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Diagnosing Mood Disorders

January 13th, 2012 No comments
Each year approximately 5 million people suffer the consequences of Bi-polar disorder. It is a serious illness and perhaps since you are reading this you might be wondering if it affects you. Although everyone experiences ups and downs in their life, if you are suffering from bi-polar disorder your ups and downs will be extreme. These extreme ups and downs are referred to as cycles of mania and depression. These cycles could significantly damage your finances, interpersonal relations and career. Although diagnosis of a mood disorder is best done under the care of a physiatrist, there are common symptoms or signs that could tell you that you might have a mood disorder.

The symptoms vary from person to person which makes bi-polar disorder difficult to diagnose. However, there are common signs to watch for in your behavior if you suspect that you have bi-polar disorder. The important thing to remember you may not notice the behaviors as they occur, you will feel as if, no matter how bizarre or damaging the behavior that you are normal. Often only during the normal phases that occur between the manic and depressive cycles will you be able to notice or see that you behaved abnormally. The consequences of your behaviors may be the tip off. Therefore, if you feel you are suffering from bi-polar disorder seek help immediately.

mood disorder

When trying to decide if you suffer from bi-polar disorder look for the following signs:

* Abnormal or excessive euphoria or energy – If you suffer from bipolar you will have periods of excessive euphoria or elation. This elation could be at odds with the real status of your life. In addition, this overly optimistic mood may be accompanied by a break from reality. This makes self-diagnosis extremely difficult. As a result of this extreme optimism, inter-personal relationships may suffer, especially at work.

* Racing thoughts and/or racing speech – During periods of mania, you may experience flights of ideas, or racing thoughts. Your mind will dart from idea to idea with no connection. These flights of ideas often lead to pressured or racing speech. You will become loud, people will have difficulty understanding you, your speech will often be disconnected and one thought unrelated to the other. During these periods, you might not recognize your own symptoms or have difficulty accepting them. This is why an impartial friend or physician is necessary to make an correct diagnosis.

*Grandiose Thinking – When mania sets in an exaggerated sense of your own self-worth is common. You may believe that you are more important than you are; you have more power or knowledge. This grandiose thinking and behavior often leads to problems at work, with friends and family and could potentially cause significant legal problems. Grandiose thinking is dangerous to you, and unfortunately, during this phase you may not recognize that your behaviors are abnormal.

*Sleep Problems – Depending on whether you are experiencing mania or depression, your sleep problems differ. For example, during depression you may sleep longer and still feel tired and have little energy. Although during mania you might sleep very little, it is not uncommon to go days without sleep, and still feel as if you have unlimited amounts of energy.

*Depression – As the term manic/depression describes phases of both depression and mania is necessary to be diagnosed with manic/depression or bi-polar disorder. A manic depression is similar to normal depression with symptoms of lack of energy, loss of appetite, sleep and focus problems. However, a manic-depressive distinguishes itself by irritability and of course the alternative phase of mania.

Although knowing the signs of bi-polar disorder could be helpful in diagnosing the illness, often during the mania phase of the illness, you will be unwilling or unable to recognize your own symptoms. Should you feel you have bi-polar illness seek medical attention immediately before the symptoms and behaviors of the illness damage your life, family and career.

Treatment for Anxiety Disorder in Children

October 13th, 2011 No comments

Children anxiety is very usual. Anxiety is a natural body process that can heighten performance. For instance, encountering anxiety prior to a math quiz or a huge race will lead to victory more frequently if anxiety was not encountered. Nevertheless, if a child is mostly anxious, frightens easily or border too much concerning his day to day life activities, this can be a predicament. The use of family intercession with cognitive behavioral therapy has lead to victory in fixing childhood anxiety, based on facts gotten from Dr. Wendy Silverman in the September 2003 publication of psychiatric times.

