Saturday, May 19, 2012

3 Ways to Treat Adult ADHD Without Taking Prescription Medications

If you have been looking for ways to treat your adult ADHD without taking medication, then you have came to the right place. Inside this article I will share with a couple of ways that I know of, that you can start using today to treat your ADHD symptoms. So I strongly suggest that you read this entire article right away as it contain valuable information that you can start to use right now.

First let's talk a little about prescription medications that doctors normally prescribe adults who are diagnosed with ADHD.

The 4 most common medications that are used are:

1. Adderall

2. Focalin

3. Vyvanse

4. Concerta

According to the doctors these drugs are the best treatments that are available to adults suffering from ADHD. This is not always the case. Not everyone responds well to taking medications. There are also come side effects that are associated with taking the above medications. Some people experience the following symptoms: insomnia, upset stomach, and irritability.

Now we are going to move on to the other ways of treating ADHD besides taking prescriptions medications.

The first thing we are going to talk about is called brainwave entrainment.

Brainwave Entrainment Audio

This is a very subtle approach to dealing with ADHD symptoms. It is a series of sounds or should I say binary beats that tune into certain areas of brain causing them to relax and almost putting you into a trance like state. It sounds like something out of a Science Fiction novel but is real. It is really simple and also really effective.

The next form of treatment we are going to talk about is natural dietary supplements.

Natural Dietary Supplements

Natural dietary supplements such as Ginseng and Gingko Biloba have been know to help adults suffering with ADHD. I have read that in blind study groups that it has been proven to help patients focus better and get threw a day much more easily.

Last but not least we are going to talk about simple diet changes.

Diet Changes

By simply changing how and what you eat can drastically reduce and improve your symptoms. By reducing the amount of sugars and salts that you intake combined with exercise has been proven to help people suffering with ADHD.

So my recommendation to you is that if you have been suffering with ADHD, and do not want to start taking prescription medications try any of the above. As a matter a fact try all 3, it can only help you.

One more bad thing about starting prescription medication is that once you usually start, its a good chance that you are going to have to take them for the rest of your life. So instead of just accepting the medications right from the beginning, try out some other alternatives before you commit to something for life.

10 Symptoms That You Are Suffering From Adult ADHD

Do you think that you have been suffering from adult ADHD for any amount of time? If so you have come to the right place. Inside this article I will share with you what I believe 10 of the top signs that you have been suffering from ADHD. Many people suffer from ADHD there entire life without even knowing it. That is why I have written this article so you can have some kind of direction or at least to point you in the right direction.

Let's play with some numbers to start off. Three to ten percent of kids in school suffer from ADHD. Of those three to ten percent 60% of them will continue to suffer from ADHD as an adult. Of that 60% only four to five percent will be actually diagnosed as having adult ADHD. So that leaves about 50% of adult with ADHD will never know that have the condition.

The symptoms of adult ADHD range from not being able to properly follow directions to struggling on the job to struggling at home with their family.

Of all the symptoms that can be signs of ADHD the following are some of more prominent indicators that you are suffering from adult ADHD:

1. Always being late and forgetting to do things.

2. Always feeling anxious or having a feeling of anxiety with everything that you do.

3. Not feeling confident in yourself or having low self esteem.

4. Unable to find a job or not being able to keep a job for very long.

5. Anger management problems or always upset about any little thing.

6. Making important decisions quickly or being a very impulsive person.

7. Drug/substance abusing or having and addiction to either.

8. Never getting anything done or putting everything off until later.(Procrastinator)

9. Becoming easily frustrated with the most simplest of task.

10. Bored with life or sense of feeling like nothing is worth doing?

How many of these can you honestly answer? Did you even make it threw reading all of them? If you did manage to read all of them. Write down the ones that you can place yourself under.

The above are some general questions that you can ask yourself if you suspect yourself of having adult ADHD. The list was complied from research of ADHD sufferers answers when ask certain questions and how they deal with certain situations.

Just as a good number to go off and because I do not want to leave you blind guessing. I say if you can place yourself in 5 or more of the above. It may be time to seek further help or you may be interested in online ADHD test. Before seeking professional help many people head online to take many of the professional online test that available to adults suffering with ADHD.

My Husband Has PTSD And Is Not The Same

The number one complaint or comment made by military spouses these days is," My husband/ boyfriend is not the same man that left to go to war." The sad fact is that these spouses couldn't be more right. Many of our loved ones are not the same and will never be the same again. Post traumatic stress will take the strongest and most brave soldier and drag him or her into a whirlwind of symptoms that are difficult to understand and to conquer. These symptoms are often so severe that they will leave you wondering whom this person is, what in the world is wrong, and what can you possibly do to help?

The most important thing that you can do for yourself and to help your spouse, who may have post traumatic stress, is to educate yourself. You need to know what the symptoms are - not a checklist of words that sound bad but that you can't relate to. You have to realize for yourself how this condition relates to your husband. You need to realize the possible risks of this disorder, and what to do about it.

It is true that your loved one is not the same and will never be the same person. He is forever changed. He may be in the middle of the biggest mental minefield imaginable. He may not even know what is happening to him. He may not be able to verbalize what is going on in his mind and in his body. He might not be able to ask for help.

Your loved one may be violent, angry, aggressive, isolating, drinking, doing drugs, threatening or seriously considering suicide. He could be going through flashbacks, nightmares, and not be able to sleep. Most PTSD suffers quickly find themselves frazzled and worn down to the point of giving up. These are symptoms that he is not going to verbalize to you, unless the problem is so blatantly obvious that he has no choice.

Post traumatic stress is a very serious disorder. Suicide rates of troops who are coming back from the sandboxes of Iraq and Afghanistan are off the chart. Our soldiers are coming back and killing themselves record numbers. So if your loved one has recently returned from a war zone, and your observation is that he is just not the same, look for signs and symptoms that may indicate post traumatic stress.

The number one thing that you can do to help someone who has PTSD, is to know what is happening with them and to be proactive. PTSD is a debilitating disorder, and those who have it often can't even verbalize their experience at the time.

