Information
Below is some helpful information on the types of disorders I deal with. This is aimed to help you understand your situation and give you the tools to work through it.
Abuse-related trauma can develop after someone has been sexually or physically abused and/or emotionally abused or neglected, usually in childhood. The abuser is often an older family member or a close family friend or relative. Trauma can change the way a person develops, emotionally and psychologically.
Social drinking is common and popular is many cultures all over the world. In several cultures, for example, a glass of wine or beer with a meal is common practice. Celebrations are often punctuated with a glass of champagne or other celebratory cocktail. And in many jobs, going out for drinks is the norm.
It’s normal to worry and feel tense or scared when under pressure or facing a stressful situation. Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when we feel threatened. Although it may be unpleasant, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help us stay alert and focused,…
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) causes serious shifts in a person’s mood, energy, thinking, and behavior – from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. More than just a fleeting good or bad mood, the cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months.
Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life as it’s impossible to escape life’s ups and downs. Feeling unhappy or sad in response to disappointment, loss, frustration or a medical condition is normal. Many people use the word “depression” to explain these kinds of feelings,…
Receiving a diagnosis of “infertility” can make you feel helpless, frustrated and depressed. The stress of infertility is a two way street. The emotional experience can’t help but create tension in one’s body. And tension in one’s body can’t help but intensify the worry that you are somehow contributing to the problem.
Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one – and this type of loss does often cause the most intense grief.
Today, chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Chronic diseases are now the major cause of death and disability worldwide and they account for 59% of the 57 million deaths annually and 46% of the global burden of disease.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop following a traumatic event that threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless. Most people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers – and military combat is the most common cause in men – but any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD,…
In our fast paced society and culture that values youth, individuality, material things and accomplishments, more and more people struggle in their search for meaning and connection to some larger purpose. This especially becomes important when dealing with life-changing events,…
When you perceive a threat, your autonomic nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. The fight or flight (stress) response is a function of the sympathetic system, which is a part of our autonomic nervous system. The result is that your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten,…
ADD & ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) have symptoms that may begin in childhood and continue into adulthood. ADD/ADHD is the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder affecting about 3 to 5% of people globally with symptoms starting before seven years of age. ADHD and ADD symptoms can cause problems at home, school, work, and in relationships. Adolescents and adults with ADD/ADHD tend to develop coping mechanisms to compensate for some or all of their impairments.
We all know kids who can’t sit still, who never seem to listen, who don’t follow instructions no matter how clearly you present them, who blurt out inappropriate comments at inappropriate times. Sometimes these children are labeled as troublemakers, or criticized for being lazy and undisciplined or day-dreamers.
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, with the main symptoms being visible hyperactivity and/or impulsivity while ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder with the main symptoms being inattention. Adult ADD/ADHD, as in children, is characterized by excessive inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. While in children, hyperactivity is often displayed as constant squirming and moving, in adults it may be more of a constant feeling of restlessness and agitation.
Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is a condition in which an individual eats, or avoids eating, in a manner which negatively affects both one’s physical and mental health. Eating disorders can range from mild mental anguish to life-threatening conditions, and can affect every aspect of an individuals’ daily life. Anorexia nervosa, binge eating and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes. Research shows that 3.7 percent women suffer from anorexia nervosa and up to 4.2 percent from bulimia nervosa, while 5 percent practice binge-eating.
The key features of anorexia nervosa are refusal to sustain a minimally normal body weight, intense fear of gaining weight, despite being underweight and distorted view of one’s body or weight, or denial of the dangers of one’s low weight. There are two types of anorexia, the restricting type and the purging type…
The key features of binge eating disorder are frequent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating, feeling extremely distressed or upset during or after bingeing and no regular attempts to “make up” for the binges through vomiting, fasting, or over-exercising. People with binge eating disorder struggle with feelings of guilt…
The key features of bulimia nervosa are regular episodes of out-of-control binge eating, inappropriate behavior to prevent weight gain and self-worth is excessively influenced by weight and physical appearance. There are two types of bulimia, distinguished by the methods the bulimic uses to compensate for the binge eating.