Childhood anxiety

Every person encounters anxiety. It is an essential section of the “fight or flight” reaction we encounter when jeopardized or scared. When anxiety operates, it shields us and boosts our function. A lot of children suffer from anxiety and are scared of one or two stuffs. When it doesn’t hinder their day to day lives, it is taken to be normal.

anxiety disorder in childrenGeneralized Anxiety Disorder
If the anxiety of a child is generalized and the kid appears to be on intense alert majority of the time, bordering too much concerning everyday activities, then it is not normal childhood anxiety. When a youngster is bordered and anxious at most periods than not for over six months, this is an indication of general anxiety disorder. The anxiety and fret are also experienced with at least 3 of these proceeding signs: uneasiness or feeling intense, being exhausted easily, trouble focusing, fretfulness, muscle tenseness and sleep disruption.

Natural Treatment for generalized anxiety disorder
It involves cognitive behavioral therapy, preferable with family intercession. Cognitive behavioral therapy starts with tutoring. Children discover the way to know bodily indications that anxiety is about to happen. For instance, discerning “butterfly in the belly” or perspiring or sensing their heart pumping fast. Secondly, youngsters should learn to make out the thinking they are expiring, and the dealings they adopt when nervous. For instance, they may keep away from some events, and they may get thinking like “someone will make ridicule of me”. As soon as the child is mindful of their anxiety, the next measure in the tutoring stage is teaching them relaxation exercises and seeing that the objective is to confront, instead of keeping away from those fright. At this stage, the healer also attempts to get enough facts about the fright and anxiousness of the child as he can.
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Youngsters are instructed the way to use the STOP strategy when they confront a state that leads to anxiety. STOP represents scared, thoughts, other and praise. A child begins from the “lowest level” of their anxiety order, in a state that is the lower anxiety-generating, and performs STOP. For instance, they go to a social gathering. They feel, “I am afraid”. Then they says to themselves: “my thinking is that someone will make fun of me. “Other” consists of the development of other techniques for victory, like attempting to speak to one individual. “Praise” is then saying to himself he is okay for having performed the anxiety-generating act.

If real world vulnerability is not suitable, the child can perform imagination acts with the healer. This would involve conceiving himself at the shivery or anxiety-generating occasion, and passing through the STOP stage. It can also be good as a behavior therapy exercise.

Apart from going on with “other thinking” or “other stuffs to perform,” section of the “O” can consist of thinking through the likelihood of the fright actually occurring. Didactics about how frequent terrorist onslaught actually happen, for instance, can assist the child to form a naturalistic thought of how possible it is that this fright will really come to end. In the same way, it can be useful to make out action strategies, responding this question, “what if it did take place?”
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If parent are concerned, they are instructed about contingency management, the essentials of consistency and the utilization of incentives. This therapy can also be used for separation anxiety, so it covers general anxiety.

The Panic Away Review

August 12th, 2011 No comments

In today’s busy life, at one point or the other all of us do become the victims of panic and anxiety. It is not easy to manage everything, every time and at every place. Any kind of problem, small or big, can send us in that vicious circle where it becomes very difficult to come out. If there is no end to the list of issues that one can face in day to day life then the fact that there is no simple escape is also very true. Especially in today’s economy where everyone is trying to find a job or secure the current position, stress and panic is all around us. Many of us do turn to doctors for consultancy to help us out. This not only becomes an expensive process but also does not give any permanent cure to the problem. The scariest part of this process is getting hooked to the prescribed medication which can later prove very harmful. What one needs is to face and fight panic and anxiety and not find an escape route and to better prepare yourself.

Natural methods are always better than any of the modern medicinal routes. The website Panic Away is a firm believer of natural products and so has brought about a collection of great methods to help you deal with panic. This website is not like other websites where one ends up investing a lot of money with no end results. Panic Away provides all the needed information to the readers to give them a better idea of the entire process. This website introduces you to proven and effective ways of dealing with your panic related problems permanently. This website has been online for more than seven years now and it has not received even one complaint from its customers.

This website aims at providing long term solutions and the best part is that all the techniques mentioned here are not only simple but also completely natural and the all the exercises are also healthy for human body. The exercises discussed here are also completely healthy. Once you accept these natural methods in your life, you don’t have to worry about any kinds of side effects. This website also has many testimonials posted by the earlier satisfied customers who have nothing but praise for this website. So, do check out the website today and you will never have to worry about panic attacks again because you will always know what to do. Its time you bid goodbye to Panic with Panic Away.

