Psychiatry

Are You Stressed Or Depressed? Let’s Dive Deeper

Stress is often mistaken as depression and depression is often thought to be stress. In today’s fast-paced world, more and more people are getting diagnosed with stress and depression.

As per psychiatrists practising in best hospitals in Kolkata, depression is a loss of interest in things and a feeling of constant sadness. Stress can either be emotional or mental and can be triggered by multiple factors. For instance, students becoming stressed out before their final exams and being cheery once the exams get over is a perfect example of stress.

Depression is another concept that requires our undivided attention. Chronic stress can become depression. There are many people with signs of clinical depression but unfortunately, they do not get the help they need due to various reasons. There’s a stigma attached to depression which we must remove from our society. It’s because of this stigma many patients do not seek therapy or get professional help in spite of showing signs of depression.

So how do signs of stress and depression differ?

Signs of stress

  • Problems in concentration
  • Poor memory
  • Overeating
  • Anxiety Anger issues
  • Difficulty doing daily activities.

Signs of depression

  • Constant feeling of sadness and hopelessness
  • Lack of motivation in doing anything
  • Undereating or overeating
  • Sleeping more or less than normal
  • Memory problem
  • Frustration and anger
  • Demotivation
  • Disinterest in everything
  • Suicidal thoughts.

If you are stressed out, take a break and try to relax a bit. In the case of depression, seek professional help. Visit a good psychiatrist and get medical therapy. Depression is not something to be taken lightly or ignored. Your mental health is equally important as your physical health. Yes, life is possible after depression. ILS Hospitals in Kolkata and Agartala will help you in every way possible when you’re on the journey to overcome depression.

Psychiatry

10 signs that indicates your child might have autism

In simple words, Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a neurological spectrum disorder in which the person lacks basic communication (both verbal and non-verbal) skills and social skills. There is no obvious reason behind autism but it is believed by many psychiatrists that ASD in children happens due to heredity, genetic disorders and deformity in the brain structure.

Children show signs of ASD after age 1 or 2 so it’s important for the parents to observe their child’s strange signs. The signs that might indicate that your child is autistic are as follows:

  • Prefers to always stay alone: It’s very odd for a child to prefer being alone than being in the company of other children. Autistic children live in their own world and does not know how to make friends and socially interact with people.

  • Inflexible nature: If your child follows a strict routine even at such a tender age, there is nothing to be proud of because it is a warning sign of ASD. Children with autism religiously follow their fixed schedule and have difficulty while dealing with even the most minor changes in their routine.

  • Repetitive behaviors: Your child may indulge in repetitive behaviors if he or she suffers from autism. The repetitive behaviors include- repeating words or phrases, lining up toys, incessant rocking, staring at lights, twirling, watching moving objects and so on.

  • Does not like physical affection: If your child does not like to be cuddled or even given a pat on the back, or be embraced when upset, it may indicate autism disorder.

  • Disinterested, unaware and unresponsive: A very unusual sign of autism is no eye contact which is seriously worrying for many parents. If your child always seems detached from the world and does not respond to you at all and appears to you deaf, chances are your child has autism.

  • Robot-like personality: Observe whether your child speaks in a flat robot-like tone with no emotions, has atypical posture and if walks on tiptoes.

  • Obsessive behavior: If your child has an obsession and special interest for certain topics and always craves for precise factual information, it can be a sign of ASD. OCD (Over- Compulsive disorder) and Autism go hand in hand so do watch for such signals and talk to a child psychiatrist.

  • Highly unemotional:Autistic children do not show even the basic human emotion in their speech, facial expressions and do not understand anyone’s feelings nor can relate to them. They may look aloof and cold to the entire world but the simple fact remains that they are poor at expressing themselves.

  • Self-harming behavior: Notice if your child practice self-injurious behavior like headbanging, self-scratching, hair pulling and face or head-slapping. Self-harm behavior is harmful and requires medical attention so consult a paediatric psychiatrist if your child physically harms him/herself.

  • Meltdowns: If your child has frequent meltdowns, it can make your life troublesome. There is a difference between normal tantrums and autistic meltdowns, so do not confuse the two and seek professional help, if needed.

Thus, if you notice the above-mentioned signs in your child, consider consulting a child psychiatrist without any delay. We, at ILS Hospitals, have trained and compassionate psychiatrists who will provide your child with the supportive care and counseling needed to better his or her life.

Health

Signs To Tell If Someone Is Thinking About Suicide

Is there someone you know exhibiting strange behavior recently? Is your hunch telling you something might go wrong? Don’t ignore these warning signs as these could be warning symptoms of suicide. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death all over the world. Thankfully, suicide is not an illness, and it is preventable with timely measures. Here we present a few tips suggested by psychiatrists to spot if someone is considering suicide.

Unpredictable mood – Periods of long-term sadness, severe mood swings, unexplainable rage or happiness is a very common symptom of severe mental depression and confusion, sometimes are closely associated with suicide. In such cases, the family should offer their support and encourage communication.

