Mental Health Counseling

Schizophrenias are very serious mental disorders.  For sufferers, it makes it practically impossible to have a normal quality of life.  Keeping a job, sustaining personal relationships, and coping with stress all contribute to abject misery for them and their loved ones.  Help is absolutely vital.  But, the first problem is to diagnose the schizophrenia for what it is, so the best treatment plan can be set in motion.  For example, one form of the mental health disorder is catatonic schizophrenia.

For people who live with someone who has schizophrenia, it is like walking on egg shells. No matter how lightly you walk, you know those shells are going to break.  It is only a matter of time. The same can be said of this disease, you know change is coming.  You just do not know when it will occur.

Please Define

For people with catatonic schizophrenia, the pendulum swings as far as it can go, both ways.  According to the Mayo clinic, “catatonic schizophrenia includes extremes of behavior. At one extreme of catatonic schizophrenia, you’re unable to speak, move or respond. At the other, you have overexcited or hyperactive motion and you may involuntarily imitate sounds or movements of others”.

How you can Help

Catatonic schizophrenia can be a scary mental illness, to say the least.  It is extremely important that you attempt to talk to your loved one.  You cannot force someone to get help, but maybe he/she receptive to frank conversation and seek help.  However, if you find someone in the catatonic state, call an ambulance.  At this point, medical help is necessary.

While this state of schizophrenia can last a few hours, it may also take weeks to return to the hyperactive stage.  It will make it difficult, if not impossible to care for your loved one. Hospitalization may be necessary, so you will have to find out the involuntary commitment laws for the particular state in which you live.

Are you Sure?

As mentioned before, catatonic schizophrenia is a mental disorder of extremes.  One moment your loved one may seem to bounce of the walls.  By the time you turn around he/she is unable to move or speak.  If moved, the person may stay in that same position for hours. He/she may behave very strangely and do things that do not make any sense.  In fact, it may seem like you are hanging out with a parrot, as everything that is said will be mimicked.

According to the Mayo Clinic, these other symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia may also become apparent:

• Having beliefs not based on reality (delusions)
• Seeing or hearing things that don’t exist (hallucinations), especially voices
• Incoherent speech
• Neglect of personal hygiene
• Lack of emotions
• Emotions inappropriate to the situation
• Angry outbursts
• Trouble functioning at school or work
• Social isolation
• Clumsy, uncoordinated movements

Although you may not be able to tell for sure, if your loved one has this particular mental disorder, a health care professional can find the answers and recommend a treatment program.

Catatonic Schizophrenia Treatment Options

Once your loved one has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the treatment is similar to the options given to patients of most of the types of schizophrenia.  However, it will not progress without challenges.  Unfortunately, it will require lifelong care.  So, when the individual seems better, he/she may think a cure has been affected, and further treatment may appear futile.
But, to be totally affective, leading to a more normal quality of life, the following treatments will all be considered as part of the overall therapy program:

• Medications
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
• Hospitalization
• Psychotherapy
• Vocational skills training

Your loved one will likely need some combination of the 5 treatments.  However, it will depend on the severity of his/her symptoms.

Coping with Catatonic Schizophrenia

Most importantly, it is necessary to take medication as prescribed.  However, before taking any other medicine, be sure to check and make sure it will not interact adversely and cause a setback.  Avoid the activities that might be setting off the catatonic episodes. Stay away from alcohol, and do what you can to recognize the warning signs of impending changes.

It will also be helpful to learn all you can about the mental disorder.  Joining a support group can be extremely helpful for everyone involved.  Learn healthy ways to relieve stress and channel all of the energy that precedes the catatonic state. Being organized and regimented in your activities can also be very helpful.

In short, catatonic schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that will require lifelong care. With a combination of treatment options, it can be possible to lead a more normal and happily productive life.  But, it is very important to continue treatment, even when it seems like a cure has been discovered. Learning to live with catatonic schizophrenia is possible.

