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Tag: Mental Health

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is associated with episodes of mood swings, ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. It is a mood disorder with two extremes: depressed and manic

What is Depressive low: Depressive episodes may include symptoms such as low energy, low motivation and loss of interest in daily activities.  

What is Manic High: The main features of a manic episode is a period during which there is an abnormally and persistently elevated or irritable mood. There is also a persistent increase in activity or energy in the person that is present for most of the day.

What Causes Bipolar Disorder? 

The exact cause of bipolar disorder is not yet known. But a multiple of research implies that a combination of genetics, environment and an altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role.

Symptoms:The episode of mood swings lasts days to months at a time. They may also be associated with suicidal thoughts.

  • When in the depressive state, a person feels persistently sad, hopeless, lethargic, and may feel suicidal, among other symptoms. 
  • When in the manic phase, a person becomes overly elated, irritable, needs less sleep, makes grand plans, may impulsively engage in potentially dangerous behavior. 

Treatment and help: 

The Treatment plan is usually lifelong and often it involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Medication is used to treat acute or severe episodes and to help prevent a relapse. Psychosocial support is one of the most important components of treatment. 

To Note

A person with bipolar disorder may be at a high risk of suicide. Hence, treatment must be started at the earliest.

What is not bipolar disorder?

  • We all experience mood swings now and then, but they do not affect our daily activities. This is not bipolar disorder.
  • Depression is also not bipolar disorder. Yes, some symptoms of both the conditions are similar. But the main difference is that in bipolar disorder is that there are episodes of both mania and depression, as well as extreme mood swings.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (5th Edition ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.

Hoffman, M., & WebMD. (2020). Bipolar I Disorder. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-1-disorder

Hoffman, M., & WebMD. (2020). Bipolar II Disorder. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-2-disorder

Hoffman, M., & WebMD. (2020). Cyclothymia (Cyclothymic Disorder). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/cyclothymia-cyclothymic-disorder

First Aid for Epileptic Seizures

First Aid for Epileptic Seizures by Famhealth

How to identify the Epileptic Seizures.

The person may appear unresponsive and confused as their consciousness is impaired. Automatic movements such as smacking of the lips, wandering, or fumbling movements of the hand may be present. He or she may display inappropriate behavior that may be mistaken for alcohol/drug intoxication or psychiatric disturbance.

What to do when someone is suffering with Seizure.

  • Stay calm – remain with the person.
  • Time the seizure.
  • Protect from injury – remove any hard objects from the area. 
  • Protect the head – place something soft under their head and loosen any tight clothing.
  • Gently roll the person on their side as soon as it is possible to do so and firmly push the angle of the jaw forward to assist with breathing. A person cannot ‘swallow their tongue’ but the tongue can move back to cause a serious block to breathing. 
  • Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally and calmly talk to the person until the regain consciousness, usually within a few minutes.

Reassure the person that they are safe and that you will stay with them while they recover. 
After the seizure, the person should be placed on their side. Keep in mind there is a small risk of post-seizure vomiting, before the person is fully alert. Therefore the person’s head should be turned so that any vomit will drain out of the mouth without being inhaled. Stay with the person until he/she recovers (5 to 20 minutes).

Hospitalize the victim if you notice any of these.

  • The seizure activity lasts 5 or more minutes or a second seizure quickly follows.
  • The person remains non-responsive for more than 5 minutes after the seizure stops.
  • The person is having a greater number of seizures than is usual for them.
  • The person is injured, goes blue in the face or has swallowed water.
  • The person is pregnant.
  • You know, or believe it to be, the person’s first seizure.
  • You feel uncomfortable dealing with the seizure at the time.

To read more on First Aid, click on the link below.

https://famhealth.in/infocus-detail/first-aid


Good habits for Mental health

Staying Mentally Healthy by Famhealth
  • Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health. Be sure to eat nutritious meals, avoid cigarettes, drink plenty of water, exercise and get enough sleep.
  • Deal with stress-Stress is a part of life. Practice good coping skills and try to manage stress. Experts suggest including yoga, meditation and exercise in daily routine. Research shows that laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, relax your body and reduce stress.
  • Exercising everyday-Physical activity can have a positive impact on our mood. Even as little as a brisk 10-minute walk can increase our positive mood. Exercise releases certain hormones which are stress busters and relaxes our body and mind to a great extent.
  • Bask in Sun-Research has proved that sunlight helps promote the production of vitamin D which increases your level of serotonin (which helps regulate your mood) in the brain. Plus, time in nature is a proven stress reducer. It is advisable to daily sit in a good sunlight for atleast 10-15 mins for a good mental health.
  • Avoid alcohol and other drugs-Experts recommend alcohol use to a minimum and avoid other drugs. Sometimes people use alcohol and other drugs to “self-medicate” but in reality, alcohol and other drugs only aggravate problems. They are addictive and can only complicate stress levels.

