Signs And Symptoms Of Brain Problems

Brains are very complex organs. Each day we depend on them to help us do the simplest things such as brushing our teeth to solving the most complex problems, like whether to apply for a new job or not. There are certain injuries and sicknesses that can stop the brain from functioning the way it used to or the way others do.

The first kind of brain problem that can occur is caused by trauma. This can be a impact of the head of any kind from mild to severe. Head trauma can cause skull fractures, hematoma and contusions of the brain tissue. Where and how hard you are hit will partly determine the extent of the damage of the brain injury.
Headaches are also a type of brain problem or symptom. These can range from simple headaches to more painful headaches such as migraines. If you are finding your headaches are more frequent or longer lasting it is possible it is pointing to some bigger problem with your overall brain health.

One of the most serious brain injuries that can occur is a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm is a weak blood vessel in the brain. If this aneurysm bursts before you get to a medical professional it could be potentially fatal. The usual symptoms are a terrible headache that comes on quickly you could also experience double vision, neck stiffness and eye pain.

Another serious medical condition that can product brain symptoms is a stroke. A stroke can occur when the brain is temporarily deprived of oxygen which can be caused from a few different reasons. Strokes can have lasting effects in some cases including headaches, confusion memory loss or paralysis.

Although some brain traumas such as headaches are simple and will go away on their own there are some symptoms that require immediate medical treatment. These symptoms include change in consciousness, change in mental status such as hallucinations or lethargy, double vision, difficulty walking, garbled speech, loss of muscle use and severe stiff necks or headaches. If you experience any of these symptoms it is best to dial emergency right away.

Keeping the brain in optimal condition is essential to your overall brain health. If you suspect you may have a brain injury or are experiencing any of these symptoms you should consider getting checked by a doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you find out the problem the less likely you are to experience long term brain issues.

Nathanael Eisenberg is the CEO of CogniFit, a company that develops software which measure and train cognitive abilities. We help people discover new insights about themselves and decide what to improve in their life.

The rapid growth of scientific knowledge around the brain creates new opportunities to help tackle some of the major challenges of the early part of the 21st century. Nathanael's goal is to participate in the search of some of these additional solutions.

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Bipolar Disorder And Medications

What is Biploar Disorder?
Bipolar or manic depressive illness is a brain disorder that causes a typical changes in mood, energy and activity levels. Bipolar 1 disorder is diagnosed as having manic or mixed episodes, which are not normal of the person's behaviour. The episodes last for at least a week and require medical attention. The person also experiences depressive episodes, which last approximately two weeks. In between the cycling of manic and depression, many can live normal lives. Symptoms first appear in teens or early 20s, with many developing the disorder before the age of 50.

Bipolar Disorder Medications
Many different medications are needed for the best course of treatment as patients respond to the drugs differently. The medication should be taken continuously for the prevention of a relapse. Manic episodes in bipolar I disorder require treatment with drugs, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, and newer antipyschotics.
To track and treat the illness, the patient carries out a daily life chart of their mood symptoms, treatments, sleeping patterns and life events. Usually, the first choice of treatment is the long term use of mood stabilisers. With the exception of lithium, they are anticonvulsants to treat seizures as well as controlling mood. There are many types of mood stabilisers on the market. Lithium was the first to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is frequently effective in controlling the symptoms of mania, and preventing the recurrence of manic and depressive episodes.

Valproic acid is as effective as lithium for treating mania. Lamotrigine is the more recent for maintaining the treatment. Less prescribed anticonvulsants include gabapentin, topiramate and oxcarbazepine as they are not more effective than the mood stabilisers. It is thought that by taking valproic acid, lamotrigine and other anticonvulsants, it increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and therefore patients are closely monitored.

In addition to the disorder, patients often have problems with their thyroid gland. The overproduction or underproduction of the thyroid hormone can lead to mood and energy changes. It has been seen that hypothyroidism is associated with the rapid cycling of the bipolar disorder, occurring especially in women.
Atypical antipsychotic drugs are often used for treatment. They are usually taken with other drugs. These include: olanzapine, which is given with an antidepressant to help relieve symptoms of severe mania or psychosis. It can also be given intravenously to treat agitation of manic or mixed episodes. Aripiprazole has the same effect as olanzapine as well maintaining treatment after a severe or sudden episode. Quetiapine relieves the symptoms of severe and sudden manic episodes. Risperidone and ziprasidone are also prescribed for controlling manic or mixed episodes.

Other treatments include:
Psychotherapy to educate, support and provide guidance to people with the disorder and their families. A study carried out by NIMH had found that patients that were treated with medication and extensive psychotherapy, underwent fewer relapses, fewer admissions to hospitals, and were able to stick to treatment plans.

