What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

What exactly is Posttraumatic stress disorder? Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of an anxiety disorder. It usually develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience. PTSD sufferers re-experience the traumatic event or events in some way, tend to avoid places, people, or other things that remind them of the event (avoidance), and are exquisitely sensitive to normal sensory life experiences (hyperarousal). Although this condition has likely existed since human beings have endured trauma, PTSD has only been recognized as a formal diagnosis since 1980. However, it was called by different names as early as the American Civil War, when combat veterans were referred to as suffering from "soldier's heart." In World War I, symptoms that were generally consistent with this syndrome were referred to as "combat fatigue." Soldiers who developed such symptoms in World War II were said to be suffering from "gross stress reaction," and many troops in Vietnam who had symptoms of what is now called PTSD were assessed as having "post-Vietnam syndrome." PTSD has also been called "battle fatigue" and "shell shock."

(Courtesy: Internet)

PTSD statistics in children and teens reveal that up to more than 40% have endured at least one traumatic event, resulting in the development of PTSD in up to 15% of girls and 6% of boys. On average, 3%-6% of high school students in the United States and as many as 30%-60% of children who have survived specific disasters have PTSD. Up to 100% of children who have seen a parent killed or endured sexual assault or abuse tend to develop PTSD, and more than one-third of youths who are exposed to community violence (for example, a shooting, stabbing, or other assault) will suffer from the disorder.

Although not all individuals who have been traumatized develop PTSD, there can be significant physical consequences of being traumatized. For example, research indicates that people who have been exposed to an extreme stressor sometimes have a smaller hippocampus (a region of the brain that plays a role in memory) than people who have not been exposed to trauma. This is significant in understanding the effects of trauma in general and the impact of PTSD, specifically since the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is thought to have an important role in developing new memories about life events. Also, whether or not a traumatized person goes on to develop PTSD, they seem to be at risk for higher use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Conversely, people whose PTSD is treated also tend to have better success at overcoming a substance-abuse problem.

What are the effects of PTSD?

Symptoms in women with PTSD who are pregnant include having other emotional problems, poor health behaviors, and memory problems. Women who were sexually abused at earlier ages are more likely to develop complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder. Babies who are born to mothers who suffer from this illness during pregnancy are more likely to experience a change in at least one chemical in their body that makes it more likely (predisposes) the baby to develop PTSD later in life. Individuals who suffer from this illness are at risk of having more medical problems, as well as trouble reproducing. In children and teens, PTSD can have significantly negative effects on their social and emotional development, as well as on their ability to learn.

What causes PTSD? 

Virtually any trauma, defined as an event that is life-threatening or that severely compromises the physical or emotional well-being of an individual or causes intense fear, may cause PTSD. Such events often include either experiencing or witnessing a severe accident or physical injury, receiving a life-threatening medical diagnosis, being the victim of kidnapping or torture, exposure to war combat or to a natural disaster, exposure to other disaster (for example, plane crash) or terrorist attack, being the victim of rape, mugging, robbery, or assault, enduring physical, sexual, emotional, or other forms of abuse, as well as involvement in civil conflict. Although the diagnosis of PTSD currently requires that the sufferer has a history of experiencing a traumatic event as defined here, people may develop PTSD in reaction to events that may not qualify as traumatic but can be devastating life events like divorce or unemployment.

What are the symptoms and signs of PTSD?

The following three groups of symptom criteria are required to assign the diagnosis of PTSD:

1. Recurrent re-experiencing of the trauma (for example, troublesome memories, flashbacks that are usually caused by reminders of the traumatic events, recurring nightmares about the trauma and/or dissociative reliving of the trauma)

2. Avoidance to the point of having a phobia of places, people, and experiences that remind the sufferer of the trauma or a general numbing of emotional responsiveness

3. Chronic physical signs of hyperarousal, including sleep problems, trouble concentrating, irritability, anger, poor concentration, blackouts or difficulty remembering things, increased tendency and reaction to being startled, and hypervigilance (excessive watchfulness) to threat. The emotional numbing of PTSD may present as a lack of interest in activities that used to be enjoyed (anhedonia), emotional deadness, distancing oneself from people, and/or a sense of a foreshortened future (for example, not being able to think about the future or make future plans, not believing one will live much longer). At least one re-experiencing symptom, three avoidance/numbing symptoms, and two hyperarousal symptoms must be present for at least one month and must cause significant distress or functional impairment in order for the diagnosis of PTSD to be assigned. PTSD is considered of chronic duration if it persists for three months or more.

A similar disorder in terms of symptom repertoire is acute stress disorder. The major differences between the two disorders are that acute stress disorder symptoms persist from two days to four weeks, and a fewer number of traumatic symptoms are required to make the diagnosis as compared to PTSD.

