Bipolar Disorder

Hey guys do you ever have those days where you feel like a zombie? Feel dead tired and out of it? Cotard’s may be the diagnosis for you! Named after Jules Cotard, a French neurologist who first described the condition, Cotard’s Syndrome (or Cotard’s Delusion or Walking Corpse Syndrome) is a rare mental disorder where sufferers imagine that they are decomposing, dead or non-existent.

Like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, Cotard’s is another form of delusional psychosis, the only self-certifiable form of its kind. Those with this condition often describe a loss of blood, organs and/or body parts.

After many years of research and evaluation some very unique and different cases we have finally found out the cause for the delusional thoughts, the diluted reality is caused by a brain dysfunction in the fusiform gyrus and the amygdala. Despite knowing the cause we are still to find out a cure, so far people suffering with Cotard delusion get prescribed anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and sometimes even electroconvulsive therapy.

The first case recorded for the syndrome was in 1978 by a man named Charles Bonnet. An elderly lady insisted her daughters and her family lay her to rest in a coffin as she was convinced she was no longer living, she made sure they treated her like she was dead and eventually they gave in and allowed her wishes. Despite being in her coffin she still would move and rearrange herself, eventually when she fell asleep they carried her to her bed, when she awoke the delusions were gone but came back every couple of months.

About 100 years after this a French neurologist `Jules Cotard` saw a patient with an unusual complaint. Mademoiselle X, as Cotard called her in his notes, claimed to have “no brain, no nerves, no chest, no stomach and no intestines.” Despite this, she also believed that she “was eternal and would live for ever.” Due to her beliefs she saw no need to eat or drink so she eventually died of starvation, this unique case created the rare mental disorder, hence the name Cotard delusion.

In one reported case, a 20-year-old male diagnosed with bipolar disorder described his feelings of distorted reality while on a treatment of lithium carbonate 800 mg/day (“My liver and stomach are being destroyed," and, "My heart doesn't beat," and, "I don't have muscles.

Causes
So how does one lose touch with their body to that extreme? This distorted reality is caused by a malfunction in an area of the brain called the fusiform gyrus, which recognizes faces, and also in the amygdala, an almond-shaped set of neurons that processes your emotions. The combination is a lack of recognition when viewing familiar faces (even the face of the sufferer), leaving the person feeling disconnected with reality. [source: Scientific American]


 Treatment

A cure to Cotard’s Syndrome is currently unknown as scientists are still in uncharted territory when it comes to finding a treatment for the cause. Instead, focus lies primarily in treating the symptoms rather than the cause. Common treatments include antidepressants and antipsychotics, as well as the controversial electroconvulsive therapy.

Electroconvulsive therapy is when an electric current gets shot through your brain damaging many neurons that cause depression and other mental problems.
80-90% of people who go through ECT find that it helps, however relapse in about 6months time resulting to follow-up ECT treatment or medication.
So next time onwards be careful if people around you feel alive or just seeming alive. See you guys next time with another unusual and stunning disorder which will tell you that what are the disorders our brain have to go through.

Anger: A quick step towards disaster

Oh guys don't get scared, i'm not at all angry or irritated it's just another title of my new blog. As i promised in my last blog that i will be talking about a topic which is usual but least discussed. So breaking the monotonous of my neurological blogs i have come up with issue of Anger Management.

You guys seem confused right ? actually don't need to. Its very rightly said that anger is the worst enemy of humans. Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.

The goal of anger management is to reduce both your emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. You can't get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.

Are You Too Angry?

There are psychological tests that measure the intensity of angry feelings, how prone to anger you are, and how well you handle it. But chances are good that if you do have a problem with anger, you already know it. If you find yourself acting in ways that seem out of control and frightening, you might need help finding better ways to deal with this emotion.

Mental health can be a really tricky thing to understand and is vastly dispersed in many genres. The most unenlightened issue regarding mental health which is ignored by majority of the population is Anger problems. Anger is well known to make existing problems even worse but it can also lead to mental health problems. Anger is more than just an emotion, chronic anger can be easily categorized as a disorder. It is more of a mental condition which can cause this emotion to surface without considerable provocation.

GENERAL PROVOCATIONS TO CAUSE ANGER
Just like every other emotion, anger can be triggered by both a person or a situation, serious personal problems or traumatic memories. The more a person is mentally disturbed, he is more likely to trigger this emotion even at insignificant things like a traffic jam. Mental dissatisfaction about something or someone can make a person sensitive regarding anger issues which leads to anxiety and even self-harm.

