What is Depression? – Mindindeed

Depression is a mood disorder that is considered the most common mental health illness in the world. According to WHI, more than 250 million people of all age groups suffer from depression across the globe. And has been considered as the leading cause of mental and physical disability.

Sadness or low mood could be a natural part of life, which slows down with time. But depression is something that needs to be taken care of. The global prevalence rate shows the importance of why it has to be given prime importance. A major reason of concern is that depression has a strong correlation with suicide.

It is characterized by the following signs and symptoms:

  1. Deep feelings of sadness
  2. Hopelessness
  3. Helplessness
  4. Lack of energy
  5. Inability to concentrate
  6. Appetite changes
  7. Sleep disturbances
  8. Withdrawl
  9. Suicidal tendencies
  10. Loss of interest

Moreover, there are different types of depression. The primary categories include:

  1. Major depression
  2. Persistent depression
  3. Depressive psychosis
  4. Postpartum depression
  5. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  6. Seasonal depression
  7. Atypical depression

It’s always the best to seek proffessional help for diagnosis and therapy plan.

Tips to overcome procrastination- Mindindeed.

Procrastination is the habit of delaying or postponing something. Though it appears to be an easy technique to deal with the workload, it is not helpful in the long run. Many people often develop the habit of procrastination at almost every essential life activity. And end up creating troubles for self and others. If you are one among those, here are a few scientifically proven tips to reduce or eliminate the habit of procrastination.

  1. Break down larger projects into smaller ones: Procrastination is largely seen in activities that require more time and attention. Sometimes things would be so heavy that the person would develop an unconscious fear to face the same. And procrastination is a defense mechanism to deal with this fear. Hence, if you have a big project in hand, that requires utilization of your resources, try to break them down into smaller parts. It will help you to finish the task without getting fatigued.
  2. Reward the self: It is self-love that is required. Once you have completed the task or the subtasks, reward yourself with something worthy. It could be an ice cream you craved for or a small walk. Rewards could vary, but the point is the completion of the task.
  3. Understand yourself: Self-understanding is a form of self-love. In the case of procrastinatory behaviors, you need to have an awareness about the possible causes or reasons. Is it because you are typically a lazy person? Is it because you don’t like what you are doing? The answer to these questions would automatically embrace yourself.
  4. Give it some time: For a typical habit development it requires at least 21 days, so how could you expect an overcome miracle to eliminate the same? Yes, it might take time, depending upon the extent of the behavior. All you need is to be consistent, and realistic. If it’s not today, they may be tomorrow. Don’t give up.
  5. Deal with the distractions: The environmental conditions play a major role in our behaviors. For example, you need to submit an important assignment on Monday, and on Saturday, it’s your favorite hockey match going on on TV. So you decide to procrastinate the work to Sunday and end up making a fuss. Now try to plan the situation with the above tips. Hope it works.

Remember, you are your biggest enemy and friend. 

What is Rapunzel Syndrome?

It is one of the most rare condition resulting from ingesting one’s own hair (trichophagia). The prevalence rate is very low that since 1968 only about 64 cases have been documented. This condition occurs when the ingested hair reaches a part of the small intestine and even into the colon producing an extension of long hair.

The syndrome has been named after the Disney princess Rapunzel who is known for having the longest hair. The disorder could be associated with the disorder of hair picking commonly known as trichotillomania.

Symptoms include:

  • Bowel obstruction
  • Trichotillomania
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vomiting
  • Hair extension in stomach

Treatment plan includes both physiological and psychological therapies.

Which is the Most Difficult Mental Disorder for Treatment?

Personality Disorders.

According to the literature, personality disorders are the most difficult to get treated mainly because of the little or no insight. People having personality disorders often do not accept that their condition is abnormal which further complicates the treatment plan. In few cases, it’s nearly impossible for a complete treatment. Among the personality disorders – Cluster B which includes the Borderline personality disorder seem to be a great deal of time and effort. There are many factors, which affect the treatment plan starting from the clinician’s capability to the environmental conditions of the patient.

According to the researchers, people with borderline personality disorders who fail to get adequate treatment often develops severe lifestyle conditions and even other chronic illness. They are the most prone to suicidal or self harm behaviors. With proper therapies like DBT or CBT along with proper medications could produce significant changes in the condition. It’s always better to seek help as soon as diagnosed.

What is Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis? | Cognize

In the year of Freud’s death, a book was published namely, ” Frustration and Aggression” by Dollard, Miller, et al in 1939. According to the authors, frustration always lead to aggression. In other words, aggression was an innate response to frustration which would be elicited in specific situations.

Further researchers had other evidences but it was concluded that frustration would definitely increase the rate of aggression. The theory has got many revisions with extensive researches. This theory had tried to explain why people scapegoat- temporarily displacing the target of frustration on something or someone else. For example, a man gets scolded by his boss and gets frustrated about his job, he tries to reduce his frustration by taking his anger on family or friends rather than the boss.

Suicide| Risk Factors and How to Manage | Cognize

In simple words, suicide is the act of taking one’s own life. Having a suicidal thought should be considered as a psychiatric emergency and help should be provided as fast as possible. Various mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, anxiety disorders and chronic or intense physical diseases are associated with the act of suicide. Some of the individuals commit suicide as an act of impulsive reaction to severe stress, while for other’s it’s a cumulative reaction. Whatever the reason be, suicide should never be an option.

Unfortunately, the suicide rates are on an increase as time passes. Today, it is one among the ten leading causes of death worldwide. The age, causes, gender ratio may differ from place to place.

