The Truth About Mental Health Disorders

Throughout the world's population, mental disorders are quiet prevailing, and yet it remain greatly misunderstood by the people. Even for those who find themselves afflicted with even common mental disorders, discover that there is much to be learned about their particular illness, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, which is different for everyone. For others, they keep themselves thinking happy thoughts, so that they don't harm anyone else. In order to keep symptoms at quest other tend to have different combinations of treatments even though that chronic disease or mental disorders have varying levels of severeness.

A lot of people are affected by mental health disorders. These kind of illness can deeply intervene with the individuals ability to maintain healthy relationships and function in society in a normal way. It is necessary to seek help from a professional when mental disorder interrupt the person's life and his family.

There is the best deal of information available online, such as the fifty-two most common mental health disorders, medications, news, recovery stories, links, diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, articles, support groups, and research from different agencies. The National Alliance on Mental Illness at http://www.nami.org is a good comprehensive site to find material regarding mental health disorders. Some other sites worthy of mention include http://www.mentalhealth.com, where visitors can select a topic to find information about mental health disorders and related issues. Women should check out http://www.ivillage.com for essential women's health and wellness information. For more material on mental health disorders and links to relevant sites organized by groups of disorders, self help section, ask a therapist, depression tests, and compatibility quizzes visit http://www.planetpsych.com.

Complete relief of symptoms is impossible it's because mental health disorders can be very weakening for several patients in many cases. It takes the right combination of medication, psychotherapy, and full participation from the patient, who must take responsibility and make positive choices. There are some good pharmaceuticals that are now available to people with mental health disorders, which has made it possible for them to lead a relatively "normal" life. In some older psychotic medications, the side effects were far worse than the symptoms which are not well controlled. In this case, electro shock therapy was usually recommended by the psychiatrist; just imagine "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest". We are thankful that modern technology and continued research of the brain and mental health disorders, has lead to great advances in this field, which have greatly improved patients' quality of life.

It is difficult to a family having a loved one who has a mental illness especially if they are trying to deal with the situation on its own. It is important to the family to seek help for mental health disorders because the situation will most likely become worse if is untreated.

We should approach mental health disorders as any other illness. Conditions like bipolar disorder and major depression can be treated with interventions and medication. The unfortunate thing about the situation is that many people suffer through their conditions needlessly. Many believe that they just need to "snap out of it" and when they find that they are unable to do that they become even more impatient and dismayed. Having mental health disorders is much like having a sickness that can be treated with some medication and some therapy.

Having a diabetes a family member is highly unlikely that the illness would be ignored. For some reason mental health disorders are legitimate illnesses that require treatment. You shouldn't ignore the sign of diabetes as well as the signs of mental illness.

We should not treated mental health disorder slightly. It is better to seek help than to suffer needlessly. Isn't always easy to find information for a number of conditions. Sites like mentalhelp.net are designed to provide helpful information that can enlighten you as to whether or not you want to seek advice from a professional.

The stigma associated with mental illnesses as well as developmental disorders is falling by the wayside as we begin to understand the mental health disorders better. If people seek the necessary information and help they can lead happy, productive lives.

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Mental - Emotional Disorders and Chinese Medicine

The Nei Jing which can be said to be the "Source" of all ancient theories of Chinese Medicine and which is also widely accepted as the earliest text devoted to medicine says: "In children blame the spleen, in adults blame the liver, in the aged blame the kidneys". What this means is that in children the most common cause of illness is a weak spleen which in effect means weak digestive abilities, in adults the main cause of illness is related to the liver, of which the most common TCM pathology is Liver Qi stagnation. In the aged the kidneys are to blame because it is the kidneys that hold the essence of life which have by now been largely consumed just as a candle consumes itself by giving off light. It is the statement with regard to adults that I will elaborate further on.

The liver in TCM is said to control the flow of qi in the body, it also opens into the eyes, stores blood (which it releases to other areas of the body when required), controls the contraction and relaxation of muscles, controls the emotions of anger, irritability and frustration and also influences strategy and decision making. We say that the liver houses the Hun, the ethereal soul which leaves the body when a person passes away and also allows for the focus of the individual on long term goals and objectives. The reason that the Nei Jing says blame the liver in adults is because adults are by definition those who have now come to live with "delayed gratification" as opposed to a child who seeks "instant gratification". This social constraint of not being able to do what we want to when we want to do it is in effect an inhibition of the qi mechanism, which in turn causes the qi to stagnate. This qi stagnation, since it being a function of the liver to maintain free flow of qi, first affects the liver manifesting as anger, frustration and irritability on a mental emotional level and because of the interrelationships of the liver with other organs can manifest as stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, and in fact a myriad of other symptoms depending on which organ or system is attacked by the build up of qi in the liver.

The classic feature that presents when any of the above symptoms are due to Liver qi stagnation is that the symptoms are worse for stress, it is therefore useful to ask: "Is it worse for stress?" or if you feel you will be leading the patient ask what the symptoms are worse and better for.

Acupuncture points that are useful for liver qi stagnation include Liver 3, Liver 13, LI4, Ren12, UB 18. Herbal formulae that are useful include Xao Yao San, Chai Hu Shu Gan San and even Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang when accompanied by Spleen qi vacuity.

The liver is the organ/system most often implicated in mental-emotional disorders though the other organs/systems also have similar relationships as follows:

Spleen/Stomach - Excessive worry and thinking can damage the spleen/stomach causing such symptoms as loose stools, metrorhaggia, profuse bleeding, poor appetite and in long standing cases are often the cause of many autoimmune disorders. Such patients may also have difficulty making decisions and be prone to obsessive behaviours

Kidneys - The emotion of the kidney is fear and it houses the Zhi which is the will, hence lack of willpower and inordinate fear are typical when the kidney is weak. Fright or excessive fear may also induce kidney weakness which may then manifest as bedwetting, incontinence and impotence.