In children, re-experiencing the trauma may occur through repeated play that has trauma-related themes instead of or in addition to memories, and distressing dreams may have more general content rather than of the traumatic event itself. As in adults, at least one re-experiencing symptom, three avoidance/numbing symptoms, and two hyperarousal symptoms must be present for at least one month and must cause significant distress or functional impairment in order for the diagnosis of PTSD to be assigned. When symptoms have been present for less than one month, a diagnosis of acute stress disorder (ASD) can be made.

Symptoms of PTSD that tend to be associated with C-PTSD include problems regulating feelings, which can result in suicidal thoughts, explosive anger, or passive aggressive behaviors; a tendency to forget the trauma or feel detached from one's life (dissociation) or body (depersonalization); persistent feelings of helplessness, shame, guilt, or being completely different from others; feeling the perpetrator of trauma is all-powerful and preoccupation with either revenge against or allegiance with the perpetrator; and severe change in those things that give the sufferer meaning, like a loss of spiritual faith or an ongoing sense of helplessness, hopelessness, or despair.

What is the treatment for PTSD?

Treatments for PTSD usually include psychological and medical interventions. Providing information about the illness, helping the individual manage the trauma by talking about it directly, teaching the person ways to manage symptoms of PTSD, and exploration and modification of inaccurate ways of thinking about the trauma are the usual techniques used in psychotherapy for this illness. Education of PTSD sufferers usually involves teaching individuals about what PTSD is, how many others suffer from the same illness, that it is caused by extraordinary stress rather than weakness, how it is treated, and what to expect in treatment. This education thereby increases the likelihood that inaccurate ideas the person may have about the illness are dispelled, and any shame they may feel about having it is minimized. This may be particularly important in populations like military personnel that may feel particularly stigmatized by the idea of seeing a mental-health professional and therefore avoid doing so.

Teaching people with PTSD practical approaches to coping with what can be very intense and disturbing symptoms has been found to be another useful way to treat the illness. Specifically, helping sufferers learn how to manage their anger and anxiety, improve their communication skills, and use breathing and other relaxation techniques can help individuals with PTSD gain a sense of mastery over their emotional and physical symptoms. The practitioner might also use exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy by having the person with PTSD recall their traumatic experiences using images or verbal recall while using the coping mechanisms they learned. Individual or group cognitive behavioral psychotherapy can help people with PTSD recognize and adjust trauma-related thoughts and beliefs by educating sufferers about the relationships between thoughts and feelings, exploring common negative thoughts held by traumatized individuals, developing alternative interpretations, and by practicing new ways of looking at things. This treatment also involves practicing learned techniques in real-life situations.

Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of cognitive therapy in which the practitioner guides the person with PTSD in talking about the trauma suffered and the negative feelings associated with the events, while focusing on the professional's rapidly moving finger. While some research indicates this treatment may be effective, it is unclear if this is any more effective than cognitive therapy that is done without the use of rapid eye movement.

Families of PTSD individuals, as well as the sufferer, may benefit from family counseling, couple's counseling, parenting classes, and conflict-resolution education. Family members may also be able to provide relevant history about their loved one (for example, about emotions and behaviors, drug abuse, sleeping habits, and socialization) that people with the illness are unable or unwilling to share.

Medications that are usually used to help PTSD sufferers include serotonergic antidepressants and medicines that help decrease the physical symptoms associated with illness like some beta-blockers. Individuals with PTSD are much less likely to experience a relapse of their illness if antidepressant treatment is continued for at least a year. SSRIs are the first group of medications that have received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of PTSD. Treatment guidelines provided by the American Psychiatric Association describe these medicines as being particularly helpful for people whose PTSD is the result of trauma that is not combat-related. SSRIs tend to help PTSD sufferers modify information that is taken in from the environment (stimuli) and to decrease fear. Research also shows that this group of medicines tends to decrease anxiety, depression, and panic. SSRIs may also help reduce aggression, impulsivity, and suicidal thoughts that can be associated with this disorder.

Other less directly effective but nevertheless potentially helpful medications for managing PTSD include mood stabilizers, as well as mood stabilizers that are also antipsychotics. Antipsychotic medicines seem to be most useful in the treatment of PTSD in those who suffer from agitation, dissociation, hypervigilance, intense suspiciousness (paranoia), or brief breaks in being in touch with reality (brief psychotic reactions). The antipsychotic medications are also being increasingly found to be helpful treatment options for managing PTSD when used in combination with an SSRI. Benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) have unfortunately been associated with a number of problems, including withdrawal symptoms and the risk of overdose, and have not been found to be significantly effective for helping individuals with PTSD

(Disclaimer: The above article has various inputs from www.medicinenet.com . The images in the post are from various sources from the internet. 

