Archive for the ‘psychologist’ Category

Common Mental Health Problems in Children

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Christina Taylor

Physical health problems like fever are easily recognizable. But when it comes to mental health problems, parents usually could not easily identify the problem but they can learn to recognize the symptoms. Thus, parents need to pay more attention if their children are showing signs of excessive anger, fear, sadness or anxiety.

A common mental health problem that children can experience is depression. It is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It is not just a feeling of being sad. But people who have depression will have it all their lives. It is persistent and it can interfere with everyday life. So how can parents know if their child has depression? Signs of depression are sadness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities the child used to enjoy, change in weight, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, energy loss, feelings of worthlessness, and worst, thoughts of death or suicide.

Parents with depression should also be more observant of their children’s feelings. Because depression can run in the family and this can usually start between the ages of 15 and 30. This is also more common in women.

Another mental health problem is fear and anxiety. Children may feel anxious before a test or to walk down a dark street. But this is a useful form of anxiety. This can make your children become more alert or careful. This also does not last long and will often end as soon as they are out of the situation that causes anxiety. But there are also anxieties that do not go away and gets worse over time. Children with anxiety have chest pains or nightmares. They may even be afraid to leave home. There are different types of anxiety disorder: panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder.

A third common mental health problem is behavior disorders. It is natural that kids misbehave sometimes, but this kind of disorder is more than just doing mischief and rebellion. Kids with behavior disorder will have a pattern of hostile, aggressive or disruptive behaviors for more than 6 months. Signs that parents should pay attention to are harming or threatening themselves, or other people or pets; damaging or destroying property; lying or stealing; not doing well in school, skipping school; early smoking, drinking or drug use; early sexual activity; frequent tantrums or arguments; and consistent hostility towards authority figures.

Another problem is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Signs of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This behavior can last more than six months and causes problems at school, at home and in social situations. This is also more common in boys than in girls.

These behaviors can have a great effect to the lives of children and the people around them. These behaviors can disrupt daily life at home, at school or in the community. Parents who have children with signs of mental health problem should get them checked by a professional to stop the problem from getting worse.

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An Educator’s Guide To Student Mental Health

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Kate McLaughlin

During the course of a school year, even a school day, teachers spend more time than anyone else with adolescents and teens. And since the average age of onset for serious mental illnesses (including depression, panic and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) is seventeen, teachers are likely the first to recognize subtle changes in a young person developing a disease of the brain. Unfortunately, most teachers aren’t trained to interpret those symptoms or to recognize their significance.

A teen in the early phase of mental illness might look like a defiant child, a lazy student, a trouble maker. That’s why it’s important for teachers to have access to basic information that allows them to recognize illness for what it is, and to separate illness from intentional behavior. This checklist should do just that.

Symptoms of emerging mental illness include:

* Sudden, unexplained drop in grades and school performance

* Change in school persona, i.e. the all-American kid who suddenly “goes Goth”

* Change in social circle/friends

* Focus on death, violence, morbidity

* Withdrawal from normal or previously pleasurable activities

* Undue, continuing anxiety or worry

* Lack of personal hygiene and self-care

* Extreme high or low feelings or moods

* Tension-caused physical problems (backaches, headaches, jaw clenching, stomachaches)

* Excessively strong feelings of anger, guilt, or remorse

* Persistent negative or overblown positive self-image or outlook

* Substantial, rapid weight gain or loss

* Too much or too little sleep

* Self-harm (cutting, burning, head-banging, punching walls)

* Alcohol and/or drug abuse

* Family history of mental illness, alcohol abuse, or addiction

If a teacher notices several of these symptoms or behaviors, prompt action will help the student toward diagnosis and/or treatment. Consider the following:

* Talk to the student. Share your concern and offer to help. Encourage the student to communicate with his parents and to seek help from his counselor or doctor.

* Make yourself available to the student. It often takes time for a sick and scared teen to open up to another person.

* Make a list of the observed signs and symptoms, adding notes that might be pertinent to getting help for the student. Remember, this is an aide to access appropriate help for a student in need. Dispose of judgmental attitudes and preconceived notions. Stick to facts and observations.

* Contact the school guidance counselor or administrator, sharing the list of signs, symptoms and notes that can be used to create a plan for assisting the student and his family.

Once a teacher has offered support to a needy student, it is important to maintain sensitivity to the fact that mental health concerns still carry the burden of social stigma. Often we add to that stigma without realizing it by making judgments and assumptions based on our own life experience. When offering support to a young person with a mental illness, adhere to these guidelines:

* Remove feelings of blame or guilt about the source of the student’s mental health concerns. The fact is, most mental illnesses are genetic, NOT a result of childhood trauma or inappropriate parenting.

* Recognize and acknowledge that parental denial and anger may exist.

* Communicate empathy and compassion for the student and the parent’s circumstances.

* Provide parents with resources and share with them that education and treatment are vital to living well with mental illness.

* Take a problem-solving approach to addressing mental health concerns. Stick to facts and viable solutions.

* Recognize the value of parents, school personnel, support providers and medical staff working as a team.

* Maintain open, honest, respectful communication.

