Dr. Indranil Saha

While it is common nature to forget some things at some times, if there is a pattern to one’s forgetfulness, it is a cause for concern. Caused by trauma or stress, dissociative amnesia is a condition where the person cannot recall important personal information. In cases of abuse or war, the person dissociates himself/herself from that period in his life and therefore tends to forget information relating to that period of life. The memory, awareness, identity and perception of the person are affected. The work life, social life, and relationships could be affected adversely.

Causes: This is generally seen in people who have had bad experiences in terms of war, sexual abuse, accidents and natural disasters. The memories associated with these incidents get buried deeply and are not recalled by the person. This leads to memory loss and on further probing, it is usually noted that there is a genetic connection, with some other close relative also having this condition. It is also more common in women than in men.

Types: The person would have memory loss with forgetfulness. This memory loss can be localised, generalised, or selective.

1. Localised amnesia: Very closely linked to trauma or stress, there is an inability to recall a specific event or happenings during a specific period of time. For example, forgetting the year or month of sexual abuse or time spent in war. The memory loss is detected long after the actual event and the period of memory loss could vary from days to months.
2. Selective amnesia: People with selective amnesia forget only some portion of the event from a certain period in their lives.
3. Generalised amnesia: These people forget their identity and complete life history – their identity, where they are, people they interact with, and also their conversations. The onset is usually sudden in these people. Systematised amnesia is when information in a specific category (about a particular person or place) is completely forgotten.

Treatment:

Psychotherapy and supportive treatment as a combination work effectively in managing dissociative amnesia. Supportive treatment usually is sufficient in cases of localised memory loss. Often, hypnosis and psychotherapy are also required. The patients also need to be talked into believing that they were not at fault (especially in sexual abuse cases) and that they should move on with life. These people may have problems arising out of that period, which also needs to be resolved. For instance, a person involved in serious combat may think how he has let down his family, a sexually abused person may feel ashamed of the event.
Talking to a psychotherapist about the episode is the only way to identify the exact cause and come to terms with the condition. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

We have heard people talk about diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol with no guilt or embarrassment. This is despite the fact that these are lifestyle-induced and could have easily been prolonged or prevented with some lifestyle modifications. However, we do not hear people talk about depression or anxiety disorder or any other mental disorder with such candidness. For example, depression is extremely common, with greater number of younger people taking to subscription medications for the condition. However, it is not yet acceptable to say that they are taking medications or are undergoing counseling to overcome depression.

Stigma is when you are looked at differently because you have a particular trait or a feature. This is a strongly ingrained characteristic, where we are used to making fun about people who are physically different – could be fat, thin, tall, stout, dark, different hair, etc. The list can be too long.

Features of stigma
When a person with mental illness is ignored, the stigma triggers off the following reactions.

1. When someone is stigmatized because of their mental illness, gradually, the person feels abandoned and withdraws into a shell. The miserable feeling of being abandoned by family and friends increases loneliness, which only makes it worse.
2. The abandonment makes them reluctant to seek training. Instead, being supportive would have helped.
3. The stigma is spread across layers of society, and reduces work opportunities and other social activities.
4. Inadequate coverage by health insurance, leading to refusal to seek treatment
5. Physical or psychological abuse or bullying by friends

How to overcome this stigma

1. Admit it: The first step is to acknowledge the problem. While it is not easy, once done, it solves half the problem. Admitting and seeking out help is best done as early as possible.
2. Stigma should not originate from self: Yes, the others can, but let not the stigma be self-started. Do not isolate yourself from your circles, both family and friends. Stand up and admit the problem once or twice, and there would be a lot more support from people who genuinely care for you.
3. Support groups: In this age of social media, there are multiple support groups. You can even be anonymous and talk your heart out. Speaking out your heart will go a long way. It also establishes that you are not alone who is suffering, and there are more out there.

While it is perfectly okay to talk to a nutritionist about how to handle the bodily changes, why not a psychiatrist for a quick chat about mental well-being? Think about it! In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Mental illness affects the patient as well as the immediate family. Once the affected member has been diagnosed with a mental illness, his family members find it difficult to accept this situation. They are in a state of denial. This state later gives way to feelings of frustration, resentment, anger and helplessness.

To overcome these feelings, it is important for the family to move beyond the mental illness of its relative and not away from him. The family members must accept the reality that someone among them is ill and it is their duty to help him recover from his mental illness.

