Institute of Psychological Services

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.

Jealousy is like love itself, it is multi dimensional emotion (tension and anger), thoughts and practices (nagging; keeping an eye on your partner). To an extent, jealousy lives inside. It is a property of the person as shaped by his or her personality and one of a kind history. When and how individuals feel and express jealousy also has something to do with who they really are as people. Just as important, jealousy is an additional property of the relationship, rising out the dynamics of the couple, a result of their proximity in emotional terms. When and how you feel and express jealousy has to do with you, the individual you are with, and how you relate as a couple.

The term jealousy mostly has negative connotation. Jealous individuals are frequently seen as absurd, controlling, agitated, possessive, and unsafe. At the point when envy enters emotional connections, it regularly brings mental pain, suspicion and struggle as after effects. Jealousy occurs almost regularly inside a sentimental relationship, in spite of the fact that it can happen amongst relatives and friends as well. A little measure of jealousy can be great. For instance, in case that it is mild, it can help a couple to welcome each other and add to the enthusiasm of a relationship. However, extreme jealousy can destroy connections and harm your relationship.

Here are a few ways in which it can affect you:

1. Harm your physical wellbeing: It is upsetting to be jealous and delayed anxiety implies a higher probability that you may create health issues like hypertension, migraines, back pain, stomach pain, ulcers and perhaps a heart attack or stroke!
2. Endanger the trust your partner feels toward you: Jealousy causes you to question your partner, and he or she may start to doubt you as well.
3. Make you perceive normal situations otherwise: Whether it is a discussion you have with your partner or something you witness firsthand, it is translated through a solid channel of jealousy that is frequently flat-out wrong. Indeed, even the most devoted partner can feel hurt, anxious, on edge and furious that they are not trusted. Eventually, it leads to them being emotionally drained. There are some positive things you can do to conquer your jealousy. These are:
4. Converse with your partner: Educate them regarding your emotions without repelling them. Tell them what makes you feel stressed.
5. Attempt to be objective: Just because you feel there is a risk, it does not imply that it is justified. Attempt to see the circumstance practically.
6. Expect some uncertainty: Uncertainty is a normal part of every relationship. You cannot control somebody's sentiments.
7. Couple’s therapy: A therapist can help you to determine your sentiments of jealousy. They will help you take a look at the reason for your jealous behaviour and manage it on an everyday basis with treatment measures like CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy.

Are you suffering from extreme depression? Does your depression episode continues for a long time and makes you feel too tired to get out of bed? Chronic depression is capable of turning your life upside down, causing turmoil with all your activities, thereby, spoiling your regular life totally. At times, a person can get so drained by depression that getting out of bed seems impossible because of fatigue. It is quite difficult to deal with such situations.

Here are some important tips on how to overcome your chronic depression and get out of bed.

1. Be depressed upright: It is likely to be driven by the voices in your head during your depression. You should respond by replying to the voices that you are depressed, but you are going to be depressed outside. This is important, as activity and depression do not go well together. You should try to stop your thinking totally and put yourself in an automatic mode. Preparing to deal with thoughts from before is beneficial. When your body is in motion, it is easier to deal with the thoughts.
2. Try to make it to the shower: When you do not feel like leaving your bed at all, you should try making it to the shower somehow. Taking a shower makes you a bit relaxed and diverted and you can expect relief from your depressive episode. This is an effective way to get yourself up and running from bed, instead of isolating yourself under the blanket. Taking a shower might bring you some hope and encourage you to step out of bed and do something productive. Even if you decided to be in bed all day strictly, a refreshing shower is likely to change your mind.
3. Bribe yourself: You can try bribing yourself as a reason for getting out of bed. You can remind yourself how good you will feel after having a cup of hot coffee, or how nice it would feel to listen to a certain song while going to work.