RAGE DISORDER

Rage disorder, often termed as explosive disorder is named so because of the impulsive and hostile characteristics it brings with it in a person. In medical terms it is known as Intermittent explosive disorder which causes unexpected outbursts of anger among the affected individuals. Various antidepressants are known to treat this disorder which can be prescribed by a medical professional.


DEALING WITH ANGER

Often people regret most of the things they do during anger, so the best way to tackle these problems is to avoid certain situations which are known to cause anger to the specific individual until the point when he is mentally capable to cope with the stress without breaking into an outburst. An unorthodox but effective way can be seeking company of a loved one who can calm the person in hard situations.

Suppressing anger can lead up to no good, so an easy outlet of anger is must once you've calmed. The best way to let go suppressed feelings is through the medium of meditation. Thus these explosive feelings can be tamed and can enhance the quality of mental health of an individual.

Next time ever you guys feels angry over something first think that is it worth affecting your mental health with too much of anger??
At last if u didn't like my post and feeling agitated so just calm yourself down and simply say to yourself DON'T ANGRY ME .. and ya it really works, (with me atleast).

Good Posture- A Sign of Healthy Lifestyle

Would you be attracted to a person you saw standing with a humped back?, or do you think you'll be able to convince a job recruiter if you're sitting on the chair like a lump?
I think you know the answer to those questions, which highlights the need of a good posture for a person. I'm ( Simran) back with another blog post and this time with an interesting topic too.


The body language of a person is the basic trait by which people around him decide to perceive him in which way, like for instance a person might be the smartest man on the planet but would still look stupid to others if he stands in a funny way. Body language of a person is very important to a one's personality growth and to survive in this competitive world. The way a person sits , the way a person walks all of this is very important to their personality development.


GENERAL MINDSET FOR THE NEED OF A GOOD POSTURE

A good posture is clearly related to the confidence of a person, a person who is confident about himself automatically carry themselves in a good posture and hence their body language is perceived by others in a more healthy and welcoming way. Thus for a complete growth of a personality and to survive and evolve in the society, one's body language and posture are the key feature.

IMPORTANT IMPACT ON HEALTH

The spine of a person is a very important part of the body and it has a direct relation to the posture that one maintains. A bad posture brings with it spinal problems including ligament damage and improper bone alignment in the back, which in turn reduces efficiency of the body and is the main reason behind early fatigueness throughout the day.


BENEFITS OF A GOOD POSTURE

Not only does it enhances physical appearance and personality but keeps us healthy by providing a normal functionality to the nervous system. Stress on the back muscles and abnormal wearing of tissues is prevented which favours the nervous system and helps in staying active. Not only this, the changes in lifestyle because of these habits and conditions further enhances the quality of health a person possess.


STAYING HAPPY TO STAY HEALTHY

Maintaining a good health during all the struggles in the lifestyle of a common person is very necessary to strive towards success. Being confident and possessing an appealing body language not only benefits health in one way but by developing a confident personality of a person and increasing efficiency of a person also means increased hard work which in turn results in success. Mental health is directly related to physical health and just a small step of enhancing the way we present ourselves and the posture that we maintain benefits our health in many layers.

So honestly your posture says it all that you are confident or not, you are prepared or not, you are trust worthy or not and most importantly healthy or not. Therefore one should be careful while sitting, standing and walking as well.

Bye bye for now and stay healthy guys see you all soon with my another post .

Yellow Fever: About & Facts

Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The "yellow" in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients.The disease is caused by the yellow fever virus and is spread by the bite of an infected female mosquito. It infects only humans, other primates, and several species of mosquitoes. In cities, it is spread primarily by Aedes aegypti, a type of mosquito found throughout the tropics and subtropics.

