Dr. Nikhila Mehta

How to Take Care of Your Emotional Health?

It is often said that a human being is a social animal. While this is true, does this mean that all degrees of social attachment are completely fine? Honestly, no. In fact, attachment displayed by children, to a very great extent, can have an unhealthy impact on the child’s psychology.

Children are sometimes affected by attachment disorders. This results in the child not being able to manage emotions to a sufficient degree. In addition to this, a child may suffer from a lack of self-worth due to not being able to connect on an emotional level with another person. Can you imagine how damaging this could be for a child who is so vulnerable while growing up?

When a child has a negative experience in his or her relationship with a parent, especially early on, an attachment disorder can develop. All children need varying degrees of a feeling of security to develop in initially and this is gone when they feel helpless and uncared for; not good indeed, to say the least!

What are some specific things, which can lead to the development of attachment disorders? One of the prime examples would be the needs of the baby being met some times but not all of the time. What this leads to is a baby not really knowing what is to be expected. Another thing which has the potential to be a trigger for an attachment disorder is the baby being neglected in the way that no person interacts with him or her and as a result of this, the baby seems to have no option at all, but to feel lonely.

So, what can be done in order to be able to deal with this situation? To start off, it can be said that the person himself or herself needs to put in a lot of effort. Patience truly is key as it helps in the improvement process and a parent needs to stay calm at every step.

When it comes to interactions with the child, listening, talking and playing while eliminating distractions, allows the child the opportunity to open up. Also, helping a child identify the emotions that are felt helps a lot.
Bonding with the child and physical care by the way of holding and hugging provides a sense of care and security to the child. Adequate sleep and a sufficient diet for the child are very important, as is exercise. The diet should ideally be low on sugar and must consist of good fats, like those from olive oil and fish. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.

Behavior of a child should always be closely monitored during his/her early development. Sometimes signs of several personality disorders tend to show up early in life. Proper monitoring of the child's behavior helps to identify the signs and properly diagnose the condition if the child is suffering from any potential personality disorder. 

Here are a few facts you should keep in mind:

1. You might often find it difficult to differentiate between the normal and abnormal behavior of your child. You might consult the pediatrician in this case to compare the child's general behavioral patterns with that of other children in the same age group.
2. It is very important to understand your child's development process. It helps you to interpret his/her behavior and to identify signs of personality disorder.
3. There are a few common behavior patterns, which tend to act as a guide to understanding the behavior of your child. Some of these patterns should be encouraged as they lead to proper behavioral development of your child while patterns of negative behavior should be discouraged. 
4. You should also consult a doctor if your child shows negative behavior persistently even after disciplining measures.
5. Being polite, doing chores on a regular basis, following instructions should be encouraged and rewarded as it helps in the proper personality development of your child.
6. Behavioral patterns like an inclination towards defensive, regressive and aggressive behavior should not be encouraged but can be tolerated in certain situations like illness or in times of stress.
7. Behavioral patterns like an increased inclination to violence or an excessive competitive attitude towards their siblings should never be allowed. 
8. Prejudice or racism, stealing or inclination towards substance abuse, angry outbursts point towards problems in the child's mental, physical or social well-being. You are also advised to take your child to a psychological expert to find out whether he/she is suffering from any sort of behavioral disorder. 
9. Your behavior also plays a major role in development of your child and his/her behavioral patterns. It is often seen that if a child is subjected to excessive physical, mental or emotional abuse or is engaged in too many curricular and extracurricular activities, he/she is likely to develop several behavioral disorders over time.

Manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder in recent days, is a major mood disorder characterized by hypomanic or manic episodes (deviation from one's usual mood along with abnormally high energy levels). Mania involves sleeplessness, along with psychosis, hallucinations, rage, grandiose delusions or paranoia. Mania or hypomania isn’t usually harmful to the patient and they might exhibit increased capacity for work and creativity. Depressive episodes however, can be debilitating and often life threatening as the person becomes self-destructive and suicidal in many instances. 

The extent of mood swings can vary from extreme to very mild. They can occur progressively or suddenly and might last for few days to weeks. Patients affected by bipolar disorder may experience disturbances in thinking apart from depressive or manic episodes. Distortions of perception and impaired social functioning are also not uncommon. The cause of bipolar disorder is not fully understood like most mental health conditions and is often thought to be hereditary.

The extent of the seriousness of the bipolar symptoms varies from person to person. In some people, the disorder is not full blown and they don’t exhibit all the symptoms. Others who aren’t that lucky might have to be hospitalized multiple times in their lives as the symptoms creep into their work and personal life and make living a normal life a tough challenge. 

Psychotic symptoms such as disorganized thinking, hallucinations and delusions might make a person do things that demand the urgency of hospitalization to keep them safe from their suicidal impulses. These symptoms might need to be urgently addressed by a psychiatrist and with the help of medications, the person might be able to regain control of their lives.

The symptoms of bipolar disorder are many and can be mainly categorized into two (sometimes overlapping) categories of mania or hypomania and depression:

Manic symptoms include: 

1. Grandiose delusions (delusion of grandeur) 
2. Racing thoughts which are often disconnected
3. Sense of euphoria or false elation
4. Irritability without cause
5. Hampered social functioning
6. Increased sexual inclination and risky sexual behavior
7. Hyperactivity
8. Increase in talking volume or speed
9. Impaired judgment
10. Reduced sleep requirements owing to extra energy levels
11. Increased productivity and creativity

Depressive symptoms include:

1. Abnormal eating patterns like over or under-eating to the extent of severe medical complications accompanied by drastic changes in weight
2. Difficulty in concentration, making decisions and remembering
3. Lack of energy or fatigue 
4. Contemplating about death for prolonged periods of time and suicidal behavior
5. Oversleeping, insomnia or early awakening
6. Persistent pessimism 
7. Irritability and restlessness
8. Feeling of hopeless and negative attitude

Mood stabilizers, such as lithium are commonly employed to treat bipolar disorder. Anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines and anti psychotics can also be used in the treatment. Along with medications, support from family and friends is of the utmost importance as they need to help provide all the support required in making the person functional and healthy. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.