Jun
25

Body Dysmorphic Disorder-Symptoms & Treatment

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Body dysmorphic disorder is a psychiatric condition. People with this condition suffer from a distortion of a minor physical defect or an imagined physical defect.Body dysmorphic disorder is a dangerous psychological disorder in which the person affected is excessively fixated on perceived defects in his or her physical features. Sometimes the disorder manifests itself in a general feeling of having a substandard appearance, despite any evidence to the contrary.

What is the underlying cause of BDD? There has been some speculation that the cause of BDD is, at least partly, driven by society’s high emphasis on appearance. Since BDD is a more recent diagnosis and the upsurge in cosmetic surgery is also fairly new, the potential cause and effect relationship between the two seems obvious.

Some of the signs and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder:excessive groomingexcessively checking appearance in a mirrorgoing to great lengths to hide the perceived imperfectionfrequently comparing the appearance of the perceived defect with the appearance of othersparalyzing feelings of self-consciousness about the perceived flawconstantly seeking assurance from others about how they look getting cosmetic surgery

Five Key issues in Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Feeling UnattractiveAnxiety Obsessive Compulsive DisorderLow Self-EsteemPsychological, Behavioral or cultural factors

People suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) can receive treatment at a body dysmorphic disorder treatment center. These treatment centers generally use cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT to treat patients with BDD.

Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT combines the use of behavior therapy with cognitive therapy to effectively solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions.

The first thing that you need to do is to stop performing rituals. They are not going to take away or fix the imagined or minor defect.The second thing that you need to do is realize that no one is perfect. Everyone has minor defects, EVERYONE!

People who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder often have trouble functioning in work and social situations. The most serious cases of body dysmoprhic disorder can result in the sufferer completely isolating himself or herself from society.

Therapists at body dysmorphic disorders treatment centers use these methods to attempt to control and ease their patients’ discomfort when they are exposed to their fears.

Doctors commonly prescribe serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, to help their patients with depression and decrease obsessive and compulsive behaviors. The most commonly prescribed SSRIs are paroxetine (brandname Paxil), fluoxetine (brandname Prozac) and sertraline (brandname Zoloft).

A structured CBT program helps patients gradually challenge all their symptoms, and learn new, more productive methods of coping with anxiety. Over time, patients become de-sensitized to previously anxiety-provoking situations and thoughts.

Cosmetic surgery can worsen body dysmorphic disorder. After one cosmetic procedure, the person may start to focus attention on another body area and become preoccupied trying to fix the new “defect”. Some patients with BDD may blame the surgeon for making their appearance worse and may even become violent towards the surgeon.

Cognitive behavior therapy is the most common treatment performed on patients today. It is relatively successful as well. It is a treatment that attempts to help the patient understand the emotions and feelings that ultimately influence their behavior. This treatment is also used with patients dealing with anxiety and depression.

Categories: cognitive therapy
Jun
23

Treating Panic Attacks With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Prescription meds are great for alleviating the pain, in many situations. They are a quick fix for many of our problems. But when we are dealing with panic attacks, drugs are not the best solution. Drugs are only a short term treatment. The real treatment consists of a mix between drugs, will and natural cures. Drugs have many side effects and the natural cures don’t. Some side effects include: sedation, nausea, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, nervousness and irritability, and also some withdrawal syndromes.

So you need to look for more natural treatments for your problems. There have been many tests proving great results for treating panic disorder and panic attacks. Even when the doctor prescribes synthetic drugs, he usually cuts down the dosage and then switches the patient on natural therapeutic treatments. The cognitive-behavioral therapy is also a recommended treatment. You should know that without drugs, almost 65% of people have achieved great results and they managed to get rid of panic disorder and agoraphobia. But it is true that at the beginning, it is best to combine the drugs with the natural therapy. In 1993 some studies were conducted on many patients with panic disorder. Anti-anxiety drugs like Alprazolam and behavioral therapy were combined. 75% of the people included in the study group had no more panic attacks after that. The success rate on long term was much better for the group that had natural therapy rather for the other who used only synthetically drugs.

CBT – cognitive behavioral therapy – combines cognitive restructuring techniques with some behavioral modification techniques. This means it is trying to understand the source of the panic attacks and then work from the bottom. The main tools that CBT uses are:

- teach the victims to recognize and then monitor the symptoms when the attack happens

- educate the patients about how the process works

- train the patient in relaxation and breathing techniques

- restructure the mental response of the patients

- expose the patients to different controlled conditions associated with the panic attacks

CBT needs an active involvement by a trained counselor or therapist. It is not as easy as taking a pill but has more efficient results. It can take 12 to 15 weeks till the first results start to appear. But these results are on long term. Many methods, others than CBT, have also been suggested. These methods include: acupuncture, hypnosis, energy therapy, laughter therapy, talk therapy, and also tapping.