It is absolutely correct your husband is not the same and he's never going to be the same again, but there is hope for those who have PTSD. As a spouse, as someone who cares, first step is to get the concrete facts of what PTSD is, what the symptoms are, and how to deal with them. Secondly, you must formulate a plan of how you will react when the symptoms arise. Post traumatic stress does get better with time. People do get recover and go on to live very happy, productive lives. There absolutely is hope, but recovery takes a lot of support and time.

If you're feeling that your loved one is "just not the same", you are not alone. There are thousands of military wives that feel the exact same way that you feel. There is light at the end of the tunnel- you just have to know what you dealing with, and learn how heal from it.

Activities For Alzheimer's Patients Promote Mental Stimulus

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that if someone has Alzheimer's they are no longer able to enjoy the activities they once liked to do. They have the impression that these folks are merely vegetables who are content to sit and while away the hours staring into space. This is definitely not a true picture of a typical Alzheimer's patient. While the person may eventually become unable to participate in even the simplest of pastimes, in the early stages of the disease their minds are active and will stay that way longer provided they have opportunities for stimulus.

No one likes to feel that there is nothing exciting left in life or believe that there's isn't anything more they can achieve in life. Like everyone else, the dementia patient still has a healthy body which likes a bit of action now and then. They also like to feel that they are contributing to their upkeep by being helpful and doing small tasks. Tailoring the jobs that they are allowed to do must be done to keep them safe. For example, a person who has enjoyed cooking their entire life may not be up to working around hot stoves and ovens, but they might still be able to wash and prepare vegetables and other cold foods. If it's something they enjoy, make a real effort to find ways for them to do so.

Dancing and music can be another enjoyable therapy for Alzheimer's patients. In the solitude of their room, you can put on soft music to soothe and comfort them. If they like to dance, make the music a bit livelier, and hit the dance floor with them.

Spending time with a favorite pet can stimulate them mentally as well as physically. Sedentary patients can be encouraged to take walks in the company of their dogs. Unfortunately, not every nursing facility can allow pets. If this is the case, make sure your loved one has opportunities to spend time with an animal in your care, or take them out to a zoo where they can see a variety of animals. Be careful to limit the animals they see to those who won't frighten them.

Games involving memory which they once played as children can be a delight. If necessary, keep the games very simple. Even games like Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, or Crazy Eight can keep them entertained and thinking. You can also try simple activities, such as batting a balloon around the room, which can be a lot of fun.

Just because a person has Alzheimer's doesn't mean they want to spend their remaining years sitting docilely and doing nothing. Keeping their minds and bodies occupied can be wonderful therapy that can also extend their years of lucidity.

Low Self Esteem Among Young Girls

Recent research carried out, based on interviews with 500 young girls from across the UK, revealed that around twenty five per cent of them feel under pressure to conform to an "Ideal image". Five per cent claimed they hated the way they looked, with twenty per cent claiming there would be much they would like to change. All these results indicating a feeling of low self -esteem among these young people.

The survey, which was carried out by the Future Foundation on behalf of Dove, interviewed girls aged between 11 and 17 years of age, and reveals the alarming effect that low Self-esteem is having on their future prospects and outlook on life. Only a third of those interviewed felt confident that they would go on to have success in any chosen career.

This lack of self-esteem and self-confidence in their appearance has resulted in them spending as much time in attending to it as they would spend on their homework, nearly forty five minutes applying make-up in contrast to just fifty or so minutes on home work. Almost fifty per cent described themselves as ordinary and claimed they would be far happier if they felt more attractive.

This alarming image of thousands of young girls suffering from low self-esteem and self-confidence could have long term effects on the future of women's roles in society.

The results of this particular survey have indicated that by the middle of this century the United Kingdom could lose hundreds and thousands of professional women such as doctors, lawyers and business entrepreneurs, plus the possibility of lacking fifty future women members of parliament.

It is also claimed that this lack of self-esteem and self-confidence at present being displayed by these girls will make it highly unlikely they will aspire to careers in business, politics or sport.

It is a highly disturbing picture that is being painted by the results of this survey, a picture of thousands of young girls unknowingly condemning themselves to lower expectations of life and future happiness. It would be easy, and in some ways justified to blame the media, magazines, television and pop videos, for this undermining of young girls self-confidence. They are subjected to a constant barrage of images of near perfect models and highly glamorous life styles, to make them think that they are somehow inadequate if they do not conform to these images; but the future does not have to be that bleak.

Dove has launched a high self-esteem programme, aimed at 11 to 14 year old girls, to be introduced and rolled out in the form of workshops in schools across the country.

In addition to these workshops, parents and other adults can strive to boost young girl's self-esteem in as many ways as possible. Praise them for any small achievement they may make. Convince them that they are as attractive as any air brushed model, and that personality and a healthy outlook on life are just as important as physical beauty. Raising their self-esteem will raise their aspirations, and their future prospects.

Understanding Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Trisha is a seven-year old African-American female in foster because of neglect and physical and emotional abuse. When I first saw her, she was not in foster care. She was dressed in jeans and a clean shirt. Her hair was puffy and unkempt. She sat up straight in her chair and did not move an inch without her mother's say. She was being seen for physical abuse by her father. Some of her symptoms included stealing food, hoarding food, and lying. She was later removed from her mother's home because of neglect and possible abuse.

When I first saw her with her foster-mother, she seemed like a different child. Her hair was braided and neatly tied in a pony-tail. She was clean and neatly dressed. She was rambunctious and hyperactive. Later sessions would show this out further. Her stealing and hoarding of food became less pronounced, but she was still telling stories. I was treating Trisha for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which we see in soldiers come home from the war. I was using an evidenced-based practice called Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which was developed for children 3-18 years of age. An evidence-based practice means that when this type of therapy is replicated (more than several times) there was vast improvement in symptoms of the clients. It is shown to be an effective type of therapy. This therapy is used for sexual abuse, domestic violence, and physical abuse.

This model of therapy has several components and the most important part is using the parents/ foster parents as part of the treatment. First you assess from the client's point of view, how they have been feeling to see if they have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With young children, you give similar measures to the parents. Once tabulated, you go over with the parent what you found and if they indeed have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The next few sessions are based on educating the child and parent, depending on the type of abuse they suffered, what it is and what it looks like. It is an unfolding process.

