Mental Care Facts & Health Tips

Dysthymia is a type depression which is said to be mild but chronic. The symptoms for this normally last for about two years or sometimes longer than that. It may be less intense but can cause serious damage in your life because of its extended period of occurrence. People with dysthymia may lose their interest in doing normal daily activities, have low self-esteem, feel hopeless and lack productivity. They are often thought of being critical, always making complains on things and are mostly incapable of having fun. Other symptoms also include poor appetite, sleeping problems, trouble in concentrating and making decisions.

Study shows that depressive illness of dysthymia is usually experience by one out of four adults at the age of 21. Both adults and children have their own different key factors that increase the risk for them to suffer with the disorder. Adults are more likely to be affected with the condition when surviving the tragic death of a loved one, getting involved in a serious accident, being a witness or a victim of man-made disaster like plane crash, war or being caught up in a natural calamity. It’s only a single traumatic event which is directly experienced or witnessed by an adult would enhance the symptom of dysthymia.

Chronic stress that involves stressful situations that takes longer time such as abuse in marriage problems or working problems. Sometimes, a person could suffer chronic stress for having to care for an elderly relative, unemployment, and severe financial problems. With children, it is the boys that are most affected with the depressive illness while during adulthood women are frequently affected with the condition which are three times more than men.

Greater increased risk is said to be associated with female hormones, excessive concerns about body figures including dieting. A well recognizable link is also associated with the history of abusing substances such as alcohol, recreational drugs, tranquillizers and prescribed medications. Family history together with poverty and limited access to any social help can also contribute to the risk factors of dysthymia.

Feeling sad for a particular reason, is typically normal for an individual. But in cases with person who has dysthymia, this kind of feelings will last for years and may affect mostly your relationship, work and as well as your daily activities. If you notice any symptoms of dysthymia, it is better to seek medical treatment from professional who knows well on how to settle the problem effectively. If treatment for this condition is ignored, this commonly leads to a major depression which would be a more complicated situation. If you have a family doctor, open up with him the symptoms that you have notice with you. Or you may ask help directly from a mental health provider you know. But if you are hesitant of going to a mental doctor, try reaching out for someone you may be able to ask help to guide you with your treatment. Whether it‘s a loved one, friend, teacher, a faith leader or the person you trusted most it is better to tell someone about it.

Eating disorders affect thousands of people each year. The majority of sufferers are young females, though men, boys, and older women also suffer from eating disorders. Any unhealthy eating pattern that one permanently participates in could be considered an eating disorder. Many people have an eating disorder for quite a while before they realize it. Here are some common eating disorders explained.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is probably the most widely discussed eating disorder. It is the eating disorder that results in the most obvious physical changes for the sufferer. Though sufferers of bulimia may maintain a normal body weight, anorexics are unable to maintain a normal body weight because of their refusal to eat.

Anorexia Nervosa is characterized as a complete refusal to keep body weight above 85% of what is considered normal. Anorexia Nervosa typically involves extreme calorie restriction in one’s daily diet. Many sufferers of this illness go through phases of bulimia.

Anorexics typically have extremely low self esteem. This disease is common in those who are considered “perfectionists” by outsiders. Though many anorexics have an intense fear of gaining weight, a lack of control over life seems to be the determining factor in what creates an anorexic. Anorexia often occurs in the lives of young adults who are struggling with stress and anxiety. They feel that they have no control over their lives and are spinning out of control. Living on an extremely low calorie diet and maintaining an abnormally thin figure becomes a way of controlling their environment.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is characterized as the binging and purging of food. Many anorexics also go through phases of bulimia. Bulimics may purge through vomiting or overuse of laxatives.

It is important to note that simply purging food would be more a characteristic of anorexia, where the sufferer will sometimes make themselves vomit or overuse laxatives to completely empty the system after a day of barely eating. Bulimics purge after an episode of intense binge eating and this is a very important characteristic of their disorder.

Recent research indicates that there is likely a genetic factor involved in bulimia though it is likely triggered by an environmental catalyst. Bulimics are often people who are overwhelmed by the emotions of everyday life. They have an incredibly difficult time dealing with intense emotions and seek out a means of punishment for what they feel they have failed at. Bulimics may be suffering because of how they feel toward themselves or how they feel toward an event that has occurred.

Compulsive Overeaters

Though anorexia and bulimia are the two eating disorders that seem to get the most attention, eating disorders are not simply related to weight loss. Eating an abnormal amount of food on a regular basis is also considered an eating disorder.

People who use food as a means of hiding their emotions or seem to have a food addiction are considered compulsive overeaters. Compulsive overeaters are sometimes called emotional eaters.  Though many people eat when they are feeling down, compulsive overeaters take it to the extreme. The underlying cause of compulsive overeating, like all eating disorders, is a lack of self esteem. Compulsive overeating is very common in sufferers of sexual abuse.

Reference Something-Fishy

The fear of getting fat may not just be a result of low self esteem or eating disorders.  Researchers at Brigham Young University have discovered that the fear of getting fat is pretty inherent in the female gender, regardless of personal appearance.

Healthy Women have Poor Reaction to Images

Normally healthy women were recently subjected to a series of images at BYU to see how they reacted to the images.  The images were of other women, some large and some small.  While the women gazed at the images their brain was scanned by MRI. When the women were subjected to images of other women who were overweight the parts of their brain that controlled unhappiness and even self-disgust showed activity.

The reaction was the same even for healthy, average weight women who seemed to have no problems maintaining their physical appearance.  Scientists were aware of the fact that anorexics had these issues but now that even healthy women have underlying anxiety about gaining weight that they are not even aware of.  This new research shows the depth of social conditioning that American society has on women in regard to the perfect female image.

How Men Reacted

Not surprisingly men had no reaction to overweight images.  Apparently the social stigma that leads to this anxiety relates only or primarily to women.  Though it is hard to say how the female brain would have reacted to these images a hundred years ago, we can assume it was very different.  American society has put such an emphasis on an abnormally thin and hard to obtain female bodies that even otherwise healthy women are suffering from deeply held anxieties about weight gain.

Where the Problem Begins

The social conditioning that leads to this anxiety starts very young in our culture.  Take a gander at the bathing suits that are being marketed to five and six year old girls if you don’t think so.  The truth is that we should all strive to be healthy and maintain a good weight but not at the cost of our mental stability.

Young children even babies are often discussed in terms of their weight.  By the time children enter Kindergarten there is a distinct difference in the way overweight boys are treated as compared to overweight girls.  Girls are often looked down upon for being heavy or the subject is avoided.  Boys on the other hand are praised for their heftiness.  They are called “stocky” and random women at the grocery store muse at how overweight boys will one day grow up to be football players.

What We Can Do About it

It is important to instill in children of all genders an importance in maintaining physical health.  This should begin early in childhood and be maintained throughout adolescence.  We can do this as women by being a good role model for our children. Eating healthy foods, exercising, and drinking plenty of water will set a good example.

We also need to teach our children to love themselves as they are.  Do not hark on a girl’s weight or praise a boy’s weight but do appreciate the child for their brain and healthy behaviors.  Instill in all children, through example and education, a sense of self worth.