested that the disease has no single cause but is actually a combination of heredity, immune system disorder, developmental defects in the neuron connections and pathways in the brain during gestation. Exposure to severe viral infections like children born to mothers who had severe viral infections during their pregnancy and people who were exposed to severe viral infections during hospitalization run a heightened risk of getting schizophrenia. Most importantly, schizophrenia happens because of an imbalance between the three neurotransmitters: dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin. This imbalance makes these people handle sensory inputs like loud sounds, very bright lights, and strong smell in a different way than the ordinary people who take these things in their stride.

Here are the top 5 schizophrenia signs.

Delusion and hallucinations
There is a common perception in public that these are the same. Delusion is false beliefs that one harbors like someone is always watching them or spying on them or the individual is a famous person, while hallucination is seeing or feeling things that are not there like sounds only the individual hears etc.

Disordered thinking and speech
Individual cannot stay on a subject, jumps from one to another incoherently. They may coin their own words or sound to rhyme in a way that does not make any sense. Disorganized behavior can manifest as having problems in routine things like personal hygiene or selecting appropriate dress.

These are considered as positive symptoms as these are additions to one’s personality. A schizophrenic person also exhibits changes that are considered as a loss from one’s personality. These are called negative symptoms.

Social withdrawal and lack of emotions
Schizophrenics withdraw from social interactions. The patient prefers loneliness rather than company or go out and take part in social intermingling or interactions.The patient has a lack of emotions too.

Lack of drive or initiative
The patient has no desire to do anything at all.

Schizophrenia is one of the most disruptive chronic mental disorders. Neither are the causes known nor are there any known cures. It causes untold anxiety and disruption in the family. It is by no means easy for any family to make the needed commitment and pay the required attention to the patient forever. The periodic episodes make it all the more difficult.

However, if the disease is diagnosed early on and the complete package of medication is prescribed, its uninterrupted administration and continuation even during remissions, counseling, commitment, and constant attention to the patient are provided, then the person with schizophrenia can lead an active, productive and socially acceptable life. Many support groups are available in almost all societies these days. Most societies are aware of their responsibility in not contributing to a trigger that might lead to a flare up. These developments have significantly reduced the burden on the families of a schizophrenic.

The antipsychotic medications are grouped into conventional or typical and are medicines which control the symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, and the confusion of a schizophrenic.These medication regulate mood and perceptions. They stabilize the nerves in the brain and help to calm down anxiety and agitation. Many of these medications provide relief quite quickly and control impulsive behavior. With these medications, a person gets back to relatively calmer mood after a week or so. The second group is called atypical or new generation medicines that treat all symptoms with fewer side effects. The third but smaller category of drugs is known as “miscellaneous antipsychotic agents.” These drugs act differently from both the typical and atypical antipsychotic medications. These are used to treat agitation in people with schizophrenia.

Side effects are a common feature of all antipsychotic drugs.They range from mild ones like dryness of mouth,constipation, blurred vision, drowsiness, and dizziness and generally go away after a few days of usage. The more troublesome symptoms are muscle control, pacing, tremors, and facial tics. Newer generation medicines, on the other hand, have lesser side effects. However, any change in medication has to be with the concurrence of the physician as many of the side effects can be dealt with. All in all, early diagnosis, proper holistic management, and modern drugs offers a good prognosis of a life where an active, productive, and socially acceptable behavior is possible.

Everyone goes through ups and downs, but when it begins to affect your daily life, mood swings could be a sign of a bigger problem like bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive disorder. As the name suggests, it involves severe mood swings from excessive happiness to depression. Both phases can last for anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. When it comes to psychological disorders like bipolar disorder, it is important to recognize the top 5 bipolar signs so as to be able to seek treatment early.

There are three main categories of bipolar disorder:

• Bipolar I disorder: This involves at least one manic episode and one major depressive episode.
• Bipolar II disorder: In this case, the patient may have had at least one episode of depression, but may not have had a manic episode.
• Cyclothymic disorder: This is characterized by at least two years of alternating major manic and depressive episodes.

