DavidDean – Unified Health Systems

April 29, 2023

Child Therapy Marital Therapy

Bipolar Manic Depression: A Condition of Mood Disorders

Bipolar Manic Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder where the patient experiences episodes of depression and hypo/mania. The frequency of the episodes along with their severity and duration may vary from individual to individual. The person suffering from Bipolar Manic depression should be administered the required medical treatment. If left untreated, the condition may prove to be life threatening for the sufferer as a high percentage of people who suffer from Bipolar Manic Depression attempt suicide and several of them are successful in their attempts to end their lives.

The shift of the individual from one extreme state of mind to another is known as ëcyclingí. These shifts or cycles of moods greatly affect the life of the sufferer and of the people who are associated with him. During the phase of mania, the patient demonstrates impulsive behavior such as wild driving, reckless shopping spree or acts of undue aggression. On the other hand, the phase of depression is often characterized by the individual wishing to be left alone, isolated from his family members and friends and not even showing an interest in his normal routine.

People who suffer from Bipolar Manic Depression are often unable to lead a normal personal or professional life. The divorce rate of couples where one of them is suffering from Bipolar Manic Depression is two to three times more than that among normal people. The main causes of Bipolar Manic Depression are biological – i.e. the presence of the incidence of mental sickness in the family. However, in certain individuals, the symptoms may only be triggered by the occurrence of an unpleasant life event such as the loss of a dear one, loss of job, divorce or some other similar event. The psychological factors also play a major role in the recurrence of the symptoms and their exacerbation.

Twelve percent of people suffering from Manic Depression are likely to commit suicide. It is therefore essential that apart from receiving adequate medical treatment, the people suffering from Bipolar Manic Depression should be constantly supported by family members and friends who extend their emotional support and encouragement to the sufferer at all times. A number of people who suffer from Bipolar Manic Depression are likely to demonstrate stable behavior with the requisite medical treatment. Care should be taken, however, by the family members to be cautious about the tell tale signs of a recurrence of the symptoms and to protect the patient from anything that might trigger off the symptoms again.

People who suffer from Bipolar Manic Depression are often unable to lead a normal personal or professional life.

Teen bipolar disorder is still very much in the stages of being learned about. At one time professionals were certain that bipolar disorder did not appear until the mid-twenties. But recent studies are starting to show that puberty may be a trigger point for teen bipolar disorder. And that is one of the factors that make it harder to recognize as parents question themselves and wonder if their teenager has just hit that difficult age or if something worse is going on.

Parents of teenagers know that their children go through that moody and petulant stage, but when the symptoms become excessive its time to look at little closer to determine if what they are dealing with is a typical teenager or teen bipolar disorder. Teen bipolar disorder is very disruptive. It affects eating and sleeping patterns. When teenagers suffer with bipolar disorder it is different than when adults do. The symptoms of teen bipolar disorder last longer and move quickly for one extreme to the other. They can change quickly from the high of manic behaviors to the lows of depression, from hyperactivity to lethargy. Based on the recent studies itís feared that the younger the person when the symptoms begin the worse the condition can expect to be. If these symptoms become extreme, continual and impairing an appropriate next move would be a visit to our health care provider.

The teen bipolar disorder sufferer can be treated once a diagnosis has been made. To begin with there are medical therapies to control the extremes. This means using mood stabilizers. These should lessen the frequency and intensity of any episodes. Sometimes anticonvulsant drugs are given and often so are medications that will increase the levels of thyroid hormones that are often low in teens with bipolar disorder. As well group therapy is recommended for the teenager and for the family members. It often helps both groups to have others like themselves to talk to and help them to understand what living with bipolar disorder means.

April 24, 2023

Uncategorized

The Unified Health Experience

Unified Health Systems & Ars Essentia have merged!!!

April 8, 2023

Child Therapy Marital Therapy

An Anxiety Attack: The Triggers of Behavioral Aberration

To understand the meaning of the term ìanxiety attack,î it is essential to understand the difference between ìanxietyî and an ìanxiety attack.î Anxiety is a normal emotional state of mind that is caused as a reaction to a stressful situation or a distressing physical condition. This normal condition takes the form of an aberration when the individual continues to experience stress even when the stressful situation or condition is long past or if the individual experiences severe anxiety or stress in the absence of any obvious stress causing conditions. It is often difficult to distinguish between a heart attack and an anxiety attack, as the symptoms for both are almost similar.

