Schizophrenia is a very serious psychological disorder which influences how a person feels, thinks, acts and reacts. A patient suffering from schizophrenia may experience issues recognising what is real and what is nonexistent; might be lethargic or unresponsive, and may experience issues communicating ordinary feelings in social situations.

The reason for schizophrenia is still hazy. A few theories and speculations about the reason for this disorder include genes (hereditary qualities), biology of the body (the unevenness in the brain s functioning); or persistent viral infections and immune disorders. Some of the problems faced by schizophrenics are as follows:

Delusions: People may feel that somebody is keeping an eye on him or her, or that they are somebody well known and famous.
Development and movement problems: These include behaving in a strange manner, pacing around, posturing or shaking forward and backwards for no reason.
Thought issue: Jumping from one topic to another in an unreasonable manner is also one of the symptoms or challenges of this condition. People may make up their own particular words or sounds.
Hallucinating: Seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing or feeling something that does not generally exist. The most widely recognised symptom is listening to nonexistent voices that give orders or commands to the patients.
Absence of feelings and emotions: An irregular feeling or expression may be experienced. For instance, crying at a joke when a typical reaction would be to laugh at it.
Despite these, some of the other very common problems faced by schizophrenic patients are as follows:

Social withdrawal from family and friends
Problems affecting in the ordinary exercises of life, for example, at work or school
Poor hygiene and lack of cleanliness
Mental shock
Loss of proper sentence formation
Issues deciding
Overlooking or losing things
Issues understanding ordinary sights, sounds, and sentiments.
Moving rapidly starting with one thought then onto the next.
Pacing and strolling in circles
Unreasonable written work, yet without any meaning.
A person with schizophrenia is twice as likely to end up diabetic or experience the ill effects of the chronic obstructive pneumonia disease (COPD) than the general population. Individuals with schizophrenia regularly commit the normal error of attempting to overlook the sickness thinking that it does not exist.

Schizophrenia has crushed a considerable amount of lives throughout the years. The indications of schizophrenia can be exceptionally scary and unnerving. There are different treatment techniques that one can access to improve the lives of the people who experience the ill effects of schizophrenia. Treatment of schizophrenia has, however essentially enhanced throughout the years, and there is no motivation to trust that it will not keep on doing so. In case that you or someone close to you has schizophrenia, look for treatment in light of the fact that your odds of recovery are good and your odds of change are great.

Schizophrenia - Common Problems Faced By A Person Suffering From It!

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an abnormal condition of the mind that develops when a person is exposed to certain traumatic events in life such as accidents, sexual assault or warfare.

The major symptoms of PTSD are:

Reliving the traumatic experience over and over again; this leads to severe and long-term mental distress.
Recurring dreams about the events.
Provocation of traumatic thoughts by the slightest event that causes distress to the individual.
Avoiding memories and thoughts that might remind them of the event.
Developing a negative view of themselves and the world.
Developing social or specific phobias.
Treatment

Medication and antidepressants: Medicines such as paroxetine, sertraline and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) help the individual address insomnia-related problems that occur due to PTSD and suppress nightmares.
Psychotherapy: This form of therapy is used to cure both mental health conditions (such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression) as well as emotional problems that result from PTSD. Skilled mental health experts are needed for this form of treatment to be administered. They would listen to each individual patiently and provide effective strategies to give solutions to the problems. Some of these therapies are:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: This therapy enables the individual to adapt to changes and recognize thought patterns which lead to irrational and negative behaviour and actions.
Exposure therapy: This therapy causes the affected individual to first become anxious by exposing him/her to the traumatic memories, situations and objects by simulating them. The therapy helps the person to overcome his/her fears and become comfortable in the same environment that had previously caused fear and anxiety.
Group therapy: This popular and effective form of therapy allows the individual to share his/her feelings, fears and thoughts with a group of people who have themselves experienced similar trauma in their lives. Sharing such experiences helps reduces stress levels.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - Ways It Can Be Managed!

Neurology is the branch of science and medicine dealing with the central and peripheral nervous system. The nervous system is made of the brain and spinal cord. The disorders, illness or injuries of the nervous system can become problematic for people suffering from them. One of the worst diseases of the nervous system is Parkinson s disease.

It is a progressive disorder affecting the central nervous system that leads to slowing down of movement and slurring of speech over a period of time. It is a condition where the nerve cells in the brain producing dopamine (a neurotransmitter) are affected.