You begin treatment by teaching the client coping strategies for when they have distressing thoughts. It begins with relaxation techniques including deep breathing, progressive relaxation, finding their safe place. You have them practice this and teach the parents how to do this.

The next step is getting the client in touch with their feelings. You teach the client about different feelings and get them to relate it to when they felt that way. If they get overwhelmed you have them take a time out and use their relaxation exercises. Then you give them a break and do something fun and work on it next session. You are also teaching them further coping techniques and getting them to think of things that work for them.

Next you are teaching them how feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are all intertwined and how they work together. You are trying to get them to recognize the thoughts they are thinking that fuels the feeling and in turn causes untoward behaviors. We are also teaching them and their parents the cognitive triangle, so that the exercises can be practiced at home.

You are culminating in therapy into the biggest project called the trauma narrative. You have them pick out what was the worst thing about the trauma. They begin to write or draw a story about what was the worst thing for them. This takes several sessions. Each week, they read to you or tell you what they drew or wrote about and they tell a little bit more of the story. You share this with the parents. When the story is complete and they can tell you the story, you ask them to tell the story with their parents. The child gets so used to telling the story that they are no longer afraid of it. If there are several traumas, you can repeat the process.

Only a trained clinician in this method should be treating your child if you suspect or if there has been abuse that is causing a disruption in the child's life. You never undertake these steps yourselves. This article outlines just some of the steps taken in treating a child with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Only a professional can diagnose this and treat it.

If someone you love has been abused, please seek help for them and have them evaluated. Trauma-Focused Behavioral Therapy is only one of many models of treatment out there to treat abuse. There are other models out there which prove just as successful.

Mental Illness and Its Symptoms

According to reports, there exist over 200 kinds of psychological illness. You can find a huge array in situations, from psychological depression to anxiety conditions, from obsessive-compulsive disorder to schizophrenia. Mental illness symptoms could also vary from light forms to those types that are more damaging. Remedies might include psychiatric therapy and medicines.

Depression and Anxiety

Although depression is a psychological illness, its symptoms could appear within other mental conditions as well. For instance you might get really down or you may experience sadness or emptiness. You could have anxieties as well as suspicions which go outside of the normal spectrum for the majority. In addition, you might find it hard or hopeless to cope with daily pressure along with your concerns. Although all of these are based on depression, they could suggest that you get another mental illness symptoms or condition.

Major Changes

While everybody changes every once in a while, major or abrupt changes could be indications of mental sickness. One example is, you might out of the blue eat more than normal or much less. You might not desire having sex as much as you used to. In addition, you might all of a sudden take in large amount of alcohol or have illegal drugs. You might not take part in tasks that you formerly enjoyed or you do not prefer to gather or chat with family and friends. You may be instantly terribly upset and then end up with violence.

Hallucinations and Delusions

Once your mind starts to move in various ways compared to the majority of people whom the community takes into account as normal, it could be one of the mental illness symptoms that must be addressed immediately. Delusions could take several forms. Perhaps you believe that you are a famous individual like the president of America or maybe a hero or perhaps a secret agent. You might think that you are a notorious individual like John Wilkes Booth or Jack the Ripper. You might think you could fly or you are bionic. A delusion, basically, is often a strong indication that something in you is not right. Hallucinations offer a similar experience because these are withdrawal from the truth. You could hear noise which nobody else does, or maybe you often see things which usually are not there. You will also experience sensations on the skin which don't occur.

Physiological Problems

In most cases, mental illness symptoms are believed to be entirely psychological, however, there are certain issues which could happen in physical form and this reveals a mental issue. As an illustration, in the event you acquire several physical issues which usually are not defined, often it could possibly be a psychological disorder. Discomfort could also take place in your chest area or lower back and you might have severe headaches. Your heartbeat might increase and you might get dizzy. Complications with your digestive function or abrupt weight loss can also be one of mental illness symptoms that you need to control.

How to Cure Mental Illnesses Through Dream Therapy

Carl Jung's discoveries about the powerful unconscious wisdom and my discoveries after continuing his research give you a powerful tool in life. Today you can be helped by the unconscious mind because you can clearly understand the unconscious messages in the dream images and therefore, understand what to do. The unconscious mind shows you what is good or bad, and why something is positive or negative. You have many explanations about everything in your dreams.

The fact that dream therapy is a psychotherapeutical method that cures all mental illnesses was already proved numerous times. Everyone finds sound mental health through dream therapy.

On the other hand, everyone can learn how to cure others thanks to the unconscious guidance. For example, I partially cured a psychotic woman through dream therapy who was in fact a vegetable when I first met her.

I couldn't completely cure her because her parents were influencing her behavior and she was super-protected by them, but the fact that I gave her back 70% of her intelligence and life after precisely obeying the unconscious guidance in my dreams about her case is more than a big victory.

She didn't relate her dreams and she didn't cooperate for her psychotherapy. Her treatment was based on the guidance I had in my dreams about her mental condition.

After the psychotherapy she could even travel alone! She never went anywhere without her parents before.

Everyone is always cured through dream therapy because the real doctor is not me, the ignorant human being. The real doctor able to cure all mental illnesses is God's mind. I'm merely a dream translator and a doctor-helper. This is why dream therapy is a safe treatment. The sanctity of the divine unconscious mind is the best guarantee you can have that you will be cured. You don't depend on human theories.

You can completely trust the unconscious guidance without fear. This is an advantage that you cannot have in our hypocritical world. Only God can guarantee that you are learning the real truth about your mental condition when you scientifically analyze the meaning of dreams.

You should seriously study the dream language, and be an obedient patient. To be obedient is a wise attitude. You have to do what your doctor tells you to in order to be cured.

For example, if you are shy and insecure, you have to do things that will help you build your self-confidence and become a better person.

The ancient civilizations that believed in the importance of the meaning of dreams were right. Carl Jung and my work scientifically prove this truth to the world. My work also gives you many religious explanations because I discovered the satanic anti-conscience that generates mental illnesses within our conscience (which Jung couldn't see) and I discovered the sanctity of the unconscious mind (which Jung couldn't perceive).

I was cured from a severe neurosis before becoming schizophrenic like my father thanks to dream therapy when I was 24 to 28-years-old. Then, I cured many people through dream therapy, since 1990 until today. I wouldn't dedicate my life to dream therapy if this was not a miraculous method that cures even physical diseases.