Information on Bipolar for Caregivers

June 22nd, 2011 No comments

Bipolar disorder (previously called manic depression) affects not only the life of the bipolar sufferer, but also the life of their close family and friends. These bipolar carers or caregivers can be a vital source of support to sufferers. However, bipolar carers may be faced with the person’s extreme bipolar symptoms and their consequences without much information on bipolar or how to cope. Many bipolar carers report feeling very stressed. The risk of depression and other health problems is high amongst these carers. If the person is not very ill, things may be easier.

Other factors can also help:

Information on bipolar
Research shows that many carers want information on bipolar, mania, bipolar depression, bipolar treatment, ways to help and to deal with bipolar symptoms, bipolar crises and the impact of bipolar on their loved ones and themselves.

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Support
Family and friends cope better with a loved one’s illness when they have support from health services, peers, family, friends or a counselor.

Acceptance
A diagnosis of bipolar in the family or a close friend can be hard to accept. Some degree of acceptance is necessary to work out how best to deal with bipolar and adjust to the changes it can bring.

Hope
Many carers worry about the person and the future. However, as they and their loved ones find ways to deal with bipolar and adjust to the changes they find new hope.

Boundaries
The person and the carer benefit from maintaining some independent interests and identity. Even a little time out or respite can help carers to feel refreshed and maintain perspective.

Mastery
Knowing ways to deal with their caregiving situation can make close family and friends feel less helpless. This does not mean curing or controlling the person’s bipolar. Rather, a sense of mastery occurs when carers have a healthy appreciation of their limits but find helpful ways to tackle problems, make changes (even small changes) or make the most of things that cannot change.

Finding out what works to deal with the bipolar disorder of a loved one can be a trial and error process. The first step is get reliable information on bipolar to educate yourself and to better understand the disease, and the available treatments.

Working together with the bipolar sufferer will involve different levels of support at different times. There are many resources which can support you in your own health and that of the bipolar person.

Research Reports That Bright Light Therapy Can Be Very Effective for Depression in Older Adults

April 27th, 2011 No comments

Bright light therapy is usually recommended as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder SAD. However, there is promising evidence that this therapy may be effective for non seasonal disorder as well. This therapy has not been used by people with depression due to a lack of clinical trials. The results of this new study may now make bright light therapy a viable option for people suffering from major depression.

Dr. Ritsaert Lieverse and his team treated 89 persons over 60 years old. Who had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder. Every morning, for a period of 3 weeks half of the group was exposed for one hour to an artificial bright light using a special lamp covered with a blue filter. The control group was given an additional hour of light but the lamp was covered with a dim red filter. The results were quite significant. The treatment resulted in a dramatic reduction in the depressive mood of those who had receive the bright light therapy.

The patients who received bright light therapy experienced a lifting of their mood. They felt more positive and got out of bed much earlier than those who received the placebo. The treated group also showed an increased in the sleep promoting hormone melatonin and a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Improvements in depression were measured using the standard Hamilton Scale of Depression.

The treated group continued to improve in the weeks following the study. Three weeks after the treatment 54 percent of them reported that their depression had continue to improve compared to 33 percent of the control group. Some scientists believe that bright light has a profound effect on serotonin, the hormone that makes us feel good. A decrease in this hormone is implicated in some forms of depression. In addition bright light seem to affect the part of the brain that is targeted by antidepressant drugs.

This was the very first study of its kind. Dr. Lieverse believes that light therapy could be an adjunct therapy for those who are resistive to drugs. However, he warns that major depression is a serious disorder and people should not try to self treat. In addition, light therapy may not be appropriate for everyone especially for people with eye conditions. Light therapy for depression should not be undertaken without the guidance of a psychiatrist. The hope for this study is that further research will compare light therapy with antidepressants. And if it is proven effective then bright light therapy could become a reasonable and less expensive alternative to drugs.