Manic episodes can be identified by increased energy levels, euphoria, insomnia and sleep troubles, talkativeness, lack of concentration and risky behavior. On the other hand, depressive episodes are marked by feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, social withdrawal, weight loss and fatigue. Symptoms of this condition can vary from person to person, but the top 5 bipolar signs to look out for are:

• High levels of energy or excessive happiness
• Racing thoughts that reduce concentration abilities
• Grandiose ideas
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances
• Increased sex drive

In many cases, the depressive episodes are easier to recognize than manic ones. For this reason, when talking of bipolar disorder treatment, depression is closely related. There is no cure for bipolar disorder and hence the goal of treatment is to help manage the symptoms and reduce recurrences of manic and depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder treatment typically includes:

• Medications: This usually implies more of mood stabilizers, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication that must be taken orally on a regular basis.
• Psychotherapy: This involves individual counseling and group therapy sessions. Therapy for bipolar disorder focuses on stabilizing daily routines such as setting a time for sleeping, eating and exercising, which thus reduces the intensity of mood swings.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT focuses on identifying negative behaviors and beliefs and then replacing them with positive ones. Stress management and learning to deal with negative situations is also a key part of this therapy.

Family therapy: In cases of psychological disorders like bipolar disorder, the patient needs a strong support system. Hence, his or her family is also involved in the treatment. Therapists teach family members how to identify episode triggers and manage them, along with making a plan for continuing the treatment.

Depression is a condition of the mind, and the doctors suggest that the best depression treatment is what the patient suffering from depression chooses for themselves. The treatment that the patient wants the most is termed as the best possible treatment for them. Hence, the best depression treatment is subjective and depends on the patient. Although there are many experts that agree on a medical and psychotherapy is the best depression treatment. Not all patients want both the types of treatment, some people might be averse to any kind of medication while some do not like the idea of visiting a therapist.

For chronic conditions like diabetes and depression, the treatment goes way beyond just the medication. A major part of the treatment also depends on the nature of the patient, an active individual might receive a completely different treatment as compared to an inactive person. If a person is an introvert then their treatment will differ from the one that is received by an extroverted person.

Let us look at an example:

• Dr. Edmund F. Chaney and his colleagues studied 335 patients with depression. Most of these patients were male ranging from the age of 24 to 84. Just for a test, these patients were asked for their preferred method of treatment. Fifteen percent preferred medication, twenty-four percent preferred psychotherapy, while the rest (sixty-one) preferred both the forms of treatment. After the study, the results showed that all the patients showed improvement in their depression.
• Three months after this test was completed, seventy-two percent of the patients matched with their preferred treatment and were substantially less depressed than the ones who did not match. The patients that did not match, but got their preferred treatment were less depressed after nine months.

Best depression treatment helping the doctors.

As mentioned above, letting the patients choose their mode of treatment is ideally the best way to go ahead. The primary-doctors the doctor that the patient sees first must ask the patient for their preference before choosing a method of treatment for them. If the doctor directly refers the patient to a mental health specialist before looking out for the patient, the doctor might not be doing very good for the patient.

Whereas, when the doctor cares about the patient’s preferences then they feel a lot more accommodated in the process and thereby follow the instructions given by the doctor with an open mind.

The risk of suffering from a number of mental conditions increases with age. Dementia is one such mental condition that majorly affects elderly people. This is not a disease in itself but is a collection of conditions such as memory loss, weakened coordination and the weakening of other mental faculties. This condition affects different people in different ways. While for some, this condition can progress at a fast pace, others may experience the early stages of dementia for years. What is common in all cases of this condition is that it worsens with time and that there is no cure for this condition.

The most common types of Dementia include:
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
• Vascular dementia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Frontotemporal dementia and
• Mixed Dementia

Each patient of dementia experiences this condition differently. Early stages of dementia are characterised by forgetfulness, impaired special reasoning and difficulties coming up with the right word in a conversation. This is also known as Mild Cognitive Impairment. The stages of dementia ca be categorised as mild, moderate and severe dementia.

