Dr. Navya Saluja

A lot of things can be done to cope with the initial stages of dementia. A person goes through a wide range of emotions such as fear, denial, frustration, and anger, post the diagnosis. Here is a list of tips that will help a patient with dementia to cope better:

1. Physical health: For a dementia patient, it is very important to take care of one’s health. A good diet along with regular exercise and adequate rest is a prerequisite to manage this disorder.
2. Regular check-ups: Regular medical check-ups with the doctor are necessary in this condition. Depression and other mental health problems should be discussed with a professional.
3. Quit alcohol: Alcohol might give momentary pleasure from the misery, but it has long-standing implications. It reacts with the medicine and creates additional health and memory-related complications.
4. Allocate time for difficult tasks: With time, it can become difficult to perform even the simplest of tasks. The patient should accordingly schedule the time to perform the tasks which may be difficult to carry out. Adequate breaks should be taken while performing a task to avoid getting fatigued.
5. Redefine work: If a patient is suffering from dementia is still working, it should be ensured that the work is more manageable from a desk. Planning an early retirement may be a good idea in order to cope with dementia.
6. Be organised: Keeping track of things can get difficult with time. It, therefore, makes sense to organise all belongings systematically. Putting labels on doors and drawers also help.
7. Continue pursuing your hobbies: Amidst the difficulty and the depression, it is a good idea to continue doing things that are fun. While such activities might require some assistance from the doctor and family members, this helps the patient to be cheerful and healthy.
8. Maintain notes: Since dementia is involved with forgetfulness, it makes sense to maintain a diary and keep records of phone numbers, people, appointments, etc.
9. Communication channel: Maintaining a direct communication channel with family, friends, and relatives is a good idea. Sharing feelings will go a long way in maintaining relations with loved ones.
10. Support group: Joining a dementia support group can be highly beneficial for the patient. It will not only give the patient company but also make sure that the patient gets a lot of useful information about the disorder. It also helps in keeping the morale up.
11. Getting ready for the future: Things need to be meticulously planned well in advance to ensure that when the disease progresses, the patient has enough people to look after him. Things such as medical arrangements, financial assets, and property details should be carefully handed over as per the patient's wish. This will ensure a smooth run of the patients’ life when they can no longer take care of themselves.
     

If your child develops an eating disorder, you might be unsure about how to solve the problem and how to act on it. Eating disorders occur when your child tends to either eat in excess, or eats too less. The behavior of your child is also subjected to change because of an eating disorder. It is likely for him to get withdrawn, rude, and touchy. This makes it difficult for you to deal with them at a time when communication is necessary. Here are some essential tips that you should follow in dealing with eating disorders in children:

1. You should get advice about how to talk to your child. It will help you in realizing that your child is likely to be defensive as their eating disorder is a form of coping. Hence, it is normal for a child to be reluctant about letting go of it. If your child is undergoing treatment, the treatment team has a vital role to play. However, your constant love and support are also very important.
2. It is important to talk to your child about the condition, even though he cannot accept that he is having a problem. Communication is an essential part of treatment, which you should never ignore. You should not blame or judge your child, and refer proper resources to him. You have to be prepared for a negative response from your child.
3. You should educate yourself properly about your eating disorder. Abstain from talking to your child about his appearance, even in the form of a compliment. Use ways for boosting your child’s self-esteem and confidence.
4. Abstain from referring to weight problems and diets followed by other people. You need to assure your child that you will be there for him, no matter what. You should talk to him about activities he should get involved in, in a positive tone and approach.
5. Coping with the meal times of your child suffering from an eating disorder is very important as well. Consult your child’s treatment team to know about ways of arranging your meal times ideally.
6. Take your child out for shopping and agree on having meals that are acceptable, from both your and his end.
7. You should have an agreement with your whole family regarding meals, which will help to set the expectations of everybody. Agree on not talking about fat content, calorie content, or portion sizes during meals.
8. You must abstain from consuming low calorie food items in front of them. Try to keep the meal time atmosphere positive and light hearted. Do not focus on others during meal times and teach your child to concentrate on his own meal.

Are you suffering from social anxiety phobia and are looking for ways to get over it? Social anxiety refers to the anxiety in anticipating any kind of social situation or after a certain situation. The fear of evaluation accounts for being the primary factor of social anxiety phobia. Here are the various ways by which you can deal with social anxiety phobia:

1. Self-help Manual: Self-help manuals are a supplement for this therapy. They act as an effective tool, which helps you to work on your own.

2. Visit a Therapist: In case your social anxiety phobia is hampering things you need to do along with your social activities, and your self-help measures have failed, you need a therapist. Choose a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders.

3. Practice Deep Breathing Regularly: Engaging yourself in deep breathing, before a situation which provokes or triggers your social anxiety, is effective. You need to undertake deep breathing for several minutes every day. This will make it a habit for you, so that you do not focus too much on deep breathing during a situation, thereby missing out on the conversation.