Anxiety and Panic Self Help

March 10th, 2011 No comments

Anxiety is natural, Panic is natural, we are programmed and have evolved to enhance these early warning features in order to survive. When these mechanisms blow a fuse however it can be very painful and distressing to those who cannot cope with the backlash.

Our bodies have many ways of responding to threats and danger, and anxiety is one of them. Panic or anxiety attacks are often results of a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through the bloodstream when we feel threatened. Adrenaline is a part of the body’s own self defence system and kicks in as a coping mechanism for danger.

Years ago, early man would have used this either to run and escape any threats or to stand and fight to survive. This response can be activated whether we perceive we are in danger or we actually are in danger. The system is so efficient in fact, that it can often kick in when it is not needed at all – when the danger is in our minds and there is no actual threat of harm. Just by thinking we may be in danger this is enough to send the adrenaline rushing!

Those who suffer more regularly with Anxiety of Panic attacks will tend to be constantly on edge and alert to the possibility of danger or a fearful situation. The irony is that these super alert and vigilant worriers are making it more likely that the ‘fight or flight’ defences are activated, which in turn could result in an attack. These sufferers will often be thinking they are in immediate danger, that the worst possible outcome is about to unfold and that when it does, they won’t be able to cope with it. The Physical symptoms of an anxiety of panic attack, as the adrenaline increases and the attack takes hold will leave many experiencing some or all of the following symptoms

Heart Racing:

The heart starts to pump faster and go into overtime in order to feed the defence mechanisms. It pushes the blood to the areas of the body most needed for preservation. The Legs so we can run faster and the arms so we can strike out to protect ourselves. It is also rushes to the lungs to increase stamina and keep oxygen flowing to the brain. The downside to this superhuman transformation however? The blood needs to come from somewhere and it takes this from other parts of the body which are not needed, like the toes, fingers and skin for example. The effects of this evacuation of blood from our extremities can cause the common symptoms of coldness, tingling and numbness often associated with anxiety attacks.

Faster Breathing:

Breathing will increase and you may start to take shorter breathes and more often to help the bloodstream carry much needed oxygen to the lungs, arms and legs. All this to give us greater strength to deal with any danger. This however can also manifest into symptoms commonly experienced during a panic attack. Chest pain, sensations of choking and short breath. The body is pumping air so quickly that it decreases the amount of oxygen and blood being sent to the brain which in turn can make us feel light headed or dizzy, sometimes even blurring our vision.

Muscle Tension:

Muscles in the body start to tense ready for action! At the same time causing possible aching, shaking and pains.

Sweating:

The body sweats to enable itself to remain cool and stop the muscles from overheating. Years ago it would also have acted as another defensive system to allow us to slip free from the grasp of any attackers.

Dilation of pupils:

In times of threat the eyes will let in more light to improve the overall and peripheral vision to evade attack. Symptoms experienced can manifest as light spots in front of the eyes and the eyes can become over sensitive to light. Slowing of the digestive system: The digestive system is not required when in danger and so this slows right down to enable to body to concentrate its’ energies in other areas. This can result in feelings of nausea, light stomach and dryness of the mouth and throat.

Heightened alertness: The brain locks down and concentrates on the danger and threat at hand. During this period our concentration on anything else is greatly impaired. Instead the brain remains fixed and prepared to react quickly to any potential threats.

In addition to the above, having to deal with modern social mechanisms – behaviour changes are also present:

  • Avoiding people, places and situations we are uncomfortable with
  • Refusal to go out
  • Avoiding particular places at certain times; for example going to a restaurant early evening when you know less people will be present, or shopping at night when the shops are less busy.
  • Only venturing out in public if accompanied by someone else
  • Leaving parties or gatherings early to avoid interaction
  • Confronting the situation you fear, but then employing behaviours that help you deal with you fear. Things such as fidgeting, excessive smoking, avoiding eye contact, medication, self talk or planning your exit. These are more commonly known as ‘Safety Behaviours’.