Worldwide, one in five students will ultimately be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Teachers often know something is wrong before anyone else suspects a problem. A proactive and engaged teacher can dramatically alter the course of the illness and treatment. The right attitude combined with the right approach can make all the difference in the life of a seriously ill student. The ensuing actions may even safe his life.

About the Author: Kate McLaughlin writes, speaks and advocates for mental health awareness. She is available to speak at events for high school & college students and faculties, as well as mental health support groups. Visit her at: Kate McLaughlin and read her newest book, MOMMY I’M STILL IN HERE.

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Original post: An Educator’s Guide To Student Mental Health

CCTV Cameras: Big Brother in Mental Health

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Nahshon Roberts

If you are of the opinion that CCTV cameras are instruments used by Big Brother-type governments and employers to spy on your most private matters, then you will welcome their presence in medical care facilities for those with mental illnesses. And if you are also of the opinion that Big Brother contestants need to have their brains checked with the way they flirt with and flaunt at the cameras 24/7, you cannot accuse staff and patients with such deliberate displays of skin and silliness.

Patient Safety and Therapy

From your readings, you have known that mental illnesses like depression can induce suicidal thoughts. CCTV cameras help in monitoring patients that are in danger of self-destructive behaviors as well as in monitoring others who can be endangered by said actions. Since nurses cannot check on the patients 24/7, the surveillance system acts as the eye in the sky that enables them to assess conditions within the patients’ rooms without need for constant patrolling. They are nurses, not patrol guards after all.

There is also the consideration of alerting other medical care providers should destructive behaviors happen. CCTV cameras can be incorporated with panic emergency systems. Without surveillance cameras to capture events as they happen, health facilities would have a hard time monitoring everybody for their own good.

Also, surveillance cameras help in formulating medications and therapies even with geographical distance in the picture. Just imagine the potentials of telemedicine where patients and medical care providers stay in touch via the wonders of technology like two-way closed circuit television! If you live in a rural area that offers little by way of expert medical care, telemedicine is a heaven-sent alternative.

Pharmacy Access

Unfortunately, some patients with mental illnesses are either guilty of substance abuse or guilty of contemplating drugs to harm themselves to oblivion. With CCTV cameras in a security system, access to pharmacies is limited to authorized personnel. The opportunities for sneaking into and stealing from the drug cabinets, which are heaven-sent for the addicted and the obsessed, are therefore lessened.

And this goes for authorized staff, too. Hospital administration can monitor violations of safety rules and regulations on medication dispensing as well as theft and pilferage by the staff. Indeed, you will hear reports of medical care providers profiting from the sale of strictly-prescribed drugs that you could not get anywhere!

Panic Alarms

As previously stated, CCTV cameras can be implemented alongside panic emergency systems. When the nurses observe anything out of the ordinary on the closed circuit television, they can either check out the situation or activate the panic alarm. This is especially convenient when you work with many patients on many rooms.

When panic does ensue, surveillance cameras provide an extra set of eyes to alert authorities on areas that will need reinforcements and results. You do remember those movies where surveillance cameras are used to identify areas of concern, don’t you?

If your worry is about unscrupulous use of video footages of patients with mental illnesses, you need not worry. Though footages from CCTV cameras are kept for a year depending on policy, these are not broadcasted to others. Everybody’s human rights are respected and this goes even for our brothers and sisters who are afflicted with such unfortunate illnesses.

Now, if only the madness of Big Brother contestants have any cure.

About the Author: Visit Video-Surveillance-Guide.com today and get expert information on how CCTV home security with closed circuit TV and CCTV cameras can help you have peace of mind.

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Taking A Mental Health Day: Let Self-care Count

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Charles Harmon

It seems like so many of us are always busy. There’s never enough time to get everything done. Is it time to take a holiday, a special one, a holiday for ourselves? When was the last time you took a day off of work to take care of yourself? For some of us, maybe its never happened.

Taking a personal day can be very rejuvenating and rewarding for your spirit. It enables you to be in a less crowded environment and be more relaxed than on the weekend when most of us are off. It’s easy to get things done, especially since you avoid the weekend crowd if you have to go to any public place or large business such as a department store, supermarket or similar crowded place.

Make a list of things you’ve been wanting to do for a long time but circumstances have prevented you from doing so. Don’t put any restrictions in your mind but just let it run wild. It can be driving to a country fruit and vegetable stand to get fresh food, spending the whole day at the hair salon getting highlights and your nails done, taking out the fishing rod and driving to a remote location for some good non interrupted fishing, or calling an old college buddy to go watch a football game on TV like the good old days. Most anything you really wanted to do but couldn’t and now you can is fair game if it can be done on your special day off.

Don’t be shy. Don’t tell yourself you don’t need it. Take a day for yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. You certainly have a right to restore your energy and recharge your battery. We all need that every so often. Try to not make it work related or to deal with general business concerns or your set routines. This is what you need a break from. Distance yourself from these things. Remove them from your mind so you gain a brand new perspective. It will be a challenge to abandon your habits for a day but it leads to a secret key to a true inner adventure.