The Author provides the Site and the services, information, content and/or data (collectively, “Information”) contained therein for informational purposes only. The Author does not provide any medical advice on this blog, and the Information should not be so construed or used. Nothing contained in the Site is intended to create a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a licensed, trained physician or health professional or to be a substitute for medical advice of a physician or trained health professional licensed in your state/Country. You should not rely on anything contained in the Site, and you should consult a physician licensed in your state/Country in all matters relating to your health. You hereby agree that you shall not make any health or medical related decision based in whole or in part on anything contained in the Site)

Save the girl child

When God made Adam, he also made Eve. But looking at the current provisional Census data released by the government of India, I really wished God had made provisions for one Eve for every Adam. In a country presided by a woman and where the 'hand' behind the ruling party is that of a woman, the census shows a really shameful face of India when it come to the child sex ratio. The 'Save a Girl Child' campaign has again gained momentum in India. Slogans, campaigns, posters are all over the place. But what remains a major question is that even after 64 years of Independence, why the girl child still craves for her freedom here in India?

(source: www.indianchild.com)

The census did give us a reason to smile with the welcome news that since the last nine decades, India is finally showing a significant slowing of the growth rate. It gives us a ray of hope that India's population will definitely stabilize in the near future. Also the literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 to 74.04 in the last ten years. But what has really shamed the nation is one statistic that shows the 'child sex ratio' has fallen steeply from 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011! Even though the number of girls per 1000 boys in the age group of 0-6 has been falling continually since 1961, the fall in the last decade is the worst since independence, as the statistics reveal. So are we moving ahead or backwards?

Cynics will still argue that the overall sex ratio in the general population has in fact increased 932 in 2001 to 940 in 2011 and so we should be happy about it. Yes we definitely should be, but only after accepting the fact that the improvement is a mere reflection of the greater natural longevity that the female sex enjoys over its counterpart and also to the recent advances and improvement in the health care sector. It can be my no means be used as a blanket to cover the disturbing reality of the declining child-sex ratio.

The recent census has widened the gap between the northern and the southern India. Though the north-east states show a very healthy picture with Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh displaying the most admirable picture of child sex ratio, the rest of the country has shown decline in the stats with even Kerala and Puducherry failing to sustain the upgoing ratio back in 2001. Only a few states like Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and Andaman and Nicobar have shown improvement.

So where have we actually gone wrong? Everyday most of the dailies have some or the other editor emphasizing the fact that India is evolving into a global superpower. But what piece of wisdom explains the continually plummetting number of girl child as compared to the boys? The reasons are many! People started misusing the concept of the MTP act that was laid down in 1971. It took 23 years for the government to realise this, before the act was amended in 1994 so as to criminalise the practice of getting an ultrasound scan done for the sole purpose of determining the sex of the foetus. But that was certainly not going to be enough. Even the new PNDT act has failed to keep up to it's name and has not been strictly implemented as many studies have revealed.

Looking at the way this issue is handled in this country, it is rightly said that 'The hardest profession one can take in life is to be a girl child.' Right from the time she is in the womb to her adulthood, its not just the male domination in the society that is responsible for the pain and discrimination she goes through but even the elder females in the family contribute to it. Female foeticide, infanticide, early marriage, sex-discrimination and dowry are the social evils that have crippled the society right from the pre-independence era. It has become a norm in the northern and the western states of India that a male child is a must so as to inherit the name of the family for many generations to come.

Ever wondered what would be the consequences if the child sex ratio keeps dipping down in the years to come? If not, dont be shocked that the 'doomsday' has already started showing it's ugly face in northern states like Haryana where people have finally started 'buying' girls from other states like Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and the North East so as to give birth to their family inheritor. Often the poor girl is 'shared' by men in the same family and once the 'motive' is accomplished the same girl is resold. This 'bride-trading' has become a concept that will be hard to erase unless and until some major stringent action is taken by the competent authorities in near future.

What are the reasons that is pushing this 'global superpower' so behind when it comes to gender equality? Certainly the three main factors are Poverty, Illiteracy and lack of awareness about health resources. Poverty leads to malnutrition. It is said that out of 7.5 crore malnourished children in India 75% are females! It is no surprise that how nutrition wise girls are still discriminated even during their adolescence. This further results in various reproductive disorders. Add to it, the custom of child marriages and early marriages with ill-planned pregnancies and lack of proper health care. Needless to say that dowry and domestic violence are the next social evils that many women in our country have to face with a notion which they are expected to accept that its natural to suffer because of the X chromosome which they have inherited. With 70% of our population coming from the rural setup, this picture is really alarming. 

To all those who are still stuck in this age old ideology of male inheritor, I request you all to please free up your mind. Listen to your inner voice, listen to the unseen face of that beautiful life inside that womb which asks you 'Why?' every time a thought crosses your mind to take away her right to see this beautiful world even before she is born. In the end it's not the 50:50 sex ratio that is important but the equality in the thoughts of each one of us towards a girl child and the acknowledgement in her abilities to stand at par with the male sex that should make the difference. Its not about how one sex is superior than the other or which sex has an advantage over the other. Its all about giving equal opportunities to both of them and not resort to the devils in your mind that doubt the abilities a girl child has, to bring a smile on your face. Its high time that the gender bias should be uprooted from the social ideology and apprehensions towards a girl child be overthrown. 