These behaviours also have the habit of serving to keep your anxiety going. You depend on these measures to help you cope with the anxiety you are experiencing. If you are able to step away from these rituals or mechanisms the anxiety would in fact start to reduce and eventually subside.

Avoiding people or circumstance may make you feel happier in the short term, but in the long term it will not contribute to the improvement of your anxiety or panic. If you are worried that you may have a panic attack and pass out at the party, by not actually attending you are also not proving to yourself the very real possibility that this will not be the outcome. In short you carry on believing it will be a problem and so the remains along with the anxiety.

Don’t get caught up in the continuous Anxiety Cycle

Most of us will have moments of anxiety and in all honesty in small doses it can actually help us to stay alert and focused. For instance when we sit our driving test, the nervousness we experience can keep us alert and motivated, we are able to step up our game and focus on what we need to achieve. However when we are taken over by anxiety it can serves as a negative influence on our lives and relationships.

Identify the causes

Are there certain times or places where you are likely to become more anxious?

Learning to recognise a pattern is a big step to being able to tackle your anxiety and behave differently in these potentially distressing situations.

  • Particular places?
  • Specific people?
  • Everywhere, all the time?
  • Seeing certain things?
  • Hearing particular sounds?
  • Anticipating a situation you want to avoid?

 

Then….learn to take a different approach

Avoiding situations is generally not the best way to start learning to overcome them. Confronting your fears may be uncomfortable in the short term but may help you learn how to control your anxiety.

Question yourself the next time you feel anxious of have an attack

  • What is it you are reacting to?
  • What is it you think is going to happen?
  • Is this based on fact or just your opinion?
  • What’s the worst (and the best) possible outcome?
  • Do you have the right perspective on the problem?
  • How important is it really?
  • Are you overestimating the threat of danger?
  • Are you under estimating your potential to cope?
  • Do you think you can read the minds of other and what they might be thinking?
  • Do you believe you can predict the future?
  • Can you look at the problem another way?
  • What advice would you give others if they had this issue?
  • Are you putting more pressure on yourself?
  • Simply because you feel that this situation is bad, doesn’t mean that it is bad.
  • What is going to have if you respond the way you always do?
  • Is there another way of dealing with this?
  • Visualise yourself actually coping with the situation and taking it to a happy and successful conclusion

By taking these simple but specific steps and questioning yourself – you can really start making a big impact in your life and lay the foundations for the building blocks of your future freedom from anxiety and panic attacks…forever.

Understanding the 3 Main Types of Bipolar Disorder

March 9th, 2011 No comments

There are three main types of bipolar disorder. Understanding the three different types of bipolar disorder will help you be able to diagnose and spot the different types and have knowledge about each one. If you have friends or family members that suffer from some form of bipolar, having an awareness of the different types will help you understand them and create a special relationship with a person that has a mood disorder or mental illness. As a rule of thumb, you should always seek to understand people first before wanting to be understood.

types of bipolar_disorderThe first type of bipolar disorder is called bipolar one. This is the most classic form of the disorder and diagnosed in most patients. This particular type allows patients to have both episodes of mania and depression over time. Because of many overlapping symptoms, this is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. It is not the fault of the doctors, just many overlapping symptoms and other confusing aspects of mood disorders and mental illnesses.
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Being able to spot signs and symptoms of mania and depression are fairly easily if you are educated in doing so. Mania usually involves high amounts of energy and becoming extremely irritable at different times for no apparent reason. Having a lack of patience is a very common side effect of individuals experiencing a manic episode. Depression on the other hand is usually quite the opposite, allowing patients to be very down, empty inside and said most of the day. Mixed episodes are also very common where individuals can have symptoms of both depression and mania.

The second form is called bipolar two disorder. This is very similar to bipolar one, except for the manic episodes associated with this type of bipolar are referred to as hypomanic episodes. They are not as extreme in nature, often leaving patients to feel very euphoric as if nothing is wrong. They do experience full-blown depressive episodes, just like individuals that have type 1 bipolar disorder.

