Mental Health Counseling

Living with agoraphobia can be a real challenge to say the least.  Oftentimes, the individual who suffers from this mental disorder cannot leave their home.  Agoraphobia is the fear of public places and crowds.  People can actually have panic attacks, when social situations make them feel unsafe.

The Realities of Agoraphobia

While one of the most common symptoms of agoraphobia is the fear of leaving home, it is further confused by the fear of being alone.  Some people cannot even handle a trip to the car. Friends or family members have to do the grocery shopping, because it is too intimidating to go to the store.

If you go to the store, and something happens that you need to leave in a hurry, you might not be able to get out.  Forget riding on the train or other public transportation.  In truth the only place you can feel a sense of safety is home.  So, if you suffer from agoraphobia, you become totally dependent on others to supply you with the most basic needs and any type of social interaction.

What Happens if. . .

Unfortunately, you cannot simply take a friend or family member, who has this mental disorder, by the hand and walk them through social situations.  Out in public, agoraphobics can literally become ill.  They can become lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, and diarrhea.  Trouble breathing and chest pains are also quite common.  Although it may seem like this mental illness is all in a person’s head, the symptoms are anything but psychosomatic.  The pain and discomfort is very real.

Help

Agoraphobia really becomes a problem for those who feel like prisoners of their own homes; but, they are simply too afraid to venture beyond the front door.  Sometimes, in the company of a trusted companion, individuals will have other places to go where they feel safe and secure.

Nevertheless, it is not possible to hold down a job, have healthy social interactions, and have any good quality of life.  The fear simply takes over.  It is time to see the doctor and get some professional help.

What Now?

Many people fail to get the medical care necessary to control the symptoms of agoraphobia, because they feel so helpless.  After all, what can a doctor do, if you are afraid to the leave the safety and comfort of home?

However, it is possible to treat the disorder, and help sufferers of agoraphobia lead a relatively normal life.  The first step is medication.  Depression and anxiety relief drugs are commonly prescribed.  In some cases, a combination of one or more drugs is used. It can be an ongoing process to find the right combination that will provide the best relief from the symptoms.

In addition, a combination of therapies may be used to help people learn to live with agoraphobia.  First, a doctor will begin with cognitive therapy.  In simple terms, patients will learn about the disorder.  Knowledge represents power.  Then, they will learn some coping skills, when they feel on the verge of a panic attack.  Doctors can give patients the tools to take back control, when they feel that control slipping away.

Now, the really hard work begins in earnest.  It is time to venture into those social situations that make life so difficult.  The process is called desensitization.  The patient is slowly exposed to the situations that lead to the fear and anxiety.  To help you feel safe and comfortable, the therapist may accompany you on these excursions.  When the symptoms of agoraphobia start, you will be reminded to exercise the coping techniques learned in the first phases of your therapy.

Why Me?

People who suffer from agoraphobia naturally want to know why they have such difficulty going out in public.  No one decides to have these kinds of physical and mental reactions to social situations.  No one wants to be alone and stuck at home all of the time. So, how does this happen?

In most cases, the mental disorder starts manifesting in the late teens or early adulthood.  It may start as panic attacks.  For no apparent reason, you start feeling panicked, and you need to get out/away from you current situation.  Unfortunately, you never know when you will suffer an attack.

As a result, you will begin avoiding crowded places or situations that will be hard to exit, if you feel a panic attack coming on.  Eventually, you are a true agoraphobic, because you may get to the point that leaving your home sets off a panic attack.

But, you do not have to live like this for the rest of your life.  Help is available.  Even if the therapist has to meet at your home, use the phone, or correspond through email at first, you can get the therapies needed to control agoraphobia.  Then, you can enjoy a normal quality of life that most people take for granted.

As loving parent you want to protect your child from ever getting hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally.  But, other than putting a kid in a protective bubble, you are going to be kissing skinned knees and holding bloody noses, at the very least.  But, what do you do, if you find out your son or daughter is purposefully hurting him/herself?  What is cutting, and why do they do it?

Understanding

Unless you have been a cutter in your past, it is very difficult to understand why your child would chose to cause such pain purposefully.  Even a definition will not clear up the feeling of hurt, pain and confusion you must be feeling. But, according to an article published by the Mayo clinic:  “self-injury is an unhealthy effort to cope with overwhelming negative emotions, such as intense anger, tension and frustration”.

Someone who practices self-injury may also have other mental disorders.  For example, does your child suffer from depression, an eating disorder, impulse control, or a personality disorder?

Recognizing

If you suspect your child may be suffering from a mental disorder such as cutting, the first step is to recognize the signs of cutting.  Does your child wear long sleeves even when it is 90 degrees outside? Does he/she have a lot of unexplained scratches or bruising, or other wounds?  Does your child spend a lot of time alone, or like messing with sharp objects?

Alone, these symptoms of cutting are probably not a big deal.  But, combined it could spell trouble. You should seek professional help, to either confirm or deny your suspicions.

At Risk

If you seem to have lost touch with your teen, maybe you are wondering if he/she is at risk for developing this self-destructive behavior.  Is your child likely to practice self-mutilation as a form of punishment or emotional release? You may want to consider:

• Age- most cutters start as teenagers.  Hormones are raging, emotions are on the edge, peer pressure is at its height, and conflicts with parents are common.
• Gender- at one time it was thought that girls were more prone to develop cutting; but, that point is debatable.
• Abuse-  if a child has been the victim of abuse, in any way, or home life is anything but pleasant, he/she is more likely to begin cutting, in a misguide effort to ease the pain.
• Mental Health Issues- someone who suffers from mental health issues like depression, post-traumatic stress, personality disorder, little impulse control, etc. are more likely to be cutting.
• Substance Abuse- if you think your child is drinking or using drugs, cutting may be a byproduct of that abuse.