No wonder why they say, 

"If you educate a man, you educate one person, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family!"

Liver or 'Lover'? Alcohol kills both!

William Shakespeare once said, 

"Alcohol provokes the desire but takes away the performance"

(Courtesy: Internet)

It is perfectly true that medically it is advisable to have alcohol in small amounts especially the red wine, as it increases the HDL which is the 'good' cholesterol. When in moderate amounts, it is also seen as an aphrodisiac, thereby increasing the libido during sex by removing the sexual inhibitions and intensifying the feelings of well-being and sexual satisfaction during intimacy. But the catch word here is 'moderate'. Overconsumption often leads to the culmination of the euphoria and thus results in the impotence that follows later. So how is alcohol and impotence connected? And what are the symptoms?

I have already discussed how Smoking may lead to impotence. Impotence is when the man is not able to maintain his erection sufficient enough to complete his act of sexual intercourse with his partner. The erection is lost much prior to ejaculation. It only includes the lack of sustaining the erection and not any other problem like failure to ejaculate, loss of libido, etc.

There are many theories why excessive alcohol can cause impotence. 

1. Long term alcohol abuse can result in interference in the signal pathways between the brain's pituitary gland and the genitals. This system is responsible for engorging the penis with blood by dilating the blood vessels in the penile architecture.

2. Some physicians also believe that the alcohol abuse can cause damage to the nerves of the penis thereby hindering the sensory input during the intercourse which is essential for the erectile mechanism to initiate.

3. After initial euphoric stimulation of the brain's libido center, excessive alcohol further causes inhibition of the center, thus reducing the sexual desire terminating the sexual pleasure. Concentration and judgement become cloudy as the brain is suppressed by the inhibition through alcohol and physical activity and movement are also impaired.

4. Many scientists believe that alcohol has a deleterious effect on the testosterone producing capacity of the cells in the testis. Testosterone is the masculine hormone that is responsible for differentiating a man from a woman.  Low levels of testosterone thus diminishes the sexual drive and function.

5. Heavy drinkers are often associated with co-morbid psychological conditions like depression, stress and anxiety. This makes them all the more susceptible to impotence. It is a vicious cycle in this case leading to the aggravation of the physical and psychological deterioration in their health increasing the chances of impotence. 

6. Since alcohol has a really bad effect on the liver, the body may develop chemical substances within the skin that create inflammation as well as irritation which will make sexual activity so uncomfortable that the psychological effect may cause your body to disassociate with intimate contact. Cirrhosis will even cause hypogonadism which atrophies a mans testicles, also reducing or even ruining the lovemaking drive and/or performance.

So what do you do when you end up with alcohol induced impotence?

a. Firstly you need to acknowledge that the problem exists and that Help is available. Early intervention can almost cure the disorder with effective co-operation between the physician and the patients themselves.

b. It is always advisable to just avoid alcohol when its time for intimacy or before your love making. Alcohol being a depressant, lowers blood pressure making it tough to stay in rigidity while keeping focused. Since alcohol constricts the bloodstream, particularly the smaller capillary routes, there is certainly much less awareness within the sensors which support erectile performance.

b. There are medicines available such as Viagra which can be prescribed by the physician after taking into consideration, the etiology, the risk factors and the benefits of starting the drug. 

c. If the impotence is as a result of physical damage to the vessels of the penis or the nervous system there are injectables that your doctor may offer you for correcting the impotence. 

d. Alcoholic induced impotence can best be addressed with a lifestyle adjustment. When one cannot remove drinking completely, one could at the least cut it right down. A 50% decline in drinking can give significantly enhanced efficiency potential. Changing to a more gentle kind of alcoholic drink, such as wine beverages, may also assist the return of sexual performance if this continues to be the main reason for impotence

So think ahead before sipping that glass before making love, because you may not just kill the liver inside you but also the 'lover' inside you...

(The above post is written only from informative point of view. Kindly do not consider it as a prescription. Talk to your physician for further details of the treatment discussed here.)

Are you addicted to Pornography?

What is pornography? Wikipedia states it is the portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement and erotic satisfaction. With the advent of the internet and in the age of YouTube, the current young generation have an easy access to free sexual content at the click of a button. There are hoards of websites scattered around the internet that provide ample of free uncensored sex related media that ranges from free pictures, watch videos, mms, movies and free webcam chatting too. Today in India even a schoolboy knows what 'XXX' stands for. In the land of Kamasutra, it wasn't long when 'desibaba' was a huge sensation in the adolescent minds, which has now given way to 'Savita Bhabhi'.

Porn: Good or Bad?