I had no intention to become a psychiatrist and psychologist. This was a moral obligation because I could continue Carl Jung's dangerous research and learn how to fight craziness. This knowledge had to be transmitted to the world and help everyone find salvation.

The unconscious mind that produces our dreams is not only a perfect psychiatrist and a natural doctor. The unconscious mind is our contact with true wisdom.

The powerful unconscious wisdom will enlighten your life and help you always have positive results in all fields. You'll learn the real meaning of goodness and feel happy for being a good person, who never makes mistakes and always shows wise behavior.

An Alcohol Awareness Class Can Turn on the Light

How much alcohol do you consume? I ask this question not for general thought, but for many, mathematical calculation. You may find that statement funny, but the fact remains, there are a lot of people consuming a lot of alcohol and really not disclosing the amount they drink to anyone!

How can they possibly not disclose the amount they drink to themselves, you ask? One word - denial!

You may have heard that there are three primary stages to uncovering and overcoming an addition (denial, anger, acceptance). Stage one is "denial." This can take anywhere from two weeks or until the end of life to get past. Some people recognize their addiction to alcohol or other drugs quickly. They decide they do not want to be an addict and they consciously decide to give up booze or drugs for good.

Others on the other hand can take months or forever to get past the denial of their addiction issues. An alcohol class can help teach you that it is one thing to admit it to yourself, but it is another to go public with your addiction issues. Once you go public, you open yourself to greater likelihood of success in quitting.

An alcohol class helps give you the confidence to take that step of bringing your problem out into the open. While we deny our addiction issue, we also are able to keep ourselves believing that those close to us do not know about our addiction. They do, and they will applaud your admission and step in the right direction.

As a counselor for both in-class and online alcohol classes I often ask my students if they think they have a problem with alcohol. Basically, I am asking them to come out of the closet and admit they are alcoholics (if they are).

How do you think they usually respond? Keep in mind that 99% of my students are in class or taking the course as an online alcohol class because they have been cited for an alcohol-related offense. It may surprise you that less than 10% admit they have a problem.

Perhaps this is because they are in a public setting and fear the embarrassment of the situation. I can tell you that of the 8.2% of my students who admit to being alcoholics, they fall into two precise categories. A small percentage of admitters are under the age of 25 and really did not drink much in the first place and seem committed not to repeat their behavior.

The second group is the vast majority of admitters. This group are seasoned alcoholics who are committed to heavy drinking despite the fact they continue to have problems as a result of their alcoholic behavior. This group needs to take strong steps to rid themselves of their drinking behavior. They need a series of alcohol classes, combined with counseling and perhaps even detox.

Alcohol is really bad for the human body. While infrequent moderate consumption will not do irreparable harm to most, abstinence is still the best policy for the quality and longevity of your life. If you or someone you care about has a drinking problem I urge you to seek help immediately. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity, there are online alcohol classes too.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Women

Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Treatment: Different for Women?

Dual diagnosis treatment in the field of recovery is a common situation where the treatment plan addresses both substance abuse and mental illness. It can be a chicken and egg situation to determine which diagnosis is primary, so substance abuse treatment centers often aim to treat both. Substance abuse for women often coincides with physically or emotionally dangerous situations, so it is extremely important to treat the mental illness and the substance abuse at the same time.

Dual Diagnosis: Men vs. Women

Until recently, it was assumed that there were no differences in treating men and women with substance abuse or mental health issues. Gender specific dual diagnosis treatment has become somewhat of a buzz word in the recovery and addiction field, but is it necessary?

Research has shown that women are more likely than men to be targets of physical abuse and rape. Women are also more likely to be supported in their abuse by a partner, who may also be addicted to drugs or alcohol. This may seem to put women with abuse problems as higher risk for mental illness and thus dual diagnosis.

The truth is that there is no evidence to support that dual diagnosis is more common in women than in men. In fact, treatment programs often see the same number of male and female patient's diagnosis with both mental illness and drug abuse. What is different is the type of disorders. Women are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders while men are more likely to suffer from antisocial personality disorders.

Given that there is no difference in the rate of dual diagnosis in women, we come to the issue of treatment. Treatment for men and women may be very different. That is because mental illness may be caused by a traumatic event. By defining trauma as a situation that over powers an individual's ability to cope, we find that the situations and events that create feelings over powerlessness and dependence are different between men and women.

Dual diagnosis treatment programs for women often include steps towards empowerment. Supporters of recovery programs find that empowering women to become emotionally stronger, economically independent and in control of a positive self-image leads to a more successful and effective recovery.

Because of the cultural context in which mental illness and substance abuse occurs, dual diagnosis treatment programs that are gender specific often carefully control the treatment setting. For example, individual therapy sessions may take into account the gender of the therapist and client (female therapist/female client), fitting recovery into the context of a woman's life.

Mental and Physical Deterioration Continues Through the Three Stages of Dementia

Dementia is a progressive disease. It cannot be cured, so once an individual has it, they will gradually lose more and more of their faculties throughout the rest of their lives. Although the stages of the disease can vary from person to person, there are three basic stages all patients pass through. During this time, they will experience severe memory loss, a decrease in their mental abilities, increasing difficulty in reasoning and speaking, and possibly even the ability to care for themselves. As hard as the condition is on patients, it can also be quite debilitating for those caring for them, and it helps to understand what you can expect.

You may not notice when a person starts suffering from dementia, because the symptoms are so similar to those you expect as a person ages. Most patients are diagnosed after the age of 65 and will start out having mild memory lapses and bouts with forgetfulness. In the early stage, which may take months or even years to play out, comes such non-alarming symptoms as absentmindedness, apathy, loss of interest in normal pursuits, personality change, mood swings, and irritability. These changes come on gradually, and you may not be able to tell that the person is suffering from dementia until they reach the second stage of the disease.

The second stage is known as moderate dementia. By this point in the progression, you will be able to identify the symptoms for what they are. Individuals in this stage exhibit a decline in their cognitive abilities, the inability to know where they are and the time, short-term memory, difficulty identifying even close family members, and may struggle to perform personal activities, like eating, taking care of their personal hygiene, or bathing themselves. You can expect that the person will be increasingly anxious, frustrated, and irritated. You may also begin to see evidence of auditory or visual hallucinations.

