Mental Illness : Warnings and signs How to cope ?

Mental illness is often taken careless by the people . For some or other reason the symptoms may be seemingly to appear in a person and compromise themselves . As most of the symptoms of mental illness is experienced by almost all of us now and then , so we completely ignore that it is usual occurrence .

If the symptoms occurs for a long time or prolonged time then , you must take care to consult with a psychologist or psychiatrist .

A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behaviour, resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines.

It is found that there are 200 classified forms of mental illness . Among these , the major mental illness are depression , schizophrenia and anxiety disorder. Mental illness causes changes in behaviour , mood , personality , personal habits and social disorder.

Mental Health may be due to excessive stress because of a bad situation or series of events or biological factor or environmental factor or chemical imbalance in the brain or genetic factor . Like cancer , diabetes , heart disease mental illness can be both physical and emotional .

Symptoms of the Mental Disorder

The following are the symptoms and signs that if you or your loved one is facing must hurry up to consult a doctor immediately .

It is especially important to pay attention to sudden changes in thoughts and behaviours. If you have combination of these symptoms not just any one change, indicates a problem that should be assessed.

Symptoms can be categorized according to the age groups of the people :

•     In Adults, Young Adults and Adolescents

   

•     In Older Children and Preadolescents

   

•     In Younger Children

Adults , Young adults and Adolescents

• Confused thinking

• Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)

   

• Feelings of extreme highs and lows

   

• Excessive fears, worries and anxieties

   

• Social withdrawal

   

• Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

   

• Strong feelings of anger

   

• Strange thoughts (delusions)

   

• Seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations)

   

• Growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities

   

• Suicidal thoughts

   

• Numerous unexplained physical ailments

   

• Substance use

 

   

In Older Children and Preadolescents :

• Substance use

   

• Inability to cope with problems and daily activities

   

• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits

   

• Excessive complaints of physical ailments

   

• Changes in ability to manage responsibilities - at home and/or at school

   

• Defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism

   

• Intense fear

   

• Prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death

   

• Frequent outbursts of anger
  
  

In Younger Children:

• Changes in school performance

   

• Poor grades despite strong efforts

   

• Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits

   

• Excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)

   

• Hyperactivity

   

• Persistent nightmares

• Persistent disobedience or aggression

   

• Frequent temper tantrums

How to cope day to day

Accept your feelings :

You have to accept that your behaviour is abnormal and need to go for counselling get the best treatment and recover as soon as possible. Only when you accept and talk with your closed one about your problems you could find a solution to solve your mental illness.

Handling unusual behaviour :

Even you or your loved one show an unusual behaviour you must analyse initially why there is a sudden change in the behaviour of the person. After self -examine test along with the doctor advice you must be able to handle the situation . This way you can cope with the mental illness.

Getting help from the support Network:

There are many social forums and support groups online . You can chat or ask queries to the forums , so that you will get suggestions from similar groups and people.

Taking time out :

Withdraw work for the two days and spend going to outside visiting a friends , relatives place . This can relax you from the stress and that you can cope up with mental illness easily . Keep your mind always in a relaxed and comfortable.

How to self examine Paranoid Disorder

Paranoid Personality Disorder is one among the eccentric personality disorder. Eccentric personality disorder is the abnormal behaviour of the person may seem unnatural or unusual to others.

PPD affected people suspect or mistrust others and believe that they will do harm to them . They mistrust the behaviours of the others . A person with PPD feels hostile and anger towards other

This is the condition where they are reluctant to easy going with others , cannot bear criticism , and finding demeaning the other's viewpoint.

Often people with PPD gets angry very quickly because they mistrust others they couldn't take the behaviour of the others.

How PPD is affected / Causes of PPD :

The Paranoid Personality Disorder cause is yet unknown but with signs and symptoms researchers have joggled some of the reasons for PPD (Paranoid Personality Disorder) in a person. They believe that it is the combination of biological and environmental factors can lead to PPD (Paranoid Personality Disorder).

What are the symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder

Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) do not accept that their point of view is wrong and they believe that their suspicion is true even they won't accept that their thought is different.

Suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her

• Is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trust     worthiness of friends or associates.

   

• Is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear the     information will be used maliciously against him or her

   

• Reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into remarks or events

• Persistently bears grudges (i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or     slights)

   

• Perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others, and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack

   

• Has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner.

Paranoid personality disorder generally goes undiagnosed when other psychotic disorder , such as schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder or narcissism or depressive disorder is already being diagnosed.

PPD can be caused by biological or environmental factor . Almost all age groups of people is affected by the PPD . If it exists in the childhood stage then it is known after 1 year . Most of the time at 40's and 50's age only the PPD is seem to be more.

How PPD is diagnosed ?

Paranoid personality disorder are typically diagnosed by a trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. While you can initially consult a family physician about this problem, they should refer you to a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment.