But it waits to be seen that whether pornography and the associated internet addiction does really have any effect on the psychology of these young minds. Some believe that pornography is not that bad as it is an healthy outlet for one's sexual needs. But most other psychologists are of the opinion that pornography can contribute to a distorted view of sex and unhealthy personal relationships. Medically speaking, some psychiatrists believe that this porn addiction can be a cause or an effect of depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder as well.

Love and Porn:

For a person to have a good mental health, love plays a very important role. But the uncensored sexual information that is relayed across the websites often depict the sex partner as an object of exploitation. Instead of looking at sex as a way to develop an emotional bond between the partners, a wrong message is usually passed through that it is all about reaching the big 'O' someway or the other. Love helps develop emotionally satisfying sexual relationships.

Whereas while indulging in Pornography it is usually one-sided. There is complete absence of emotional angle to it. It is usually followed with masturbation and hence can further push the subject into loneliness and depression. Low self esteem is often a sequelae. Clinical studies have proved a possible correlation between masturbation and depression in individuals. 

Relationships and Pornography:

Watching porn excessively not only alters sexual attitudes but also behavior. It is seen as a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to individual happiness. In undermining marriage it is one of the factors in undermining social stability. Married men addicted to porn are found to be emotionally less interested in the real conjugal relations with wives and feel less satisfied. This gives way to infidelity and divorce collapsing even long relationships.

Psychology and Pornography:

Neuroscientists around the world have begun mapping the biological substrate of this unique addiction. It is found that an individual tends to become desensitized to the type of pornography they use. Eventually they become bored with it and then seek more perverse and more hardcore forms of pornographic content. Regular porn watchers have an increasing tendency towards abnormal and criminal sex behavior like rape, sexual aggression and promiscuity. Women are often seen as 'sex objects' by such men. The high risk behavior that follows often result in the individual getting exposed to STDs and legal issues like out-of-wedlock births, pulling them into a vicious cycle of stress and depression related debilities. 

Pornography and Help:

The main defenses against pornography are close family life, a good marriage and good relations between parents and children, coupled with deliberate parental monitoring of Internet use. The best way to deal with any kind of addiction is to seek the help of a qualified therapist. Though neither sex addiction nor porn addiction is considered an official mental disorder, they are definitely categorized under compulsions that can have serious effects on one’s sexuality and thus can be detrimental to social functioning.

So keep a check on yourself, the next time you type XXX in the search bar...

Doomsday theories!

Is Doomsday really going to happen? Will the world end in 2012? Will Planet X Nibiru going to collide with Earth in 2012? Will world war III happen in 2012? Will Nostradamus sea turn black? 

So many questions are doing the rounds over the internet. They say that the world is going to end on December 21st, 2012 and they have ample of theories as to how Nostradamus will prove himself right in the coming few months. But sometimes I seriously feel like applauding these maniacs who come up with such strong creative ideologies to back their theories. The most popular sms doing the rounds is 

The U.S. lost many lives on 09-11-01 and Japan lost even more on 03-10-11. If you add all the numbers, you get 12-21-12 and so the world is indeed going to end!

So I tried to find out all the theories that are being stated by many 'experts'. Here are a few...

1. The Mayan Calendar 

So what exactly is the Mayan Calendar? Everyone seems to be worried about the recent prediction that the world will end in 2012. Some doomsday writers are using the Mayan calendar to support their claims.

The Mayas studied astronomy and had a complicated mathematical system, but they were not able to predict the future. If they had that ability, they would have taken measures to prevent the collapse of their own civilization before the post-classic period. By the 1000 A.D., the Great Maya system had collapsed, and peoples migrated outside the city centers. Historians, anthropologists and archeologists still debate over the cause. Some claim it was a result of warfare, while others believe it was a direct result of environmental changes and land overuse.

The Mayas used several different calendars, not just one. The Tzolk'in calendar is based on a cycle of 260 days. One interesting theory is that it is based on the female gestation period, if it is counted from the first missed menstrual cycle to the birth. The days in the cycle are numbered from one to thirteen, starting over again at one. This calendar tracked religious ceremonies.

The Haab' calendar is a solar calendar based on a cycle of 365 days. Although, inaccurate over time, the calendar attempted to track the agrarian year.

The Long Count calendar is the one used by doomsday prophets. The calendar begins with the first day of Maya creation. The Long Count was created to keep track of events over long periods of time. Just as our modern calendar rolls back to January 1st every year, so will the Long Count calendar.

2. Geomagnetic Reversal

Also referred to as polar shift, is said to be triggered by a massive solar flare, one with energy equal to 100 billion atomic bombs! They say that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening, which would reverse the polarity of the magnetic field of the Earth. But the fact remains that the planet's magnetic fields are caused and regulated by the spinning of the solid inner core inside the molten outer core, and so cannot be influenced by something external to the planet. A solar maximum would be mostly notable for its effects on satellite and cellular phone communications. At the most it can cause some damage to the satellites revolving high up in the orbit.

