Dr. Shruti Kirti Rai

With age, just like other body functions, the mind too begins to slow down. This could lead to problems in communication, focus, recall, reasoning, and thinking. So with dementia, the person faces problems which are a combination of above-mentioned activities. Dementia is a symptom associated with many diseases and is not a disease on its own.

Alzheimer’s is the main cause of dementia, followed by stroke or brain injury, Huntington’s disease, and Lewy body disease. However, there are some symptoms that can be indicative that a person is gradually progressing into dementia. Watching out for these symptoms can help one seek help at an early stage, thereby helping the affected person, and slowing down its progress.

1. Short term memory loss: With age, people tend to forget what happened recently, and this can even be something as recent as the previous day. However, they can very clearly recollect events from the past. They might forget things like where they have placed their glasses, where the television remote control is, etc. They may also ask for the same information repeatedly, even after it is answered.
2. Mood changes: Rapid mood swings is observed in a person suffering from dementia. Their emotions keep changing within a matter of seconds, and they may show also less emotion than what they used to show previously.
3. Personality changes: Since dementia affects reasoning and judgment, someone who was earlier shy could suddenly become outgoing. Their inhibitions which led to a shy personality are lost, making them more outgoing.
4. Difficulty in performing regular tasks: Be it forgetting things like laying out tables, keeping things back in their places, or organising medical kits, with dementia setting in, these tasks slowly become more difficult to do. Also, learning new tasks, even simple ones, seem tough and are often not accomplished.
5. Losing storylines: The elderly would usually be good with telling and appreciating stories like telling tales to their grandchildren or following television soaps and stories. However, as dementia begins to set in, they tend to lose storylines, both when observing and telling.
6. Repeating actions: As they are not able to register things, they tend to repeat things, both in words and in actions.
7. Feeling lost: Things like heading out to a store to buy something and then wondering why they came there are common. Short-term memory loss can cause such situations. This confusion, especially with regard to time and things, is very common.
8. Spatial and time orientation: There could be problems relating to space and time, seasons, and they may often ask questions like what time it is, etc. Routine tasks like paying bills, cooking using recipe books, which were easily managed, suddenly begin to look difficult.
9. Apathy: Losing interest in people, hobbies, or other things like puzzles, which they once enjoyed, become boring and unenjoyable. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.

The office floor is one of the most stressful places for most people. A toxic work environment and being overworked is one of the key factors for stress and anxiety. The easiest solution to a toxic workplace is to leave and find a new job, but this is not always possible. In such cases here are a few tips on how to beat workplace stress and anxiety.

1. Exercise: Exercise benefits not only your physical well-being, but also your emotional and mental health. Exercising enhances the production of endorphins or happy hormones that help uplift your mood. Exercise also weakens symptoms of anxiety by tiring the muscles and burning cortisol. Ideally, you should exercise in the morning before work and in the evening after work.
2. Move around: Avoid sitting at your desk for long spells. Try taking a break every hour to simply stretch or walk around the office floor. An easy way to do this is by walking over to your colleague’s desk to pass a message instead of picking up the phone. If a task ever seems to become too much to handle, take a break so that you can readdress it with a fresh outlook.
3. Treat tasks as challenges: Repetitive tasks can be very boring and irritating. However, if you make this into a game or competition with yourself or others it can be quite interesting. An easy way to make mundane tasks interesting is to time them and try getting it done faster. This will make your work more enjoyable and not give you enough mind space to get stressed out. You will also find yourself getting more work done in a day.
4. Make your desk less serious: Your immediate environment makes a big difference to how you feel while working. While some office HR policies may frown upon anything that takes away from the formal atmosphere of the space, there are still ways you can inject a little fun into your work day. Wearing a t-shirt with a funny slogan under your formal shirt or putting up a few personal pictures on your desk can make your day a little calmer.
5. Initiate positive relationships: Bitching about your boss may seem to come naturally, but does nothing constructive for your situation. Instead, try being positive in your conversations with colleagues. Look for people who give off a positive aura and try spending more time with them than with those who are constantly whining and complaining. Consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

While it is true that all our egos need some boosting from time to time, constantly nursing it to feel too proud about oneself and being too self-indulgent does not help. In plain words, that is what a narcissist does. The term finds its roots in Greek mythology where Narcissus was so absorbed with himself. This gradually got converted to Narcissism to indicate people (who, like him) became too self-obsessed.

