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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can happen to adults as well as children. The amount of trauma experienced by an adult can be experienced by a child too. But, their reaction to trauma differs with age.

Thus, below are few symptoms shown by a Child having PTSD:

Bed Wetting:

Even after learning how to use the toilet, the child starts to wet the bed. This event usually happens because of nightmares about the trauma. Also, the child doesn’t realise about this issue and keeps on wetting the bed.

No Talk:

Mostly, children become unable to or in extreme cases, stop talking. They forget how to talk and express their emotions. Also, in some cases, the child becomes unable to talk. Thus, becoming mute.

Acting Out:

The trauma caused by the event is very scary for them. But, as they are unable to express themselves, they start acting out the trauma. This usually happens during their play or when they are indulged in other activities like drawing, painting etc.

Become Clingy:

They will start to cling to a parent or a guardian who they are close to. The fear of the trauma scares them to an unimaginable extent. Thus, making them cling to a loved one for safety and comfort.

Destructive Behaviour:

Sometimes, the child starts to act in a destructive manner. As they are unable to explain what is going on with them, they will start becoming angry and destructive.

With age, the symptoms are shown by a child also evolves. Thus, children of different age will exhibit different symptoms.

Thus, below are the symptoms shown by child, age-wise, suffering from PTSD:

Under Age 6:

Children under the age of 6 will usually show the symptoms mentioned above. They will cling to a parent or start acting out in their play.

Between Age 7-11:

Children between the age of 7-11 start showing symptoms similar to above. They will have nightmares and will start avoiding school or school work. They might isolate themselves or start acting out in an aggressive manner. Their drawings or paintings might become an expression of the trauma.

Between Age 12-18:

Children between the age of 12-18 will usually show the symptoms which an adult will show. This may include, and not limited to, depression, anxiety, acting out, substance use or even constantly running away from home.

PTSD can happen to anyone, regardless of age. If you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD then please visit a mental health professional immediately.

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We have all seen the movie Black, where Amitabh Bachchan acts as a professor who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The movie provided us with very good entertainment. But, it also taught us a bit about the illness. It also provided us with a fear, where we start thinking what if we get this illness. The usual response is, that we can hope for the best of not getting this illness. But, there are certain things you can do to reduce the risk of Alzheimer.

Hence, below are few Tips on reducing the risk of Alzheimer:

Regular Exercise:

It’s very important to exercise regularly. Exercising keeps the body and mind engaged and active. It is medically proven that regular exercise reduces the risk of the illness 50%. Exercising keeps the mind co-ordinated with the motor functions. Also, it helps you stay focused and keeps an active engagement with the mind. But, make sure while exercising you don’t receive any head injuries.

Social Life:

It’s important to have a social life. A person cannot live in isolation as human beings are social creatures. Listening to someone and then being heard by someone validates our existence. Isolating oneself from everyone increases the chance of Alzheimer’s. The chances are increased because you are telling your brain to isolate yourself. Thus, it is important to engage with people. You don’t have to be surrounded by people all the time. But, talking with a loved one or a close person is an engagement enough to stimulate the brain.

Eat-Healthy Diet:

In this illness, the brain neurons start losing connections between them. Thus, making communication between the cells more difficult. By having a healthy and proper diet, it is possible to reduce the amount of disconnection between the cells and the brain. Vitamin D, E B12 and other supplements in food reduce the level of disconnection. Eating healthy fruits and green vegetables should comprise in your diet. Try reducing fatty foods and sugar intake.

Mental Stimulation:

Keeping the brain active throughout helps in prevention of the illness. There is always a necessity of mental stimulation. When the mind is constantly challenged and stimulated there is constant activity within the brain. Through which the brains are active and help in preventing the illness. To have mental stimulation, you can learn a new word every day, or start playing sudoku, or start practising writing with the less dominant hand, etc.

Good Sleep:

Having a good sleep refreshes your mind and enables you to accept new information. People suffering from Alzheimer’s illness suffers from a lot of sleep-related problems. Hence, having good and proper sleep helps in the prevention of the illness. Having a good and deep sleep rests your mind and body, which not only helps with prevention of this illness but also helps in prevention and cure of other illnesses.

Also, read our blog on getting a Razor sharp memory

Stress Level Check:

Constant worrying and stress escalate the process of the illness. Thus, it is necessary for you to keep a check on the stress levels. Stress management and relaxation exercises help in reduction and prevention of the illness. Thus, simple exercises like deep breathing, walking in the park etc, reduces stress.

The above tips can help in the prevention of the illness. Also, these tips can actually help you lead a happy and healthy life.

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We have recently lost two very famous celebrities, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, to suicide. Similarly, we have lost many famous people who committed suicide including Robbin Williams and Chester Bennington. This shows the severity of the illness, which is ignored by many and shrugged by others. Depression. It is real and takes away everything from us.

Most of the people are aware of what depression is, yet we are ready to ignore what is lost. Sometimes, it comes hidden inside our smiles, and sometimes behind the silence. We become aware and unaware at the same time and close our eyes and wish it will go away. But, it doesn’t. We wish for riches, we wish for fame, for love but even when we receive them we are not able to grab hold of the happiness we wish for.

Depression comes in various forms and it engulfs us.

Few of the common symptoms of depression are:

Lack/Excess of Sleep:

A person who is suffering from depression will start exhibiting insomnia or hypersomnia. That is, the person will not be able to sleep at all or, will be sleeping too much.

Loss of Interest:

The person will lose interest in all the activities he/she loved to do. Hence, the person will not be able to take interest or pleasure in the activities they used to love.

Change in Appetite:

Depression takes away everything, including our desire to eat. Or, in the other extreme, we start eating too much. Thus, gaining or losing a lot of weight.

Irritability:

There is a constant irritability with-in the person. The person is not able to understand what is exactly happening with them. Hence, when someone starts questioning them they start becoming irritable. They are not able to handle all the questions inside them. They will start crying without reason or start getting angry.

Thoughts of Suicide and Death:

The thoughts of the person keep revolving around suicide and death. They become obsessed with those thoughts, and even in some cases they even try and commit suicide. They feel that there is no need for their existence.

The above symptoms should not be overlooked.

The person is maybe trying to say something, we need to be there to listen to the person.

In today’s time, we are indulged in social media and news of someone passing away affect minds and provides the extra push everyone is looking for. It is noted that after the suicide of Robin Williams, the suicide rate increased to 50% more. We need to understand that suicide is not the solution.

Also, suicide is not easy. It takes a lot of courage, it drains out all the energy of the person to just make one decision. But, as mentioned it should never be the answer.

We need to start taking steps, start acknowledging. Depression doesn’t look if you have money or fame or anything. It needs to be de-stigmatized. It is something we need not run away from, but something we need to acknowledge. A simple question, “how are you?” or “are you fine?” may do wonders for many. It doesn’t matter if the person is posting 100 photos on Instagram every day or appearing on TV shows or movies, it can be anyone.

In today’s fast-paced life, we have put on so many masks. Waiting. For someone to take off those masks. Be the person to remove those masks, provide help and if need, ask for help or seek help. Thus, if you or someone you know is suffering from depression, please seek professional help immediately. Remove the stigma. Win the Fight against Depression!

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Emotional eating or binge eating disorder is one of the most common yet unnoticed illness. It is more prevalent in the urban cities where people are tensed and stressed due to their work. In this, the person eats large amounts of food while not being able to control self which makes the person feels depressed.

It becomes a cycle for the person not being able to control oneself. It starts with feelings of deprivation which engages an overwhelming urge to eat. The person starts eating and then is unable to stop eating, thus binge eating. After which, the person feels depressed and ashamed, where the person decides to maintain a diet. But, soon after the person starts feeling deprived again and the cycle starts again.

Hence, to control binge eating, below are few tips:

Avoid Temptations:

Firstly, it is because of temptations we are inclined towards eating or binge eating. Hence, it is important for a person to avoid temptations from their surroundings. Thus, removing junk food and unhealthy snacks from different places is the first step.

Listen to your Body:

Mostly when we are binge eating we are listening to our emotional needs. Hence, it is important to listen to your body and when you are hungry. There is a clear distinction between when you are actually feeling hungry and when there is an emotional craving. Thus, if you have just eaten and you feel like eating again, it is most probably because it is your emotional craving.

Maintain Schedule:

Most of the times we binge eat when we skip meals or don’t have a fixed schedule. Hence, it is important for the person to maintain a proper schedule where the timings of the breakfast, lunch and dinner are fixed. Also, the person has to maintain the schedule and follow the schedule.

Have healthy Fat:

It is a common misconception that eating fat will make you binge more. It is just unhealthy fat which makes you crave more. If you keep your food full of healthy fat, you will feel satisfied and full.

Fight Boredom:

Most of us have a snack when we feel we are bored. Hence, it is important to distract yourself when you are feeling bored. Thus, you might indulge yourself in different activities, or new hobbies to fight boredom. You can start drawing, reading or talking to friends to avoid boredom.

Mindful Eating:

When we are binge eating, we start eating our food mindlessly. Thus, not able to savour the food we are eating. Hence, it is important to have your meals slowly while savouring them. Thus, doing this will help you enjoy the food more and you will automatically eat less.

Binge eating disorder is a very serious mental health condition. If you or someone you know is suffering from this illness, then please visit a mental health professional immediately.

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In most of the cases, Students of any age group, look forward to one thing and that is Holidays. Be it summer vacations or winter vacations. But, to disrupt their happiness comes to the holiday homework. There is an overwhelming gloom around them and they are not able to enjoy the happiness they feel. Hence, they start facing homework stress from the first day of their vacations.

Till the vacations are about to get over, the stress increases a lot and most of the students aren’t able to complete their work. Hence, adding more to the stress.

Thus, below are few tips to deal with homework stress:

1. Create a Schedule:

Most of the websites and books will guide you to create a schedule, but it becomes difficult to actually maintain it. But, as mundane it sounds, keeping a schedule helps you to do your homework as well as play and enjoy your vacations. Hence, create a schedule which includes a homework time as well as sleep and plays time.

2. Start Early:

When the holidays start, we often tend to procrastinate thinking we have a lot of time in our hands. But, soon the time flies away and we end up cramping two months work in one week. Hence, increasing the stress we feel. Thus, the best option is to start early. We think that starting early will interrupt our playtime. But, if we maintain our schedule we will be able to include our homework every day as well as our playtime.

3. Ask Questions:

More often than not, we are not able to understand a question given to us. Hence, it invokes our procrastinating behaviour. We start postponing the question and the work. The best way to get over the question is to ask the question from your parents as well as your teachers. Once the question is explained and understood by you, you will be able to answer the question very easily.

4. Organize a Group:

Studying alone is stressful in itself. It is easily distracting for us as we are constantly checking our mobile phones or watching on our laptops and TVs. Hence, the best option is to organize a homework group. In this, you can call your school friends and start doing the homework together. This way, you will be able to deal with the distractions and will be able to do your homework while enjoying.

5. Eat Healthily:

When the holidays start, every student tends to eat a lot of junk food. But, it is very important to eat healthily. Eating junk food once in a while is ok, but on a regular basis leads to a lot of problems. Having healthy eating habits directly affects the mind. What we eat affects our moods, memory and emotions. Hence, eating healthy is very important to deal with the stress and be able to achieve the work you are trying to achieve.

6. Relax:

Holidays are for relaxing; hence it is important to take time to relax. Also, if you especially take time out to relax you will see that the procrastinating behaviour has reduced a lot. Relaxing gives your mind a space to think as well as refresh yourself. Hence, it is important to set aside a time to relax.

7. Get a Good Night Sleep:

As the time to relax is important, it is also important to get proper sleep. Set a schedule for sleeping, because we often tend to oversleep or under-sleep during our holidays. A good night’s rest helps your mind to refresh, recharge and reboot. Thus, helping you to start the next day enthusiastically and productively.

All the above tips will help you to deal with homework stress. Thus, making your holidays enjoyable as well as productive. But, if you still face a lot of stress due to homework or for any other reason you can always reach out to a counsellor.

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Alcohol addiction affects both personal and professional lives of people. It hinders with the person’s family as well as friends. But, it comes down to the person only when he/she wants to actually stop alcohol addiction. But, the loved ones can still take certain measures to at least highlight the problems. Thus, helping them in their fight with addiction.

Hence, below are few ways to help someone overcome Alcohol Addiction:

Communicate:

It’s very important for you to communicate with your loved one who is the addict. If you are concerned about the person the only way to let them know is to have a conversation with them. It may be difficult for both of you, but it is necessary. Hence, with proper and concrete examples you can let the person realise the damage it is doing. If the person understands your concerns then it will be the first step.

The Underline Cause:

Most of the time, people drink because there are some other reasons behind. These reasons can be depression, anxiety, fear etc. Hence, it is important for you to make them comfortable to talk about these reasons. But, you shouldn’t accuse them of their problem or not judge them. You should listen and acknowledge the issue gently and understand it with empathy.

No Ultimatums:

Often when we try to confront someone with addiction we have a tendency to provide them with ultimatums. But, a person who is an addict will always choose alcohol over the ultimatums. This happens because the ultimatums will increase their stress, hence they will start drinking more. Instead of ultimatums, you can provide them with solutions or programs that you think will help them recover.

Present with Resources:

One of the most difficult steps is the first step in stopping any kind of addiction. The person doesn’t know where to start with. Hence, it is important for you to help them take the first step. You can either enrol them in different programs or group therapy sessions. Also, you can make them meet people you know who have successfully quit any kind of addiction. Thus, by using your own resources you can present them with different resources for the first step.

Don’t Drink Around them:

It is important for you to not drink around them, especially when you have voiced your concerns. It will give them mixed signals along with wanting them to drink more. Also, they might think that your concerns were not meaningful. Thus, they will resume their habit.

Tough Love:

It is difficult for anyone to show tough love. But, it is necessary. Instead of defending them in situations and bailing them out you need to show a boundary. Hence, making them understand what they are doing is harming themselves and others around them. Also, if you constantly keep helping them with their daily chores which they can do themselves, they will always stay dependent on alcohol. This behaviour is also known as enabling them. Hence, instead of enabling them one needs to show some tough love.

Continue to Be Supportive:

It is always a tough battle against an addiction. Sometimes it takes years to fully recover from it. But, if you show that you have stopped caring about them they will understand it and stop the process. Hence, it is important to be supportive of the person throughout. If the person receives proper care and support throughout the period, then the person will be able to recover faster.

Alcohol addiction is a long battle within oneself and the people around them. If you or someone you know is an addict then along with the above steps please take them to a mental health professional immediately.

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Adequate sleep is a prerequisite for one to function optimally. Inadequate sleep not only has an adverse impact on one’s brain functioning but also affects one’s physical health by making one more prone to illnesses such as heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes etc. Lack of sleep also makes one moody and irritable, reduces productivity, and causes cognitive impairment.

On an average, it takes an individual 10-20 minutes to fall asleep. Anything more than that suggests a problem, and anything less than that suggests that a person has sleep deprivation. Unless you are suffering from a disorder that is the cause behind your wakefulness, anxiety is usually the cause of your trouble falling asleep. Anxiety inhibits you from achieving a relaxed mind and body state that aids one in falling asleep. Therefore, one can try the following methods to beat the anxiety around not being able to sleep, and fall asleep faster:

1. Hide your clock

Continuously looking at the clock and seeing how much sleep you are missing out on, only increases your anxiety and stress, thus making it harder to fall asleep.

2. Forcibly try to stay awake

The harder you try to sleep, the more difficult it seems to get. Thus, although this might not be a long-term solution, one can use reverse psychology and force oneself to stay awake. A study done on this found that this paradoxical intention actually helped the participants who had sleep onset insomnia, fall asleep faster.

3. Cool your room

When you are about to fall asleep, your body temperature lowers a little. This slows down your metabolism and helps you fall asleep. Therefore, ensure that your room is at a comfortably cool temperature. A temperature of 15-23 degrees Celsius is recommended, but this may vary as per person.

4. Take a hot shower before going to bed

Taking a hot shower and then going to a cool room helps bring down your body temperature more quickly.

5. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique

The 4-7-8 breathing method is said to help relax your body by increasing your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release and slowing your heart rate. Given below are the steps for it:

• Breathe out through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Now, close your mouth and breathe in through your nose, till the count of four.
• Hold your breath until the count of seven.
• Now, breathe out making a whoosh sound as you count till eight.
• Repeat this cycle at least thrice.

6. Make sure your circadian rhythm is on track

Follow a schedule so your body becomes habitual to falling asleep at a certain time. Experience both light and darkness so that your body’s internal clock is not disrupted.

7. Relax your body

Practice yoga, meditation, mindfulness, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, and breathing exercises to help calm and relax your body. Listening to calming music or using aromatherapy can also help relax your mind and body.

8. What not to eat and drink

Avoid foods high on carb before going to sleep, as they are said to have a detrimental effect on one’s sleep. High-fat foods, on the other hand, are said to promote sleep. Do not consume any form of caffeine at least six hours prior to your sleep time.

9. Exercise

Some form of physical exercise will help exhaust your body which will help you fall asleep faster. By increasing the production of serotonin and decreasing the level of cortisol in one’s body, exercising can help improve the quality as well as the quantity of one’s sleep. However, it is essential that one does not go overboard with it. The timing also matters. Exercising in the morning is said to be more beneficial than exercising during the evening.

10. Give yourself acupressure

Giving yourself acupressure on certain spots (between the eyebrows, between first and second toe, and ears) is said to alleviate sleeplessness.

11. Make yourself comfortable

An uncomfortable mattress is often the reason behind a poor night’s sleep. Thus, make sure you have a comfortable mattress and pillow.

12. Keep away all electronic devices

Most electronic devices emit blue light which is said to delay one’s sleep and also have a detrimental effect on one’s quality of sleep as well.

If you or someone you know is experiencing problems in falling asleep, please consult an experienced psychologist to rule out any mental health issues.

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Art therapy is a modern form of therapy.  It replaces the traditional therapy model by making use of imaginative structures. It is generally combined with other forms of psychotherapy. Although more beneficial for children, especially those who have trouble expressing their emotions, art therapy can be used with adults as well. Everyone can be creative in some form or the other. Therefore, what art therapy aims to do is, provide people the opportunity to think and act creatively. For this purpose, it uses a variety of modalities such as clay, paint, paper, color pencils etc.

It has the following benefits –

• Self-exploration: Art therapy offers a means of catharsis, by providing an insight into feelings that one might not have been previously aware of.
• Self-worth: The entire process (creative and analytical) involved in the creation of an artwork and then seeing a tangible end product provides a sense of fulfillment.
• Empowerment: Art therapy allows one to express one’s emotions and fears that one might not have been able to verbally. Thus, by allowing a sense of control over one’s feelings, it provides a sense of empowerment.
• Brain connectivity and plasticity: By encouraging creative thinking, art therapy simulates the process of creation of new pathways in your brain.
• Stress buster: Artistic and creative activities help you forget your problems and calm down. It provides you a mental escape and helps you connect with yourself better.

• Mental health: Art therapy improves the mental health of people suffering from other illnesses or traumatic experiences as well. Art therapy has benefits for – cancer patients; survivors of violence; substance abuser and addicts; people suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and other emotional issues. It also helps people deal with relationship issues.
• Rapport Formation: It serves as a great tool for ice breaking, especially with children.

Psychologist is explain more about the Art therapy

Art therapy is not a tool for aiding healing, but an instrument for promoting mental well-being.

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Benefits of owning a pet are coming to the forefront, as more and more research is being dedicated to this line of thought.

Following are the benefits that will hopefully motivate you to get a pet for yourself:

1. They love you unconditionally, and are a great source of support.
2. Pets provide you constant companionship and prevent against isolation. They make you feel needed.

   

3. They act as great listeners, and thus, provide a vent for your feelings.
4. Some pets need to be taken out for walks. As a result, they act as motivators for you to step out, exercise and interact with people. Thus, acting as protective factors against heart diseases and depression.
5. They help children with developmental disorders. For example, in case of autism, pets help improve their social interaction; in case of ADHD, they help children release their excess energy. They also help reduce the anxiety and stress that these children experience as a result of their daily life challenges.

   

6. A snuggle with your pet will help you calm down and get rid of your anxiety and stress.

   

7. By giving you a reason to wake up every morning, they provide your life with a sense of purpose.
8. Pets help provide some structure and routine to your day-to-day life.

It is because of the recognition of these mental health benefits that pets serve, that animals now are being used for therapy in the form of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT).

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“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain!” ~Bob Marley

No matter what your emotional state is, I’m sure you must have observed that there is always some kind of music that just perfectly blends with your mood.

Various researchers too now provide a scientific backing to the positive effects of music on mental health that people claim. Not only does music help ease our pain, it has several other mental and physical health benefits as well. Read on to discover them –

• Music helps reduce the perceived intensity of pain.
• Fast and upbeat music increases your workout motivation and endurance. That is probably why a lot of gyms have music playing in them.

  

• Helps the body recover faster after a session of workout.

• Playing soft music in the background while having a meal reduces your speed of eating.

• Consequently, this reduces the amount of food you consume. This can probably be attribued to the fact that when eating slow, one is more mindful of what and how much they eat.

• It makes you feel happier by enhancing the blood flow in your vessels.

• It improves your sleep quality and helps reduce symptoms of insomnia.
• By releasing biochemicals that are meant for stress reduction, music helps you relieve your stress and also deal with symptoms of anxiety.
• Slow rhythmic music can alter brainwave patterns in a manner that produces a state similar to that while meditating.
• While heavy metal music might have an adverse effect on your depression, the right kind of music can uplift your mood and reduce symptoms of depression.
• Not only does listening to music make you more aware and in touch with your feelings, but it also promotes mood regulation.
• It helps improve your performance on cognitive tasks by increasing your ability to concentrate.
• Music helps you stay cool in high-pressure situations by decreasing your respiratory and heart rate. Thus, when stuck in traffic, or when going to play a game under a lot of pressure, turn up the music to calm yourself down.
• Music therapy is used to treat a lot of mental disorders such as Schizophrenia, Alzheimer, Dementia, Autism, Depression, Anxiety etc.

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