Mild Dementia: In the early stages of dementia, a person may be said to be suffering from mild dementia. At this stage they can function independently but will begin experiencing symptoms such as:
• Forgetting where they keep things
• Forgetting words in the middle of a sentence
• Forgetting recent events
• Persistent complaints of fatigue
• Withdraw from society and become more subdued
• Difficulty making plans and solving problems
• Trouble managing numerical situations such as managing finances
• Loss of interest in hobbies or work

Moderate dementia: As this condition progresses from the early stages of dementia, patients are likely to need help with their daily lives. Moderate dementia is marked by:
• Poor judgement especially in cases of financial decisions
• Confusion
• Increased memory loss
• Loss of long term memory
• Impaired coordination of motor skills
• Reduced interest in bathing and grooming
• Agitation
• Suspicion of being persecuted by others
• Insomnia and restlessness

Severe dementia: In this stage most dementia patients are completely dependent on others to take of them. This stage is marked by worsening mental and physical capabilities. Some of the symptoms characteristic of this stage are:
• Inability to communicate
• Inability to dress oneself
• Inability to eat on their own
• Increased susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia
• Loss of physical abilities such as walking independently or sitting erect
• In its most severe stages, it can also cause urinary incontinence and the loss of control over bowel functioning

While dementia cannot be cured, an early diagnosis can help slow the progression of the disease and improve the patient’s quality of life. This also gives his or her caregivers enough time to plan their future care requirements. There are also a number of clinical trials being run which a patient in the early stages of dementia may be a viable candidate for.

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder. It causes periodic, unpredictable flare ups. The exact causes for this disease is not known and there is no known cure for it either. The family, if it decides to look after the patient, has to make some really strong long-term commitment and willingness to sacrifice and bear a lot of inconveniences too. The patient will have to be under a strict watch all the time.

However, if the early signs are recognized for what they are and a proper treatment is started, a schizophrenic person can lead an active, productive and socially acceptable life. Proper treatment does not only involve proper medication. Ensuring uninterrupted use is also very important. Long cessation would cause a relapse. There had to be proper rehabilitation and continuous support. The happiness and relief one has from the fact that their loved one has joined the mainstream life and is as normal as normal can be will be compensation enough for all the sacrifices they have made and hardship they have suffered. An eye has to be kept on the patient to detect a relapse early and to get him the needed treatment. The important symptoms of schizophrenia are grouped into positive symptoms and negative symptoms. The so-called positive symptoms are behavioral traits that have crept into his personality.

Delusion and hallucinations are two of such symptom. In delusion, the patient firmly believes that someone is keeping a watch and spying on him and that he is a very famous personality. Some false ideas like these are the classic false beliefs he acquires. Hallucinations, on the other hand are false sensations like seeing lights, figures, sensing smells and hearing sounds no one else senses.
Disordered behavior is another positive symptom. It often reflects in his personal hygiene and the dresses he chooses for himself.

The other group of symptoms represent a loss of capacity from his personality. These symptoms are include asocial behavior and lack of motivation. The person will keep to himself and avoids company. He stays at home all the time and does not want to go out and mingle with people or interact with others. He does not show any eagerness to do anything. He will not do anything on his own. Flatness of emotion is another symptom. He is seldom emotionally stirred. He just sits there with no effect whatsoever of happenings around him.

Misbehavior is different from behavioral disorders. Misbehavior can stem from occasional stressful family situations such as moving houses, divorce, parental conflicts etc. But childhood behavioral disorders are more serious, prolonged and disruptive in more ways than one.
Signs of Childhood Behavioral Disorders

Kids with behavioral disorders can display many signs that parents and teachers can easily recognize as troublesome.