By definition, it is applied to people who have a long-term pattern of grandiosity above themselves, either in fantasy or in actual behaviour. They constantly seek admiration, are too self-indulgent, and have a great degree of apathy towards almost everybody else.

The following are some traits that are usually found in people with this personality.

1. They are preoccupied with fantasies where they see themselves with unlimited power, beauty, success, and brilliance.
2. Have a false perception of superiority and do not associate with most people
3. Completely lack apathy and do not usually connect with the feelings of people around them
4. Have a grandiose opinion about themselves and think they are super-important in the lives of everybody around them
5. Expect appreciation and praise, even if not worthy of it
6. Think of themselves as special and unique
7. Are considered arrogant and haughty by most people who associate with them
8. Constantly seeks admiration and compliments
9. Prone to exploiting relationships
10. Enjoy flattery
11. Inability to accept even small rejections
12. Inability to take criticism
13. Deep hidden feeling of insecurity and low self-esteem
14. Can be very defensive and try to prove their point
15. Fear of humiliation
16. Very vulnerable, especially to rejections, humiliations
17. Get enraged without specific reason to feel better and put down the other person
18. If someone contradicts their view point, there could be major argument and even physical assault
19. A combination of these features usually causes problems in relationships and friendships and affects their overall personal and professional lives. It is more common in males, and tends to decrease with age.

While initially narcissist may come across as extremely confident personalities, slowly it comes across as much more than that. While they do feel confident, at times, the confidence may not be true. It is just that feeling of self-importance which makes them to believe that what they are doing is right.

Causes: While there is no single cause leading to someone developing this personality, a combination of genetic, social, and psychological factors leads to this condition. Excessive pampering and/or criticism also can lead to this.

Treatment: This usually requires long-term counselling with people who are trained in handling such cases. They need to become less self-indulgent and more empathetic towards others, which takes time, but is not impossible. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.

Severe mental disorders that affect the mind and cause abnormal thinking are referred to as psychotic disorders. These disorders make it hard for a person to communicate with others, make good judgements, understand the difference between reality and imagination and behave appropriately. There are many different types of psychotic disorders. Some of the more common psychotic disorders are:

Schizophrenia
This is the most common psychotic disorder. People suffering from this disease suffer from delusions and hallucinations that last for longer than 6 months at a time. There are three types of symptoms associated with this disease:

1. Psychotic symptoms that affect the person’s thinking such as hallucinations, trouble organizing thoughts and ideas, delusions and strange movements
2. Negative symptoms that make the person seem depressed and do not allow him or her to function normally and show emotions.
3. Cognitive symptoms that affect how the person thinks.
4. Schizophrenia cannot be cured, but can be treated and managed with a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

Brief Psychotic Disorder

People who suddenly show psychotic symptoms that last for a maximum of a month and then resolve themselves are said to be suffering from a Brief Psychotic Disorder. Some of its symptoms are:

1. Hallucinations
2. Delusions
3. Chaotic thinking
4. Inappropriate behaviour and dressing
5. Senseless babbling
6. Memory loss
7. Disorientation
8. Change in eating and sleeping habits
9. Weight loss

Treatment for this condition may involve hospitalisation if the symptoms are severe or if the person is a threat to himself or herself. Usually medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two are used to treat this condition. In extremely rare cases, this condition may recur.

Delusional Disorder
This disorder refers to a condition where the person has a delusion or false belief involving a real life situation such as being followed, deceived, poisoned, sick etc. In order to be diagnosed as delusional, the person must show no other symptoms of schizophrenia. These delusions should also not be the result of any type of medication or intoxicant. Treatment for this disorder is challenging and needs to be tailored to the patient’s needs. In most cases, medication and cognitive therapy are used to improve the patient’s quality of life and social functioning.

Shared psychotic disorder
Sometimes, if one person in a long term relationship suffers from a psychotic disorder, his or her partner may also start believing in the same hallucinations or delusions. In most cases, apart from this, they show no other symptoms of psychotic disorders. This condition is rare and usually treated with psychotherapy.

Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, which is also known as maniac depression, which and is related to extream and unusal mood shifts, frequent changes in brain activity level along with energy. It is commonly of 4 types, namely Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disporder, Cyclothymic disorder and other unspecified disorders. People suffering from bipolar disorder often suffer from 'mood episodes', which is further of two types one is manic episode and depressive episode. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

The brain is not a stagnant realm fed with a granted quota of intelligence and memory at birth. It is always in a state of flux. Exercising your brain in various ways accelerates its ability to perform better. It is in your hands to have a sharper take on situations and occurrences. Playing games that require brainstorming, solving quizzes, crosswords or playing chess makes you feel rejuvenated and tired at the same time; the reason being activated brain cells. A healthy brain will affect your life decisions positively and you probably will think rightly before you leap.

Tips to exercise those brain cells:

1. Meditate and calm your mind: Ten minutes of meditation each day can help you get over anxiety. When your mind is at peace you think out pros and cons with enhanced insight. This composure reflects in each of your actions. Meditation demands your brain to be quiet when it is accustomed to work; you therefore have greater control over it.
     
2. Music can improve your brain abilities: Music is the best antidote for a sloppy brain. Music excites the neurons healing a bruised memory. It gifts you with clarity of thought. Apart from listening to music one must try to play a musical instrument. Teaching yourself things puts your mind through a strict regimen of constructive activities.

4. Mental mathematics could better your intelligence: Calculators, computers and phones are ridding us of our ability to compute individual data. Computation and consolidation of data helps your mind to work faster with precision. So, you now know those lessons on mental mathematics in childhood were actually the key to a well-rounded brain. 

5. Think of something novel: The more the number of neurons the merrier is your brain. Take pains to direct your mind on a novel track. Thinking beyond what is given and expected helps your brain grow new neurons. It builds up your creativity letting you discover more of your capabilities. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

We all have mood swings but not all mood swings have the same intensity. People who have extreme mood swings ranging from depression to manic highs are said to be suffering from bipolar disorder. These extreme moods are known as episodes and usually, last for a few days or even a few weeks. A person suffering from bipolar disorder could have an episode several times a year. This is a very common psychological problem and can affect both children and adults. Though it cannot be cured, this disease can be managed with medication.

There are no known causes for bipolar disorder but genetics may play an important role in triggering Bipolar Disorder. Hence, if a parent or sibling suffers from this condition, you have a risk of developing it as well. An imbalance in the neurotransmitters in the brain may also play a part in the development of this condition. Stress or traumatic events like the loss of a loved one can also increase your risk of suffering from this condition. Given that mood swings affect almost each one of us, bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose. Some of the things to look out for are:

1. Change in self-esteem
2. Unusual talkativeness or quietness
3. Being increasingly prone to distractions
4. Decreased need for sleep
5. Agitation
6. Recklessness in terms of spending decisions, relationships etc

It must be kept in mind that a person must display at least 4 of the above symptoms simultaneously to be diagnosed as bipolar. Also, none of these symptoms should be a result or side effect of any kind of medication, drugs, alcohol or other intoxicants.

There are four main types of bipolar disorder:

1. Bipolar I: In such cases, the person has at least one episode of elevated moods and associated abnormal behaviour in his or her life. This may be preceded or followed by depressive episodes.
2. Bipolar II: In these cases, the person must have suffered from at least one depressive episode. It is very similar to bipolar I except that in bipolar II the highs never reach the manic stage.
3. Rapid Cycling: Some people can have 4 or more manic and depressive episodes a year. In such cases, they are said to be rapid cycling. This condition affects 10-20% of bipolar cases.
4. Mixed Bipolar: Usually, bipolar patients show mood swings that alternate between manic and depressive moods. However, sometimes a person may experience both elation and depression simultaneously or in rapid succession of each other. These cases are known as mixed bipolar.

Once diagnosed, bipolar disorder can be managed with a combination of medication and psychotherapy. In some cases, electroconvulsive therapy may also be needed. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist and ask a free question.