The advanced stage of dementia is when all the severe symptoms show up. Advanced stage dementia patients require constant care due to the serious nature of their symptoms. By this point they will have significant memory loss, be unable to identify anyone as well as possessions they use on a daily basis, and maybe even be unable to walk without assistance. You will find them to be restless, not capable of taking care of their personal needs, unable to sleep, and incontinent. Due to the amount of supervision and help that a person with this degree of dementia will need, this is the point where many loved ones place them in a nursing facility that specializes in dealing with dementia patients.

Dementia isn't pleasant in any of it's stages, but it's becoming a reality for more and more Americans and their loved ones all the time. Even though every patient may not show the symptoms in exactly the same way, all of them will become progressively debilitated until such a time when medical science can uncover a way to more effectively treat the disease.

How To Control Panic Attacks And Stop Your Suffering For Good

Trying to control panic attacks isn't exactly easy, but it can be done within a few tries or so. Too often, people get so stuck into thinking that it can only be avoided, but once they start to come, you can also control the attacks and slowly avoid them once they do. The tips in this article are going to really help you out on controlling those attacks and getting rid of them once they already come. It is definitely easy to prevent them, and the nice thing about these tips is that they work during and before a panic attack occurs.

How to control panic attacks

- Count To 20

The next time an attack starts to come, command that you can overcome it. This can be done by simply counting to 20, but before you do this, say to yourself "If I reach 20 and nothing happens to me, then this panic attack will disappear". This is a powerful way to control the attack and slowly remove it out of your mind and body. Sometimes all you need to do is command for the panic attack to be removed and it slowly will. If you try this method more than once and you practice it often, you will find that it can work at any time of the day.

- Do Not Fear It

Sometimes people can hold onto the fear of an attack. So often they simply try to avoid it. This only causes you more problems, with the attack coming to you even more. Do not fear the attack because fearing it the most, brings it to you more-so. If you keep thinking about it and trying to avoid it, you will find that it comes to you even faster. The next time you feel a panic attack coming, allow it and it will disappear more easily by letting it flow out of you.

What you need to know is that an attack is really a harmless event that really doesn't do anything to you. It is something that simply happens to you and it cannot really harm you in any way. This is the reason why you do not need to fear the event at all. Simply let it flow out of you completely and you will find the anxiety will be removed from you.

A panic attack cannot break you apart in any way. It is impossible for it to hurt you in any way shape or form, so when you try the counting technique, you will find it much easier to control panic attacks as they come. They are all in your subconscious mind, and the counting technique helps you to have authority over it.

If you are really struggling right now with panic and anxiety attacks, why not take a look at a resource you can find details about at the end of this article?

Trying to control panic attacks is tough, but the two very powerful tips above can do so much for you than you think. They can help you out a lot with overcoming the attacks as soon possible, and your mind will soon be freed from the bondage of the panic attacks. With those tips, you can be sure to feel better and overcome those attacks.

Understanding Mental Illness

In order to understand mental illness, you have to start by asking the question: What is mental health? Unlike other diseases of the body like cancer, diabetes, or hypertension, all of which can be measured and analyzed by looking at tissue or blood cells, mental illness is a disease of the brain that usually cannot be measured or analyzed by looking at tissue or blood cells. Consequently, mental health is often described as the absence of mental illness.

Confusing? You could say that. Even so, we've come a long way in our understanding of diseases of the brain in the last few centuries. From the 16th century and into the 19th century, people who suffered from various forms of mental illness were referred to as insane, idiotic, histrionic, disturbed, loony, and even possessed. As if the labels weren't bad enough, the treatments ranged from drilling holes in the affected person's skull to release the evil spirits, to the ritual of bloodletting (withdrawal of blood from the brain to return balance to the bodily fluids), to the later development of "madhouses" where people were confined under the auspices of safety, both for the individual and society. The early madhouses are what eventually evolved into "insane asylums."

Today, most medical professionals understand mental illness to be a physical disorder of the brain involving the various chemicals, also known as neurotransmitters that trigger the firing or inhibition of the neurons depending on the need of brain and body at the time. Mental illnesses like depression have come to be understood as resulting from a chemical imbalance in the brain. The development of the category of anti-depressant medications known as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) were ground breaking in that they successfully treat many cases of depression by making available more of the neurotransmitter known as Serotonin. This small adjustment in the chemicals of the brain, make the difference between someone suffering from depression and someone who can live a happy and fulfilling life. The other beauty of SSRIs is that the side effects are minimal compared to earlier forms of anti-depressant medications.

The difficulty of most mental illnesses is that they are much more complicated than the scenario described above. Rather than thinking of mental illness as resulting from the over abundance of or lack of a single chemical, it is better to think of the brain as a complex system involving multiple chemicals that interact with each other and vary in their function according to the location of the brain in which they are present. It was once thought that the neurotransmitter called dopamine was the primary chemical involved in cases of schizophrenia. This belief arose because patients who are being treated for Parkinson's disease (a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system resulting from the death of dopamine-generating cells) develop schizophrenic-like symptoms (specifically hallucinations) if the dosage for dopamine replacement medication is too high. More recent research shows that the neurotransmitters known as GABA and glutamate are involved in the cause of schizophrenia.

So far, mental illness has been described solely from the perspective of certain physical conditions of the brain. But to understand mental illness completely, we have to address the psychological and environmental factors. By their very nature, they are much more vague and hard to pin point than the biological chemical imbalances. Some of the known psychological and/or environmental causes of mental illness include severe emotional trauma experienced in childhood (E.g., physical or sexual abuse), exposure to violence or other traumatic events in childhood or adulthood leading to post-traumatic stress disorder, early loss of a parent, death or divorce, or being raised in a household where there is alcohol or drug abuse. This list is endless and the effects vary by individual.

Perhaps the most harmful misunderstand of mental illness occurs when it is reduced to the myth that it is simply a case of emotional weakness. Such belief systems are not uncommon. They are rooted in the misguided understanding of mental illness that led to the cultural taboos discussed above as well as the subsequent mistreatment of patients in the prolific insane asylums of the early 19th century. Because this thought is still more common than most of us would like to believe, it might seem as though we've made little progress as a society-at-large in the understanding of mental illness. In reality, we've made huge progress in the understanding and treatment of mental illness, which has resulted in large numbers of individuals leading happy and mentally healthy lives.