The third type is referred to as rapid cycling bipolar disorder. This is where individuals will have depressive and manic episodes that are very recurrent and fast pace. In order to be properly diagnosed with rapid cycling, a person must experience a minimum of four episodes of either mania or depression, or a combination of both within the 12 month period. Whenever this diagnosis is made, proper treatment must follow immediately for the safety of the patient.

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Tips in Overcoming Panic Attacks

March 7th, 2011 No comments

overcoming panic attacks

“I get frequent panic attack after my “run in” with a heart problem I had a year ago. Panic attacks for me come in waves and do not leave me for 3 – 4 days. It makes me feel very scared and depressed and I am edgy all the time. I keep feeling pain sensations in my chest, back and arm and can’t get over the feeling – which I am going to die or get a heart attack. I did go to the doctor and my heart specialist. They can’t find anything unusual in my heart…they have given me some medications for this panic disorder – Xanax – but that freaks me out and the withdrawal symptoms are awful”.

These were the words of a recent blogger regarding her experience with overcoming panic attacks.

Fortunately,there are other ways to treat – and find help in overcoming panic attacks – besides prescription medication! The girl in this blog expressed some of the symptoms that people who have numerous panic attacks – experience. What exactly is a panic attack? We all have experienced a panicky feeling at one time or another. If you ever realized that you’ve lost your car in a deserted parking lot, or your child in a store, you know how it feels. A panic attack exhibits the same feelings, but is much more intense – and happens suddenly, without warning. They can even be terrifying – and make the person feel that they are going to die. Some people think that they are having a heart attack. They can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. A person who has had more than 4 panic attacks is said to have panic disorder.

Everyone is different – and there are a variety of symptoms that people can experience:


  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Flushed skin
  • Intense or mild sweating
  • Increase in heart rate
  • Hot flashes
  • Foreboding feeling of death or similar
  • Intense shaking and trembling
  • Hyperventilation
  • Pain in chest region and ribs
  • Migraines or headaches
  • Cramping in abdominal region
  • Fainting sensation
  • Feeling of tightness in throat
  • Difficulty in swallowing
  • Strained breath
  • Overall weakness
  • Tingling sensation in the hands and fingers
  • Numbness in hands and legs
  • Feeling complete loss of control
  • Chest discomfort
  • Nausea
  • Feeling lightheaded
  • Urgency to use the bathroom
  • Muscle strain and pain
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Ears turning hot and/or lips turning cold
  • Flushing and blotching of skin
  • Loss of skin color
  • Experiencing disturbing thoughts
  • Feeling unsteady and unlike oneself
  • Paralyzing terror
  • An intense need to escape
  • Experiencing perceptual distortions
  • Experiencing the feeling that you’re not yourself or are going about in a dream like state

It is important to treat yourself preventatively if you experience these symptoms. Some of the actions that you can take to prevent a panic attack are as follows:

  1. Breathe in and out very, very slowly as part of breathing exercises. This will lend to more oxygen and will help in blocking every other thought.
  2. Try relaxation techniques or some kinds of meditation.
  3. Drink plenty of water.
  4. Cut out all products that contain caffeine. These are known to intensify the attack.
  5. Cut out on all foods that spike insulin in your body.
  6. Exercise for at least 40 minutes a day. This will help relieve stress.

 

What can you do when a panic attack occurs?

It depends of the situation, and the symptoms, but in the middle of an attack there are things that you can do in order to keep functioning:

Driving a car: Breathe deeply, pull over and relax. Continue with deep breathing exercises. If it is a scary thought, de-focus off of the thought and think on things that make you happy. Force yourself to continue doing this until you get to your destination. When you get there, think about what triggered it – and have a plan of attack in the future.

Giving a speech: Go out and meet the people in the audience if you can. Viewing the audience as friendly can help in a panic attack. Plan ahead as to what you will do if you have an attack in the middle of a sentence. In the middle of an attack, take deep breaths, and change the plan. For example, get a glass of water and excuse yourself while you drink, re-focus and breathe. You can also stop your speech temporarily and ask a question – or ask for questions. But above all, realize that you are not losing it. You are in control, and just need to re-focus and you’ll be finishing your speech successfully

Meeting new people: Take deep, calm ing breaths. Look around the crowd and find someone who looks as nervous as you do. Sit or stand with them and start a simple, mild conversation. If the conversation lags, or if you have a panic attack, go get a glass of something, re-focus your thoughts and deep-breathe. If you know someone in the crowd, go and speak to them. If not, find a friendly face, or another lonely person. Do this for short periods – and repeat this situation over and over until it becomes easier.