4. Create an Exposure Hierarchy: An exposure hierarchy refers to a list. In this list, you have to write down about all the various types of situations when your social anxiety phobia gets triggered. The list has to be made in a ladder format, and by performing the easiest behaviors first, you should move up the list. For creating exposure hierarchy, you should note down 10 anxiety triggering social situations you experience, and rate them on a scale of 100. You can also join Toastmasters, which is a website where links to several worksheets based on coping with social anxiety are provided.

5. Create your Goals: When you feel anxious, it is likely for you to eliminate anything positive during that situation. You might be doing great, but yet face distress in everyday activities because of feelings of anxiety. For this purpose, it is recommended for you to create objective behavioral goals.

6. Maintain a Rational Outlook: Try to get rid of any bleak thoughts, which hamper your performance and trigger your social anxiety phobia. Also stay away from any kind of unrealistic thoughts, which are positive in an irrational way. Before any situation which enhances your anxiety, you should convince yourself about how it is a familiar situation to you, which you have dealt with smoothly in the past.

If your social anxiety phobia is getting in the way of achieving your goals and is disabling you from living the kind of life you seek, it is important for you to consult a therapist and go for regular therapy sessions.

With age, most body organs begin to deteriorate in their function. This happens to the brain also, thereby reducing the overall speed of functioning of most organs. While slowing of bodily movement is visible, the internal organs functioning also slows down, which is not that obvious. Memory loss or dementia is one of the main manifestations of this degeneration of the brain.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, and the associated symptoms includes reduced reasoning abilities and cognitive defects. Though it is seen only in the elderly, not all elderly people will have Alzheimer’s. The overall quality of life of the affected person is reduced with difficulty remembering things that were recently learned. It is a progressive disease and as it gets more severe, a full-time caretaker may be required.

Causes: The brain cells are affected by protein masses known as plaques and tangles. These hamper the way communication between the brain cells happens as well as affect nutrition from reaching all parts of the brain. This leads to shrinking of the brain, eventually leading to memory loss and other problems. There is also a strong genetic linkage, as most people with Alzheimer’s have the lipoprotein A gene.

Symptoms: Though memory loss is the most common symptom, there are other symptoms:

1. Being confused about places, people, and times
2. Inability to find the right words during conversations
3. Regular objects are misplaced
4. Becoming irritable, (in someone who was not so previously)
5. Mood swings
6. Personality changes
7. Inability to organise thoughts
8. Not able to make the right decisions
9. Repetitive talks and actions
10. Forgetfulness (not something the person always does)
11. Difficulty with numbers (again, not something calculations
12. Difficulty managing everyday tasks and minor problems
13. Suspicion of others (like immediate family members and friends)

Risk factors: While age is definitely a risk factor, the fact that not all aged people develop Alzheimer’s is to be borne in mind. Other risk factors include the history of stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and poor lifestyle choices.

Diagnosis: While there is no definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer’s, symptoms along with brain scans and neuropsychological function testing are useful ways to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment: This is aimed at two things reducing the rate of disease progression and treat (or reverse) symptoms if possible.

Cholinesterase inhibitors improve cellular communication in the brain and also manage depression and agitation. Memantine is used to slow the pace of disease progression.
In people with the disease, small changes are useful to help them with the symptoms. These include keeping essential things like keys and wallet in the same place, keep a daily diary to help them remember things, keep pictures of friends and family within visible distance.

Introduction

"Get off the mobile and go outside" - are these words being heard more commonly nowadays than at any point in time before? Humanity has just stepped into one of the newest psychiatric disorders. What is worse is that the medical world is divided on whether this should be considered as a disorder, or simply be passed off as a generation gap. Let us look a little deeper about the disorder.

What is internet addiction?

Only recently did Internet addiction and phone addiction became a part of the diagnostic and statistical manual of the mental disorders i.e. Internet addiction is now effectively considered a psychiatric disorder, and there are chances of identifying and treating it using medically approved means. As the name suggests, internet addiction and phone addiction means that the person is using his creative and designated time on a medium when he is no longer required to. Simply put, it becomes an obsessive habit on part of the person to look into his/her phone and use the internet as a routine activity. Long term addiction can lead to many psychological factors such as withdrawal symptoms, depression, and general loss of awareness about the surroundings. For most people, the syndrome can be an underlying factor of an even more severe health condition that the person is trying to mask by whiling away his/her time on the internet and mobile.

Addiction in today’s world 

As of now, only two countries, South Korea and China have identified the disorder, and treatments are administered. Europe and the United States have also categorised it as a disorder, and research is being done on it. The general treatment plan that exists presently, aims to understand the patient first. The psychiatric treatment tries to successfully bridge the user and his/her addiction. From practicing different times of using the internet, to suggesting new schedules and goals, the person can be slowly be eased back into society. The purpose of psychiatric intervention is not to block the internet/ mobile usage completely, but to limit it. A person is educated to get his satisfaction in other forms, like relationships, outdoor activities.

Medical Possibilities

Though still in its early stages, the medical world has made it clear that its contribution towards these mental addictions would increase many fold in the very near future. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!