Mental Depression Equals Insanity?

The words 'mental depression' have scared the daylights out of people for ages. Any time mental illness is discussed it carries the stigma of insanity. It's not the case. Mental depression is a mental illness but it does not mean that you are crazy. Drop the mental illness stereotypes. Yes it is a disease of the mind but it is a disease that can be treated effectively and you do not have to feel abnormal or inferior to other human beings.

Mental depression attacks about 15 million Americans each year. But they're concerned about their image so only one third of them seek help. Make health the primary concern. Fairies won't come by night to make mental depression better. The illness demands attention. It affects anyone without warning. It doesn't care about your color or the god you worship. It has no care for financial or social status. It does not care if you are young or old. This disease has no boundaries. Early detection can be a great boon when it comes to treatment. However, depression is complicated and not easy to detect. People are down now and then. It is not a temporary affliction.

Common symptoms for depression are numerous. Those that are suffering may tend to become loners. They may not find any enjoyment in activities that once comforted them. Sleeping habits can alter and anxiety may increase as well. People may begin to eat more than usual or less than usual. The ability to deal with those around them may be impaired. Feelings of hopelessness may arise, and despair results. Emotional and physical state will show signs of decay. They can be suffering from mental depression and not even realize it. Sometimes we have to realize it for them.

Many things can cause depression. There is little doubt that 'stress' plays a major role. Stress can be brought on from many factors as well. Stress comes from relationships and even the struggle to make ends meet. There is also stress from losing someone you love. In many cases it is believed that mental depression can be passed on genetically. There are many possible causes of depression. But many possibilities exist for treatment. One typical treatment revolves around 'talk therapy'. This allows those that suffer to talk out their problems and look for positive reinforcement. There are also medications like anti-depressants and natural herbs that have been proven effective as well. Mental depression is a disease that can be cured if treated.

Adult Symptoms of Autism

"Autism Spectrum" describes disorders that are often called "pervasive developmental disorders". These include Asperger syndrome, autism, childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome. Symptoms for these disorders include social deficits, difficulties communicating, repetitive behaviors, stereotyped behaviors and cognitive delays. The difference in the individuals with these disorders are in the severity experienced.

In your search to read more about the symptoms of autism in adults you encountered a lot of sights sponsored and supported by the pharmaceutical industry, who, at present, is quite alarmed that they might lose the battle against autism and Alzheimer's to the alternative medical professions utilizing integrative modalities of care.

One reason people develop the symptoms of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) is because when they went to their regular doctors for checkups, and blood tests were performed, the doctors and laboratories that did the testing used normal ranges. What's wrong with using 'normal ranges'?

Doctors order blood tests all the time. What the normal range is on the blood test is based on the mean averages of the last 1000 people tested by the lab. But these people are not well and the ranges are too large. A more healthy range is a more narrow range...that is the optimum range. Had the doctors of these patients with alzheimer's, before they had Alzheimer's, told them that their blood values were less than optimal, even though they were barely within clinical ranges of normal, then they could have taken measures to correct these less than optimal blood values. A more stringent range encourages us to take healthy measures before we are stricken with an ailment as distressing as Alzheimer's.

Often people's values fall into the 'normal' range, they are told, "all is well", and yet they feel chronically fatigued, not quite right, have anxiety and depression, or are beginning to have the cognitive symptoms of adult autism and they don't know why...after all the blood test says there is nothing wrong with them. Then one day, John Doe dies of a heart attack and everyone thought he was doing fine.

Blood is a good indicator and in the work I do I use a more narrow range, a more stringent range. I make corrections BEFORE problems progress to a more serious state. With cancer now exceeding cardio-vascular as the major cause of death in the U.S. we have to react preventatively well in advance of major diseases. And with PDD on the rise in our youth and in adults we have to make blood and hair value corrections early enough to prevent changes on deeper levels - do nothing and health gets worse!

Adding a hair analysis to the equation makes good sense. It tells us about many items that are not usually tested in the blood. In the work I do I test for 52 items in the blood and 30 in the hair. The hair can show us which of 18 heavy metals have accumulated in our tissues. These heavy metals may be responsible for PDD and other ailments for which, as of yet, the regular medical profession says they do not know cures.