Some of the early signs of Parkinson s include:

Tremor: If you have noticed a slight shaking of your hands or limbs, then Parkinson s might be the cause. The trembling can range from mild to severe as the disease progresses. The back-and-forth rubbing of your thumb and forefinger is known as pill-rolling tremor. One of the most prominent signs is your hand shaking even when it is rested.
Bradykinesia (slow movement): As the disease progresses, you may find it difficult to move your hands or legs or going from one place to another. Even making the smallest movement will require an increased effort on your part.
Rigid Muscles: The muscles in your body can become stiff causing you pain and making it difficult to perform physical activities.
Masked Face: Your face may experience spasms or become stiff periodically. It can also lead to complete paralysis on one side of the face.
Stooping or improper balance: Having Parkinson s disease can make your body posture imbalanced resulting in stooping or hunching over.
Decreased Automatic Movements: You may experience difficulty in smiling, blinking or swinging your arms while walking.
Alteration in voice or speaking: Your voice can become soft or you may slur while talking. You can also experience a monotonous voice.
Writing may become small: You can experience changes in your handwriting as it becomes small and crowded.
Loss of Smell: The smell of food sitting right in front of you may not register in your olfactory resulting in loss of appetite.
Constipation: Having Parkinson s disease can lead to patients experiencing irritable bowel syndrome.
Have Trouble Sleeping: It might be difficult to fall asleep for people suffering from Parkinson s. Also, there are sudden movements during the sleeping process.
Dizziness: People suffering from Parkinson s may faint from time to time.
These were some of the symptoms and signs by which you can tell whether a person has Parkinson s or not. However, as of now it is not curable and can only be treated with medicines. But, early detection can definitely help in preventing it from affecting the whole body.

Parkinson's Disease - Are You Aware Of These Signs?

The brain contains numerous nerve cells which help in its normal functioning. Epilepsy or seizures occur when there is a disruption in the activity of the nerve cells in the brain. A neurological disorder of the CNS (Central Nervous System), epilepsy can affect all and sundry, irrespective of their age, sex and ethnicity. However, children and aged people (above 60 years) are more susceptible to the condition. A study suggests approximately 10 million people in India suffer from epilepsy.

Types of Epilepsy
Based on the activity of the brain that causes an epileptic attack, Epilepsy can be of two types - Focal or Generalized
Focal Epilepsy: An epileptic attack triggered by unusual activities restricted to a particular area of the brain.

In some cases, focal epilepsy may result in unconsciousness. A person may also lose awareness and become unresponsive (keeps staring into space), a condition termed as Focal Dyscognitive Seizures. A person with this condition may behave strange, such as walking in circles, chewing or rubbing their hands.
In another type of focal epilepsy known as Focal seizures without loss of consciousness, a person does not lose consciousness. In such cases, there may be sudden and involuntary jerking of the arms or the legs. There may also be dizziness or a tingling sensation.
Generalized Epilepsy: Here, the seizures or epilepsy result from unusual activities throughout the brain. Generalized epilepsy, may, in turn, be of the following subtypes

Tonic seizures: This affects the muscles of the legs, arms, or the back, causing them to stiffen and tighten up.
Atonic seizures: Here, a person may suddenly fall down due to loss of muscle control. The condition is also known as Drop Seizures.
Absence seizures: Mostly affecting children, the affected person may lose awareness (temporary) and behave strangely such as staring into spacing, smacking their lips, or blinking their eyes continuously.
Clonic seizures: They are characterized by sudden and continuous jerking movements of the arms, face, and neck muscles.
Tonic-clonic seizures: Here, a person may suddenly lose consciousness. There are violent shaking and stiffening of the body. Some people may even be seen biting their tongue.
Myoclonic seizures: In this arms, and legs of a person suddenly twitches and jerks.

What triggers an Epilepsy?
Epilepsy may be an outcome of the following factors

Medical conditions such as stroke or even brain tumors may affect the normal activities of the brain, thereby resulting in epilepsy. Diseases such as Viral Encephalitis, AIDS or Meningitis act also act as a trigger, accelerating the chances of epilepsy.
Developmental disorders such as Neurofibromatosis or Autism can also trigger epilepsy.
In some cases, epilepsy may be a genetic predisposition. Thus, a person with a family history of epilepsy may suffer from the condition.
Epilepsy may also be an outcome of a prenatal brain injury due to oxygen deficiency or an infection to the mother.
People with dementia may also suffer from an epileptic attack.

Epilepsy - Know The Most Common Types!