Are you suffering from borderline personality disorder?  Do you have a friend or family member that might have the mental illness?  If your answer is yes to either one of these questions, you are not alone.  In addition, you are not without hope. The biggest step is recognizing the problem so help can be sought.

Unfortunately, a person with the disorder has to acknowledge he/she has a problem.  Many people are unwilling to accept the fact that they are out of sync with the rest of society.  In fact, they probably think the opposite is true.  According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic:  “with borderline personality disorder your image of yourself is distorted, making you feel worthless and fundamentally flawed. Your anger, impulsivity and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you yearn for loving relationships”.

Fortunately, there are health care providers that are becoming more familiar with the mental disorder.  Treatments are available. Many people can get better over time and learn to live a relatively normal and peaceful existence.

Signs of Personality Disorder

People who suffer from a personality problems mainly have trouble dealing with their relationships.  On minute, you may be the most wonderful individual on the planet; the next minute, they may be extremely angry with you, and you have no idea why.  To them, everything is black or white.  Either they love you, or they hate you. No in between exists. The Mayo Clinic has also published this list of symptoms:

• Impulsive and risky behavior, such as risky driving, unsafe sex, gambling sprees or taking illicit drugs
• Strong emotions that wax and wane frequently
• Intense but short episodes of anxiety or depression
• Inappropriate anger, sometimes escalating into physical confrontations
• Difficulty controlling emotions or impulses
• Suicidal behavior
• Fear of being alone

Changes are great that you know someone who suffers borderline personality disorder.  Statistically, it is estimated that 13% of the population suffers from some type of mental illness. Unfortunately, most people cannot see the problem in themselves.

Diagnosing Personality Disorder

Diagnosing personality disorder can be very difficult.  The first challenge is to convince someone that they should be tested.  If they think the rest of the world is out of order, and they are the only really sane person, it can be an almost impossible task.  Also, it is rarely diagnosed in children, because the symptoms often dissipate in adulthood.

But, medical professionals do have a book of strict guidelines to consider, if they suspect a mental disorder or illness. According to the American Psychiatric Associationat least five of the following symptoms must be present at the same time:

• Intense fears of abandonment
• A pattern of unstable relationships
• Unstable self-image
• Impulsive and self-destructive behaviors
• Suicidal behavior or self-injury
• Wide mood swings
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate anger
• Periods of paranoia and loss of contact with reality

Help for Personality Disorder

In truth, if you or someone you love is lucky, they will recognize a problem exists.  Some people do figure out that they are totally unhappy, and that other people manage to maintain relationships, keep jobs, and not be upset all of the time.  If this happens, it is time to seek professional help.  Unfortunately, if this state of enlightenment is not reached, you cannot force someone to get the help they do not think they need.

Why Help is so Important

People with borderline personality disorder definitely need help. Life does not provide a pleasant existence.  Divorce and broken relationships are quite common.  The ability to sustain a job can be very difficult.  Dealing with coworkers, bosses, or subordinates can often result in job loss. Depression is common.  Individuals are more likely to hurt themselves or even commit suicide.  It is estimated that 10-15 percent of this segment of the population takes their own lives.

Hope

People with this disorder often feel like there is no hope for them or their world.  However, if you have the disorder there are some things you can do at home to ensure that life can be more pleasant:

• Sticking to your treatment plan
• Attending all therapy sessions
• Practicing healthy ways to ease painful emotions, rather than inflicting self-injury
• Not blaming yourself for having the disorder but recognizing your responsibility to get it treated
• Learning what things may trigger angry outbursts or impulsive behavior
• Not being embarrassed by the condition
• Getting treatment for related problems, such as substance abuse
• Educating yourself about the disorder so that you understand its causes and treatments
• Reaching out to others with the disorder to share insights and experiences

Of course, this list supplied by the Mayo Clinic is contingent upon recognizing a problem and seeking treatment.  But, whether you or someone you care about suffers from borderline personality disorder, at least now you know there is hope.  You are not alone.