What other general actions can be taken to stop an attack?

Identify the Symptoms: When the episode is over, review the symptoms that you had, so that you will know how to deal with them in the future.

Embrace Attack: By embracing the attack, it means that you don’t run away in fear from it. You take charge. You’re also keeping the attack from building steam and becoming worse, you’ve taken away what it needs to feed off of. Don’t make rationalizations for the attack you’re having, take it for exactly what it is, a panic attack. Tell yourself that this attack is not a real event your mind is making this up to make you upset.

Exercise and Sleep: Start an exercise routine that will get your body moving and also distract you if you feel yourself becoming anxious. Don’t stop your routine if you anticipate an anxious situation the next day. Exercise helps your whole body to relax, and function better. Going for a jog while listening to music is a great way to get some exercise. Sleep is very important, because a lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of stress. Stress is the leading cause of anxiety attacks. Therefore, you should do everything you can to make sure you’re getting a good night’s rest.

Distraction Technique: When you feel like you’re about to have an anxiety attack find something that will take your mind off of it. If you’re in a public situation, do something different to refocus yourself off of your symptoms and the tension. Ask an open-ended question – that will get others to talk while you regain your composure. If you’re by yourself, listen to some uplifting music, take a hot shower, go for a run… it really doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as it’s a positive experience and you’re not focusing on your anxiety.

Find the Root Cause: It is vital to discover for yourself what triggered the attack. This will help you in the attack – to refocus. It will also help you to plan ahead when facing a similar situation – so that the attack is diminished, or never occurs at all.

your panic attacks

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine: Alcohol is a depressant, so anybody that has an anxiety disorder should avoid it as much as possible. It’s not a distraction or a way to cope with anxiety; it leads to worse attacks in the future. Caffeine is great for waking up in the morning but because it’s a stimulant it will increase the amount of anxiety you’re feeling. Both alcohol and caffeine can stimulate insulin and drive down the blood sugar – leading to developing nervousness, the shakes and anxiety.

Relax and Focus: It’s important to relax, focus on the things around you that you have control over, and don’t let the anxiety attack get the best of you. Your mind is very capable of training itself to deal with anxiety attacks in the future. Treat each one separately and eventually they will be a thing of the past. You can stop the attack from escalating by planning and changing the situation you are in.

Take Control: Take charge over the attack – so that it can be prevented and stopped when it occurs. Even if you have to start out small and work your way up. You have control over where you are sitting, what you had for lunch, and what assignment you’re going to do next-these are all things that the panic attack can’t regulate. The more power you give yourself the less power the panic attack will have over your life. You can overcome panic attacks!You have the power to decide what you will do when the attack occurs. You can alleviate the symptoms in the middle of an episode, with the right mind-set and actions.

The more you realize that you are in charge of your attacks, the more victorious you’ll become. With repeated success, and over time, you’ll find it easier and easier to handle the anxiety, and find themselves overcoming panic attacks when they come. Some people find that their anxiety never completely goes away. Others find that they always feel fear in certain situations, but have learned how to take control so that they don’t suffer a full-blown attack. Be patient and determined, you will win!

Confronting Bipolar Disorder In Children

March 1st, 2011 No comments

It used to be common knowledge among health professionals that bipolar disorder only occurred in adults. And bipolar disorder in children is rare – but it happens. But, now, realizing that it can occur in children as well, experts have begun to examine and diagnose more children with bipolar each year.