Don’t wait till retirement to postpone these mental breaks. By then it probably won’t happen or it might be too late. We’re always waiting for the perfect time, the perfect conditions to do something for ourselves. Many times we put it off indefinitely. The time to take a well deserved mental break is now! We don’t know what our physical health will be like in the future.

We had a small business where we cared for older folks in our home. Most of them were in no condition to do much of anything for themselves. They had pretty much given up on life; although some of them weren’t even sick, but just a victim of old age. Don’t wait until you are like that as by then all your hopes and dreams for the future are overshadowed by mental and physical conditions if you are like so many of the older senior citizens.

A lot of people berate themselves if they think of taking a day off just for themselves. It doesn’t mean you are being self-indulgent. When you renew your own spiritual, mental, and physical energy you bring more energy into the world, your job, the people around you, and those you love. All gain some of the energy you radiate.

It’s up to you to take that next step. Take your special, not too frequent, personal day off to recharge yourself and relax and enjoy the moments that day brings.

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Cycler’s High – Cycling For Mental Health

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

By Matt Reich

All of our lives are filled with more stress and problems than we may want to admit. The key to having a healthy mental life is to figure out ways to manage those things. This is not always the easiest of tasks. It is, however, easy to let some problem eat away at you until you feel flat out depressed. None of us want to get to that point. That is not a fun state of mind to be in and once you’re there it’s not easy to break out of it. There has to be ways to battle the stressors of our lives. Some people may see a therapist to work through their issues. I won’t say that it doesn’t work, but it’s not for me. I prefer a more proactive approach to mental health…cycling.

I have always been an active person so I will back up the idea that some sort of exercise will help keep you mentally healthy. Scientifically, aerobic exercise increases the amount of endorphins you body produces. Endorphins are chemicals produced by your body when you aerobically (get your heart rate up) exert yourself. They affect your brain in a manner that allows you to feel less pain, reduce stress, strengthen your immune system, and even delay the aging process. You may have heard someone talk about getting a “runner’s high” after a tough workout. That is the result of the increased endorphin level in the brain. It’s a sweet feeling and it is not just reserved for “runners”. You can achieve that feel from about any aerobic activity. The bottom line here is that regular aerobic exercise will help keep you mentally healthy. You can’t argue against that.

I have become an avid bicycler over the last four years or so and there is not doubt in my mind that regular riding helps keep my mind fresh. Granted I could probably get a similar result from about any aerobic activity, but I feel that cycling has a few added benefits. I’m looking for that “cycler’s high”.

First off, I ride in basically three separate “genres” of cycling. I commute to work, I trail ride on a mountain bike, and I road ride on a road bike. Each has special benefits to my mental health.

Let’s talk about commuting to work. I love to ride my bike to and from work. The ride to work in the morning really gets me going. It wakes me up. There is nothing that wakes you up more than getting your heart rate up a bit. This is not a difficult ride, but it gets the job done. The commute sort of jump-starts my brain. The ride home after work gives me a chance to wind down a bit. It helps to dissipate whatever stress had built up during the day and gives me some time to myself to clear my head. Another more obvious benefit of the commute is that I get some exercise.

Trail riding was really the catalyst to my cycling passion. This is the area I started to take more seriously before the others. I would go on a two hour ride and think I was out for 20 minutes. This is the effect of the trail ride. You can “lose” yourself in the woods away from the hustle and bustle. I don’t mean literally get lost. You can get into a state of mind where the only thing you are thinking about is the next obstacle in front of you. For the time you are on the trail that is the only thing on your mind, or at least it should be. If you’re not paying attention you could wreck and I think we all like to avoid those whenever possible. You can also take a break anytime during your ride, take a deep breath and enjoy where you are…the great outdoors. That’s therapeutic on its own. A couple hours on the trail isn’t going to be a solution to some heavy problem, but it will at least give you a break from it. It’ll also get those endorphins flowing and maybe put you in a better state of mind to attack your problems. I always feel invigorated and refreshed after a good session out on the trail. There’s the cycler’s high.

Road riding is something that has almost the opposite affect as trail riding to me. I like to get out on the open road and just ride. There seems to be more time for thinking when I’m on my roadie. Not that I don’t have to pay attention to what I’m doing, it just isn’t as intense as a trail ride. This is a great time to really think through whatever is on your mind. The next thing you know you’ll have ridden 30 miles. It’s really a great experience. You’re not going to solve the problems of the world, but you’ll allow yourself some time to work on it. The combination of aerobic activity and the wind in your face has a profound effect on how you see things. Everything seems simple. If you’re looking for a different perspective this is the way to do it. It’s easy to see how people get hooked on road riding. There’s something almost intoxicating about the whole experience. Once you start you can’t get enough. Again…the cycler’s high.

These are my personal experiences of how cycling helps me keep my sanity. They are by no means the only way to benefit from getting on your bike. That’s the beauty of it. Get out and ride in whatever way you can and I guarantee you will get more than a workout.

As always…Ride On.

About the Author: Matt is the owner and operator of http://www.thebicycleguide.com. He is an avid bicycler who enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences. Check his website for some more bicycle related information.

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