You might think, as a parent, that if you behave strictly then your child will become well-behaved. But research and studies have shown that the opposite happens. Strict parenting leads to children who behave worse than others and they suffer from low self-esteem.

Some other reasons why being strict is harmful:

Never learning self-regulation: Responsibility and self-discipline have to be learned by the children themselves. When you put harsh limits on them, they never learn self-regulation. If they think the limits don t sound too harsh, they will learn to accept them. But the limits placed on them should never be controlling. If this happens, children see themselves as being controlled and no one enjoys being controlled.
Instilling fear: If you are being authoritarian (parenting in which there are high demands and low sympathy) instead of empathetic, then your children will become scared of you. You are instilling the power of fear in them. This triggers a vicious chain of events. When you yell, they will yell as well.
Anger and depression: Authoritarian parenting often leads to children believing a part of them is unacceptable. They feel that their parents would not understand. It makes them susceptible to anger management issues and depression.
Blindly obeying those in power: Children raised up in strict households start thinking power is always right. They learn to obey blindly. This makes them vulnerable to peer pressure. They also never learn to take responsibility for their actions.
Rebelling: Children tend to be angrier and become rebellious when they have strict parents. The need to break free and not conform to the non-empathetic limits that forces them to act out. They might even nurture thoughts about leaving home and running away.
Lying: Strict parenting creates excellent liars. Children learn to lie when they are in trouble. They think lies will placate their parents and they can get away with anything.
Damage to parent-child relationship: If you are strict and you don t change your authoritarian ways, then it damages your relationship with your children. Natural empathy is lacking in strict parents. You don t understand your child, and your child doesn t feel like sharing their lives with you. It creates a divide between the parent and child. Children never quite get over this as they grow older.

Being a Strict Parent Can be Harmful for Your Kids - 7 Reasons Prove it

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition, which is usually triggered by an unfortunate event experienced or witnessed by the affected patient in the past. The symptoms of this condition are flashbacks, nightmares and extreme anxiety. The patient also thinks about the event in an uncontrolled manner.

PTSD is a serious mental health condition that can damage the affected person's personality to a great extent. Therefore, the person should be given proper treatment at the earliest. There are various treatment methods for PTSD that can help you in changing how you think about a traumatic event. The treatment options that can be used have been mentioned below:

Counselling
There are different forms of counselling for treating PTSD which include:
1. Cognitive therapy: It is a therapy where you learn how to change your thought patterns regarding the trauma and allow you to eliminate unnecessary fears.
2. Exposure therapy: It involves talking about the trauma over and over again until the fear departs.
3. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: It is a process where you are made to focus on several forms of distractions like sounds and hand movements while you think about the trauma. A good therapist is very important to bring positive changes in your life by means of counseling therapy. You require a therapist who will listen to whatever you have to say and guide you through everything to make you feel better.

SSRI medicine
SSRI or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor is a form of antidepressant medicine, which helps you with your sadness and tension. There are certain medicines that are really effective and can be prescribed by your doctor depending on the condition.

Other forms of treatment
There are several other types of medicines and procedures that can be used for treating PTSD. They include the following:
1. There are other counselling forms, which include group therapy, brief psychodynamic psychotherapy and family therapy.
2. There are other medicines as well for the treatment of PTSD. They include tricyclic antidepressants and atypical antidepressants.
3. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors like isocarboxazid can also be used for curing PTSD.
4. Certain mood stabilizers can be taken along with the medicines such as carbamazepine and lithium.
5. Several antipsychotics, which include risperidone can be used to tackle symptoms such as flashbacks and sleeplessness.
6. Another medicine known as prazosin is also used for dealing with nightmares and sleep disorders caused by PTSD. All kinds of medicines for the treatment of PTSD should be taken only after being prescribed by a doctor.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental health condition in which a patient suffers from continuous negative thoughts regarding a traumatic event which has happened in the past. This condition may give rise to other health problems, and immediate treatment is recommended.

Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Every packet of cigarette comes with the warning 'Smoking is injurious to health'. With every national budget plan, the prices of nicotine based additives are hiked. Yet, you cannot quit smoking because you find it extremely difficult to resist the nicotine urge. Ayurveda says that the root cause of addiction is mental stress due to one of the 3 Doshas that are Vata, Pitta, Kapha. People try to terminate them through temporary, addictive methods rather than a bit more natural, holistic methods. Here's how it can be easier for you to quit smoking by adopting Ayurvedic remedies.

