Archive for the ‘counseling’ Category

How Internet Affects Mental Health

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Charles Leigh Moore

The lives of millions of people around the world have never been the same since the advent of the internet. It has breached the barriers of commerce and built bridges for global collective research and education. It has greatly modified public communication, information acquisition and amusement. Sending of important information or simple personal greetings is made possible in the fastest way through e-mail.

These days you do not have to spend hours in the library to gather information for research work as everything is already simplified for you through the internet. All you have to do is open your laptop, type in what you are looking for and then indulge in the overflow of information. Most people will just tell you to “Google It” when you ask them about something. Moreover, people miles apart can conduct conferences as if they are just conducting it on one table.

The above mentioned are only a few the wonderful advantages offered to us by the internet. However, these advantages also have its positive and negative effects on people. This article will particularly discuss the effects of the internet to the mental status.

Sure, being afflicted with diseases is one cause why people use the internet to look for health information. But recent studies reveal that most people who search the web for health information are healthy people and that they are usually looking up information for a loved one or simply to be informed.

These people may have all the good intentions, but little did they know that what they are doing may bring harm to their mental stability. Knowing too much about health conditions may cause rumination thereby triggering anxiety or hypochondriasis which is the over-preoccupation of having severe illness. Obtaining too much information about diseases may bring about pointless concerns for their own health or for their family. Otherwise healthy people may encounter problems in their psychological state.

Additionally, an increase in incidences of depression have been related to excessive participation in online games, gambling and even window shopping.

In relation to this, researchers found out that sadistic online games influence hostility to players specifically children and teenagers.

On the brighter side of things, easy communication brought about by the internet augments social ties and creates new ones. Distance does not anymore prove to be a barrier for loved ones to bond. The effect is greater positive affect, low levels of stress and generally good psychological functioning.

On the other hand, people who have reduced social communication due to their distance are observed to have poor psychological functioning and high stress levels. But be warned as well, because online communication with strangers through chat sites may also not be good to your psychological and emotional health.

To some extent, the internet offers so many forms of entertainment that it is the easiest and most attainable form of reprieve from the stresses of the real world.

These things do not necessarily happen to everyone using the internet as they are all but possibilities. How it affects you will still rely on the way you use it. To help you with, just remember that the real world is outside and that too much of anything is generally not good. Enjoy the real life…go on a picnic, go camping, laugh, love, live…

About the Author: Charles Leigh Moore writing for Vuyanilodge.com which offers safari holidays in south africa and african safari honeymoon as well as a host of additional services.

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5 Mental Health Disorders Explained

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Christine Crotts

A behavioral or a psychological pattern which occurs in an individual and is believed to be the reason behind causing distress or disability and which is not generally a part of normal development is often referred to as mental illness or mental health disorder. There are various conditions that are categorized as mental health disorders and the common types include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, addiction disorders, etc.

Anxiety Disorders – These kind of illnesses are often chronic and can be spotted in individuals right from childhood or can suddenly occur after the occurrence of an incident, which often is the trigger. The common symptoms include sweating, hypertension, muscle spasms, etc and at times these in turn lead to exhaustion and fatigue. Anxiety disorders generally include post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, specific phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, etc. The various treatment options are bringing change in lifestyle, pharmaceutical therapy, psychotherapy, etc

Personality Disorders – This illness in an individual can result in inflexible and extreme personality traits and which in turn distresses the individual or can cause problems at home or work or any other social gathering. The individual’s thoughts and behavioral patterns can be so different from what the society expects that they start interfering his or her own functioning. Examples of such behavior include obsessive compulsive personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc.

Mood Disorders – These kind of illnesses are also referred to as affective disorders and generally involve periods of feeling overly happy or persistent feeling of being extremely sad or fluctuations from extreme sadness to extreme happiness, etc. The most common examples of mood disorders include mania, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.