It is important to give yourself a purpose or reason to get out of bed. Many people believe that they might feel like leaving the bed in spite of being heavily depressed, if they had a worthy purpose. It is very important for you to get involved in something. You might hate a job, or hate working, but it will give you a reason to divert from your depressive thoughts. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.

Cyclothymia is a type of a mood disorder which is relatively light or mild in nature. If you are suffering from this condition, then you will experience extreme mood swings for very short periods of time. During these mood swings, you may experience a low period (depressed mood) or a high period when you are extremely happy.

Identification
There is no set or structured pattern for the highs and lows that you will experience during this condition. This feature of the disease makes it more difficult to detect and diagnose. The duration of your mood swings usually last just for a few days but can also be extended up to a few weeks. So, the only sign of identifying this medical condition is that if you are not having a normal mood for an extended period of time then you should consult a specialist doctor to enquire more about the condition.

Symptoms
Though there are no special symptoms of this disorder, the usual signs of mild depression and hypomania can be a possible symptom of Cyclothymia.

Some of them are:

1. Hypomanic symptoms
2. Racing thoughts
3. Minimal sleep
4. Excessive talking
5. Extreme optimism
6. Raised self-esteem
7. Being happy without any reason

Depressive symptoms

1. Hopelessness
2. Unnecessary fear
3. Restlessness
4. Fatigue
5. Concentration difficulties
6. Abnormal weight changes

Remedy
The mood swings that you experience during this situation do not get better with time or vanish automatically. So it is always desirable that you seek some medical assistance from a specialist doctor on seeing the symptoms of either hypomania or depression.

Complications
This does not always hold true but you might also start to experience suicidal thoughts if you also have a bipolar I or II disorder along with cyclothymia. So, if any such thoughts appear in your mind, then you should seek immediate medical assistance.

Of late, are you experiencing suicidal thoughts as a result of some severe trauma or loss in life? Suicidal thoughts may arise because of several reasons when you lose yourself totally and feel that you are not worthy enough for living in the world anymore. Such thoughts lead many people into actually committing suicide. Hence, you have to deal with suicidal thoughts carefully and prevent anything bad from happening.

Here are 10 useful ways through which you can deal with suicidal thoughts:

1. Although you may feel like withdrawing yourself from all activities and socializing, it is important for you to talk to someone every day regarding your thoughts and what you are going through. Spend time with someone you trust. You can also call a crisis helpline and discuss your feelings.
2. You have to develop an efficient safety plan. The plan must include the contact number of your doctor, friends and family who would help you during a crisis.
3. Try to make a written schedule for yourself and follow it strictly. Keeping and maintaining a scheduled life is important for your mental health and will keep you diverted from suicidal or negative thoughts.
4. Spend time in the sun and get into nature for at least one hour every day. This will help you to connect with something full of life and is important for eliminating suicidal tendencies.
5. Daily exercise is also very important. You should exercise for 30 minutes every day. The bursts of activity and exertion will have a positive impact on your mind.
6. You should devote your time for things which you like to do, but could never continue them in life. This will give you joy and a positive vibe, which is essential for fixing your mind.
7. You should not forget about your personal goals. Think about the things you dreamt of doing, the places you planned to visit, and all the things in life you want to accomplish. This will bring back your hope of living in order to fulfill those goals.
8. You should promise yourself not to do anything when you think of suicide. You need some distance between thoughts and actions. Promise yourself that you will not do anything stupid and will wait.
9. Consuming alcohol and taking drugs can trigger your suicidal thoughts rapidly. Hence, you should not take these substances as an escape from your conflicting thoughts.
10. It is also important for you to make your home safe. You should remove all the things, which you may use to hurt yourself such as knives, pills, razors or firearms. You should go to a safe place and avoid being alone when you experience suicidal thoughts. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.

An idle mind is a devil’s workshop. When there is too much time on your hands with nothing to do, you end up thinking about things which are not going well, leading to depression. Come to think of it, if there is nothing that you can do to improve it, there is no point wasting time over it. On the other hand, if there is something to improve the situation, just go ahead and do it, so everybody involved is happy. However, if there are too many other factors which are beyond control, then you need to see how to change your outlook towards it.