Ayurvedic remedies:
1. Drink adequate amount of water, especially from a copper vessel. This helps to accumulate the wastes and release them.
2. Perform the Neti Kriya (inhaling saline water through one nostril and releasing it through the other and then reversing the procedure).
3. Performing the Bhastrika Pranayama twice every day, both in the morning and at night.
4. Consume 3 tablets or 1  teaspoon of triphala everyday before going to bed, to eliminate the deposited nicotine tar in your system.
5. Consumption of a measured mixture of ashwagandha, bala, shatavari and ginseng every day, or a chyawanprash containing these help in detoxification.

Changes in diet:
1. Avoid consumption of alcohol and other addictive drugs, such as coffee, sugar, etc. because they increase the urge to smoke.
2. Decrease intake of fatty foods because your metabolism rate is lower than at most other times, so you might risk gaining weight during this period.
3. Try a vegetarian diet because it increases the Sattvik quality of your mind. Every fresh food item contains prana or life which rejuvenates both your body and mind.
4. Chew anti-nicotine gums or suck on cinnamon sticks which curb your urge to smoke.
5. Keep eating low-calorie food items like carrots, apples or celery.
6. Incorporating regular exercise in your routine may help you to quit smoking more easily. It controls weight gain, which is a side-effect of quitting, and also offers you a fit and healthy lifestyle.
7. Meditating and doing yoga regularly helps in relaxing your mind. Yogic postures like Sabasan help attain internal peace and divert your mind from craving to smoke.

Besides these techniques, there are various other ways like taking help from a professional ayurvedic counselor, which will help you quit smoking, socializing with friends or spending quality time with your family, will keep your mind diverted from the stress of quitting.

Ayurveda and Smoking - Ayurvedic Medicines to Quit Smoking

Autoimmune disorders are one of the least understood disorders in the whole of medical science. Systemic Sclerosis is also an autoimmune disorder in which the skin undergoes changes in texture and characteristics. 

However, the changes are not confined to the skin alone. It can affect blood vessels, muscles, digestive system, heart, kidneys, as well as the lungs. It typically affects people in the age group of 30 to 50 years, but the good thing is that doctors can diagnose this at any age. 

It has been observed that more women fall prey to this disorder than men. The severity of symptoms may also vary from person to person. Nevertheless, the real cause of worry is the progressive nature of the disease. Due to this, it is, in fact, sometimes referred to as Progressive Systemic Sclerosis. 

Causes of Systemic Sclerosis 

It is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the skin and precipitates the problem. The attack by Immune System precipitates increased collagen production in the body, which accumulates in the skin tissue. This leads to changes in characteristics and the appearance of the skin. 

Symptoms of Systemic Sclerosis 

Systemic Sclerosis affects only the skin in the early stages. It may lead to thickening of skin and development of shiny areas around bony areas, such as nose, mouth, fingers etc. However, as the disease progresses, it may limit movement of these affected areas. So one may have a problem in opening the mouth, parting fingers etc. 

Other symptoms are: 

  Loss of hair 

  Deposit of lumps under the skin 

  Blood vessels under the skin getting dilated 

  Pain in the joints 

  Breathing difficulties 

  Dry cough 

  Constipation 

  Diarrhea 

  Swallowing difficulty 

  Reflux of food from esophagus 

  Feeling of bloating after taking meals 

In addition to the above, one may also sometimes experience spasms in the blood vessels of fingers and toes. Legs and hands may turn blue or white if a person is undergoing emotional stress or is in extreme cold. This is also known as Raynaud s phenomenon. 

Risk Factors

Though the causes of the disease are not yet known, there are some risk factors which can make a person susceptible to this disease: 

  If a person is undergoing chemotherapy with certain drugs like Bleomycin or are exposed to stuff like silica dust, organic solvents etc., one may become susceptible to this disease. 

  Women are more prone to acquiring this disease than men. 

  If a person is a Native American or an African-American then too he/she is more susceptible to this problem. 

Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis 

Systemic Sclerosis can t be cured, but its symptoms can certainly be reduced to some extent. So, treatment is specific to symptoms one is experiencing, and may include using the following: 

  corticosteroids 

  immunosuppressants 

  nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 

  blood pressure medication 

  aid to resolve breathing difficulty 

  physical therapy, light therapy etc. 