Most people have heard of anorexia nervosa.  But, what is a binge eating disorder? What causes people to avoid food like the plague and then eat everything in the refrigerator?  It does not make sense.  They are skinny as a rail, yet they can eat everything that is not nailed down-seemingly in one sitting.  Obviously, this is not normal behavior.  Are they physical ill?  Are they crazy?  Hopefully, this article will help readers have a better understanding of a very complex eating disorder.

Please Explain

According to the Mayo Clinic, binging is actually the most common eating disorder.  One of the leading health care facilities in America, people come from all over the states to seek help, when the doctors at home are stumped.  They have some of the finest minds in the medical community working on research, diagnosis and cures.  They define binge-eating as:  “overeating [that] becomes a regular occurrence, shrouded in shame and secrecy. It’s called binge-eating disorder, a serious eating disorder in which you frequently consume unusually large amounts of food.

However, this is obvious not the totality of the mental disorder.  Some sufferers are pencil thin, where does all of that food go?  Unfortunately, after the guilt of eating everything in the house, the guilt causes them to immediately turn to the bathroom and purge.  However, a person that binges can be of any weight or body type.

But, if you think you or someone you love has this eating disorder, Mayo Clinic has composed a list of possible signs and symptoms of binging:

• Eating large amounts of food
• Eating even when you’re full
• Eating rapidly during binge episodes
• Feeling that your eating behavior is out of control
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Frequent dieting without weight loss
• Frequently eating alone
• Hoarding food
• Hiding empty food containers
• Feeling depressed, disgusted or upset about your eating

Why Me?

Like other eating disorders, binging has three potential sources.  It may be biological, psychological, or cultural.  People who have a family member with an eating disorder are more likely to have one.  Some suggest it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Others blame the disorder on psychological problems.  Emotions have a lot to do with binging.  But, then there is the environmental element.  Peer pressure, the need to feel acceptance, social expectations to be skinny, low self-esteem, and more.  In truth, the ‘why’ will need to be discovered, once help is sought.   Counseling will have to be part of the binge eating treatment program.  Sadly, binging can also be an outlet for sexual abuse, or some other traumatic event.

What Now?

If you or a loved has a problem with binge eating, seek help right away.  Although you cannot force a loved one to go to the doctor, unless he/she is a minor child, you might be able to convince him/her to get help now.  Like other eating disorders, binging does not go away on its own.  In fact, it can progress to the point of taking diuretics to keep from gaining weight, or bulimia, when the person induces vomiting to get rid of the food and guilt.

Complications

Over time, binge eating will cause other serious health concerns.  Like other eating disorders, it can be life-threatening.  In addition to diabetes, binging has the potential to cause one/a combination of Mayo Clinic’s list of complications:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Substance or alcohol abuse
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood cholesterol
• Gallbladder disease
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Osteoarthritis
• Joint pain
• Muscle pain
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Headache
• Sleep apnea

The list of health concerns is quite long.  Some of these problems may go away, once healthy and normal eating habits are reestablished.  However, others will continue to affect the individual for the remainder of his/her lifetime.

Seeking Help

Once binge eating has been acknowledged, help is available and should be sought as soon as possible.  Since binge eating is a symptom of emotional issues, counseling is one of the first lines of defense.  An individual may have private sessions or group meetings.  Sometimes, it helps to know someone who is also in the struggle for their life. Part of the goal is to teach people how to deal with stress in a way that has nothing to do with food.

Medications are also available.  Usually, the doctor will prescribe an anti-depressant.  However, it is important to be monitored closely.  Some drugs will actually induce suicidal thoughts and behaviors-especially in teens.

In short, binge eating is the most common of eating disorders. While it might be discovered in teens most of the time, adults are not immune, or maybe no one recognized the problem earlier.  While the binge eating disorder will not go away, on its own, there are therapies and medications to help people learn to cope with healthy eating habits, so they can have a good quality of life.