The month of May was designated Mental Health Awareness month in 1949. We can only hope that our understanding of mental health continues to progress until the cultural myths around mental illness are eradicated.

Why I Believe My Panic Attack Is Real

I'm having a panic attack so it must be real - or is it?

Let me start by saying I sympathise with chronic panic attack sufferers and I do not wish to offend you in any way. I have suffered to some degree myself, albeit for only a small period of time in my life.

When you are having an attack, nobody else or what they say matters because it is you who is experiencing it and you are convinced of the worst - right?

Here are some of the more common mis-beliefs associated with this condition.

"I'm going to die from suffocation"

You may well feel like you are suffocating, but you will more than likely be breathing fast during your attack, so the reality is you are taking in plenty of air. Myth busted!

"I'm having a heart attack"

If you are really worried about this, then of course see your doctor. Often the symptoms associated with a heart attack are very similar to those experienced by a panic attack. It is only by learning to recognise the difference you can take control.

"I'm having a stroke"

When your body is making you feel totally out of control and you are experiencing symptoms that are unnatural to you, then you may well believe you are having a stroke. It is more a case of report your symptoms to a doctor and let him/her reassure you that you are fine.

"I'm going mad"

Think about this one rationally for a minute or so. If you were truly going mad, you wouldn't really care anyway - would you? I don't mean any harm by that, but I imagine if you were losing your mind it would be a gradual slide towards insanity and caring less anyway.

"I think I am going to pass out"

If you are in the fight or flight mode, then fainting or passing out does not seem an option, and if you are wrong so what? Passing out would put an instant end to the panic attack because you would not be in control anymore anyway.

Often you will be hyperventilating during a panic attack so you will very likely feel very dizzy. It's this dizziness that your brain will use to convince you that you are going to pass out or faint

"I've lost control"

You think you have lost control because the sub-conscious part of your mind has taken over your though control temporarily and you feel detached from what's happening. Therefore you fee out of control

"I'm going to be so embarrassed by this"

Nobody likes to look daft or stupid, especially when we believe that it's of our own making. Naturally we tell ourselves that we are going to be humiliated and cause embarrassment to our self and others around.

When you look back after a panic attack, was it so bad? Did you do what you had convinced yourself you would - probably not?

In reality the worst part of a panic attack will be over in a few short moments. The associated feeling with an attack may last longer as you try to analyse it.

Having a good book or guide with you can be a tremendous help in a panic attack situation. You could dive into it if you feel an attack bubbling away and even after one to help you focus again on what is true. In all things associated with the symptoms of this piece, if you are unsure about your health, seek medical advice always.

Health and Fitness: Mental Health Article Category

A mental illness test is a test designed to help one determine whether they are mentally healthy. It can also be prescribed for a person who is suspected to be mentally unstable. A person who is mentally healthy is able to make good judgments, is able to reason normally with people and has his emotions under control. A persons' mental health status is put under question when his behavior becomes erratic and questionable, his moods change erratically and is unable to recover from psychological problems that he may be facing in his personal life.

Unlike other tests, mental illness tests are very unique. How unique are they? Other health tests involve taking specimens or samples of body fluids such as sputum, feces, urine, e.t.c in order to have them examined for any disease. With this test, the other personality attributes of a person are put to test. Attributes like behavior, the attitude of a person, the way one dresses, emotions, his moods, cognition abilities of the individual and finally how he thinks. All these are used to determine whether one is mentally stable or not. These tests are done by a qualified physician. The persons' history also is used to determine mental status.

However, there are many tests that are not conducted online without one actually visiting the doctor physically. Normally, one visits a physician to have the mental status determined by being asked questions and depending on the answers given, the physician is able to determine whether the person is healthy or not. Nowadays one can evaluate himself or herself if they are mentally unstable. This has been made possible by existence of online mental illness tests that are conducted online and answers questions by filling in a questionnaire-kind form. Then depending on the answers he is given a result as to his mental status. Most of these tests are not paid for and so I encourage one to try this online testing. The advantage of this method is the privacy accorded by the test. An example of an online test I would recommend to one is the Bricklin perceptual scales. This is a very popular test and can be relied upon to give a fairly accurate result as to ones' mental health.

The online mental illness tests are however not complete by themselves. After being given the results or after the results are generated, one is to visit a physician who will accurately interpret the results and give a conclusive answer to the person. The person may as well be required to undergo more tests to determine the health status. Taking a walk to a physician is a rather involving affair. It entails being ready to talk and be as open as possible to the doctor. Answer all the questions that the doctor may have regarding your behavior and activities. It a rather uneasy test to undertake because of the dread of one being shunned by the community for being mentally unstable. It is still important to have the test done.

People are not aware of the importance of taking care of themselves mental-wise. People mostly take care of the physical part only neglecting the mental health and it starts to deteriorate slowly until it goes out of control. So I would recommend one to take a mental readiness test to be self-aware of their mental status.

Living With Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by extreme swings in mood, energy level, and cognitive ability. These dramatic swings are much more serious than the usual ups and downs everyone experiences. A person who is bipolar can go from manically happy and energized to so depressed they can't even move. These swings can be quick or very long-lasting.

The Damage Done by Bipolar Disorder

During manic periods, you may have lots of ideas and energy. Some people who suffer from this don't eat or sleep during their manic episodes. They may be overly aggressive, irritable and/or impulsive. This impulsiveness can lead to risky behavior and bad decision making.

When in a depressive episode, a person with bipolar disorder feels worthless and lethargic. It's not uncommon for people to contemplate suicide. It's easier to recognize that a person has bipolar disorder by these depressive episodes, which may last for days or even weeks.

In severe cases, the swings may be so bad that the person can't function at all. They may lose their job, drop out of school, have family problems, or have trouble with social relationships. Many people with bipolar disorder attempt suicide.

These cycles can be extremely rapid or they can last as long as a couple of weeks. Some people with severe bipolar disorder are never in a state of balance between the two extremes.

What Causes This Issue?