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OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder which
is a chronic and long-lasting mental disorder. In this condition the
person suffers from the uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts
(obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). The person performs
the repetitive actions like hand washing, checking on things or cleaning,
which affects the person’s daily activities and social interactions.

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) by Famhealth

What are the signs and symptoms of OCD?

People with OCD can have the symptoms of either obsessions or compulsions, or both. These symptoms can affect the aspects of life, such as work, school, and personal relationships.

Obsessions are repeated thoughts, needs, or certain mental images that cause anxiety.

Here is a list of some common obsession symptoms:

  • The person is extremely fearful of germs or contamination
  • He/she keeps on thinking about certain taboo thoughts such as sex, religion, and harm
  • Person becomes extremely aggressive towards others or becomes self destructive
  • Person becomes obsessive in keeping things symmetrical or in a perfect order

Some of the common compulsions include:

  • Person becomes cleaniness and/or handwashing freak
  • Always tries to order and arrange things in a defined or particular way
  • Gets the habit of checking certain things like if the door is locked or that the oven is off

It is not mandatory that a person who double checks things are suffering from OCD, but an OCD patient is unable to control his or her thoughts or behaviors, even when those thoughts or behaviors are recognized as excessive and spends least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors

Some individuals also suffer from a problem known as Tic disorder. Tics is a motor disease and is causes sudden, brief, repetitive movements, such as eye blinking and other eye movements, certain facial movements such as grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Some people also suffer from vocal tics such as repetitive throat-clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds.

What causes OCD?

OCD is thought to have a genetic predisposition. OCD is common in some families; however not all in a family suffer from OCD. OCD starts in the adolescence and affects early in boys than the girls. Research has indicated that people who have suffered physical or sexual trauma are at an increased risk for OCD.

It has been observed that children who suffer from a streptococcal infection known as the post-infectious autoimmune syndrome is called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) are more likely to suffer from OCD and it has also been observed that such symptoms of OCD in such children get worse post infection.

How is OCD treated?

As a first step, it is necessary to consult a doctor about your symptoms. The doctor can do an examination and may refer the patient to a mental health specialist, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or counselor for evaluation or treatment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) medication or a combination of both can be used in treating a patient with OCD

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a way which guides a patient in different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to the obsessions and compulsions.

Exposure and Response Prevention (EX/RP) is a type of CBT which has been shown to help many patients recover from OCD. EX/RP teaches gradually exposing you to your fears or obsessions and teaching you healthy ways to deal with the anxiety they cause.

Some other therapies include habit reversal training have been found in reversing the compulsions.

For children, the psychiatrist may design some methods to manage stress or may add an extra support to curb the OCD symptoms in school and home.

Medication

Certain medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and a type of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) called clomipramine are used to treat OCD.

Although SSRIs and SRIs are commonly used to treat depression, but they are also helpful for the symptoms of OCD. These medications may also cause side effects, such as headaches, nausea, or difficulty sleeping. Clomipramine, is other substitute and is a different class of medication from the SSRIs, sometimes experience dry mouth, constipation, rapid heartbeat, and dizziness on standing. However, these side effects usually vanish as a person starts taking the treatment on a regular basis and the dose is increased slowly under the guidance of the physician.

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-take-over/index.shtml

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/

http://www.ocduk.org/

Bereavement

Grief is a person’s emotional response to the experience of loss while bereavement is the state of having experienced a loss. Reactions to loss are called grief reactions. Common grief reactions include difficult feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviors. People who have experienced loss may have a range of feelings. This could include shock, numbness, sadness, denial, despair, anxiety, anger, guilt, loneliness, depression, helplessness, relief, and yearning.

Common thought patterns include disbelief, confusion, difficulty concentrating, preoccupation, and hallucinations. Grief can cause physical sensations. These include tightness or heaviness in the chest or throat, nausea or an upset stomach, dizziness, headaches, physical numbness, muscle weakness or tension, and fatigue. It may also make you vulnerable to illness. A person who is grieving may struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep and even lose energy for enjoyable activities.
 

The stages of mourning include acceptance of the reality of the loss, going through the pain of grief. Adjusting to life without the person being physically present and finding new ways to remain connected to the person who has died. The grieving process is often harder when the person has unresolved feelings towards or conflicts with the person who has died.
 