For those with adult symptoms of autism a urine and stool analysis should be considered as well. Constant depletion of nutrients from the body affects brain function. Heavy metals also have the ability to block chemical reactions in the body thereby depleting vitamin stores and causing the production of free radicals. Free radicals interfere with chemical pathways. The more we are unable to create all the molecules we need for normal function the more we are running on 3 cylinders!

Aluminum has been implicated in alzheimer's. A hair analysis will show aluminum in the hair. The heavy metals and the essentials elements, mostly minerals, that the hair analysis will pick up, are an indication of what the body is trying to get rid of. The body uses hair to deposit unwanted substances. When aluminum is high in the hair it indicates that the body is doing well eliminating the aluminum but it also means that the aluminum shouldn't have been there in the first place.

The Different Types of Bipolar Diseases

Bipolar disorder is also called bipolar mood disorder, manic-depressive illness, manic depression, bipolar affective disorder and manic-depressive disorder. People with the disorder experience unusual shifting of energy, mood, behavior and the ability to function normally. These mood swings are from high periods of mania to low episodes of depression. The disorder can be either mild or severe and the mood swings can be frequent or infrequent. Depending on the symptoms manifested by the person affected, the disorders can be diagnosed according to its different types such as bipolar disorder 1, bipolar disorder 2, cyclothymic disorder and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified.

# 1 Bipolar Disorder 1

Most people suffering from this type of disorder, sometimes called bipolar 1 disorder, experience both the mania and depression. This type of disorder is distinguished from disorder 2 in terms of the duration and severity of the manic phase, which could last anywhere from weeks to a couple of months.

# 2 Bipolar Disorder 2

People with this type of disorder suffer from periods of severe depression that is occasionally accompanied with episodes of mild mania known as hypomania. No delusions are experienced in bipolar disorder 2 but there is still impaired mental functioning.

# 3 Cyclothymic Disorder

People with cyclothymic disorder experience alternate attacks of mild depression and hypomania. It lasts longer than the disorders 1 and 2 with no break in the manifestation of symptoms but is not as severe.

# 4 Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)

This type includes those symptoms and features that don't meet any of the categories of bipolar disorder, such as very rapid alternation between depressive symptoms and manic symptoms, recurrent episodes of hypomanic phase without depression, and hypomanic episodes that are associated with chronic depression.

Of all the types of disorders, bipolar 1 disorder is the most severe type. If left untreated, it will possibly have a high rate of recurrence. It has an estimated rate of about 15% death risk by suicide. Also, it is considered as the third leading cause of death among people aged fifteen to twenty-four years old. It tends to run in families and is a lifelong disorder. Aside from being a hereditary disorder, other factors that can cause this type of disorder are certain illnesses such as hyperthyroidism, brain tumor, and multiple sclerosis, and certain environmental factors such as giving birth, stressful life events, sleep deprivation, stimulants, electroconvulsive therapy, antipsychotic medication and antidepressant medication.

Symptoms

Since disorder 1 involves both the manic and depression phases, the symptoms are just the common ones such as unusual happiness and sadness, grandiose delusions, change in eating and sleep patterns, pressured speech and suicidal attempts.

Bipolar 1 Treatments

Most commonly used medications used to control the symptoms of this type of disorder are anti-psychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers. Other medications may also be prescribed to help manage restlessness, anxiety, and insomnia. Psychotherapy is also the treatment of choice in some cases.

Having a bipolar disorder, especially bipolar disorder 1 is something that should not be taken for granted since it can really lead to death due to suicide if left untreated. Prompt treatment should be sought once the symptoms occur.

Facts About Depression

Depression is a state of behaviour that can have a significant impact on an individual's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well being. Depression is primarily resulted from bad memories or emotional disturbance from tumultuous times. When faced with depression, an individual suffers from mental effects such as feeling sad, empty, anxious, lack of motivation or sometimes even thoughts of contemplated suicide. Besides mental effects, depression might also take a physical toll on its victims. People who suffer from depression are usually in a bad state of health due to their adverse emotional disturbance. Physical effects like insomnia, fatigue and indigestion might also persist to those suffering from depression.

