Jul 03

If you want to free Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness mindfulness training may be the anwer to prevent and treat depression!

Doctors and therapists use a tool called the Hamilton anxiety rating scale to assist them in ascertaining how serious a patient’s anxiety actually is. The patient is asked fourteen relevant questions which are based upon typical symptoms that people experience.  The first thirteen of these questions are answered by the patient based on interviews and questions asked, whereas the last question is used by the therapists to indicate how they feel the patient is actually doing. Here is a link to some reviews to help you stop your panic attacks. Max Hamilton developed the HARS test as he felt there was a need to be able to measure both mental and physical or somatic anxiety.  The test can be used on people of all age groups with recent evidence to show that it is particularly suitable for older people  The test itself was developed using the statistical technique of factor analysis which allowed Hamilton to create a list of the symptoms related to anxiety and then break them down into mental and physical symptoms. The patient is questioned by a therapist or doctor and his or her answers are then graded from 0-4, with 4 representing the highest level of anxiety.  When the test is finished, the doctor or therapist tots up the scores and uses the total to make a determination of the patients anxiety levels.  The questions are split into seven for psychic anxieties and seven for somatic anxieties giving the therapist a well rounded look at the patient and making it easier to understand [...] Continue Reading…

Jul 03

Adults can be affected by ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder, but generally it is diagnosed in children. The main ADD treatment is medication. Medicines Used for ADD Treatment The main group of ADD Medicine used is psycho stimulants. They are stimulants which means in the typical person they would cause a stimulating effect, but in people with ADD they have the opposite effect and calm the person down. Dextroamphertamines include the brand name drugs Dexedrine and Dextrostat. The stimulants which is often used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder are l-amphetamin racemic mixture, dextroamphertamines and pemoline. The brand name of a d- and l-amphetamin racemic mixture drug is Adderall. Atomoxetine, clonidine, despiramine, imipramine and buproprion are included in other types of Attention Deficit Disorder Medicine. Side Effects Produced by ADD Medication ADD Medicine can cause side effects and knowing these possible effects is important in ensuring proper treatment. The side effects can vary by drug and by person, but the main side effects reported are: * hunger-less * stomach-ache * pain * mass deficit * restlessness Fewer reported side effects include: * quick beat of the heart * upper body hurt * sickness Taking Treatment The medication will only work if you take the right medicine and obey the doctor’s order in general. By obeying your doctors, and taking the ADD medicine coorectly will really help you keep away from side effects. Here are [...] Continue Reading…

Jul 02

living with schizophreniaOutpatients living with schizophrenia should be subtly pushed by friends and relatives to recover, researchers suggest. Encouragement and bargaining should be used to facilitate change. People with mental illness should be included in household responsibilities, such as washing the dishes, gardening or setting the table. Planning group activities several times a week or even creating a daily ritual can decrease feelings of social anxiety and detachment. For severe cases of schizophrenia, it may mean a lifetime on anti-psychotic drugs like Clozapine, Zyprexa, Olanzapine or Perphenazine. These drugs can help schizophrenia patients overcome debilitating delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety. An anti-depressant, like Lithium, has also been effective. While some people may require hospitalization, many schizophrenic patients find living with the illness quite bearable with medication. Take, for example, 27-year-old Charlie Chastain, a schizophrenic who was recently profiled by CNN. He was first diagnosed around age 15 when he began hiding in his room all the time, feeling constant paranoia and anxiety. Charlie has a college degree in psychology and works full-time at a mental health center in Clayton, Georgia. “I really think that if I went off my medication, I would end up in a psychiatric hospital,” he relates. However, the drugs can only help most patients so much. The ultimate goal for anyone suffering from a mental illness is the ability to live independently. Living with this illness is often difficult because listlessness, depression and social isolation block normalcy. Duke University researchers found that only 10% of the [...] Continue Reading…

Jul 02

A doctorate is the highest educational achievement that you can earn and there is much respect associated with having those letters behind your name. Only one out of a hundred people have a doctorate, so that reverence is certainly due. Also, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, someone with a doctorate degree earns one to two million dollars in lifetime earnings more than someone with a master’s degree. With numbers like that, what are you waiting for? Ph.D. or Doctorate? It seems that there is some confusion when it comes to the difference between a doctorate and a Ph.D., or Doctor of Philosophy. Actually, a Ph.D. is one of several doctorate degrees that you can earn. Doctorate degrees can be broken down into two types: professional doctorates and research doctorates. People who earn professional doctorates apply their degree to a specific profession, as opposed to an academic field of study. These include M.D. (Doctor of Medicine), J.D. (Juris Doctor), DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine), and PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) among many others. Research doctorates include the Ph.D. and are often focused on a particular subject. Here is a breakdown of some of the more popular doctorates available in the United States: Ph.D. or Doctor of Philosophy: This degree is normally earned by those who want to go into research or Academia. There are many fields in which you can earn a Ph.D. including history, mathematics, and chemistry. Psy.D. or Doctor of Psychology: If you want to be a psychologist, than you can [...] Continue Reading…