3. Planet X/Nibiru

Some theories also point to some planet called Planet X or Nibiru which is set to collide with or pass by Earth in 2012. This idea, which has appeared in various forms within New Age circles since 1995, initially slated the event for 2003 but abandoned that date after it passed without incident. It originated from claims of channeling of alien beings and has been widely ridiculed. Astronomers calculate that such an object so close to Earth would be visible to anyone looking up at the night sky.

4. Alien invasion

In late 2009, rumours began circulating in UFO forums on the internet that SETI (Search for extraterrestrial Intelligence) had detected several city-sized spacecraft headed towards Earth, often citing a particular image from the Digitized Sky Survey as evidence. In December 2010, an article appeared in examiner.com, again citing the photograph, and stating that a high-ranking SETI researcher named "Craig Kasnov" had reported that three "flying saucers", each tens of kilometres long, would arrive in Earth orbit by December, 2012. This article was referenced in a number of mainstream news outlets, including the English language version of Pravda. Later it was found that the supposed UFO photograph bore more resemblance to a bit of grit or a defect in the photographic plate.

So Myths are abound and seem to be fuelling even movie storylines. It also highlights the hype that can be stirred, lighting up religious, scientific and not-so-scientific ideas that the world is doomed. There is so much evidence against these things happening in 2012, it’s shocking just how much of a following they have generated. Just because the Mayan calendar turns 13.0.0.0.0. it doesn't mean that the world is going to end! We celebrate 31st December every year not as a doomsday but a new beginning to a new year ahead...
(The above blog post has inputs from the internet and wikipedia)

Why one should donate blood?

Trypanophobia - is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. And it is one of the main reason why many people, though willing to take part in blood donation drives, don't gather enough courage to do so. Blood Donation is essentially a voluntary act where one allows one's blood to be taken out from his/her body for any medical purpose. It is widely promoted by the Red Cross. There are various blood donation centers in almost all the cities in India. There are many types of blood donation, as whole blood donation, blood plasma donation, etc. When I asked many of my friends and relatives about their views on blood donation, I came across many misconceptions and myths that are prevalent in the society about the procedure and it's benefits or side-effects. So here I am writing this post to help you understand that there are many benefits of blood donation as compared to an almost blank list of disadvantages of doing so.

(Courtesy: Internet)

Being Altruistic : It goes without saying, that the most important benefit of blood donation is the most satisfying feeling of being a reason for saving someones life, in most of the cases you are unaware of who the person is. And this feeling cannot be described unless and until you yourself experience it. Did you know that only 3 teaspoons of blood can save a life of a premature baby in blood crisis?

Free Health check-up : Every time you donate blood, you get to undergo a free health screening! You are subjected to a basic health check up where a doctor, a nurse and a lab technician wont charge you for getting your vitals checked. Your hemoglobin level is also tested. If it is low, then you will not be allowed to donate blood. Besides hemoglobin, your blood pressure, blood group and body weight will also be checked. In addition, your blood will also be subjected to screening for  the presence of five diseases, namely Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria. If you are not suffering from these diseases, only then you will be allowed to donate your blood.

Iron overloading: Blood donation is one of the most easiest way to get rid of the excess iron accumulated in our body due to over consumption. Excess of iron is not good for health as it is responsible for formation of free radicals which cause damage to the body cells and tissues and are also related to various heart diseases and cancers. Iron oxidizes cholesterol which in turn causes atherosclerotic changes in the blood vessels. Iron overload is also seen in Hemochromatosis which is a genetic disease due to defective iron metabolism causing serious damage to pancreas, adrenal glands, indirectly resulting in diabetes, liver disorders, etc. Thus donating blood on a regular basis will help one to regulate the iron levels in one's circulation, especially in young males, thereby decreasing the risk of heart diseases.

Calories : It is said that one pint of blood which may be around (350-400 ml which is only 7.5% of your total blood volume) on an average burns 650 calories!

Press F5 to refresh : Once you donate blood, the blood cell count in your body decreases. This stimulates your bone marrow to produce new red blood cells so as to replenish the loss. Indirectly, this stimulates the production of new blood cells and thus it refreshes your circulation.

When talking about the disadvantages, the list is almost blank except for the fact that sometimes your blood pressure may drop temporarily or you may experience nausea or dizziness for a few seconds. But at the end the feeling of saving one's life and the free health benefits that come along with it, should certainly motivate one to plan a visit to a blood donation drive, once you end reading this post. Try it once, I assure you... it feels good!

Are you really depressed?