Most people develop bipolar disorder symptoms in their teens or early adult years. More than half do so before the age of 25. There are a number of risk factors that make developing the disorder more likely. It contains a genetic component. If you have a close relative who suffers from the condition, it's more likely that you will too.

This is caused by changes in brain chemistry. Certain physical problems that affect regular functioning of the brain can cause it. Trauma or damage to the brain can as well. Sometimes, it's triggered by extreme stress, traumatic life events, or major life changes.

Is Bipolar Disorder Treatable?

Yes, it is completely treatable. Many people who suffer from it seek treatment and are able to live happy, productive lives. There is no cure but like any other mental illness, it can be successfully managed through the many treatment options available.

Treatments include:

  • Medications to treat symptoms and keep an emotional balance
  • Techniques for recognizing triggers that cause manic and depressive episodes
  • Individual and group therapy
  • Lifestyle changes that can help such as dietary changes, exercising and learning to cope more effectively with stress.

Treatment is overwhelmingly effective but there's one barrier that keeps people from getting the help they need. This barrier is their failure to recognize the warning signs. When bipolar episodes goes undiagnosed, this is when the real damage occurs. If you think you may suffer from bipolar disorder, talk to a doctor immediately.

Health and Fitness: Mental Health Article Category

Of every 100 people in the country, approximately three of them will have bipolar disorder. What is the cause of this disorder and can it be prevented?

Scientists have concluded that, without a doubt, there is a major genetic component that determines the odds of someone developing bipolar disorder. In studies involving twins, if one twin has it, the other has over 50% chance of having it as well. If a parent has it, there is a fifteen percent chance that the child will have it.

Prior to the Human Genome Project (HGP) being completed, the link between bipolar disorder and genetics was derived from observation of patients and their family. However, since then, the HGP has identified over twenty thousand genes in the human DNA. And researchers have identified at least four specific genes that contribute to bipolar illness.

Since, these genes can occur in various combinations, we are in the early stages of determining exactly how each gene contributes to the disease. But, the process of, at least, identifying them has given researchers an important jump start on figuring out their contribution.

But, aside from heredity, researchers are also learning that external factors can play a big part in how of if the person exhibits bipolar symptoms. For example, the dopamine centers in our brain determine our susceptibility to mania. This is important because dopamine is the major brain chemical associated with bipolar disease.

Well, one of the four genes related to the disease is the GRK-3 gene. As it turns out, the GRK-3 gene is extremely susceptible and sensitive to dopamine in the bloodstream. Therefore, when the person eats or drinks something that can stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain, the dopamine will likely cause that person to exhibit manic symptoms of the illness. What types of foods and substances can have this effect? Things such as amphetamines, cocaine, meth, and other psycho stimulants.

At this stage in our collective knowledge, researchers have not come up with a cure for bipolar disorder. There is also no drug that will prevent someone from developing the illness. However, it is worth mentioning that just because you have one or more of the genes for bipolar disorder, does not mean that you will develop the disease. In most cases, there has to be some sort of external factor that actually turns the gene on. In addition, exciting research in gene therapy has many scientists convinced that designer drugs targeted towards these genes will eventually be able to prevent the disease from developing in those who are at risk.

Health and Fitness: Mental Health Article Category

The feeling of being tired is one of the most frustrating feelings that every person must overcome. All people from all ages experience tiredness. Some even experience it in an excessive state which is also known as fatigue or prolonged tiredness.

There are things that you can avoid to relieve fatigue and stop being tired all the time. Some of them are listed below.

i) Never have too little sleep. Unless you are Napoleon, you should never have too little sleep because this can make you feel extremely tired. The more sleep deprived you are, the more frequent you'll have fatigue attacks in the form of feeling weak and sleepy. Remember that even robots and programmed devices need sleep too. They too have to rest and recharge. It is the same with the human body.

ii) Never have too much sleep. If sleeping for relatively short time per night is not good, sleeping too much is also not good. Most people tend to oversleep on weekends because they believe that they can catch up with their lost sleep this way. This is a misconception. When you sleep too much, you are not giving your body energy. What you are doing is disrupting your natural sleep cycle and making yourself sleepier. Have you ever wondered why you still feel sleepy even after you have slept for more than 12 hours? This is because whenever you oversleep, your body restarts a sleep cycle and that cannot be interrupted.

iii) Never have too much sugar. When we talk about sugar, it does not mean table sugar. Sugar is present in almost all the food that you eat. Fruits have sugar. Vegetables have sugar. Bread has sugar. Rice has sugar. Even the salty potato chips that you eat have sugar in them! You must always consider your sugar intake because having too much sugar in the body is not good. For one, it can result to diabetes. Moreover, it can make you feel extremely tired because of sugar crash. Imagine yourself being too happy and excited because you found out that you are going to an all-expense-paid trip to your favourite destination. However, something comes up and you are unable to join. How upset would you be? This is the same with the sugar level in the body. Whenever you eat too many sweets, you sugar level rises but in a short while, it drops dramatically because of the release of insulin. As a result, you go from having too high energy to an energy crash. That is something that you certainly do not want to experience.

Therefore, the next time you feel a craving for sugar, skip your chocolate and candy bars. Go for food that has sugar but at the same time healthy for the body just like fruits. Glucose in fruits is natural and simple so the body can break them down easily.

Health and Fitness: Mental Health Article Category

During the midst of an anxiety attack, it can feel like things are going extremely fast and out of control in the blink of an eye. This is why the definition involves a sudden surge of intense physiological sensations and symptoms. If you're like most people who experience this, things feel helpless and hopeless rather frequently. I'm reminded of all the individuals I've helped that have said, "Kelly, it (anxiety attack) happened so quickly. I didn't know what to do."

What I want to teach you are three effective strategies that can give you relief when having an anxiety attack. It's worth mentioning that these strategies are meant for temporary relief and should not replace the available methods used to get at the root cause of your anxiety attacks.

The first strategy is to remember the medical truths, or realities, behind anxiety attacks. Most all of the physiological symptoms and sensations can be rationally explained by the human fight or flight response. This is the natural reaction your body goes through when a threat or danger is perceived. Fight or flight is healthy when the perceived threat is rational. However, generally there is no real threat precipitating an anxiety attack. For instance, your heart beats fast merely to generate more blood flow to major muscle groups. Also, your muscles tense in order to prepare for fight or flight.

