Chandorkar Clinic

Depression follows the trajectory opposite to contentment. It has adverse effects on a person's mental and physical health. Being depressive is not a choice; it is a condition. The fact that despondency is not an elected way of life is a mystery to many. People surrounding a depressed person should make conscious efforts in treating them with love and dignity. Subjecting a person to strict deadlines, stringent rules or excessive pressure could worsen their situation.   

Ways to tackle a depressed family member:

1. Create occasions to enjoy a hearty laugh: If you have a family member suffering from depression you should probably share the benefits of laughter with him or her. Laughter is the best medicine to remedy acute depression. Look for opportunities to crack a joke or make the concerned person play with a pet. You can also take the person to watch humorous movies.
2. "You are impossible" is the worst way of approaching a problem: In many cases a depressed person is reported with instances of negativity. Though the expressed negativity makes you feel morbid, do not give up on your family member. The person involuntarily finds reasons to feel hopeless. You should never think the case is beyond any kind of betterment.  
3. Keep them in a positive environment: Positive ideas can counter dejection. Help the person plan for a great future. Lay stress on how important that person is to you and to the world in general. Keeping one's mind creatively occupied can prove to be effective. Music or any other passion for that matter can help a person get over phases of depression.
4. You should not associate depression with perpetual sadness: Depression can have plenty of symptoms. The symptoms vary from one person to another. While some people lack in motivation some might want to harm themselves or others. Many become a recluse. The minute you associate depression with sadness you limit your overview of the actual problem.  
5. Help the family member take his or her medicines diligently: While counseling helps a few patients of depression some others require medication. A bout of depression will dissuade a person from sticking to his or her medical routine. As a loved one it is your due responsibility to persuade him or her to take medicines regularly.

Being a victim or witnessing a horrific accident or personal assault can leave you shocked and scarred. Sometimes, these conditions last for months and years with memories of the traumatic incident triggering intense emotional and physical responses. This is known as post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. It is a fairly common anxiety syndrome and can be treated in a number of ways including drugs, exercise and psychotherapy. However, this treatment aims only to control the disorder and there is no known cure for PTSD as yet.

Exercise not only keeps the body fit, but also helps the body release endorphins. Endorphins help fight stress, fear and pain. Thus, exercising helps focus on the body and its movements instead of your fears. It can also help elevate the mood of a person. Low to moderate intensity exercising is ideal for a PTSD patient. Aerobics, pilates, yoga or martial arts like tai chi are known to be effective ways of reducing stress and anxiety in PTSD patients. Breathing exercises like pranayama can also help calm and relax the mind.

Exercise for a PTSD patient should be planned in repetitive sets. This enables the person to slowly master the type of exercise being done and regain control and confidence in himself. It also needs to be predictable so as to avoid triggering a PTSD emotional or physical response. Non competitive exercises are better than competitive exercises as it does not create an opportunity for the person to feel stressed. Exercising and practicing breathing techniques can also help a person analyze himself and his response to stressful situations. By understanding their reactions, a person can slowly bring about changes to handle stress in a better way.

For a PTSD patient, exercise should not be seen as a group activity but as an individual effort to increase self control. Patience is key here both for the patient and the therapist. It is also necessary for the person to have realistic goals from his exercise regimen. An exercise program for PTSD patients also needs to be flexible. In order to meet the needs of a patient, it may need to be changed in accordance to the medication he is under. Small incidents like having a flat tire when cycling can trigger anxiety in a person suffering from PTSD. However, if dealt with correctly, it can bolster confidence in the long run.

Lastly, exercising also helps improve self-image and build confidence which helps a PTSD patient break out of his protective shell and socialize with others. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychologist.

Alcohol dependence, sometimes known as 'Alcoholism’, is the most serious form of drinking problem and describes a strong, often uncontrollable, desire to drink. Drinking plays an important part in the day to day life of alcohol dependent people, which could lead to building up a physical tolerance or experiencing withdrawal symptoms if they stop. There are varying degrees of alcohol dependence and they don’t always involve excessive levels of drinking. If you find that you ‘need’ to share a bottle of wine with your partner most nights of the week, or always go for a few pints after work, just to unwind, it is possible that you may be on the verge of getting long-term health problems. If you find it very difficult to enjoy yourself or relax without having a drink, you could have become psychologically dependent on alcohol. Physical dependence can follow too with withdrawal symptoms. It can be very difficult for some people to give up an addiction. Here are some natural remedies that can help:

1. Take it one day at a time:

You can start your road to recovery is by slowly reducing your alcohol consumption. If you have feel like you consume a drink or two after work just to relax, try to cut down on this by only having a drink 3 times a week, then once a week and gradually rid yourself of the habit.

2. Keep yourself occupied:

When you find yourself having nothing to do, you start thinking of drinking more. Try to keep yourself as busy as possible so that you do not think about drinking throughout the day. Find small activities to do in your free time like taking a class or reading. This way you don’t let your mind wander to other tasks like drinking.

3. Try bitter gourd:

Bitter gourd is the go-to vegetable when trying to quit drinking. Not only does it curb your need for a drink, it also repairs your kidneys in the process. Drink the juice of the bitter gourd in the morning when you wake up. The taste may be a little hard to handle, but mix it with some buttermilk and you’re good to go.

4. Out of sight, out of mind:

Clear your surroundings of any and all bottles of alcohol. Get rid of all the reminders of drinking and make sure to avoid passing any bars or pubs you frequent when you are outside. This should slightly help you curb your desire.  

5. Surround yourself with the right people:

Make sure you hang around people you know will not tempt you to drink. Get together with friends who do not drink or have previously quit drinking to help you do the same.

Nowadays, drug abuse is a universally condemned action such that selling certain drugs are illegal. Children are not allowed to take drugs until they reach a certain age such as 21 for most states in India. Lots of problems start occurring when you are addicted to a certain drug. It is also nearly impossible to stop since the nerve cells change the way they function due to drugs.

These nerve cells overstimulate the 'reward circuit' of the brain. This means that your brain constantly needs to be 'rewarded' and this reward comes in the form of drugs. There are many reasons why people become addicts and here are some of them.

1. People want to get high: This is perhaps the most common reason why people become drug addicts. The moment they take in one drug, they love the feeling they get so much that they keep wanting to go back to it.
2. People want to fit in: This is also a very common reason. When all your friends and perhaps even your bosses and other superiors are taking drugs, you do not want to feel left out or ostracized by your friend group. This is why many people start taking drugs.
3. Unintentionally taking drugs due to injuries or medical conditions: Sometimes a doctor prescribes a medicine for a certain time period but it does not work or works too well and so you keep taking the drug so that you will feel better. This happens more often than you think.
4. People take drugs to relieve stress: This is another very common reason why people take drugs. You may easily rationalize with them thinking that taking drugs is a good way to relax from work and family pressures. However, the long term effects of taking drugs are much worse than the stress.
5. Boredom from daily life: In young teens and adolescents especially, life can be so boring that they want to try something new and thus resort to drug abuse.