Most of us feel sad in our daily life. Its not unusual for someone to feel the 'blues' now and then. But then what exactly falls in the criteria of being 'depressed'? Let me put up a few points for you to help you identify the signs and symptoms of Depression. Do NOT stop reading further! Even if you feel you are strong enough mentally to not 'encounter depression at any point ever', I insist you to go through this once, as it might help you help your dear ones or friends in their low times. I would specifically write focusing on the younger teen-agers who I feel are the most vulnerable lot during this exam season.

(Courtesy: Internet)

Being sad is not unusual but being sad most of the time is. The phrase 'most of the time' medically suggests a period of at least 2 weeks of sustained sadness of mood. If this sadness is often giving you problems with your studies or your performance in schools/colleges, your behavior at home or with friends or getting addictions like alcohol, smoking or problems during sex, then most probably you are going through DEPRESSION. To put it in a simpler way to help you identify I am putting down a check list below with criteria for depression. Remember that the following symptoms should not be secondary to any other medical condition.

1.You feel depressed most of the day, nearly every day like feeling empty or feeling sad. In younger age and children this may rather manifest as irritable mood. 

2. a significant decrease in interest in activities which used to be pleasurable before. 

3. a marked decrease or increase in weight or appetite. (>/= 5% of baseline body weight) 

4. inability to sleep or excessive sleep pattern 

5. feeling tired/lethargic most of the day, almost everyday. 

6. often feeling 'I am worthless' or excessive or inappropriate guilt about something. 

7. psycho-motor agitation/retardation : restlessness or slowing down while performing activities or doing mental work. 

8. inability to think rationally or finding it difficult to take any decision on your own. 

9. Lastly... recurrent thoughts about death and not just fear of dying, thinking about suicide with or without  a plan ready.

So if you check at least 5 out of the above 9 criterias, you are just one of the ten people in this world who are going through Depression. But as you can see, by that statistics, Depression is really common in todays world. At least 4 percent of adolescents get teen depression each year. But the good news is that you have treatment  ready and if you take early interventions, you need not worry much about the duration of the treatment or relapses.

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If you are depressed, please TALK to someone! It is very important to talk and ventilate yourself. There are many people out there waiting to LISTEN to you. The sooner you do this, the better. You can yourself visit some mental health professional or take someone's help, someone whom you trust the most, your family member, your friends, your teacher. Remember there is always some help around you. You need not feel ashamed of what you are going through, however down your life takes you. They say, "If you are going through hell... still Keep going!"

Having depression doesn't mean you are mentally 'weak', its just another ailment which needs 'treatment'. Some may require psychotherapy, some may need medicine and some need both. Your Psychiatrist, unlike few years ago, has many choices to choose the right medicines today with minimal side-effects. Anti-depressants are no longer always 'sedatives'. Psychopharmacology is an upcoming trend today. Needless to say, if you know someone who might be going through depression, please step forward and offer help. If directly helping doesn't work, talk to an adult related to that person whom you can trust. 

Why do people get depressed? The answer is a huge one. There are many causes for depression just like any other medical disease like diabetes, heart disease or say liver disease. Mental disorders are different only in the aspect that they affect your day to day activities and their management requires a psycho-socio-behavioral approach and not just an individualistic one.

I hope this article helps those who need help and also for those who are willing to help... Remember,

"We cannot help everyone, but Everyone can certainly help someone."

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which the patient finds it difficult to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in social situations. There are various symptoms, the combination of which establishes the type of Schizophrenia the person may be suffering from. Despite many researches and studies, there is still no concrete evidence as to what exactly causes Schizophrenia. 

CAUSES:  

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1. Genetic factors play a major role. People with family history of schizophrenia may be more likely to get the illness themselves.

2. Environmental events may trigger schizophrenia in people with genetic background. For example, infection during intranatall development or stressful psychological experiences may increase the risk for developing schizophrenia later in life. Social and family support  plays a vital role in the improvement of the illness.

PREVALENCE:

Schizophrenia affects about approximately 1% of the people worldwide. However, it occurs equally among men and women. In women it is seen to begin later and is milder in intensity. Although schizophrenia usually begins in young adulthood, there are cases in which the disorder begins later (over age 45). Childhood-onset schizophrenia is the one which starts after age 5. 

SYMPTOMS:
Schizophrenia develops slowly over months or years. Like other chronic illnesses, it cycles between periods of fewer symptoms and periods of more symptoms. At first, you may feel tense, or have trouble sleeping or concentrating. You can become isolated and withdrawn, and have trouble making or keeping friends. As the illness continues, psychotic symptoms develop:

• Appearance or mood that shows no emotion (flat affect)
• Bizarre movements that show less of a reaction to the environment (catatonic behavior)
• False beliefs or thoughts that are not based in reality (delusions)
• Hearing, seeing, or feeling things that are not there (hallucinations)

Problems with thinking often occur:

• Problems paying attention
• Thoughts "jump" between unrelated topics (disordered thinking)

Symptoms can be different depending on the type of schizophrenia:

• Paranoid types often feel anxious, are more often angry or argumentative, and falsely believe that others are trying to harm them or their loved ones.
• Disorganized types have problems thinking and expressing their ideas clearly, often exhibit childlike behavior, and frequently show little emotion.
• Catatonic types may be in a constant state of unrest, or they may not move or be underactive. Their muscles and posture may be rigid. They may grimace or have other odd facial expressions, and they may be less responsive to others.
• Undifferentiated types may have symptoms of more than one other type of schizophrenia.
• Residual types experience some symptoms, but not as many as those who are in a full-blown episode of schizophrenia.