Many people with paranoid personality disorder don’t seek out treatment. People with personality disorders, in general, do not often seek out treatment until the disorder starts to significantly interfere or otherwise impact a person’s life. This most often happens when a person’s coping resources are stretched too thin to deal with stress or other life events.

A diagnosis for paranoid personality disorder is made by a mental health professional comparing your symptoms and life history with those listed here. They will make a determination whether your symptoms meet the criteria necessary for a personality disorder diagnosis.

PPD treatment can be very successful. But people with PPD are reluctant to take up the treatment . They feel they are right in their own way . Some of the methods of treatment:

Talk therapy or psychotherapy is the best treatment for PPD . This method will

• help individual how to cope with the disorder.

   

• Learn how to cope with other in a social situation

   

• reduce the level of mistrusting others.

   

Medication includes :

Antidepressant.

benzodiazepines.

antipsychotics.

Obsessive Complusive Disorder - How to treat it?

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a chronic and long lasting disorder that forces you to do repeated things again and again.The person will have obsessive thoughts and behaviour that makes he/she to do repeated activities over and over or again and again.

Obsessions are repeated thoughts that cause anxiety.

OCD affects each person in different ways . But it cause a particular pattern of thoughts and behaviours

 The following are the patterns of thoughts and behaviour :

 

Obsessive : Often an obsessive thoughts , behaviours , mental images gets accumulated in your mind.

Anxiety : These obsessive or compulsive thoughts triggers intense anxiety feeling.

Compulsion : The intense anxiety or distress urged or forces you to carry out some repetitive activity or mental acts.

Temporary Relief : It is just the temporary relief from the obsessive or compulsive thoughts and may soon the person is accumulated with the repeated behaviours or mental acts.

Some person can have obsessive thoughts and some may have only compulsive behaviours.

Obsessive thoughts :

Everyone would have experienced obsessive thoughts at some point of our life. Fear on whether we have locked the door correctly or even sudden unwelcome violent or offensive mental images.

But if you continuously have these obsessive thoughts that often interrupts your other thoughts , then he/she may having OCD .

Some of the obsession thoughts that a OCD affected person has :

Fear of deliberately harming yourself or others : You may have fear of thoughts that you may attack your closed ones or harming yourself.

Fear of harming others by mistake : You may have fear that if we don't switch of the gas fire may occur .

Fear that you will be contaminated with disease , infection or unpleasant thoughts.

Indulging with a thought of a systematic or orderliness arrangements : You may ensure that the things are arranged in systematic manner . Example you may feel the need to ensure all the labels on the tins in your cupboard face the same way

Compulsive Behaviours :

Compulsive behavior occurs when a person's inner anxiety motivate them yo carry out the compulsive behaviours caused by the obsessive thoughts.

For instance , People who feel fear of germs and infection , they repeatedly wash their hands . If they fear of harming others they will harm their family may have the urge to repeat an action multiple times to "neutralise" the thought.

But many people with compulsive behaviour know they are wrong or irrational or makes no sense in doing repeated activity. But they can't stop acting on it . They will do it often because they need to do it.

Some of the compulsive behaviour that people with OCD does:

• Cleaning and handwashing

       

• Checking that their doors are locked or switch off the gas

           

• Arranging books , kitchen utensils , clothes in a particular pattern or even that label them     and check those labels are rightly placed because of the fear that they won't remember the arranged things .   

   

• Avoiding places and situation that could trigger obsessive thoughts .

           

• Repeating the words in their head for making sure the things are going smoothly.

Note : Some of the compulsive behaviours may seems obvious to others but not all .

So , if you find a person with such compulsive behaviours immediately suggest them to consult a doctor , urge them to take immediate advice and follow proper medications.

People with the above compulsive behaviour often feel reluctant to seek help or consult a doctor because they feel embarrassed or ashamed.

They also have irrational feeling they have gone mad and it is not fault that you're having it.

So , if you have these obsessive compulsion disorder immediately you can refer a psychologist or psychiatrist or therapist .

Treatments for OCD

Usually CBT will be done . Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that helps you face your fears and obsessive thoughts without "putting them right" with compulsions .

Antidepressant medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) helps to balance the chemicals in your brain.

CBT may completely cure OCD . If not eventually , SSRI would be carried out.

If these treatments don't help, you may be offered an alternative SSRI or given a combination of an SSRI and CBT. Some people may be referred to a specialist mental health service for further treatment.

Causes of OCD :

•     Can be Genetic or heredity

       

•     Chemical imbalance in the brain

       

•     Life Events – Abuse , neglect , bullying and sometimes OCD can occur after an 
      important life event .       

   

•     Personality : Neat , meticulous and methodical people can have OCD . Because 
      they feel anxious when the things around them is not happening in a systematic 
      manner.