In 2013, yellow fever resulted in about 127,000 severe infections and 45,000 deaths, with nearly 90% of these occurring in Africa. Nearly a billion people live in an area of the world where the disease is common. It is common in tropical areas of South America and Africa, but not in Asia. Since the 1980s, the number of cases of yellow fever has been increasing. This is believed to be due to fewer people being immune, more people living in cities, people moving frequently, and changing climate.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Yellow fever begins after an incubation period of three to six days.
• Most cases only cause a mild infection with fever, headache, chills, back pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. In these cases, the infection lasts only three to four days.
• In 15% of cases, however, people enter a second, toxic phase of the disease with recurring fever, this time accompanied by jaundice due to liver damage, as well as abdominal pain.
• Bleeding in the mouth, the eyes, and the gastrointestinal tract cause vomit containing blood

TRANSMISSIONS

The yellow fever virus is an arbovirus of the flavivirus genus and is transmitted by mosquitoes, belonging to the Aedes and Haemogogus species. The different mosquito species live in different habitats - some breed around houses (domestic), others in the jungle (wild), and some in both habitats (semi-domestic).

PREVENTIONS

1. Vaccination

Vaccination is the most important means of preventing yellow fever. In high-risk areas where vaccination coverage is low, prompt recognition and control of outbreaks using mass immunization is critical for preventing epidemics. It is important to vaccinate most (80 % or more) of the population at risk to prevent transmission in a region with a yellow fever outbreak.
Several vaccination strategies are used to protect against outbreaks: routine infant immunization; mass vaccination campaigns designed to increase coverage in countries at risk; and vaccination of travellers going to yellow fever endemic areas

2. Mosquito control

The risk of yellow fever transmission in urban areas can be reduced by eliminating potential mosquito breeding sites by applying larvicides to water storage containers and other places where standing water collects. Insecticide spraying to kill adult mosquitoes during urban epidemics can help reduce the number of mosquitoes, thus reducing potential sources of yellow fever transmission.

Depression: Treatment & Therapies

What is depression?

Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life. In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live.

We all have times when our mood is low, and we’re feeling sad or miserable about life. Usually these feelings pass in due course. But if the feelings are interfering with your life and don't go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back over and over again for a few days at a time, it could be a sign that you're experiencing depression.

Signs and symptoms

You may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, you've felt sad, down or miserable most of the time, or have lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, and have also experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below.

It’s important to remember that we all experience some of these symptoms from time to time, and it may not necessarily mean you're depressed. Equally, not everyone who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms.

Behaviour :

• not going out anymore
• not getting things done at work/school
• withdrawing from close family and friends
• relying on alcohol and sedatives
• not doing usual enjoyable activities
• unable to concentrate

Thoughts:

• 'I’m a failure.'
• 'It’s my fault.’

• 'Nothing good ever happens to me.'
• 'I’m worthless.'
• 'Life’s not worth living.'
• 'People would be better off without me.'

Physical :

• tired all the time
• sick and run down
• headaches and muscle pains
• churning gut
• sleep problems
• loss or change of appetite
• significant weight loss or gain

PREVENTIONS FOR DEPRESSION CIRCUMSTANCES

• Get good sleep. For lots of people who experience depression, sleeping too little or too much can be a daily problem. Getting good sleep can help to improve your mood and increase your energy levels.
• Eat well. Eating a balanced and nutritious diet can help you feel well, think clearly and increase your energy levels.
• Keep active. Many people find exercise a challenge but gentle activities like yoga, swimming or walking can be a big boost to your mood.
• Look after your hygiene. When you're experiencing depression, it's easy for hygiene to not feel like a priority. But small things, like taking a shower and getting fully dressed whether or not you're going out of the house, can make a big difference to how you feel.
• Challenge your thinking. Students Against Depression have lots of information and activity sheets to try to help you challenge negative thinking.
• Try volunteering. Volunteering (or just offering to help someone out) can make you feel better about yourself and less alone.

DEPRESSION IS LIKE A WAR. YOU EITHER WIN OR DIE TRYING. SO ONE SHOULD ALWAYS TRY TO WIN THIS BATTLE.

Suicide: About & Facts

Suicide is the act of deliberately killing yourself or the act of taking one's own life. The main cause of this serious kind of activity is mental depression or disorder. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorder (such as depression, personality disorder, alcohol dependence, bipolar disorder) and physical illnesses, such as neurological disorders, cancer, and HIV infection. Others are impulsive acts due to stress such as from financial difficulties, troubles with relationships, or from bullying. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at higher risk for future attempts.