Lungs - The lungs are weakened by grief and sadness. Since the lungs are intimately involved in the production of qi in the body this often leads to deficient qi manifesting as chronic fatigue, shortness of breath and asthma.

Heart - The heart is damaged by excessive joy, which we say slows the qi down or causes it to become "slack", this can be fatal if the individual already has a heart condition.

Sometimes patients come in for a particular mental-emotional or prediagnosed psychiatric condition. TCM is well suited to treating such disorders because of the novel approach and tools at the practitioners disposal, here follows the common patterns that are behind many of these disorders and some tips on their treatment:

Obsessive-compulsive disorders/tendencies - This condition is most often related to a weakness of the spleen with resultant accumulation of dampness. Acupuncture points include ST40, SP3. Herbal formulae include Modified Si Jun Zi Tang.

Withdrawal - Often due to either kidney yang vacuity in which case the problem is not enough willpower to engage the outside world or cold-phlegm obstructing the portals of the heart which almost always presents with a tongue with a thick white coating that covers the majority of the tongue surface. Points: Kidney vacuity - UB23, K7; Phlegm - ST40, Yintang. Herbal formulae: Kidney vacuity - Fu Gui Ba Wei Wan; Phlegm - Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Wan

Mania - Can be due to liver-fire or phlegm-fire obstructing the heart. Points: Liver-fire - Liv 2; Phlegm - ST40, Liv 2. Herbal formulae: Liver fire - Long Dan Xie Gan Wan; Phlegm - Wen Dan Tang

Anxiety - Usually either blood or yin vacuity.

Paranoia - More often blood stasis but can be blood vacuity as well

Seasonal Affective Disorder - Almost always Kidney yang vacuity

It must be stressed in conclusion that although Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can effectively treat many mental-emotional disorders, the practitioner cannot assume the role of the psychotherapist or psychologist. It is essential that if the underlying pattern has an issue that needs addressing by a qualified counselor or therapist, as in the case of trauma, that the TCM practitioner work together with such a professional in managing the illness together.

(Please note: This article is intended for practitioners and to give an insight to the public on how Chinese Medicine is able to treat mental health issues, if you are not a practitioner please do not act on the advice given herein, rather consult a professional practitioner of Chinese Medicine who will be able to treat based on the individual nuances of your condition)

Dr Latib is a lecturer and practitioner of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also a professional board member of the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa and is actively involved in the academic and regulatory aspects of the profession.

You can visit his website at [http://www.drlatib.com]

The Budding Disorders - Mental Health of Children

We would like to think that we have built our environments in such a way that they minimize the factors that could result to psychological and behavioral disturbances among individuals. Thus, optimizing our mental health. But statistics tell us that the majority of our population's mental health is largely subjected to negative environments.

Complications brought about by negative environment

For many children, symptoms of psychological disorders are linked to the negative stressors in the environment. In the United States alone, one in every five children suffers severe physical abuse and one in every group of five lives below the poverty line. Additionally, psychosocial structures in cities where there is poor housing expose children to violence that could detriment their mental health. (You can imagine how many children in other countries which have far lower economic status and far fewer programs for child protection are subjected to negative stressors.)

Both of the above stressors are considered as traumatic experiences to children that could resurface as psychological disorders during adulthood.

A negative or a positive environment during childhood explains why there are adults who are more likely than not to develop psychological disorders and there are those who are not affected by these at all.

For example, children who repeatedly experienced sexual trauma or sexual abuse are most likely to develop dissociative disorders such as multiple personality disorder. The rate of victimization within intimate relationships only reinforces the dissociative response. Also, repetitive exposure to violence or to the activities of a dysfunctional environment could also contribute to the development of severe dissociative disorders. These mental illnesses root from the child's effort to deny the violence, abuse, or trauma they experience as coping mechanism so as to protect his mental wellness. However, failure to completely get over these experiences would result to the impairment of his psychological wellness and even his social and emotional well-being.

Parental deprivations

Some researchers assumed that the large difference in number of psychological disorders being treated these days as compared to prevalence in the past century is largely contributed by dysfunctional family structures and parental deprivations. Indifference and neglect by familial figures, maternal-social deprivations, isolation and separation from parents are viewed as the root causes of psychological disorders such as depressions, mental retardation, psychomotor impairments and the manifestations of autistic-like behaviors among children.

Pathogenic Parent-Child Relationship

The traumatic interpersonal relationship between a parent or a parent-figure and a child is viewed as a negative environment for the child's growth and development. This relationship only means that their relationship is structured in the manner that it damages a child's psychological well-being. These give stress to certain beliefs that are psychologically unfavorable to the child such as irrational beliefs on self-blame, irrational explanations on traumatic experiences, maladaptive behaviors, unconscious guilt, shame and doubt about oneself. These beliefs are very powerful and could lead the child to over generalize negative incidents.

Children experience all sorts of negative environments including war and violence, daily stress, economic problems and accelerating negative effects of technological changes. But among these, the most aggravated is the disabling relationship he has with his immediate environment- his parents, his family and his direct interaction to his society. Above everything else, there is a need to modify these negative environments in order to develop children with better mental health and in the future, adults who can readily adapt to the stressors from their environments.

Read More Mental Health Articles [http://healthylifemission.com/mental-health] Here.