Categories: cognitive therapy
Jun
21

Longing to Become Thin

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Bulimia, probably likewise called bulimia nervosa, is a mental eating ailment that mainly affects young women between the ages of 15 to 25. Up to 18% of women and half-percent of boys might have gone through bulimia before college. The yearning for eating and sweets is too strong and meantime the girl attempts to reduce weight. Therefore eating turns into a sense of blame the individual tries to erase by dieting.

To counteract the irrational eating actuation, crash dieting ways are resorted to, such as not eating, purgatives, enemas, and over-exercising. A time of over eating engenders intense emotions of guilt. For a bulimic person, self-confidence is mostly based on his physique. There are similarities between anorexia and bulimia on the dread of becoming overweight and the desire to shed mass. It’s not strange that anorexia often turns into bulimia. In fact, approximately 50% of anorexics are bulimic. The conditions coincide.

Studies have shown that dysfunctions in parental interaction may be one of the factors that contribute to bulimia. Likewise, bodily modifications like entry to teen ages, or associative calamities as death and marital break-up may as well be underlying issues. Helpless to master events, the youth go to controlling herself, most times her body. Obdurate people, bulimic sufferers are likely to handle their body shapes to the tiniest point.

Bulimia nervosa can create serious medical difficulties. There is a threat for damages that may be lasting. These can include damages to the heart, lungs and other major organs. It is yet unspecified if bulimia can affect the brain in any manner. But untreated, bulimia nervosa can be fatal.

The major premise for dealing with bulimia nervosa is that a bulimic person deems her personal shape or weight as her greatest fault. This approach tries to alter client’s dysfunctional attitudes in order to make possible the recovery. CBT for bulimia is a amalgamation of attitudinal processes and features of cognitive therapy.

Categories: cognitive therapy
Jun
15

Information on PTSD

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that people who have undergone a traumatic, dangerous or extremely stressful event, such as soldiers and rape victims, can develop. Witnessing traumatic incidents or hearing about them can also cause PTSD. Most people will experience some form of trauma in their lifetimes, and almost one out of 10 pople will develop PTSD, according to the Canadian Medical Health Association.

CausesThe underlying cause of PTSD is that there has been a change in the normal “fight-or-flight” response in the brain, causing anxiety even after the danger has passed. The danger can be either psychological or physical, and both children and adults are susceptible. In addition, evidence supports a genetic predisposition to PTSD.

It’s important to clarify here that it is entirely normal for people to take time to cope after experiencing trauma. But when traumatic reactions persist or worsen or cause conflicts in your life, that’s when you may be suffering from PTSD.

SymptomsThere are three major groupings of PTSD symptoms: emotional numbness, anxiety and intrusive memories. Again, your symptoms have to persist, at least for 1 month, for your doctor to diagnose you with PTSD, but in some cases it is possible not to experience any symptoms for years after the incident.

If you have experienced a traumatic event, these symptoms may indicate that you have PTSD:

* Re-experiencing the traumatic event mentally in the form of flashbacks or nightmares * Bleak outlook for future * Self-destructive behavior * Overpowering feelings of emotion such as guilt or shame * Memory blocks * Hallucinations * Insomnia * Hypervigilance * Functional impairment in important areas of your life such as relationships and occupation.

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms a month after a traumatic event, see a professional to find out if you may be suffering from PTSD.

TreatmentTreatment for PTSD can include medication and psychotherapy, and has been shown to help people feel like they’re in control of their lives again and learn mechanisms to help cope. It’s normal to feel like your life is out of your control after a traumatic event. But if this persists for more than a month then it’s time to see a medical professional. As with many disorders, getting help as early as possible can stop the problem from worsening and lower the chances of long-term harm.

Therapies that can help with PTSD include cognitive therapy, a type of talk therapy and exposure therapy, in which you confront the source of your trauma in a safe manner. Medication that can help includes anti-anxiety medication and Prazosin, a drug that can help with flashbacks. But what works for one person won’t necessarily work for others. It’s important to remember that trauma is a personal thing, and the therapy for it is likely to be personal as well. Talking with loved ones can help, but don’t feel that you have to talk about things that are hard for you to tolerate emotionally. For some people, talking is the answer. But for others it won’t help, and that’s just fine. In addition, this is another one of the many areas in medicine where exercise can help improve your symptoms. We all deal with trauma differently.