There are many people, especially teenagers, who are affected by eating disorders. Eating is important in life, but your life is not all about eating alone. Eating disorders can affect your health and your relationships also. This is a mental illness, in fact, a serious mental illness, but it can definitely be treated. People of any age or sex can be affected by this health issue. It is important to identify it at an early stage and treat it.
Well, there is no clear answer to what the actual cause of eating disorders is. Some recent studies say that it is a range of psychological and biological factors that result in an eating disorder.

Let s have a look at five interesting facts about eating disorder
FACT #1 Affected people look healthy:
People with eating disorders may look healthy and fit, but when you observe them closely, you will understand that they are extremely sick and need help. Anxiety, loneliness, depression and anger are some mental conditions which you may not be able to see unless you observe them closely.

FACT #2 Eating disorders are of three types:
Eating disorders are classified basically into three types. The first one is called Anorexia Nervosa, which is the fear of becoming fat. The second one is Bulimia Nervosa. This refers to the habit of binge eating followed by self-induced vomit. The last one is the Binge Eating disorder where people eat uncontrollably in just one sitting.

FACT #3 It is a not women disorder:
Eating disorders are seen mostly in women, but this is not a problem faced by just women. Both men and women may be affected by eating disorders. It is common for men and women to feel some kind of pressure when they see unwanted changes in their body shape and size. That can cause eating disorders.

FACT #4 It disturbs the normal life:
The impact of eating disorders can be seen in all aspects of your life like problems in your relationship, problems with your family and friends, your colleagues, your education, your workplace and such similar aspects. Your thoughts and emotions regarding your food and weight issues are going to be constant in case you suffer from eating disorders.

FACT #5 It can be life threatening:
Eating disorders can lead to suicide. Every year, there are a lot of deaths reported due to eating disorders. Out of so many different kinds of eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa is the most life threatening. The death rate due to this kind of eating disorder is 12 times higher than the other kinds. People between the age group 15 to 24 attempt suicide.

Eating disorders can be treated and you need to talk to a specialist if you really want to get out of it. Your one step can save your life.

Eating Disorder - 5 Facts About It!

Aging comes with many health problems including mild hearing loss. Usually, this mild hearing loss does not come alone. According to medical studies, adults, particularly males with hearing loss, mild or severe, are at a higher risk of developing Dementia and Alzheimer s disease. The risk increases as the hearing loss worsen. People with mild hearing loss are at twice the risk of developing dementia compared to people with normal hearing.

Dementia is a group of symptoms and diseases that affects the thinking, memory and social abilities that interfere with the daily functioning of an individual. However, memory loss alone does not mean that one has Dementia. Out of the many causes, Alzheimer s disease is usually the cause of Dementia. Alzheimer s disease is a progressive disease that affects the brain cells to degenerate and dies, destroying memory and other mental functions. 

How Hearing Loss Causes Alzheimer s?

According to medical studies, hearing loss causes several brain changes which increase the risk of developing Dementia. Hearing loss can lead to brain shrinkage, the process in which the section of the brain responsible for hearing becomes inactive. This condition leads to loss of tissues and alterations in the brain structure, developing as the first connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer s. Studies show that the brain of people shrinks more quickly who have hearing loss as compared to the brain of an individual with normal hearing. 

The second link created with an overwhelmed or overloaded brain. In hearing loss, the brain works overtime in understanding what others are saying. When the brain strains too much only for hearing every time and every day, it exhausts an individual s mental energy and snatches the brainpower required for other important mental functions, such as thinking, remembering and acting. This can further lead to Dementia, Alzheimer s and other mental disorders. 

Hearing Aids to prevent Dementia and Alzheimer s

According to various studies, hearing aids are not only helpful in improving one s hearing but they can also preserve an individual s mental and emotional health. Early diagnosis and treatment of a possible hearing loss help reduce risks later in life.

At times, the symptoms of undiagnosed hearing loss are mistaken with the symptoms of Alzheimer s. Hearing impairment makes it challenging for an individual to listen and respond to verbal signs. It increases the feeling of confusion, paranoia, and isolation. 

Hearing aids can relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer s. According to a study hearing aids slow down the rate of memory loss and improve an individual s quality of life.

Takeaway

Adults, especially males with hearing loss have a greater tendency of developing Dementia and Alzheimer s. Hearing loss causes brain to overwork leading to the loss of important mental functions. Hearing impairment can worsen the symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer s. 

Hearing aids do help in improving the condition and symptoms of Alzheimer s and improve one s quality of life. A timely diagnosis can make a big difference.

Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease In Elderly - Could Hearing Loss A Reason?

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