SOME STATISTICS

• Suicide resulted in 842,000 deaths globally in 2013 (up from 712,000 deaths in 1990). This makes it the 10th leading cause of death worldwide.
• Approximately 0.5% to 1.4% of people die by suicide, about 12 per 100,000 persons per year.Three quarters of suicides globally occur in the developing world.
• Rates of completed suicides are generally higher in men than in women, ranging from 1.5 times as much in the developing world to 3.5 times in the developed world.
• Suicide is generally most common among those over the age of 70; however, in certain countries those aged between 15 and 30 are at highest risk.

RISK FACTORS/CAUSES FOR SUICIDE

Mental disorders or mental pressures are the key factors for most of the suicide cases these days.The pressure can be put up on anyone ranging from fifteen years to seventy years.People who are mentally weak usually lead to these kind of raging activities.The pressure include various mental psychological,social,family and financial problem.Most of the children between the age of fifteen years to twenty four years faces the presure of education as well.Those children who can't handle this stress usually leads to suicide murders.That's why India is in top positions among children suicide cases.Mental pressure among children is also the reason that in india most of the suicide cases are against the children and not among adults.

Substance use is the second most common risk factor for suicide attempts.Substance use usually involves use of high addiction drugs that releases such type of toxics that damages the thinking capability of human mind.Substance use also involves consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcoholics who attempt suicide are usually male, older, and have tried to take their own lives in the past. Between 3 and 35% of deaths among those who use heroin are due to suicide (approximately 14 fold greater than those who do not use). In adolescents who misuse alcohol, neurological and psychological dysfunctions may contribute to the increased risk of suicide.

Problem gambling is associated with increased suicidal ideation and attempts compared to the general population. Between 12 and 24% pathological gamblers attempt suicide. The rate of suicide among their spouses is three times greater than that of the general population. Other factors that increase the risk in problem gamblers include mental illness, alcohol and drug misuse.

PREVENTIONS FOR SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR AND THOUGHTS

Structured counseling and psychotherapy.

Hospitalization for those with low adherence to collaboration for help and those who require monitoring & secondary symptom treatment.

Supportive therapy like substance abuse treatment, Psychotropic medication, Family psychoeducation and Access to emergency phone call care with emergency rooms, suicide prevention hotlines...etc.

Restricting access to lethality of suicide means through policies and laws.

Person-centered life skills training. e,g., Problem solving.

Therapeutic recreational therapy that improves mood.

Motivating self-care activities like physical exercise's and meditative relaxation.

SUICIDE DOESN'T END THE CHANCES OF LIFE GETTING WORSE, IT ELEMINATES THE POSSIBILITY OF IT EVER GETTING ANY BETTER.

AGEING: A POWERFUL TOOL OF TIME

Ageing is the process of becoming older.In humans, ageing represents the accumulation of changes in a human being over time, encompassing physical, psychological, and social change. Reaction time may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand. Ageing is among the greatest known risk factors for most human diseases: of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds die from age-related causes.

Ageing begins as soon as adulthood is reached and is as much a part of human life as are infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The causes of ageing are uncertain as it is a natural process that cant be put to a stop or denied.However with the advancement in technology the mortality rate has decreased much as now many diseases which were the cause of early human deaths can now be cured.

Many persons consider ageing to be a sin in their life as they think that now they have aged they cant do that much of fun that they usually did in their teenage or early 20's. But this all is a physcological thing. It all depends on that person how he or she takes his or her ageing .

These all are the physcological things that one has to keep it in mind while going through his or her life span. But there are some ageing effects that everyone faces and no one can deny that. 

Some of these effects are as follow :

• Hair turns grey with age. Pattern hair loss by the age of 50 affects about half of males and a quarter of females
• Around a third of people between 65 and 74 have hearing loss and almost half of people older than 75.
• Fraility, defined as loss of muscle mass and mobility, affects 25% of those over 85
• Atherosclerosis is classified as an ageing disease. It leads to cardiovascular disease ( for eg. strokes and heart attacks) which globally is the most common cause of death.
• Wrinkles develop mainly due to photoageing, particularly affecting sun-exposed areas (face)

These are some of the effects that can't be ignored. In the lapse of ageing a person must take care of himself to live a healthy life. For this the person must be regular to exercise, health check-ups and all.

He or she must should take his or her medicines on time and the last and the foremost thing is that the person should adopt an optimistic approach towards life and should never feel alone.

REMEMBER: SOME PEOPLE ARE YOUNG AT 90 AND SOME OLD AT 18, IT'S ONLY HOW YOU SEE LIFE AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT EVEN IN YOUR END DAYS.