When this illness occurs in children, it is known as early-onset bipolar disorder. Primarily this is done to distinguish it from the more common disorder diagnosed in adults. As far as symptoms in kids, the most common ones are extreme mood shifts from giddiness to depression and back again. In hyperactive children, it can be almost impossible for a parent to tell normal child behavior from bipolar depression behavior. That’s why when such symptoms begin to express themselves, it is best to seek the help of a child behavioral expert.

If an adult has bipolar disorder, the illness can be difficult for them to handle. So you can imagine how much more difficult it is for a child with early-onset bipolar disorder to handle the illness on his own. Because of his constantly shifting mood swings, he will probably have trouble in school. And his friendship with kids will, most likely, be tenuous as they slowly began to shy away from him because of his erratic behavior. These rejections, in turn, can make him shy away from even attempting to form new relationships with kids his own age.

Another danger to kids with early-onset bipolar disorder is that when they cycle into their depressive phase, they potentially become dangerous to themselves because of the suicidal thoughts that frequently accompany depression. Depression is a serious illness and often undetected until its too late – especially in children. In children, depression often is expressed through moodiness or aggressive behavior. You may think that a child is simply being difficult or moody for insignificant events happening in his life. But, often, in his mind, these seemingly insignificant events become magnified and take on mammoth proportions. Eventually, if unchecked, the child may began to think that there is no way out except for suicide.

At what age should you begin to look for symptoms? Unfortunately, there really is no lower age limit that it is confined to. Typically, it will first begin to affect people in they late teen years. But, in recent years, health professionals have begun to diagnose more and more children under the age of ten.

Ways To Cure Panic Attack Disorder

February 10th, 2011 No comments

Panic attack disorder is a serious condition that involves extreme nervousness, racing thoughts, feelings of going crazy, dizziness, sweating, and redness. Panic attacks are scary, but they don’t have to be if you follow these 10 simple steps.

Let’s learn about how to make it so that you stop your panic attacks fast.so you can relax and get back to enjoying your life again.

If you follow the steps outlined here and practice them you will experience no more panic attacks, much happier moods, decreased sadness, lower levels of depression, and less stress.

Panic attack disorder is caused by the way we perceive the situations around us. We might think that something is truly a danger to us, when in reality there is no real threat.

What happens in our minds is we start talking very negatively to ourselves about what could happen, and we get ourselves so worked up that we literally panic. Our blood in our brain rushes from our rational mind down into our older, more primitive brain known as the limbic brain.

In order to calm ourselves down so we can get back to normal we have to follow a few simple techniques. These techniques involve practice, but once we have them down our panic attacks will forever be gone.

So, let us take a look at the top 7 ways to cure panic disorder.

1: Visualize yourself overcoming panic attacks.

This is often way overlooked by some people, but if you can see yourself being successful at stopping panic disorder, you’re much more likely to actually overcome panic attacks.

2: Use Positive Self Talk

Using this technique you simply replace your negative thoughts during a anxiety attack with calming, soothing thoughts. This one technique is incredibly powerful.

3: Put up a stop sign in your mind.

When you start feeling like a panic attack may be coming on, imagine a stop sign in your mind. Use this technique to break up those negative thoughts that will eventually lead to an anxiety attack.

4: Write down your negative thoughts in a spiral notebook.

Carry around a small spiral notebook throughout the day, and any time you start feeling bad, sad, depressed, anxious, guilty, or worried write down the thought that you were just having.

Tip: You can’t have a bad feeling without first having a bad thought.

5: Replace your negative statements with positive statements.

After you’ve written down your negative statements, write a positive replacement statement.

6: Remind yourself that anxiety attacks can’t harm you.

Panic Attack Disorder is actually just a fight or flight response that your body has evolved to do over thousands of years.

7: Face Your Fears.

Make a list of all the things or places you have been avoiding, then apply the positive self talk and visualization techniques in those situations.

Here’s what you need to go and do right now, so you can stop your panic disorder, and get your life back to normal again.

Get out a sheet of paper and write down your goal for this week. Post your goal on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your computer, and on your refridgerator. Maybe your goal is to carry around a spiral notebook and write all of your negative thoughts down when they occur. When your week is over with, write about how your week went and create a goal for the next week.