Some of the common signs of childhood behavioral disorders can be
• Violent behavior, threatening friends, animals and even parents
• Aggressive acts like damaging property, vandalism
• Truancy, loss of interest in academics or hobbies
• Hostile behavior, impulsiveness
• Lying frequently
• Disobedience
• Lack of empathy
• Poor confidence, low self-esteem
• Risky sexual behavior
• Increased restlessness

Types of Childhood Behavioral Disorders
The most common types of childhood behavioral disorders are conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

• Children with CD display more aggressive behavior than those with ODD. CD involves more persistent and serious behavioral problems. It can also stem from untreated ODD. A child with ODD openly defies orders, has a short temper, always blames others and has poor self-esteem. But children with CD display delinquent behaviors that are more aggressive. They are quick to start a fight and even display an attachment to sadistic behavior.

• Kids with ADHD most often display problematic behavioral traits when they also suffer from CD or ODD. This can increase their chances of developing learning difficulties. A child with only ADHD doesn’t display violent or defiant behavior.

Treatment for Childhood Behavioral Disorders

Children who suffer from CD or ODD can greatly benefit from expert counseling sessions. This is because these kids are already defiant. They rarely or never respond to parents, teachers or guardians to rectify their behavior. And if childhood behavioral disorders are not treated in a timely manner, these can manifest as even more deep-rooted problems in later years.

• Expert counseling sessions for childhood behavioral disorders teach patients to understand their problems and to deal with them properly.

• Counseling centers work with trained therapists to assists kids to learn constructive coping mechanisms instead of dealing with their problems with violent or defiant behaviors.

• Parental education is extremely important to deal with childhood behavioral disorders. At these counseling centers, parents can learn proven treatment methods to help their kids to overcome their behavioral disorders.

• At school or even at home, signs of childhood behavioral disorders can be simply viewed as bad behavior. In such cases, punishments or time-outs can further aggravate the problem. If you repeatedly hear complaints from your child’s teachers about negative behavior then perhaps it is time to seek expert help for your kids.

• At dedicated centers for childhood behavioral disorders, treatment options include unique needs of every patient. The treatment techniques can range from family therapy, social training, cognitive behavioral therapy, anger management and even medication.

You can ask your pediatrician for recommendations for a therapist or approach a state-approved counseling center for more information.

Trauma is a profoundly distressing event for an individual, as it comprises life-altering situations like serious accidents, the discovery of a terminal disease, loss of a loved one, violent attacks, abduction, natural or human-made disasters, etc. Following traumatic events, an individual can react in several different ways. Feelings of fear, anger, guilt, melancholia, loneliness, etc. are quite common. They can often be accompanied by physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, nausea, trembling, headaches, loss of appetite, etc.

Naturally, the healing process after a traumatic event takes a lot of patience and time. Therefore, you should seek professional help to cope with the challenges. Apart from medical intervention, these are some tips which can benefit you or your loved one to bounce back from their ordeals.

• Acceptance Start by acknowledging the incident and give yourself the time to grieve. Often bottling up feelings can make things worse and stop you from moving ahead. So instead of wondering why and how it happened, focus on the fact that it did and then figure out how you want to manage it.
• Seek support Recovering from trauma alone can be extremely confusing, so communicate with your family and friends. This will unburden your mind and help you gain support and perspective to get back on track.
• Take charge Being traumatized can take away your sense of direction in life. For a considerable time, you may not be able to concentrate on your responsibilities involving family, work and social life. This is ordinary, but remember to regain your control slowly. Get back to smaller routine things as they will allow you to normalize your life.
• Support groups You can get in touch with people who have faced a similar situation. This can be particularly useful as the other person can resonate very well with your feelings and struggles. It will also teach you to rebuild trust if you have been isolating yourself from personal connections.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs The biggest mistake you can make is indulging in addictions like drinking or drugs. It can blind your perspective and make matters worse in the long run.
• Refrain from making any significant changes After facing trauma, you might want to take a major decision impulsively like moving away from the city, dropping school or quitting a job. Therefore, it is best to leave things the way they are for a while. When you have recovered, you can then gauge choices practically, and figure out what you want to do.