One such effective way is to keep yourself busy and distract yourself from it. The following are some simple measures, which can be very effective in dealing with stress.

1. Sleep it off: One of the main reasons for depression is the physical exhaustion and lack of good rest. So, it is good once in a while to just sleep it off and give your body the much deserved rest. This gives the brain a chance to begin to heal and feel better.
2. Clean up the house: The home or the space you enter into indirectly indicates your state of mind. A clean home and workspace means that much less clutter in the brain. Clean out the closet, give away your old stuff, and in the process, you would end up feeling good about having helped somebody. You will also realize how much excess stuff you have collected over the years. Stacked up in the attic and cartons, these were meant for use on “some fine day”, which never seemed to arrive.
3. Exercise: Force yourself to exercise. While initially it would be an ordeal, gradually you will enjoy it. Exercise also releases chemicals in the brain, which make you feel good about yourself. In addition, the physical benefits will start to show up, leaving you feeling elated and in a chirpier mood.
4. Travel: When you go solo traveling, the amount of time you spend with yourself just increases. The changed surroundings will help you understand yourself better and come to terms with things that can be under your control. You learn to let go of things and come to terms with life. If time and money are limitations, go out and explore places in your own surrounding city or town. You will realize how little you know the city or town you live in.
5. Hobbies: Whether it is learning to play guitar or speak Spanish, pick something that you have always wanted to do over the years and work at it. You will see the depression vanish in no time. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychologist.

Stress is the reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. It arises when they worry and can no more cope up. Stress is the “wear and tear” our minds and bodies experience as we attempt to cope with our continually changing environment.

How do you know you are stressed?

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:

• Fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle ache, stiffness (especially neck, shoulders & low back) 
• Heart palpitations, chest pains, abdominal cramps, nausea, trembling
• Cold extremities, flushing or sweating & frequent colds

COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS:

• Decrease in concentration & memory
• Indecisiveness, mind racing or going blank
• Confusion, loss of sense of humor
• Mental slowness

EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS:

• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Depression, reduced sleep
• Anger, frustration, worry
• Fear, impatience, hopelessness

BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS:

• Nervous habits, increased eating, smoking, drinking
• ProcrastinatingCrying, yelling, blaming and even throwing things or hittinSuicidal thoughts
• If you are facing any of these symptoms persistently in the absence of any medical problem it might be because of STRESS!

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS?

1. Most important thing is to accept that stress might be playing a role.

2. Do not be in denial mode, and wait for things to get corrected by itself, symptoms can start suddenly, but it will not disappear just like that.

3. Recognize the source and personal contribution to stress ( family situation, work related, financial, kids, relationships etc).

4. Remember there are no quick fixes to reduction of stress except working on damage limitation strategies.

5. It involves commitment and motivation to remain healthy despite adversities around us.

6. Don't hide your problems. Share your feelings with someone or write a dairy.

7. Practice relaxation techniques regularly - Om chanting, pranayama, yoga, exercise, prayer etc.

8. Follow healthy nutritious diet pattern - lot of fruits, nuts, vegetables, pulses etc.

9. Try to repeat things which make you feel good - listening to music, reading, dancing etc.

10. Maintain a good sleep hygiene.

11. If things are worse or you feel it is hard to cope, seek help. Most of the situations can be dealt by counseling and guidance, but you should be open to it.

12. Life is beautiful, everybody is entitled to have a good life. Happiness is within us. Always remember if you do not take any initiative to make life better nobody can help you. 

Stress is the reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. It arises when they worry and can no more cope up. Stress is the “wear and tear” our minds and bodies experience as we attempt to cope with our continually changing environment.

How do you know you are stressed?

Physical symptoms: Fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle ache, stiffness (especially neck, shoulders.