The risk factors of suicide includes the following:

  • Family history of such cases
  • Psychiatric illness
  • Financial crisis
  • Severe physical ailments or disability
  • Interpersonal conflicts
  • Substance abuse,
  • Socio-economic issues including discrimination or unemployment
  • Some personality factor like neuroticism
  • Lack of social support

Whatever be the reason, suicide should and could be prevented. If you come across anyone having such issues, then contact your National Suicide Prevention Hotline. It would be available 24 hours. If you don’t have an assess, then be with the person, help them to calm down until a help is provided.

Some of the warning signs include: frequent conversation about death and suicide, browsing such stuffs online, social withdrawal, numbness, having disturbed sleep or appetite, engaging oneself in some reckless or dangerous activity, or even abusing any kind of substance. If you find yourself having such issues, try to be in contact with someone you trust or meet up a health care professional.

When you confront a person having suicidal thoughts, try not to be too dominant on them, give them some space to experience catharsis. Help them in flushing out their anxiety and emotions. Sometimes all they need is someone to hear. Give them your time and make them feel wanted. And later on propose any help if you can. Try to be realistic in your conversation without much emotional emphasis. If nothing seem possible, try to contact your Police officers.

According to the latest data by WHO, 800 000 people die to suicide every year, which is one person in every 40 seconds. Hence, this is something serious.

Provide a hand, save a life.

Stereotype- Definition and Types | Cognize

The term ‘stereotype’ was coined by Lippmann (1922) who defined it as a schema, which associates a set of personality traits with members of a particular group or a schema which associates a set of particular traits as belonging together in a particular kind of individual. More than this, there are many other proposed definitions.

There are two main types of stereotype:

INDIVIDUAL STEREOTYPE: These are person type implicit personality theories that even include aspects of their physical appearances . For example, fat people are jolly, high foreheads are a sign of superior intelligence etc.

GROUP STEREOTYPE: This process of stereotyping involves the following-

Assigning someone to a particular group.

Members of a group share the same attributes

A particular individual must carry these characteristics.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Symptoms and Treatment | Cognize

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (commonly known as OCD) includes two conditions: the obsessions and the compulsions. Obsessions are the unwanted and repeated thoughts that create anxiety in an individual. Compulsions are the activities which are done in order to reduce the anxiety caused by excessive and repeated obsessive thoughts. Earlier this was included as a sub category of the anxiety disorders. For a proper diagnosis for OCD the person need to fulfill certain criteria according to DSM or ICD. OCD generally falls into four main categories:

Checking

Cotamination

Symmetry or order

Rumination or Intuitive thoughts

More than a single type there are mostly an overlap of the types. In all the cases, it’s really anxiety provoking and stressing that it significantly affects the day to day activities. An example of a case is given below:

‘The person has frequent thoughts about contamination and he starts cleaning his hands at least 30 times a day. The fear of contamination was not only related to washing hands but cleaning the house and other activities. Slowly he found it very difficult to manage other activities because of excessively been involved in cleaning and washing. Later on there was a deterioration in the interpersonal interactions and as a result the significant relationships were at a threat. As time passed, his compulsive behavior increased’

The above example is just an example of OCD. Cleaning could be replaced by frequent checking or ordering or even hoarding of things. In some individuals more than one kind of obsession could be found. Such conditions are more difficult to manage. An important mistake that people all over the world do is to diagnose themselves by reading an article online. Never ever do that. It’s always authentic to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist before jumping into any conclusions. Very few people manage to live a normal life without any therapy or medication. One of the important feature of the obsessive thoughts are that they are totally irrational. Even if the person is aware of it’s irrationality, they have a hard time controlling it. And this is the exact time where you need a therapy. With early diagnosis and treatment it’s possible to cure OCD.

Other examples of compulsive activities:

  • Checking the doors to make sure it’s safe
  • Repeatedly checking stove
  • Hoarding things of no use and significance
  • Counting and chanting in certain patterns
  • Repeatedly arranging things in a manner

Usually, OCD begins since teenage but can even develop at childhood. More importantly the type of obsession can vary from time. The condition worsen with a comorbidity of another mental health disease like depression. According to researchers, genetics do play a major role in OCD and people with significant family history need extra attention. In extreme conditions it can even turn into suicidal behaviors.

TREATMENT METHODS

  1. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: It is considered as a first line treatment for OCD according to APA. Consult a health professional, who would help in applying CBT as a treatment method.
  2. EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION: This is the most effective treatment for OCD. ERP is actually a part of CBT and includes repeated exposure to the anxiety provoking stimulus and on the other hand the compulsive behaviors have been stopped under clinical supervision. At first the treatment would highly stressful but with time it is very much effective.
  3. MEDICATIONS: Mostly SSRIs are given. For a prescription you definitely need to get an appointment from a Psychiatrist.
  4. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): This is the last ray of hope for patients with severe symptoms. Where all the above mentioned treatment techniques fail, ECT is the only option.

Best Psychology Books| Top Ten| Cognize

There are numerous books in psychology. If you just browse in the internet, you will find out the list to be in hundreds. Here, the top ten books have been suggested on the basis of it’s significance in the field. Some of them are available online.

  • Fundamentals of Physiological Psychology – Wilhelm Wundt
  • Interpretation of Dreams- Sigmund Freud
  • Motivation and Personality – Abraham Maslow
  • Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman
  • Principles of Psychology – William James
  • History of Modern Psychology – Henry Schultz
  • Hereditary Genius – Francis Galton
  • Psychology of Intelligence – Jean Piaget
  • Measurement of Intelligence – Edward Lee Thorndike
  • Psychology- Robert S Woodworth