Electroconvulsive therapy is used to treat severely depressive, manic or mixed episodes. It is not usually given as a first line of treatment.

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Schizophrenia Symptoms and Types

More often than not, people relate schizophrenia to split personality, or vice versa. As a matter of fact, they are two different kinds of mental disorders. Schizophrenia literally translates to 'a split mind', and it is actually a mental disorder in which people are split off from the reality. Schizophrenics are always portrayed as dangerous people in thriller or horror movies. Although delusions and hallucinations can lead to violence, most people suffering from this condition are rarely a threat to others.

Early schizophrenia symptoms include social withdrawal, neglect of personal hygiene, hostility, inability to express emotion (laughing or crying), also excessive laughter or crying, expressionless stare, depression, sleeping disorders (either insomnia or oversleeping), inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, strange manner of speaking, the use of odd words and sentence structure, and hypersensitivity to criticism and insults.
However, it is worth noting that only a professional psychologist, psychiatrist, or specialist in the field can diagnose the disorder properly. The occurrence of these early symptoms does not mean that a person is positively affected by the problem. They might just be warning signs of other brain disorders which share some similarities with schizophrenia. Therefore, consult your doctor as soon as possible for thorough examination. There are three common types of schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized, and catatonic schizophrenia.

Paranoid Schizophrenia
This type is characterized by suspicious or absurd ideas and beliefs. Often, the ideas remain consistent, coherent, and organized to an extent of time. Two of the most common themes of paranoid schizophrenia are delusions of persecution and of grandeur. People with paranoid schizophrenia tend to have less disordered thinking and behaviour, show a history of increasing paranoia and have difficulty engaging in relationships. They will function better when dealing with people suffering from other types of schizophrenia.

Disorganized Schizophrenia
Significant symptoms include disorganized speech and behavior as well as inappropriate emotions. They may have difficulty performing self-care tasks such as bathing, grooming, or even feeding themselves. Delusions and hallucinations sometimes occur in disorganized schizophrenia although the thoughts are not as consistent and organized like the paranoid type.

Catatonic Schizophrenia
This condition is indicated by the disturbance in movements. There are two states of catatonic schizophrenia: stuporous state (decrease in motor activity) and excited state (increase in motor activity). A sufferer is in the stuporous state when he or she stops all voluntary movements and speech, and is able to stand for hours without changing positions. On the other hand, a sufferer is in the excited state when he or she shouts a lot, speaks rapidly, paces continuously back and forth, or even does violence towards him/herself or to other people.

It is very important for you to know how to identify early schizophrenia symptoms. The earlier schizophrenia is detected, the higher the chance for cure.

Visit our website to find out more about this mental disorder.

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Out of Touch With Reality

I wonder if there is a real baseline for what reality is. All of your experiences that determine how things appear to you are your reality. When I work with a patient who says that there are spiders crawling on the wall - and they are following them with their eyes, and pointing to them with their fingers. Their body language shows they are seeing them, by the fear on their face. Are they real?

If I cannot see them does that mean they are not that person's reality? Those spiders are not real for me - but to that person at that moment, those spiders are real and crawling on the wall.
How about the person who tells me they can hear people talking to them, but I can't hear the voice. Does that mean they do not hear the voices? To that person that is his/her reality and those voices are real.
I made a happy post on face book one morning that obviously got to someone before they had their coffee. The comment was about how I had faith that I could fly - related to business and reaching my goals. His take on the comment was it was not possible for that to be a goal that could be reached with faith and belief.
In one part of his comment - he is correct. If you just say you have belief and faith and do nothing to make it happen, nothing will change. However, if you have belief and step out of the boat on faith to apply skills that you have learned, to make those changes in your life then that is reality.

I have never been able to judge a patient by their reality - but I have been able to talk to them about it.
When I speak to people in general I listen to what is going on in their world around them - that is their reality. Whether it is negative or positive it takes time, effort and someone speaking life into your dreams with you to have the faith to step out of your circle and make changes happen in your life.

Just one year ago, I was working as a very un-happy nurse. I felt like I was a hamster on a wheel going the same pace, at the same time of day. Nothing changing and my vision had gotten fogged to the point I could not see the good I was possibly making for other people. Some of the people were surrounding my life were hamsters on the wheel beside me. I already knew that I had to get out of that box and make changes or I would look up and it would be 10 years later standing in the same spot.

Today I am the voice for the ones unheard - I have the possibility to encourage change in other people's life. That is exciting to me. You have the same opportunity - the kind of opportunity that could change the entire outline of someone's life.

I believe that people need to be encouraged to grow - and I believe that people want to change. The fear that holds them back is stronger than the current that pulls them forward to make the change.
What is it that sits quietly locked in the closet of your life that you have always wanted to do but never felt you could, or never had the permission to act on it? People do not have to give you permission to use your skills - you have to be brave enough to act on what is designed deep inside of you.