The fact that this disease really can t be fully cured makes this a pretty scare disease. Silver lining is that medication and other treatment options are able to suppress most of the symptoms.

Systemic Sclerosis - What Causes It?

Do you have someone who is passive-aggressive in your life? Perhaps your parents, your siblings, your partner or your friends? It can be difficult to handle such a person. When two people, who are having a healthy relationship with each other are angry with each other, they show anger, they say that they are upset, they discuss things and sort things out. There are so many different ways to express anger. But when it comes to a person with passive-aggressive behaviour, it is not going to be the same when they are angry. This is basically a way to express anger indirectly, as they are unable to or uncomfortable to express their feelings and anger openly.

They need help, and it is you who will be able to help them get out of this pain or anger. Here are six steps to changing someone's passive-aggressive behaviour:

When there is an argument going on between both of you or when one of you is angry, do not say something or do something negative. This will make them shut down completely and they will never open up. It may also happen that the situation gets worse. So, take some time and calm down.
Do not go for any guesswork. You are trying to help someone to get over his/her passive-aggressive behaviour. You need to know what they actually feel. So, ask them how they feel and if they have anything to say about it. This can help them open up.
Brainstorming can be one of the best steps. Yes, if you think that you often argue on some common point, then you need to come up with a solution for it first. Ask for their opinion, make a list of all the points and try to make it as detailed as possible.
Check out the pros and cons of your opinions. When you are done with brainstorming, you need to consider each opinion or decision you made in order to make sure that both of you are comfortable with it.
Choose a win-win situation. In other words, pick up those solutions which make both of you happy.
Execute your opinion or plan and evaluate if it is working for you. If plan A does not work for you, then you can still consider the other options that you left behind to draft a plan B.
Communication is very important and when you are able to communicate well, you will be able to get what you actually need. You should start to think that your feelings are valid and learn to enjoy how good it feels when others value your feelings. Open up and talk!

Passive Aggressive Nature - 6 Things You Can Do To Help!

In recent times, the advancement of medical science has substantially contributed in comprehending the Alzheimer s disease. Unfortunately, the number of individuals suffering from the disease is expected to rise in the next ten years which pose a threat to the allocation of health care resources and public health. Alzheimer s disease is thought to be a complex disease which influences a person s behavior as well as cognition through numerous mechanisms.

Can surgery be deemed as a treatment for Alzheimer s disease?
The surgery is a multicenter clinical trial which is making a new direction in clinical research. It is devised to halt or slow down the problems caused by the disease which gradually erases a lifetime of memories in elderly patients. Though there is no cure for Alzheimer s disease, it has been found that low-voltage electric charges delivered right at the brain. Only the symptomatic therapies for Alzheimer s disease are provided which do not have any effect on the evolution of the disease. The standard medical treatments for Alzheimer s disease include cholinesterase inhibitors along with a partial N-methyl D-aspartate antagonist. In most cases of mild to moderate symptoms of this disease, a combination of treatments is used according to the clinical history, age and condition of the patient.

Mental activity supporting cognition
Many patients having normal cognition or mild impairment have a fear that they may develop AD. Many experts are of the opinion that mentally challenging activities including brain teasers and crossword puzzles can be helpful in reducing the risks in such patients. Clinical trials are under the way for determining whether or not these types of activities have any substantial effect on halting the progression of AD.

Treating AD in its moderate to the severe stage
Numerous studies have shown that blockade of NMDA receptors by memantine can be used safely in combination with ChEls. This combination has been shown to delay the institutionalization in patients with Alzheimer s disease.

Treating secondary symptoms
A variety of behavioral as well as pharmacologic interventions can help in overcoming the clinical manifestations of the disease. These include anxiety, psychotic behavior, depression and agitation among others. The effectiveness of this disease can range from modest to excellent. No particular agent or dose of it can be unanimously accepted to be the sole treatment option for the wide range of clinical issues. Moreover, in the recent time, the FDA has not accepted any psychotropic agent for treating AD.

Along with these treatment options, there are behavioral interventions that can range from patient-centred approaches to caregiver training for helping manage the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of Alzheimer s disease. Last but not the least, it is very crucial to point out the significance of treatment in the early stages of AD in order to cure it better.

Alzheimer's Disease - Can Surgery Help You Treat It?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Integrative Psychiatrist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Integrative Psychiatrist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES