Dr. Milind Barhate

The period around the age of 45 to 50 is very delicate for most women as many changes occur within the body. The changes occur due to menopause or a cessation of the menstrual cycle for a period of at least 12 months or so. Along with a host of physical changes, post-menopausal women tend to suffer from mental problems as well. Some of the factors could be physical changes such as a decline or stop in hormone productions while some of them are psychological effects as well. Some of the common mental problems faced by women are mentioned below:

1. Depression: This is by far the most common mental disorder and affects women while they are going through the process of menopause. After a few years, post-menopausal women tend to recover from this or the symptoms at least taper off. It is estimated that almost 20% of women undergoing menopause suffer from this problem, although the risk of depression is much higher if you have prior history of it.

2. Sleep Disorders: This can be described as not only a mental disorder that affects women but also a symptom of menopause. Sleep disorders can range anywhere between disturbed sleep, insomnia or sleep apnea (breathing difficulty while sleeping), especially in older women. Women undergoing menopause may suffer from this due to hormonal changes which result in hot flashes. These can wake you up in the middle of the night almost daily.

3. Schizophrenia: This is a serious mental disorder and is mostly noticed in women who have a prior history of the disorder. This condition is characterized by delusions and a detachment from reality which often pushes the person to act on their inappropriate imaginations. Schizophrenia usually manifests itself in young adulthood and peaks again at the age of around 45 to 50. If you had episodes of schizophrenia in your early adulthood, then it may resurface during menopause, although most women do see a subsiding of symptoms some time after menopause has occurred.

4. Panic Disorder: Women tend to experience this problem, during or even after menopause, as a new disorder that suddenly develops. This can be quite disruptive in your life. Also, if you have a history of this disorder, menopause may trigger it to show up again.

5. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: This disorder is another mental health issue that can cause you to be overly obsessive, more so among menopausal women. If you already have had OCD in the past, menopause can trigger a relapse or a bad episode.

6. Bipolar Disorder: In this case as well, menopausal women have a higher tendency for a relapse or the start of a bad episode if they already had even mild signs of it.

The first question when you greet somebody is 'how are you' and this often refers to our state of well-being. While most answers would be great, awesome or good, we usually think of how we are doing physically. While some of us may talk about physical conditions (say things like feverish, have a cold, etc.), not many would think of talking about mental health conditions. However, mental health is very important for overall well-being.

Can you think of someone who is severely depressed or anxious all the time and have a good physical health? Chances are very bleak, and if you consider the overall health as a mix of mental and physical balance, this is not possible. Read on to understand how important mental health is and why you should start paying more attention to it.

1. Improved physical health: If someone is in a stressed state, it is obvious that they would not be able to do the activities they enjoy. Being affected mentally also leads to reduced immunity and sleep disturbances, making the person prone to infections and other disorders. Stress is one of the main risk factors for chronic medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
2. Improved prognosis: Most often, doctors focus on treating the physical aspects of a person’s health. However, with recent emphasis on mental health, more and more doctors are looking at wholesome measures to improve a person’s health. Results show that when a person’s mental health is also addressed, the physical ailments respond very well.
3. Improved productivity: People with unattended mental health disorders often resort to absence from work and/or school, can have financial instability, be homeless and can fall repeatedly. Being mentally healthy provides overall changed perspective of life and therefore improves productivity.
4. Improved personal relationships: Children of people affected with mental illness are prone to neglect, abuse, rejection, and behavioural issues. There is also social isolation, which may lead into adulthood, and these children may also have emotional health problems. Others in the close circle including spouses, siblings, parents, close friends and colleagues would be clearly affected by a person who is mentally unhealthy.
5. Social effects: These people are highly prone to social crimes like rape, murder, theft, violence, etc. They may not be able to afford their treatment and/or resort to these crimes to assert themselves.
6. Improved quality of life: Life expectancy is higher in people who are mentally healthy. Even with mild symptoms of anxiety and depression, this is reduced, and the chances of a happier, healthier life are reduced.

Whatever the effect, mental health needs to be addressed as equally as we do physical problems, using medications, counselling, or lifestyle changes.

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

Is your child refusing to grab anything other than chicken nuggets? When your child’s nutrition is an aching subject to deal with in your household, remember you are not the only one. Many parents are actually worried about the fussiness of their children over food. But your child’s food preferences would also mature with age. Until then, you can consider trying out these following tips to avoid any kind of mealtime hassles.

1. Respect your child's appetite or lack of one: Respect your child’s level of appetite and never force a meal, if your child is not hungry. Rather, serve small portions to give them an opportunity to ask for more, on their own.

2. Stick to the routine: Maintain a routine and serve snacks and meals at about the same time every day. Also, keep a check on the number of times you serve those mid meal snacks and try to stick to that count.

3. Be patient with new foods: Have patience with new food. Take time in introducing it to your child by talking about the food’s shape, color, aroma and texture, if not the taste.

4. Make it fun: Try out innovative ways of garnishing your food so as to make the whole eating experience a fun and a thrilling one for your child.

5. Recruit your child's help: At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods. But keep off those foods which you would not want you child to eat.

6. Set an example: Set an example by yourself by eating all kinds of nutritious and healthy foods, in order to set that perfect example for your child.

7. Cut Distractions: Make sure to switch off from any sort of a distraction, such as the television or the washing machine and other electronic gadgets while feeding your child.

8. Don't offer dessert as a reward: Do not reward your child with desserts at the end of the meal as this sends them an indication that the dessert is the best dish among all.

9. Do not cook a separate meal: Do not cook a separate meal for your child after he/she has refused the original one as this might encourage picky eating even more. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Schizophrenia is a disease of the mind that is usually degenerative in nature. The complex disorder is generally characterized by symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations (both auditory and visual) and disturbances in speech and is usually chronic in nature. The symptoms are not regular and can appear at any point of time. So it is highly possible that a person suffering from schizophrenia may sometimes bear resemblance to any other normal person and all of a sudden, might exhibit symptoms typical of Schizophrenia.

The causes of Schizophrenia include:

1. Brain Dysfunction: Abnormalities in the cerebral cortex (the cerebrum’s outer covering that is vital in regulating consciousness) of the brain is the most common cause of this disorder. This is due to the presence of abnormally enlarged ventricles in that region. The decreased brain size owing to the enlarged ventricles is often related to the hallucinations and delusions experienced by schizophrenics.
2. Genetic Factors: Studies have also stated ‘genetics’ to be an important cause behind this disorder. Closer the family ties, higher the risks of transmitting the disorder.
3. Biochemical Factors: More than one neurotransmitter is being targeted by recent drugs to control schizophrenia.

Symptoms which most people do not experience normally, but are found in people diagnosed with schizophrenia are said to be positive symptoms. They are:

1. Hallucinations: These are sensory experiences of things that do not exist outside the mind. Hallucinations usually manifest in the form of auditory or visual images.
2. Delusions: Delusions on the other hand are false beliefs one has about oneself. Delusions are of 3 major types:
   • Grandeur: Wherein the person imagines himself to be a famous personality
   • Persecution: The belief that somebody somewhere is plotting against you and the whole world is going to get you.
   • Control: The belief that a larger force, let’s say a witch, a demon or even a duck for that matter is controlling your actions.

These positive symptoms generally respond well to medications.
In addition to this, schizophrenics think and speak differently than the rest of the society. They jump from idea to idea, lose track of speech mid-way and often speak in fragmented and haphazardly joined sentences. They are, in fact, unable to fix their attention on anything in particular.
Examples of the most common negative symptoms include:

1. The flat effect: The individual basically shows no facial expression and always has a flat emotionless mask on while staring into space. At times, they have inappropriate reactions to situations. Example - they might laugh at somebody's death and cry ad get angry when something good happens. 
2. Avolition: This condition occurs when the individual just sit for hours doing nothing as well as behaves in a way lacking any motivation or enthusiasm. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

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

Chronic nightmares are caused by a lot of internal as well as external factors. It can cause sleep disorders and can affect your overall health. Some of the key reasons that contribute to chronic nightmares are mentioned below:

1. Stress and anxiety: Anxiety can come in many forms. It can happen due to simplest of reasons such as moving to a new place to joining a new job, suffering from trauma to losing a close one in the family, etc. Stress as a result of these can lead to bad dreams and chronic nightmares.
2. Media: Suspense shows or scary movies are also known to cause nightmares. Recalling visual imagery from a recently watched horror movie during sleep can appear in the dream without any intervention. The brain can create a sequence and produce imagery based on one’s recent thinking process.
3. Depression: A Finnish Study showed that more than 28 percent who suffers from depression get nightmares at night. A negative mindset coupled with poor self-confidence can lead to chronic nightmares resulting in sleep disturbances.
4. Traumatic experience: Any recent experience of surviving a natural disaster, violence in the relationship, major vehicle accident, are frequently linked with nightmares. More than 50 percent of the people with PTSD suffer from nightmares reveals the National Center for PTSD, USA.
5. Drugs and Medications: People coming out from recent medication such as barbiturates, narcotics and antidepressants often suffer from hyperactive neurotransmitter leading to nightmares. Withdrawal from alcohol and recreational drugs are also known to be responsible for chronic nightmares.
6. Snacking Before Bedtime: Often eating before sleeping triggers the metabolism and signals are sent to the brain to be more active than usual. Junk foods and spicy meals should be especially avoided to refrain from chronic nightmares.
7. Inability to Relax: Inability to relax gradually builds up a basic level of underlying arousal process which later contributes more in further reaction towards stress.
8. Conflicting Material: Any conflicting material which we are not aware of might lay embedded in our subconscious mind, which might contribute to repeated nightmares. 

So basic idea is to learn some relaxation technique and practice those. If the condition persists then it will call for a detailed assessment and may be some medication besides Psychological measures.

How to get rid of nightmares?

1. Treat the underlying symptoms: It is important to identify the cause of the nightmares. Often stress, PTSD, anxiety and depression can cause nightmares. Once the cause is identified, medical help or self-help techniques can be employed to overcome it.
2. Exercise: Exercise tires the body and relaxes the brain. From dancing to rock climbing, running to rowing, hitting a gym to brisk walking, one form of exercise should be daily practised to make sure you get sound sleep during the night.
3. Talk to your doctor: If you are undergoing any medication that involves withdrawal, anxiety, narcotics, you should immediately consult a doctor about the effects of medicine. A doctor can either reduce the dosage of medicine or change the medicine altogether to address the problem
4. Stress Reduction: Stress can be reduced by practising yoga and meditation. You can also take a hot shower before going to sleep to calm yourself down. A relaxed mind goes a long way in ensuring sound sleep during the night.

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