A second strategy involves distraction. Distraction refers to mindfully refocusing your attention on something else rather than the uncomfortable sensations. To become skilled at this may take practice. Begin by becoming mindful of daily experiences such as sights, smells, tastes, and sensations. Notice what it feels like to walk down the street. Then switch your attention to the sights around you. Afterwards, take in the surrounding smells. Finally, be mindful of the way the wind or air feels on your skin. Practice this several times a day and you will find it an effective strategy to relieve an anxiety attack.

The third strategy is deep breathing. If you're like most individuals who suffer from anxiety attacks, you breathe mainly from your chest as opposed to the diaphragm (a stomach muscle). Breathing through the chest only increases anxiety, while inhaling and expanding the diaphragm decrease calm down. The diaphragm, when expanded and released, sends a message to your brain to relax. To do this, simply inhale and exhale for three seconds each. Say to yourself, "Relax", on the exhale. The inhale should expand your stomach while the exhale deflates it. Practice this for 3-5 minutes several times per day. It's worth mentioning again that this strategy can be effective for temporary relief but should not replace identifying root causes of your anxiety attacks (e.g. irrational fears, unhealthy thinking).

I wish you success in implementing these three strategies. Don't forget to check out my eBook, Free of Panic: 30 Strategies to Cure Panic Attacks.

How to Stop Being Manipulated by Your Anti-Conscience

The unconscious mind that produces our dreams works like a psychiatrist because we are crazy from birth. Therefore, the truth is that nobody can be considered responsible for their actions. Most people cannot control their mind and their behavior because they are influenced by their anti-conscience.

This discovery must put an end to prisons and courts based on laws that don't take into consideration the true human nature. Instead of condemning those who are controlled by their wild side, we have to help them fight absurdity.

Carl Jung had discovered that our human conscience is one-sided and under-developed. However, he couldn't understand the real importance of his own discovery because he didn't know how absurd the human being in fact is, since he couldn't see the anti-conscience.

The anti-conscience is a satanic conscience that generates mental illnesses within our human conscience. Since our conscience is idiotic because it is based on only one psychological function instead of judging our reality based on the four psychological functions we have at our disposal (thoughts, feelings, sensations, and intuition) our conscience frequently becomes a victim of our anti-conscience.

Therefore, you are not responsible for your actions as you may believe, and other people are not responsible for their actions the same way. You are too absurd in order to be able to completely control your behavior based on your tiny and one-sided human conscience.

You need the guidance of the divine unconscious mind in your dreams. You should learn the dream language in order to understand God's words in dreams. The dream language is based on images instead of words. It is also based on the unconscious logic.

You will learn how to control your behavior and how to be responsible for your actions after acquiring complete consciousness. You will also develop your sensitivity and learn the real meaning of goodness.

Goodness is sound mental health and wisdom. However, since you have inherited an evil anti-conscience and your conscience is deficient, you are far from real goodness. Your goodness as a human being is false because it is based on selfish criteria, but you cannot understand your own hypocrisy. You are influenced by your anti-conscience, and your human conscience is one-sided.

The divine unconscious mind helps you transform your personality and purify your spirit. The purification of your spirit is based on eliminating the responsibility for your actions while you were controlled by your anti-conscience.

You are the human being concentrated into your tiny human conscience. You are not a wild demon. You have inherited a wild conscience that gives you a second personality, but this second, primitive personality doesn't represent yourself. You love happiness. You love goodness and wisdom.

You have to differentiate yourself from your anti-conscience and fight against its absurdity, so that you may acquire sound mental health. In other words, you have to become a true human being who acts based on goodness and wisdom instead of being controlled by absurdity and evilness.

This is how you will be responsible for your actions and control your behavior. If you are controlled by your anti-conscience you are not yourself. Dream therapy is the only treatment that helps you definitively stop being manipulated by your anti-conscience and completely control your behavior.

General Anxiety Disorder: Why It Occurs and What Is the Treatment?

While the name sounds easy to understand and may even be somewhat familiar to most people, General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is often a difficult and complicated problem that can be caused by many different things. People who suffer GAD experience debilitating concern even with the most simple of things. It can prevent an individual from carrying on with their daily tasks to the point that their worry can begin to manifest physically such as shortness of breath, signs of fear, uneasiness, exhaustion, tremors, headaches and even vomiting. One of the reasons why it is a serious disorder is because of the fact that GAD can be triggered by the most simple and even mundane things. Simple decision making can trigger anxiety and panic attacks or the thought of negative outcomes can bring about extreme worrying.

A clear cause of GAD is still not yet known, but signs point to genetic makeup, meaning it is likely hereditary. However, stress and stressful situations can worsen because of added thoughts and decisions. A person who suffers from GAD will find it hard to find a job that can accommodate their condition. Most people would find it hard to work with someone who, may breakdown at every occurrence or situation he/she is faced. Unfortunately, there is little anyone can do to change their perception of anxiety and just how intense and frightful they can be if you have GAD.

If you have had or been experiencing signs of GAD for more than six months now, it is best to start seeking remedies and treatments for your condition because you do not want this condition to take over your life. However, many techniques and self-help books out there do not really eliminate GAD. All they do is help you manage the disorder. Some would recommend distracting yourself, relax and think of things that make you happy. Unfortunately, this doesn't really get rid of GAD. All it does is make the feeling go away for some time. Sooner or later, your panic attacks return and you feel that same awful feeling again of fear and helplessness.

One of the best and most successful solutions to solving GAD is through the 21-7 technique. This method is part of the Panic Away program which has shown tremendous results when it comes to stopping panic attacks and general anxiety in a matter of minutes. What makes it effective is the fact that it helps you understand your anxiety, and at the same time help you overcome it. Moreover, this program does not involve any medicine or regular visits to a therapist. It's all natural and its goal is to help you break away from the fear of having anxiety and stop the cycle of fear, panic and worrying.

General Anxiety Disorder is not a hopeless case. You should not feel like your life is over and you'll never get rid of your fears and worries. The panic away program is a fantastic solution that can eliminate your anxiety almost immediately.