Eating Disorders – This type of illness is generally defined as having eating habits which are quite abnormal and may be related to excessive or insufficient food intake. However, the reasons behind them are quite complex and not yet clear. Various causes which can be attributed to eating disorders are child maltreatment or child abuse, parental influence, social isolation, cultural pressure, peer pressure, etc. In the United States, binge eating disorder is most common. Binge eating disorder is characterized by the following traits – consuming food when depressed or sad, eating large quantities of food when not really hungry, etc.

Psychotic Disorders – Distorted thinking and awareness are the characteristics of psychotic disorders. Among the most common symptoms of this disorder are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are the imaginary false beliefs of the patients that he or she assumes to be true and hallucinations are described as the process of experiencing sounds or images which do not exist in real, for instance, hearing voices, etc. An example of a psychotic disorder is Schizophrenia.

Mental health disorders can generally be caused due to a combination of sources and in majority of these cases no single cause or reason is established. The more common view is that these disorders are a result of genetic vulnerabilities influenced by environmental stressors.

About the Author: Christine Crotts enjoys having evenings out where she can wear the jewelry her grandmother handed down to her. Christine has written a site containing reviews on silver heart necklace, as well as sterling silver heart necklace.

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A Guide to Mental Health Services

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Christine Crotts

Do you ever feel you need some sort of help but are not sure what exactly it is? Asking for help is never really an easy task for most of the individuals, but it is the best you can do when you think you need help. People who have doubts related to mental health services can always get in contact with the local mental health centers and can obtain the required information. You can know about the various services designed for people with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, phobias, schizophrenia, etc.

Defining mental health is never easy, rather it is easy to define what mental illness is. If you are wondering what exactly is the kind of treatment you will get in a mental health center, then there are a lot of kinds of treatments. Professionals at these centers work with individuals and determine the best needs for them. Depending on the type of illness, treatment or psychotherapy with medication is recommended. If you are in doubt that you need external help, then either you can have a straight talk with a medical counselor or if you prefer to find out on your own, they use internet. Go online and you can find information related to almost all the disorders explained in detail along with the symptoms. Once you confirm whether you are suffering from a disorder, you can then find a therapist or a counselor and seek consultation.

Therapy for emotional and mental problems may or may not always produce results. It is mostly interdependent on the honesty with which an individual shares his or her concerns with the therapist. Hence, it is always best to establish a trusted relationship with the therapist. Mental health services cater to all kind of age groups right from children to old people.

There are a few warning signals that an individual needs to watch out for. If certain behaviors become severe or persistent those are the signs of trouble. Keep an eye open and observe if an individual is acting differently than usually and try to relate that change to any incident that occurred in the recent past such as loosing a job, death of someone close, marital break up, etc. If any individual complains of uncontrollable or extreme nervousness or anxiety, it may be a sign. Observe if any individual turns aggressive or rude even for a small action, if he or she does this quite often, then they may need help. If any of the above mentioned symptoms persist for a period of time, then that particular individual requires professional help.

The basic goals of the treatments are to decrease the symptoms related to the disorders and bringing an improvement in the patient’s life. With the importance of mental health services being brought to light, many individuals can gain benefit. The more awareness is created among the people the more they can protect themselves or can diagnose any disorders they may be suffering from and can get the required treatments.

About the Author: Sitting under the stars, enjoying some S’mores, telling ghost stories, what could be better than that? Christine Crotts has written a site containing reviews on propane camp stove, as well as Coleman propane stove.

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Mental Health Counseling and Therapy

Friday, February 25th, 2011

By Jennifer McVey

When you are experiencing heavy emotional issues, you want to reach out for someone to help you. Many times that someone is a friend or family member. But while being able to talk to someone you know can be a great help, they can’t necessarily provide you with the proper direction and the steps to take to get past these issues.

This is why many people seek out a therapist that specializes in the issues they are experiencing. This way, they cannot just listen to you but also advise you on how to cope with any issues. Therapy helps you to go forward and maintain a healthy life.

Sometimes, people think they are being weak seeking out a therapist. Instead, it takes a strong person to admit they need help. This is a true sign of you knowing you want your life to be more than your emotional problems. It shows that you want to get beyond them.