An anxiety attack is usually characterized by several or all of the following symptoms; acute escalating tension, pain in the chest, nausea, lightheadedness, dizziness, sweating and loss of one’s perception of one’s ‘self’. The individual is said to be experiencing an anxiety attack when he/she begins to experience several of these symptoms that become severe as the time passes and usually reach a peak within ten minutes.

Anxiety attacks can be divided into several distinct categories, each with its own characteristics and a few symptoms that are common to all categories. The National Institute of Mental Health divides Anxiety disorder into six main categories; panic disorder, a sudden anxiety attack that may be caused due to no apparent reason; generalized anxiety disorder that affects the individual on a daily basis i.e. he/she suffers from chronic tension; obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition in which the individual suffers from an urgent need to engage in certain rituals and activities without any need for the individual to engage in them; social phobia, a condition in which the individual feels overly anxious in everyday social situations; specific phobias, the attacks that are caused by a fear, usually irrational, of something and Post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that follows a traumatic event where the individual has persistent thoughts of the event and feels emotionally traumatized.

Medical researchers have discovered a number of reasons that are considered the possible causes for attacks. Genetics, drug abuse, environment and personality characteristics are considered the main culprits that induce attacks. However, there may be many more triggers of anxiety attacks that have yet to be discovered by the medical researchers.

An anxiety attack is usually characterized by several or all of the following symptoms; acute escalating tension, pain in the chest, nausea, lightheadedness, dizziness, sweating and loss of one’s perception of one’s ‘self’.

Almost all cases of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, post traumatic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and others can be treated through behavioral therapy and through medication. The common mental therapy treatment options for people suffering from anxiety disorders are cognitive behavioral therapy, stress relieving or relaxation therapy, exercise and group therapy. Even though the methods of anxiety treatment may be different, all the above-mentioned treatments rely on one underlying principle: i.e. to induce strength and resilience in the individual to be able to face any unpleasant life situation and to face the sources of stress, imaginary or real, with fortitude

One of the most popular anxiety treatment options for anxiety disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, is based on the principle that our emotions influence our behavior. So, for an individual to function effectively, it is essential that he should think positively and harbor constructive thoughts. The therapist helps the individual to recognize the thoughts and the beliefs that are unpleasant to the individual and strengthens him by devising a strategy to face the situations and thoughts that are unpleasant and fear provoking for him. The cognitive behavioral therapy includes lessons on slow breathing, relaxation techniques and education about anxiety, as well.

Relaxation therapy, another popular means of anxiety treatment, educates the individual about various relaxation techniques that help him to release the muscular and the psychological tension that he experiences every time he faces an undesirable situation. The relaxation techniques could include exercises on slow breathing, isometric relaxation, meditation, visualization and self-hypnosis. The individual should practice these relaxation techniques on a regular basis and especially when he feels that he may experience an anxiety attack soon, due to the increase in the anxiety level triggered by some unpleasant source.

April 8, 2023

Uncategorized

Life Coaching Through Experience

Everyone is in a Routine

Morning breaks, people start their routine, businessmen begin thinking of the day’s itinerary, students begin packing their books, others think of anything under the sun, and even those without anything to actually do stand by and wait whatever happens. One thing is common among all these: they are waiting for something to happen for them to react beyond their routine.

It wouldnít be a surprise if ever the events in their lives would have a change in their way of thinking, or if the events would just be a normal occurrence for them to shrug off and move on. These events will be experiences, and these events would be life coaching for them.

When Dire Events Become Life Coaching Events

The normal routine for people to go about and do what they have been accustomed to do may not bear any weight in their character building since it becomes automated.

However, given a situation where a bomb explodes, a car collides, or even be in an accident because one has been so busy crossing the street holding a cellular phone and talking instead of concentrating on crossing would definitely be traumatic enough to teach a lesson to the individual.

Unexpected events become life coaching incidents, especially if it teaches people what to do to avoid being involved in an unfortunate accident.

When Rewards Become Life Coaching Events

On the same note, when a person is rewarded by something he did or contributed, and the reward is significant enough for that individual to cherish, there is a tendency that the individual will keep in mind what things are supposed to be done to be rewarded with the same thing. Life coaching in this manner is done by inputting certain actions for rewards and keeping in mind that good things come when certain actions are done in a situation.

When Experiences in General Complete the Life Coaching Process

So throughout the day, a person may encounter both positive and negative events. Some may have so much good events and rewards that it boosts his self-esteem, and it becomes his motivation and drive to do even better. Some unfortunately get more negative events and ill-timed occurrences that it may demoralize the person and lose interest in what he is supposed to do.

Life coaching process in this manner is a double edged sword and is dependent on the person’s mindset. A person who is passive may succumb to hopelessness when faced with negative events, while proactive people are challenged to overcome it.