I found amazing women who has helped me even more than she knows. She is a dear friend and business coach. She has spoken into my life and shared her business skills with me that I took serious. Not only did I apply what she told me - I began living it. Life was waiting for me - just one step away. I replaced one half of my nursing income doing what this one powerful person taught me to do.

As a nurse you have a built-in servant design that seems to take over your thinking when it comes to helping people - I wanted to really make changes in their lives not just have a nice chat and part ways. As a nurse I could only do so much before my license would stop me from going cross that line. As a business owner - I can continue with real change that I can see at work in their life. I dare you to step out of your comfort zone and join me - Come to the blog be encouraged...

Angela Brooks is a leading distributor of Young Living Essential Oils. Dedicated to natural health solutions, Brooks provides people with healing alternatives without harsh side effects. Additionally, Brooks is a mental health nurse committed to bringing mental happiness to the nursing profession by motivating and supporting nurses around the country.

Visit our web site: angelabrook.com

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Caring For People With A Psychiatric Illness

Having someone in your family suffering from a mental illness can be extremely stressful. Whether the suffering person is your daughter, son, wife, husband, sister, or brother, there is no doubt that you will also be affected by their illness. People suffering from psychiatric illness usually need a lot more love, support, and help in comparison to others suffering from various illnesses.
Mental illnesses can be of various different kinds, each having their own distinct symptoms. At the time when the patient is ill, he / she could be quite disruptive and demanding, or alternatively some people might remain inactive and withdrawn. In fact, the behavior of patients with psychiatric illness usually keeps changing due to fluctuations in the illness itself.
If anyone in your family is suffering from a psychiatric illness, it would be extremely beneficial for you to learn as much as you can about it because this helps to foresee some problems and helps with the empathy of what they are going through in trying to cope with their illness.

What causes psychiatric illness?
There is no single cause behind the occurrence of psychiatric illness. Some time ago, parents were blamed if any of their children developed some kind of mental illness. However, a number of medical researches and their results have proved that most of the mental illnesses are caused due to biochemical imbalance in our body.

Caring for people with psychiatric illness
Caring for people suffering from psychiatric illness can present a large number of challenges. Psychiatric illnesses can vary a lot in their severity. Mild problems can be seen quite commonly and it is possible to help a person suffering from this kind of problem by offering support and understanding. On the other hand, serious psychiatric illness, such as severe depression, is much less common and can be much more challenging to handle.
Communication is usually a huge struggle for people suffering from mental illness. Few patients lack the motivation to communicate with others, whereas others don't have the confidence required for saying what they want. Besides this, some of the patients also experience hallucinations, which make it extremely difficult for them to communicate normally.
In order to help the psychiatric patient for whom you are caring, to communicate properly, give them time to express themselves the way they want, and it is so important to let them understand that you accept them just the way they are.
A large number of people suffering from psychiatric illnesses feel themselves to be cut off from others, including their family members, friends, and neighbors. Thus, it becomes extremely important as a carer to give them the time and to listen to them. Allow them to express themselves openly without interrupting them or adding your opinion to what they are saying. Reassure them and encourage them in case they become upset or they look as if they are struggling with some emotions.
If they feel that you judge them or what they say you will find that they will not converse their thoughts to you and this can be very detrimental in their recovery.

Diagnosis
If you are caring for a patient suffering from psychiatric illness, it is possible that they might not have received medical advice or they could be struggling to find an appropriate diagnose. Avoid diagnosing the problem yourself; instead try to get your patient to get in touch with a psychiatrist or other healthcare professionals.

Behavior
If the patient you are caring for is feeling desperate or isolated, they may feel like committing suicide. In such cases, try to get the patient in touch with someone under a Care Program Approach or some Mental Health Government support program near you. You can also contact social services for assessment, if you feel that your patient or someone else might be in danger.
In the case of psychosis there can be a risk of the patient hurting another person or a persons property so it is important to divert danger because if the person you are caring for does hurt someone else or their property they could face criminal charges and you want avoid that if at all possible. To this end it would even pay to talk to the police in your area and try to gauge their response.
As governments are supporting mental illness more and more these days and giving it more attention the police are usually trained to deal with these situations and it is best to deal with them before they escalate into violent altercations. If a person is yelling and screaming etc. the police and medical professionals can usually intervene successfully but once damage has been done it does become a criminal matter.
Learning coping strategies is a great move for a carer because mental illness is rarely a short term problem so strategies help ease the stress for all involved.

A Carer for 10 years and Carers' Support group facilitator for 3 years gives an insight to Carer Strategies for coping. To read more about mental health carer's coping strategies or for more insight into mental health carer problems visit http://www.schizophrenia-carers.com/

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