You and your therapist can figure out what you want to accomplish together, and start working toward that goal. Therapy is all about producing a positive outcome for a situation that used to only give you troubles.

Many people will call this “talk therapy” because you talk over with your therapist how you are feeling, and what problems you are having. Through this communication you can come to understand why your emotional problems are occurring. Once you feel comfortable with your therapist you can go into further explanation about yourself.

After discussing your problems at length, the therapist will be able to give you their opinion on how to cope with or solve issues you are experiencing. Group therapy, medication, and even meditation are some of the solutions a therapist may recommend.

Make sure to research and check out a mental health provider just like you would any medical doctor to make sure they are right for you. Ask the prospective therapist a few questions to get to know them before you decide whether to continue with them or not. This way you will be sure that they are the right one to go to for the problem you are having. Below are two questions you should ask.

The first question you should always ask is, “Are you an expert on what my problem is?” There are specialties among all mental health providers. So be sure to ask what they specialize in so you know upfront if they can truly help you.

The next question you need to ask is, “What causes most individuals to have this problem?” Chances are, if they give you a stock answer that you have heard on TV you need to look elsewhere. Their answer to this question should sound personal rather than cookie-cutter.

Don’t waste time with a therapist you aren’t completely comfortable with. It is important to have a personal connection with the person you are entrusting your mental health with, so be picky! Now you’re ready to start making positive changes that will last a lifetime.

About the Author: Learn more about Del Mar family therapy for families and individuals. Find counseling services in San Diego.

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Aerobics For Lasting Mental Health

Friday, February 25th, 2011

By Mike Cosentino

It’s a fact, exercise like aerobics not only has a positive effect on your body as a whole, but also on your brain in particular. Exercising is a great way to increase your positive outlook on life, by boosting production of the “gang of four” hormones and neurotransmitters in your brain, namely dopamine, serotonin, melatonin and norepinephrine. Between them, these natural chemical substances can make life seem more enjoyable, less stressed and better focused.

However, aerobics also has longer lasting benefits as well. Besides the immediate effects of stimulating the right chemical production in your brain, aerobics also promotes mental health on a long-term basis, when done regularly and under the right conditions. It’s a link that is regularly reinforced by scientific research on the subject, which also shows that diet is an important factor as well. Brainpower and brain fitness can suffer not only from a lack of oxygen-enriched blood that exercise brings, but also from eating too many high-sugar foods. Although the brain needs glucose in order to function at optimal capacity, it is the body’s job to manufacture this to order when you eat the right foods, rather than trying to inject sugar directly into your system.

Avoiding Alzheimer’s

The longer lasting benefits of better blood flow keep you mentally active and healthy. The right amount of oxygen in the blood getting to the right parts of the brain make you more alert and better equipped to answer questions, solve problems and stay on top of things that relate to overall brain fitness. They help to keep mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and general dementia away. While a person is active in a professional capacity for example, these illnesses may not seem to be a risk. Daily use of one’s brain, exercising ones “mental muscles”, affords a certain amount of protection. But when a person is no longer active professionally, there needs to be some replacement activity or else blood flow to the brain seizes up and the way is open for the mental illnesses mentioned.

Aerobics stimulates deep breathing, which is one of the key factors in enriching the blood supply with oxygen to the right level. Deep, steady breathing is associated with a number of fitness activities including long distance running and slow steady swimming. These exercises make the most of the capacity of your lungs to breath in, exchange respiratory waste products for oxygen laden fresh air and fix the oxygen in your blood for it to be transported all around your body. This ultimately gets to the brain and leads to brain fitness.

Aerobics and its relations

People who practice aerobics sometimes find themselves in a state of mental clarity and focus similar to that produced by meditation. This is no coincidence, as the same breathing techniques exist in both cases. If you have already done yoga, you will know what importance is attached in yoga to deep breathing in conjunction with the other physical activities. Both yoga and simple walking have the same positive effects as aerobics in terms of breathing deeply, and provide good options or additional exercise as well.

About the Author: Mike Cosentino is a professional development expert, entrepreneur, and a top sales trainer read more of his topics or subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.mikecosentino.net

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