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The year after the death of a loved one is very emotional. Mental health experts suggest waiting at least a year before making any major decisions, such as moving or changing jobs. Consider making a list of decisions and tasks, and figure out which ones must be completed immediately. Try to hold off on the important decisions that can wait. Anniversaries, birthdays and festive occasions can be very difficult, particularly during the first year. With time, these feelings will often get less intense. You may find it helpful to do something special to mark an anniversary,birthday or make time for a celebration to remember your relative or friend.

To read more on Cancer, click on the link below, 

Cancer

HYPOCHONDRIASIS

Hypochondriasis is a type of anxiety disorder. If someone
is continuously worried about his/ her health, even if the doctor,
says that everything is fine, it is known as health anxiety, or illness
anxiety disorder, or hypochondriasis.

Hypochondriasis

Hypochondriasis by Famhealth
It is natural for people to worry about their health. But hypochondriacs get extremely worried about their health and feel that they are seriously ill, or are about to suffer from a seriously illness. Such people do not have any symptoms or experience very less symptoms. Even minimal symptoms become a cause of concern for them.

Some people with hypochondria suffer from a medical condition which is usually not that serious, but they fear that they are suffering from a major disease. Other people with hypochondria are healthy, but have an overwhelming fear about their health in the future. For example, they might think: “What if I get cancer?”

Hypochondriacs are affected with a low quality of life and this condition affects their day to day activities.

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Causes of hypochondria?

The clear cause why people have hypochondria is unknown, but it is more common in people who:

  • Had stress, illness or a death in the family
  • Had a neglected or abused childhood
  • Suffer from serious physical illness
  • Suffer from serious mental health issue such as anxiety, depression, a compulsive disorder or a psychotic illness
  • People who have a negative outlook towards life

There are some activities which can make a person more prone towards hypochondria:

  • Studying about diseases on the Internet
  • Watching too much TV for diseases
  • If that person knows a person who is suffering from a serious medical condition

What are the symptoms of hypochondria?

 Some common symptoms of hypochondria are:

  • Affected person continuously thinks about suffering from a serious illness
  • Affected person keeps on seeing a doctor, in spite of doctor’s continuous reassurances
  • Keeps on undergoing medical tests
  • Always keep on talking about health with friends and family
  • Spends a lot of time on the internet studying symptoms
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Suffers from with poor relationship with family, at work and society because of concerns about their health.

What is the treatment of hypochondria?

Doctor will look out for physical problems with which a hypochondriac person usually suffers:

  • Gives the affected person advice and teaches self-help techniques
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy is done on such patients
  • Refers the person to a counselor or psychiatrist
  • Antidepressants are prescribed to reduce anxiety.
  • Exercise, good diet and family support helps to reduce the symptoms of hypochondria

What are the complications that can happen, if hypochondriasis is left untreated?

Person with hypochondria can have below mentioned possible complications

  • Affected person usually suffers from an affected relationship as the near and dear ones are continuously frustrated with the patient’s talk
  • Affected person in unable to perform well in work place
  • Person is unable to concentrate on daily life activities; hence it can even lead to disability in performing simple tasks
  • Frequent doctor visits and health checkups can cause financial crisis
  • Eventually person suffers from somatic symptom disorder, other anxiety disorders, depression or a personality disorder

How can hypochondria be prevented?

There are some suggestions from doctors which can prevent hypochondria

  • If anyone is suffering from anxiety, it is advisable to seek professional help soon to prevent further complications.
  • Try to manage stress in your Life-Seek help, meditation and exercise can help you relieve from stress.
  • Seek doctor’s advice on a regular basis and stick to your treatment plan to prevent the relapse of hypochondria, in case you are diagnosed with the same

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/illness-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20373782

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9886-illness-anxiety-disorder-beyond-hypochondriasis

http://beyondocd.org/expert-perspectives/articles/hypochondriasis-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-treat-it

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC181122/

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hypochondria

Famhealth – About Us

about us

our vision, philosophy
& mission

Famhealth, derived from the term family health is a platform,
that strives to help the patient and the ‘family health guardian’
navigate through various issues related to the health of her family.

about famhealth

Famhealth derived from the term Family Health is a healthcare venture in bringing people with common health conditions and concerns together.

Patients and their caregivers have  questions that remain unanswered. We plug this information gap by aggregating; curating and disseminating evidence-based information through various media platforms.

We strive to help the patient and ‘family health guardians’ navigate through various issues related to their health by Informing, Inspiring and Empowering them. In short, equipping families to take informed, thought-through decisions.