The mental and physical effects of depression might prove to be huge stumbling block to an individual's performance and self evaluation. One major implication of these effects would be the lost in self confidence of a person suffering from depression. Depression victims would normally lose their self esteem and isolate themselves from others, thus creating a social barrier between them and their peers. Depression can also change a person attitude drastically. A jolly cheerful person might change their attitude altogether when facing depression. Victims would usually just sulk alone and be gloomy all day long, with little interaction with others. Individuals suffering from depression might also face irregular sleeping patterns or sleep disturbances due to emotional matters attached to them. All of these might lead to severe deterioration of the victim's health and well being.

Emotional effects of depression might also have an adverse effect on an individual's performance. The negativity would carry over to an individual's handling of daily matters such as professions or other day to day activities. For example, a person suffering from depression would most likely suffer a significant drop in work performance due to hindrance from depression. Besides work performance being affected, they might also lose interest in their hobbies and personal interest matters.

There are several notable types of depression. The primary type of depression would be major depression. This form of depression is one of the most common. Individuals suffering from major depression carry a significant amount of emotional burden upon them. They appear to lose interest in regular activities and will always appear to be in a hopeless state. Atypical depression is a milder form of major depression where the victim is sometimes able to experience moments of happiness and joy. Victims believe that outside events control their mood and this condition might last for several months or in some extreme cases, forever. Besides these primary forms of depression, there are also other forms of specific depressions. Psychotic depression is when victims begin to suffer hallucinations from schizophrenia. These hallucinations are generally overwhelmed with negativity. Dysthymia is a condition when the person is unaware of their depressed state and goes on their daily lives without being aware of their emotional instability. They might go through life feeling dejected, dissatisfied and unimportant. Manic depression is an emotional disorder characterized by shifting moods from depression to mania. Victims who suffer from manic depression are more prone to suicidal tendencies.

Generally, there is no specific cure for depression. People suffering from depression must be dealt with accordingly before they hurt themselves or cause grievance to others. Appropriate medical treatment should be provided to the needy and in some extreme cases; appropriate psychological guidance must be shown to those who seem lost.

Helpful Tips For Recovering From Depression

Many people still do not think that depression is a disease. As many times as it has been scientifically proven, there are still those that think that it is a sign of weakness; if fact, those that struggle with depression are some of the strongest people out there. Depression is a combination of life circumstances as well as a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are ways to help you while recovering from depression, and these ways are definitely worth taking a look at and at least trying.

Recovering from depression is one of the hardest things that you will go through in your lifetime, but it is possible, and there is light at the end of the tunnel for you. People suffering from depression have a hard time even caring about things. Therefore, making the decision to make an effort to get better, is quite a hard one.

The issue with recovering from depression is that it is definitely not something that can me done overnight. This depression did not start all of a sudden, and you will not be recovering from depression all of a sudden. Things like this take time, and you have to be willing to give yourself the time to get better.

Make sure that you have the support that you need from others that understand what you are going through. Counselors are a wonderful resource for those recovering from depression. Keeping a strong line of support is crucial when recovering from depression. You will have times that you don't want to try anymore, and you don't want to get out of bed; but you need someone there to help get you out of that bed, and get you back on the right track.

Keeping yourself motivated is also very important. There are many inspirational books that are available for such motivation. There are also books that offer daily inspirational sayings and thoughts that can help you get through those days that you don't want to go on.

Recovering from depression is a hard road to travel. Know that in the beginning, and make sure that you are prepared for what is to come. You have to stay focused and motivated. Keeping your support system as strong as possible is so important, that without it, your chances of recovering from depression are much lower than the chances of those that are prepared and have lined out a strong support system.

Depression is definitely a disease, and one that cannot be helped. When the depression starts to affect your life, it is time to see a professional. By no means feel like you are weak for using any help that you can find. This makes you strong, not weak. Recovering from depression is not exactly the easiest thing in the world. It will take time, patience, and understanding within yourself. Know always that there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep trucking toward it and continue recovering from depression, no matter how hard it gets at times.