People with any type of schizophrenia may have difficulty keeping friends and working. They may also have problems with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

SIGNS AND TESTS:

A psychiatrist should perform an evaluation to make the diagnosis. The diagnosis is made based on a thorough interview of the person and family members. No medical tests for schizophrenia exist. The following factors may suggest a schizophrenia diagnosis, but do not confirm it:

• Course of illness and how long symptoms have lasted
• Changes from level of function before illness
• Developmental background
• Genetic and family history
• Response to medication

CT scans of the head and other imaging techniques may find some changes that occur with schizophrenia and may rule out other disorders.

TREATMENT:

During an episode of schizophrenia, you may need to stay in the hospital for safety reasons, and to receive basic needs such as food, rest, and hygiene.

MEDICATIONS:

Antipsychotic medications are the most effective treatment for schizophrenia. They change the balance of chemicals in the brain and can help control the symptoms of the illness.

These medications are helpful, but they can have side effects. However, many of these side effects can be addressed, and should not prevent people from seeking treatment for this serious condition.

Common side effects from antipsychotics may include:

• Sleepiness (sedation) or dizziness
• Weight gain and increased chance of diabetes and high cholesterol

Less common side effects include:

• Feelings of restlessness or "jitters"
• Problems of movement and gait
• Muscle contractions or spasms
• Tremor

Long-term risks of antipsychotic medications include a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia. In this condition, people develop movements that they cannot control, especially around the mouth. Anyone who believes they are having this problem should check with their doctor right away.

For people who try and do not improve with several antipsychotics, the medication clozapine can be helpful. Clozapine is the most effective medication for reducing schizophrenia symptoms, but it also tends to cause more side effects than other antipsychotics.

Because schizophrenia is a chronic illness, most people with this condition need to stay on antipsychotic medication for life.

SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND THERAPIES:

Supportive and problem-focused forms of therapy may be helpful for many people. Behavioral techniques, such as social skills training, can be used during therapy or at home to improve function socially and at work.

Family treatments that combine support and education about schizophrenia (psychoeducation) appear to help families cope and reduce the odds of symptoms returning. Programs that emphasize outreach and community support services can help people who lack family and social support.

Important skills for a person with schizophrenia include:

• Learning to take medications correctly and how to manage side effects
• Learning to watch for early signs of a relapse and knowing how to react when they occur
• Coping with symptoms that are present even while taking medications. A therapist can help persons with schizophrenia test the reality of thoughts and perceptions.
• Learning life skills, such as job training, money management, use of public transportation, relationship building, and practical communication

Family members and caregivers are often encouraged to help people with schizophrenia stick to their treatment.

PROGNOSIS:

The outlook for a person with schizophrenia is difficult to predict. Most people with schizophrenia find that their symptoms improve with medication, and some can get good control of their symptoms over time. However, others have functional disability and are at risk for repeated episodes, especially during the early stages of the illness.

To live in the community, people with schizophrenia may need supported housing, work rehabilitation, and other community support programs. People with the most severe forms of this disorder may be too disabled to live alone, and may need group homes or other long-term, structured places to live. Some people with milder forms of schizophrenia are able to have satisfying relationships and work experiences.

COMPLICATIONS:

• People with schizophrenia have a high risk of developing a substance abuse problem. Use of alcohol or other drugs increases the risk of relapse, and should be treated by a professional.
• Physical illness is common among people with schizophrenia due to an inactive lifestyle and side effects from medication. Physical illness may not be detected because of poor access to medical care and difficulties talking to health care providers.
• Not taking medication will often cause symptoms to return.

CALLING FOR HELP:

Call your health care provider if:

• Voices are telling you to hurt yourself or others.
• You feel the urge to hurt yourself or others.
• You are feeling hopeless and overwhelmed.
• You are seeing things that aren't really there.
• You feel like you cannot leave the house.
• You are unable to care for yourself.

PREVENTION:

There is no known way to prevent schizophrenia. If you do have the condition, the best ways to prevent symptoms from coming back are to take the medication your doctor prescribed, and see your doctor or therapist regularly. Always talk to your doctor if you are thinking about changing or stopping your medications

(Disclaimer: The above post has inputs from the PUBMED Health articles. It is written only from an informative point of view. It should not be taken as a consultation. Kindly discuss with your physician regarding the details about Schizophrenia.)