We have a wide network of experienced super-specialists who advise us and our medical content is created by an unbiased team of professionals with a cumulative experience of more than 100 years and who come from various backgrounds – medical, media, advertising, digital, and academics… mostly humanitarian. We are proud to offer India a platform dedicated to healthcare people can trust.

You can also catch us on TV with our distribution partners, Tata Sky on “Tata Sky Family Health”

our core team

asha kapoor, MD

Close to 30 years work ex in advertising and marketing. Began her career in account management at Lintas (Delhi and Mumbai) and McCann Erickson (Delhi and Mumbai) as also by working on iconic brands like Dettol; Disprin, Stayfree; J&J Baby products. L’Oreal etc.

A stint at McCann Erickson New York (Consumer Health) followed by setting up new ventures:

  • McCann Healthcare India, one of the first specialist agencies in this domain.
  • As an Executive Director & President a Sudler & Hennessey India & Singapore, a high-end specialist niche communications company (a WPP/ Rediffusion Y&R company. This encompassed setting up a series of disciplines ranging from consumer advertising (OTC businesses), direct marketing, BTB marketing, loyalty programs, a medical knowledge bank and PR not just for India, but Singapore too.

Worked as Director Marketing at Ozone Ayurvedics, and as Director, Business with Tag Worldwide.

vibha paul rishi, investor, chief whip & advisor

Vibha holds a BA (hon) degree in economics from Delhi University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi. Vibha Paul Rishi is an experienced marketing professional with stints in Indian and international markets, coupled with an abiding passion for people.

Her last role was as the executive director, brand and human capital of Max India Limited. Prior to this, she was the director, marketing and customer strategy at the Future Group. She served PepsiCo for 17 years in leadership roles in marketing and innovation in India, US and UK. She was one of the founding team of PepsiCo and Titan watches when they started up in India.

She serves on the boards of several reputed companies such as Asian Paints, Indian Hotels, Tata Chemicals etc. She is also on the board of Pratham, an NGO that works to provide education to underprivileged children in India . Recently she was appointed to the Faculty Board of her alma mater FMS , Delhi University.

maulshree joshi, content & strategy director

Ex National Director Group M’s Motivator, Maulshree Is a seasoned advertising and content professional with over 15 years of cross functional experience in the Industry.

She was with GroupM for about 10 years, where she had stints at various GroupM agencies including ESP, Mindshare and Motivator. She worked extensively on creating branded content across brands at GroupM and created India’s first Cookery based reality which ran for multiple seasons on Colors. She also conceptualized the first ever Virtual Reality show on Doordarshan for Perfetti besides many other award winning content projects.

In addition, she launched RadioM, India’s first ‘only Radio content’ agency to harness the power of radio for brands working with Pepsico, Hero Moto Corp, Tata Tea, GSK and many others. Earlier in her career she worked with agencies like Mudra, Lowe and RKSwamy BBDO.

nitin kapoor, founder director and head operations

Over 35 years of diverse experience across industries from the Merchant Navy, Software & Solutions Sales, International trading, Project Management and as an Entrepreneur. Served as an integral member of the NIIT software team in its formative years.

His experience ranges from spearheading and management of operations, key client relationship building, business development (domestic and global), managing liaisons and all that needs in running your own business.

our social responsibility

The large part of health conditions in India today are lifestyle led and are chronic or ‘lifelong’. While our medical fraternity does an outstanding job in treating our diseases and conditions, there is an enormous stress on our healthcare infrastructure.

Efficacy of treatments is very heavily dependent on how well we have modified our lifestyle. We are here to help our country and our doctors by understanding effective patient self-management techniques and consistently complying with these.

Our content and updates are responsibly curated by the best in the medical field. Our aim is to aggregate solutions and resources that exist but are still unknown to many. Please help us find them. Please post generously.

note

Each one of us is different and react to things differently. Please remember that while many ideas will be shared and discussed on this platform, some of these may not be applicable/suitable for some of us. Hence we urge you to check with your doctor if they are appropriate for you. Also, we neither encourage nor subscribe to any discussions on a specific doctor, hospital or treatments on this platform.

how we help

inform

We provide your family and you relevant medical information, latest scientific and medical updates and professional suggestions to help you understand your condition better

inspire

We provide a safe place to hear about the journey of other people who have successfully navigated through the same health issues and what helped them overcome their challenges.

empower

We provide as many solutions as we possibly can to help you and your family make better informed decisions to effectively manage your loved one’s health concern.


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