Dyslexia: Disorder of Difficulty in Reading and Writing

A number of disorders are known to affect human beings and dyslexia is one such disorder which is defined by different experts in different ways. The World Federation of Neurologists in 1968 defined dyslexia as a disorder common in children where despite the conventional classroom experience they fail to attain language skills of reading, writing and spelling commensurate with their intellectual abilities. The U.S. National Institutes of Health explains dyslexia as a learning disability that hinders a person's ability to read, write, spell and sometimes to speak. This is a very common disability in children persisting throughout the life. The symptoms may range from mild to severe. If treated at very early stage favorable results are obtained but if neglected negative influences are noticed. Children with dyslexia are of average intelligence and always want to learn things. The disorder is caused by impairment in brain's ability to translate images received from brain or ears into understandable language. It is not a result of vision and hearing problems and also does not occur due to mental retardation, brain damage or lack of intelligence.

Dyslexia may remain hidden during the early grades of schooling. Sometimes the child becomes frustrated by the inability to read and other problems disguising dyslexia may also occur later. The child often shows symptoms of depression and self-low esteem. Behavior problems are common both at home as well as in school. The child may become unmotivated and hates going to school. The success of the child at the school is risky if dyslexia is neglected or left untreated.

Causes and Types

Different types of dyslexia are known that affect a child's ability to read, write and spell. Trauma dyslexia is the form of dyslexia that generally occurs after a traumatic brain injury where the area of brain controlling reading and writing is damaged. Its frequency is very rare among today's school going population. Second type of dyslexia is primary dyslexia which arises due to the dysfunction of the left side of brain and it persists throughout life. The children suffering from this type are rarely able to read above fourth-grade level and may struggle with reading, spelling and writing even after becoming adult. It is a gene-linked disorder and may be transferred to the children through parents. The frequency is more in boys than in the girls. Third type is the secondary or developmental dyslexia occurring due to hormonal imbalance during early stages of fetal development. This type generally diminishes when the child grows old and is more noticed among boys in comparison to girls. Dyslexia is known to affect many functions of the body. Visual dyslexia is identified by letter and number reversals and the inability to write symbols in proper sequence. Auditory dyslexia is characterized by difficulty with sounds of letters or groups of letters. The sounds of letters are received as jumbled or not heard properly. Dysgraphia is defined as child's inability to hold and control pencil in order to draw correct markings on a sheet of paper.

Signs and Symptoms

It is really difficult for the classroom teachers to detect whether the child is suffering from dyslexia or not. They can only detect the signs and advise the parents of the child to consult a psychologist or a health professional in order to diagnose the disease or other mental disability associated with the child. Reversal of numbers and letters is the most preliminary symptom of the disorder. Such reversals are very common among the children of age group 7-8 years and generally diminish by that time. If the signs do not diminish it clearly indicates that the child has dyslexia. Difficulty in copying the content from the blackboard or book also indicates towards this disorder. General disorganization of the general class work may also be noticed. The child is not able to remember the contents of his or her favorite video and storybook. Problems noticed in the classroom learning may also be observed during the playground activities. The child may be uncoordinated and finds difficult to associate himself with sports and games. Difficulty with left and right is very common and dominance for either hand has also not established. In early grades of school music and dance are very often used to enhance academic learning but the child faces difficulty to tune himself with music and dance.

Auditory problems in dyslexia include a number of body functions. Generally it is difficult for the child to remember and understand what he hears. Recalling a sequence of things at a time for such child is often very difficult. Parts of words or whole sentences may be found missing and the words spoke by the child may often appear very funny. Although the children with such problem know very well what they want to say but are not able to express. Many subtle signs can be observed in children with this disorder. Children may often appear depressed. They often begin to distract their mind away from learning.

Suggestions for Parents When They Notice Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia

The first step the parents must follow is that they must consult a pediatrician when their child is suffering from difficulties associated with learning numerals, letters and spelling and remembering them. Apart from this they can also meet the teacher of their child to know about child's performance in school and its activities. In general every school is having a specialized team of experts that regularly meets the parents of the children in order to make them aware about their child's progress and difficulties observed. This specialized team consists of principal, classroom teacher, school psychologist, nurse, speech therapist, reading specialist and other eminent professionals. A parent should always be included in this team. These teams are generally known as Students' Study Team or Child's Study Teams. Any parent of teacher noticing learning problems with any child may request to meet this team in order to discuss the problems associated with the child. The parent may often request to meet the specialists of this team even if the teacher finds that the child is doing well in the class. Sometimes some tests are performed in order to a make a decision and such tests should never be conducted without the permission of the parent.