Sometimes PTSD can be so severe that emergency care is required. If you’re considering hurting yourself or others call 911 or ask a friend or family member for help.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

Categories: cognitive therapy
Jun
15

How to Completely Free Yourself from Panic Attack

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Panic attack is a serious mental problem that affects many people worldwide. It can lead to more serious complications if left untreated. Common symptoms are trembling, increased heart rate, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, hyperventilation, and uncomfortable feeling of impending death. This may not be a life threatening situation, but its effects could be terrifying.

Fortunately, panic attack can be treated and many sufferers were able to successfully overcome it and completely healed. The most common way to overcome panic attack is to consult your physician in order to be given proper medication and treatment. Generally, physicians prescribe medication along with psychotherapy in order to successfully treat this mental disorder.

Use of medication is very effective in easing the symptoms of panic attacks and help in preventing future episodes. However, this should also be done along with cognitive behavioural therapy. Psychotherapy is very important for long term treatment of this condition in order to completely eliminate and overcome panic attacks.

There are also new and very effective methods in treating this mental condition today. These breakthrough systems are well-proven to be effective and help many sufferers to completely free themselves from their mental disorder. The most popular and widely used is the Linden Method. This new innovation is highly recommended by most physicians and tested to have high success rates from patients who tried this new drug-free technique. This is especially helpful for patients suffering from many forms of mental disorder such as anxiety, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias and panic attacks.

Another method highly specific for this type of mental condition is the Panic Away system; this procedure has high success rate and is able to help many sufferers overcome their mental problems without the use of medication. This usually included one-on-one counselling that guides patients towards their freedom from their mental disorder.

Both of these systems are becoming popular today in treating people with mental health problems. By diligently following the instructions stated in these methods, you can successfully overcome your problems without being dependent on expensive medications for life.

Categories: cognitive therapy
Jun
14

Behavior Modification Therapy

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Behavior Modification Therapy – often known as cognitive act psychotherapy – is one in every of the foremost straightforward, efficient manners to becoming a happier, healthier, and much more purposeful member of area. In contrast to psychoanalysis and different ancient modalities, behavioral transformation remedy functions quickly to change problematic practices. It’s easy and to the point. It does not glance to seek out the underlying emotional causes of problematic practices and allow one another-harmful lifestyle to keep going on in the short-time. As a substitute, Behavioral change therapists trust that, by treating the dysfunctional conduct, the underlying problems can be resolved. Behavior modification therapy is particularly helpful for kids. Kids are not absolutely differentiated – they haven’t fully exhibit their good judgment of one another identity. Thus, it is a great deal of easier to induce consequence with behavior modification therapy than with alternative homeopathic approaches. They are furthermore attempting to understand who they’re, and they outline who they’re largely by whatsoever they do. By altering a child’s lifestyle to more positive choices, you’ll upset that child’s temperament inside a useful systems too. In fact behavior modification therapy – like any analysis – is only pretty much as good because the therapists you find. As soon as trying to find a comprtment modification therapist, it’s necessary to accept as true with your instincts. Since healing is essentially hush hush and non-public, you may have a difficult time finding a former patient to talk to. As a substitute, you must attend some sessions with the therapist and envision what on earth you think.

If you are tormented with them – or if your kid is cast down with them – try to look somewhere else. Just as you cannot speak your cause doesn’t connote that it isn’t a important one. Sometimes, our instincts are our strongest tools. You may additionally want to raise him to elucidate his conduct transformation way. These way show a discrepancy alittle from therapist to therapist, consequently it is excellent to know how yours goes to comment on your problems. An honest therapist can be very open as soon as explaining his arrival to a brand new patient. The patient gets a suppose for what kind of therapist he’s coping with, and therefore the therapist inside turn gets a perceive for what sort of patient he is handling. In fact if you are trying to find activities disparity for youngsters, it’s vital to require your kid’s recommend into consideration yet. Don’t be concerned if your child simply does not wish to go to behavior modification therapy – in that case, you’ll be able to make him go. If your child appears to loath the therapist once 3 or four sessions with them, but, you might want to consider finding out a totally different one. In spite of everything, a child can only modification if he is working with a therapist he gets together with. If your kid is exchanging blows every inch of the systems, he won’t get somewhere.

Categories: cognitive therapy