Consequences

If you suspect your child is cutting, you need to seek help right away.  It is a mental health disorder that will not go away on its own.  Plus, the consequences of these actions may be permanent or even fatal.

For instance, cutting results in scarring.  Even if you have gotten help for self-mutilation, the scars will always be a reminder.  Plus, it can also result in permanent disfigurement.  

If your child is cutting, chances are great that he/she is hiding the fact.  If the wound gets infected, it can result in serious health problems. In the event a major artery is cut, it can also mean death.  Sometimes, it is accidental.  However, you child may be deliberately trying to commit suicide.

At best, the feelings of guilt and sadness will only be intensified.  At the time, cutting seems like a way to let the pain out; but, as soon as it is done, a feeling of regret and remorse generally follows.

Treatment for Self-Injury

Getting treatment for self-injury can be very difficult.  Unless it is accidentally discovered by a parent, teacher, or health care worker, people who practice this self-destructive behavior keep it a secret.

Even if the mental health issue is discovered, there is no one miracle treatment.  It depends on each individual.  Medications will help with problems like depression.  But, psychiatric treatment will also be necessary.  It is important to discover the reason behind this propensity to cause pain to yourself.  Dealing with this issues, and learning to deal with them in a more productive manner is essential.  In some cases, hospitalization may be necessary, to protect your child and provide intense treatment, before he/she commits suicide accidentally or purposefully.

In summary, cutting or self-mutilation is more common than you may realize.  It generally starts with teens under immense pressure or has mental health problems.  Cutting can hard to diagnose and treat, because kids are good at keeping it secret.  But, if the mental disorder is revealed, medical and psychiatric help is essential.  Otherwise, it can result in accident death or suicide.  So, if you even suspect you child of cutting, seek help today.

Everyone cares about how they look. Part of the daily rituals is to comb hair, shave, brush teeth, put on makeup, and a million other little things people do to improve their appearance and be social acceptable.  But, some people take it to the point of obsession.  It literally consumes a major portion of each day, and they never do feel comfortable with their appearance.  If you know someone like this, they may have a mental illness called body dysmorphic disorder.

According to the mental disorder definition provided by the Mayo Clinic; when you have body dysmorphic disorder, you intensely obsess over your appearance and body image, often for many hours a day. You may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures to try to “fix” your perceived flaws but never are satisfied. Body dysmorphic disorder is also known as dysmorphophobia, or the fear of having a deformity.

The fear may seem totally irrational to most people, but for those who suffer from the disorder, it literally consumes their life.  They may spend hours trying to correct a perceived flaw, even if it is a figment of the imagination.  In fact, the disorder is even called “imagined ugliness”.

Signs and Symptoms

Naturally, everyone obsesses about their looks, at one time or another.  Maybe it is a special event like a wedding, a prom, or even a date with someone who is extra special.  But, when it gets to point of adversely affect other aspects of life, something is definitely wrong.

According to the Clinic, if you know someone who seems to be out of control, when it comes to worrying about their looks, you might want to see if they have several of the following symptoms:

• Preoccupation with your physical appearance
• Strong belief that you have an abnormality or defect in your appearance that makes you ugly
• Frequently examining yourself in the mirror or, conversely, avoiding mirrors altogether
• Believing that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way
• Frequent cosmetic procedures with little satisfaction
• Excessive grooming, such as hair plucking
• Feeling extremely self-conscious
• Refusing to appear in pictures
• Skin picking
• Comparing your appearance with that of others
• Avoiding social situations
• Wearing excessive makeup or clothing to camouflage perceived flaws

The obsession can include much more than just the facial features.  However, the main point of concern may change periodically over time.  But, those who suffer dysmorphophobia are never happy with the way they appear, and they constantly worry about how others judge their appearance.

A Big Deal

A lot of people have idiosyncrasies, so friends and family can just put up with this particular personality challenge.  Wrong!  Individuals who have this particular mental health disorder are at risk. In truth, it can affect life in all areas.  It can be difficult to hold a job, have normal relations, and so much more, if people are constantly concerned that others are constantly judging them according to their physical appear.

People with the disorder can literally go bankrupt trying to fix something that is never broken in the first place. Most willingly undergo plastic surgery to make them look better.  If they find an agreeable surgeon, they will constantly undergo procedures, and never be happy with the outcome.

But, seeking treatment is a big deal, because this disease can be life threatening.  People with dysmorphophobia may finally decide that no matter what they do, their appearance will always be unacceptable to them and the rest of society.  Thus, the only way out is suicide.

At Risk

Like many other mental health issues, doctors are not positive as to the cause.  For some, it may actually be a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes it impossible to perceive things correctly.  It may be passed through the genes, as people who have relatives with the disorder also seem more likely to be diagnosed with dysmorphophobia.  Alternatively, it could be the environment and the constant pressure to look just right.

But, based on research of the individuals who have the body disorder, there seems to be certain risk factors for developing body dysmorphic disorder. Based on a list composed by the Mayo Clinic, you or someone you know may develop the mental challenge because of:

• Having biological relatives with body dysmorphic disorder
• Childhood teasing
• Physical or sexual abuse
• Low self-esteem
• Societal pressure or expectations of beauty

In short, you may know someone who suffers from body dysmorphic disorder.  Unless he/she is willing to open up and discuss serious personal issues, you may never know why.  But, now you do know it is a mental disorder that is more than a personality quirk.  Help is necessary, before thoughts of suicide become a part of each day. Besides, help can actually make life enjoyable and productive again.