If a child studying in any private school lacking the team of experts then he or she can be referred to public schools containing such teams so that the problem can be detected. If the problem still fails to be detected then health professionals are the only option for the detection of the problem.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of dyslexia is difficult and there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration by the psychologist and the health professionals before reaching any conclusion. The test includes the functional reading level of the child and comparing it with the reading potential obtained by performing an intelligence test. The test further focuses on the information processing of the child. The test also determines whether the child learns information by hearing or looking at the information or by doing something. The test also evaluates whether the child performs better when a set of information is given to the child by saying something or by doing something by hands. The test also analyses how the sensory system in such child works when a set of information is provided. The tests are standardized and are considered reliable. The child should not feel disheartened as something bad is going to occur with him during the test. Many tests include game-type or puzzle format so that the child may feel comfortable. The child must take a good night's sleep and sufficient breakfast before carried out for the tests. If the testing is to be done in a classroom setting then the teacher must prepare the child for the test so that the child may feel comfortable during the test.

Treatment

Before undergoing any treatment evaluation must be done regarding the specific area of disability of the child. Although a number of theories have been predicted regarding the treatment of dyslexia but there is no actual cure against this disorder. The school can develop a plan after meeting the parents of the child in order to understand its need and if the plan fails to give successful results the child can be transferred to a school specially meant for dyslexic children for better care. Techniques have been designed where all the senses of the child can work together simultaneously at a time. Computers are the best tools that help the child to learn and understand better.

A Bollywood movie Taare Zameen Par orients around dyslexia where the child named Eshaan suffers from visual dyslexia and was taught and trained by his teacher.

The Most Conclusive Depression Tests You Can Take

Life is like a roller-coaster, where the periods of happiness and sadness defined variety of emotions in our life. According to statistics, more than 16 percent of the global population is afflicted by depression and if left untreated, this problem will escalate into a global mental pandemic. You should be doing everything you can to find out whether you are clinically depressed and the depression tests will give a solid clue.

There are many common symptoms associated with clinical depression. The more obvious emotional symptoms are prolonged feelings of sadness, loss of interest in your previous hobbies and people around you, irritability, anxiousness, self-guilt and hopelessness. There are also physical symptoms you might be suffering from as well, including disturbed sleeping patterns, chronic headaches, drastic change in weight, nausea and so on. There is a possibility that severe heart problems may occur if depression continues for a prolonged period of time.

Depression is perceived to arise in a person due to different reasons. People who are hit by a traumatic incident, like the loss of a loved one, divorce or relationship problems, accident or natural disaster victim are more likely to go into depression. There are also claims that depression might also be hereditary. If the depression sufferer has a family member who is suffering or has suffered from depression, it is more likely that he or she might be suffering from it too.

Although depression is a serious mental illness, it can be cured with the proper effective treatments. However, for the treatments to be effective, you must first find out with the depression tests whether you are really suffering from it or just the normal 'blues'. Depressed people feeling constant worthlessness and lose confidence in help of others will tend to be anti-social and refuse to share their problems. Sometimes, it could be that their symptoms are caused by some physical problem and they are not even aware of it. It is vital you detect whether what you are suffering from is depression, so you could opt for fast and effective recovery.

The vital questions you need to answer in all depression tests are:
o Do you suffer from sleeping problems at night?
o Do you feel anxiety, constant stress or irritated all the time?
o Does any of your family member suffers/suffered from depression?
o Do you cry often without any specific reason?
o Do suicidal thoughts cross your mind constantly?
o Do you feel constant fatigue although there is no reason to be?
o Have you lost passion in your previous hobbies?
o Are you having problems in your sex life?
o Do you feel hopelessness and self-guilt all the time?

Self depression tests are extremely beneficial to people who feel that they have depression and is in need of a helping hand. If the tests shows probable disposition towards depression, one should quickly consult a specialist as soon as possible. Only an experienced specialist would be able to provide you with the effective treatments with permanent success.