A person’s mindset is an incomplete life coaching method since it depends on the previous attitude that he was brought up to be. This is but a small problem since there is an easy solution for this to help the individual cope up with it.

This is where supplemental life coaching from people and professionals are needed. These supplemental life coaches will enhance the positive and proactive mindset of the individual in order for him to look at things positively even if faced with a negative one.

Experiences are good if the person has been molded into a proactive and optimistic person. Nonetheless, being optimistic and having a good life coach perspective needs a constant maintenance of both experiences and supplemental life coaching from other people.

And that is why socialization experience is also an important form of life coaching.

A person’s mindset is an incomplete life coaching method since it depends on the previous attitude that he was brought up to be.

The Objective

Sure it is easy to be a mentor, adviser, confidante, consultant, and a friend whose purpose is to help out someone in need of a certain thing. A life coach does all that as well. Now you may ask what differences set life coaches apart from mere consultants or advisers.

Objective. Life coaches have an objective to deal with in seeing to it that the one they are coaching would get to what goals are set prior to the coaching. In contrast to just confidantes who give support, life coaches are there to go along with the success of his pupil.

The life coach becomes more than just a teacher imparting words of wisdom and encouragement to his pupils. He becomes a pupil himself to know how things work with the people he is coaching. It is co-active coaching. The objective of the students become the objective of the coach himself as if he was the actual person needing coaching.

Training with the experts may have brought about all the knowledge and techniques to properly conduct life coaching, but there are still many instances wherein experiences in real life become the solidifying agent of all the dust we refer to as learnings in life. Our objective as a life coach begins with the self.

After we have set our personal objective to be a sponge ready to absorb water, we then start dealing with other peopleís objectives and help them reach it through active participation. It may sound silly but as social people, we need to participate in other peopleís affairs.

April 8, 2023

Uncategorized

Change in the Workplace Stress Management

Workplace stress management can already be quite a task just to maintain employee productivity, efficiency as well as satisfaction. Nothing can be more stressful for managers than to handle stress brought about by workplace change. Change can affect the workplace in many ways, with the negative side of it always bringing along considerable stress to some.

Workplace change is usually inevitable in the business world. Changes in the economy and the competitiveness between businesses can bring about certain changes in the workplace when most may least expect it. Businesses always run the risk of having to stage lay-offs, personnel downsizing and even bankruptcy. And when these changes happen, the employees of the affected businesses go through quite a stressful situation having to deal with unemployment and an uncertain future. The management even has the more stressful task to inform employees about it.

It is important for management to try to break the news of a workplace change in a less abrupt manner as possible. Communication would be very important in this case. Effective and timely communication may help affected employees better understand and accept such upsetting and stressful news.

One of the best ways to communicate massive changes in the workplace is to involve key communicators to bring the news to the employees. While it may sound logical to have the CEO speak to the entire group of working personnel in a company-wide meeting, he or she alone may not be able to give the details more effectively on all levels. The CEO of the company alone may not be able to satisfy employee questions and concerns.

Having other people such as supervisors or team leaders to handle the job of communicating any workplace change would surely be more efficient and effective. By having the company’s front-line supervisors and maybe team leaders address employees under them and answer their questions, this helps communicating change more efficiently accessible to more employees and may take less time to make them understand and accept the unfortunate news.

But aside from having several people handling the stressful news of change to company staff. It is also as important for the management to create an effective message. And since companies are comprised of different departments and levels, the message of change should be designed to cater to the information needed of these different levels. In short, the message should cater and fit to a specific audience in order to be more effective and hence avoid possible confusion as well as additional stress.

Effective communication of change in the workplace means that information required by different levels of the company should be satisfied. Others may stop at citing the reasons why change is a good idea for the company. Other companies may only try to communicate only what the changes affect the corporate level.

Neglect on providing information that really matter to employees, such as how the change may affect their future in the company, can really add considerable stress and many sleepless nights to many people.

That is not considered as good workplace stress management for a company that is in the midst of undergoing changes.

One of the best ways to communicate massive changes in the workplace is to involve key communicators to bring the news to the employees.

Trying to fight one’s own way in dealing with change other than accepting it can sometimes be a lost cause. Conflicts, both internal and external may arise and give considerable stress to people. It is only after learning how to accept the changes that will help release some of the burden that denial and refusal to accept change brings along.

Stress management works by being able to understand and learn about how people deal with changes. Knowing the different reactions and the phases that people go through with change can help people get a better grasp of dealing with the results of change with less stress.