Effect of social stigma

1. Unfortunately, mental illness draws social stigma. Many relatives of mentally ill people who are afflicted do not discuss their predicament with others. The reason is not too hard to discover- large sections of society think that mental illness is something very horrible. Very few people know that psychiatric disorders are treatable and they are as good or bad a disease as others.
2. Strangely, while the society comes out in support of people suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases, in cases of mental illness it adopts a position of aloofness. The underlying thought in the minds of people is that there must be something wrong in the family of the mental illness patient.
3. The net result is that the family withdraws from the society and gets into a shell. Guests are not invited over on social occasions and it often happens that the family gets into depression.
4. Coping with frustration and helplessness
5. Psychiatrists also point out to another range of emotions affecting the family members of a mentally ill person- feelings of frustration, helplessness and anger.
6. Imagine a situation where a schizophrenic child is unable to perform even normal tasks, such as eating food. The parent will try to convince the child to have her food but the mentally ill child cannot perform even that basic function. Unless the parent understands that this is not a normal child, she will continue to try to feed it. The child will, on the other hand, resist. This will continue till the time when the parent gets frustrated and angry at her child’s behaviour. The parent will wonder why her child is not having the food by herself.
7. This situation will not arise if the parent and other family members accept that the child is ill and needs medical intervention.
8. This feeling can later lead to a sense of resentment and anger. Family ties can be ruptured because the members would begin to think that their social activities depend upon the medical condition of their sick family member who needs constant attention.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Grief is a complex emotion that may give you side effects like guilt and make you struggle as you try to get through your everyday life. It is usually caused by some loss in life which may have to do with relationships, work or any other reason like a chronic physical ailment or disability. Complicated grief disorder is a condition where the extreme level of grief impairs a person and how he or she behaves in his or her daily life. It can have a debilitating effect and make a person helpless when it comes to dealing with everyday functions. It may continue for more than six months after the loss, and may even lead to depression and anxiety, among other complications.

Let us cast a glance of how this may be dealt with.

1. Psychotherapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy and other forms of therapy can often help people who are suffering from this form of prolonged grief. With this kind of therapy, a patient can actually find an outlet to discuss the various emotions that the bereavement has brought on, and how he or she is not able to cope. The therapist, in this case, is usually a psychiatrist or a psychologist, who can then help in reprogramming the attitude of the patient so as to curb the grief and move on with life by embracing daily functions.
2. Group Therapy: In many cases, group therapy may also work. It is a natural human tendency to be grateful for what we have when we get to hear of higher and greater adversities. And when we see people suffering from those adversities actually taking steps to get over it, we can also get hugely motivated to do the same with our own lives. This is why group therapy is a powerful mechanism that many doctors and psychiatrists recommend for dealing with complicated grief therapy. This does not even need to be a formal therapy session. It can even be a club or a get together of people who have been through a similar problem.
3. Medication: In some extreme cases, the patients may be prescribed some antidepressants as well as beta blockers that can put their emotions right until they can deal with them in a better manner. Such medicines also help in numbing that part of the brain so that the patient may function in a more normal manner. Yet, care must be taken that the patient does not get addicted to such kind of medication.
4. Change of Focus: Travelling or picking up a new hobby can also have a positive effect on the person suffering from this condition. It can help in triggering the production of dormant hormones in a more normal way so that the patient may function in a more normal way, without the debilitating grief.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder with side effects of enthusiastic fits like sudden, wild and eccentric emotional episodes and scenes. Individuals experiencing BPD are unreliable about their picture and character and face trouble in keeping up a steady mental self-image and interpersonal connections. This issue is generally acquired by different variables like domestic mishandle, youth disregard and absence of affection from the parents in there young age.

Some of the most common symptoms of BPD include:

1. Fear of rejection
2. Unsteady and short-term relationships
3. Poor self-image
4. Tendency to cause self-harm

Here are some of the homeopathic solutions for treating BPD with varying signs and symptoms:

1. BPD with sudden burst of outrage: Chamomilla is among the top common homeopathic medications for patients of BPD who usually get furious and irritated, without considering the sentiments of the other people. The sudden upheavals of outrage on account of inconsistency or when the sentiments are harmed can be best cured by homeopathic solution Chamomilla. This cure is also of great help to patients who believe that they cannot remain calm. It is useful for the people who need to do everything according to their desire and get irritated if their desire is not satisfied.
2. BPD with sudden emotional episodes: Crocus Sativus is the most basic homeopathic medication for sudden mind-set changes in patients of BPD. The patient has a sudden and regular change in feelings from outrageous reactions to misery. The patient requiring the homeopathic drug Crocus Sativus is blissful and warm in one minute and the very next minute, he or she suddenly blasts out into outrage. The patient soon feels frustrated about their conduct. Homeopathic medicine Valeriana is additionally useful for managing sudden emotional episodes in patients of BPD.
3. BPD with symptoms of touchiness: Sepia is a fantastic homeopathic drug for BPD patients who get disturbed over no reason and feel anxious. Just their own particular assessment matters for such patients and they cannot stand to be restricted. Another side effect alongside fractiousness for this homeopathic prescription to be used is a feeling of dislike towards family and being repelled for any work, be it mental or physical.
4. BPD patients with ruinous and hasty conduct: Nux Vomica is the top characteristic homeopathic solution to manage any hasty conduct of BPD patients who are delicate and need to constrain things as they feel. In case they are restricted, such patients have dangerous driving forces like the motivation to crush their significant other, to tear things and to toss their child. If someone invades their space, they can take severe actions to claim that space back. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!