Change In Sleep Pattern – Due to a disturbed mind, it is often inevitable to have a disruptive sleeping pattern. It includes sleeping too much, or too little, sleeping multiple times in a day, and feeling lethargic even after adequate sleep.

Giving Away their possessions Or Money – Passing on their favorite possessions, or money that they still use or might need in the future is an alarming sign of suicidal tendency. The one receiving them or witnessing this, must consult and support the person immediately.

Bidding Goodbyes – Biding goodbyes either in person or through some nonverbal medium, in a way that appears they will never meet again is yet another alarming sign of suicidal tendency. The people involved in these farewells must make sure to keep an eye on them.

Withdrawing From Peers – If someone is suddenly withdrawing from their peers, who otherwise love to stay among people is a sign of severe depression. It should be noted by close friends and offer encouragement for a positive approach.

Dangerous Or Self-Harming Actions – Reckless driving, engaging in dangerous recreational activities like bungee jumping and other activities that demonstrate the person no longer value their life should raise red flags immediately. The person should be confronted soon and helped to seek counseling from a psychiatrist.

Experiencing a recent trauma such as loss of a loved one due to divorce, diagnosis of an illness, and several other factors such as unemployment, financial crisis etc. are often the triggering factor for suicide. Almost 9 out of 10 people who eventually kill themselves gives a verbal or behavioral warning beforehand. By recognizing these symptoms and taking actions, the same can be prevented.

Since 2003, every 10th September has been observed as the World Suicide Prevention Day. It aims to encourage people with suicidal tendencies to seek help from their families, and friends. One should recognize these warning signs and address the society with this issue as a whole. In case you find these symptoms in any friends, family, neighbors, friend, or colleague, don’t hesitate to ask about their thoughts and recommend counseling and help.

Health

Small Guide to Mental Disorder – Depression and Anxiety

We can pursue a healthy and happy life not only by being physically fit but mentally as well. When we are free of depression, stress, and anxiety we live more happily. Our mind reacts differently to different courses of the event and as per which, our feeling fluctuates. People with depression and anxiety are likely to be the victim of many other physical and mental hazards of which they might not be conscious of. Physical issues such as heart disease, ulcers, colitis etc.

It was discovered that a severe mental health could be as menacing as cancer, which is strenuous to treat. To spread this information across the globe, an initiative, known as World Mental Health Day was taken by the WHO which was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health.

Depression

It was found to create awareness of how important is our mental health just as our physical health. When it comes to mental health the most common problem we find is depression and anxiety, which has decoyed almost all the normal people into its clutch. Here, you are going to discover why mental health is a thing of concern. The following point listed will give light to the above context:

Mental health strengthens and supports our ability to:

  1. Healthy Relationships: Relationship only not only with your spouse but all also with your parents, siblings, friends, and people around you. A peaceful and happy mind always think and look forward to positive vibes. An unhappy person will feel it difficult to connect with people around him/her.
  2. Right Choices: When we have a healthy mood we make our decision with our full consciousness and don’t make any wrong judgment over anything. Hence, any decision taken in an unhealthy mood can bring us more trouble.
  3. Well-being: An unhealthy mind also leads to many physical issues. Although different people show different reactions such as severe depression may result in either in weight loss or gain, reduces hunger, and sometimes panic attacks. Therefore, a mentally fit person will be distant from these issues.
  4. Acceptance: A mentally fit person will accept the natural ups and downs of a physical body and as well as the fluctuating situation which life threw us in.
  5. Leads Addiction: Depression and anxiety can also lead a man to get addicted to smoking, drinking, drugs etc. which will further result in increasing physical health hazards.
  6. Workplace: A bad mental health can also have a bad impact at our workplace. An irritated and exhausted temper can create conflict among members or might make a presentation inefficient.

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Different types of mental disorders?

Depression and anxiety are the most common disorder found in almost every individual at some part of life. Now let us have a look at the other different types of mental disorders. They are given below:

  1. Mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder)
  2. Psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia)
  3. Eating disorders
  4. Trauma-related disorders (such as post-traumatic stress disorder)
  5. Substance abuse disorders

Mental Disorder

Tips to overcome depression and anxiety

The remedial measures may differ from person to person as every individual has their level of satisfaction. The remedies to fight depression is given below:

  1. Meditation
  2. Travel to your favorite place
  3. Limit your time on social media
  4. Set goals
  5. Listen to music
  6. Dance like an insane
  7. Eat healthy
  8. Workout regularly
  9. Give importance to people who deserve them and not who you want to
  10. Eat chocolate or have cappuccino
  11. Be an active volunteer
  12. Spend time with loved once
  13. Share your feeling or write it down
  14. Watch movies
  15. Live scheduled life
  16. Take adequate sleep

Overcome Mental Disorder

Therefore, these tips might help you get rid of depression may not at an instance but will bring changes to your current situations. Although if you have tried almost all the above-mentioned remedies but still can’t help yourself, well, then it is suggested to get yourself checked by a Psychiatrists. It is proofed that a person who has been seen from a doctor tend to visit the doctor less than those who never did. Consult a Psychiatrist for more information.