Recovery is Possible!

DEPRESSION (MAJOR DEPRESSION):

The most important thing to know about depression is that most of the time it’s not depressed. It’s anxious, agitated, uncaring, fatigued, confused, unmotivated, sort of like the slouching college student the next door down, but with an angry face. Knowing the “most important thing,” you’ve probably already figured out some of the other things:

• Depression (Major Depression) is mostly “biological,” i.e. caused by changes in brain chemistry and anatomy.
• Major Depression is common in teens and adults (10.9% of population per year).
• Major Depression is bad – The World Health Organization, says that Major Depression is #1 cause of DISABILITY in the world.

ADHD

This is an illness affecting children, teens and adults.

ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Major things to know:

1)    ADHD rarely looks like ADHD (Inattention is ONLY to boring things, hyperactivity is rare above five, and impulsivity is the worst symptom (and it should be in the name and almost was!).

2)  Secret Fourth Symptom of ADHD: Insensitivity to Consequences.

BIPOLAR DISORDER

BIPOLAR DISORDER (MANIC-DEPRESSION):

The most important thing to know about Bipolar Disorder is what you already know about Major Depression: It doesn’t look like bipolar disorder, i.e. like mania, or elation, euphoria, etc. It usually looks AGITATED, similar to the agitation in Major Depression. What is one to do? Without getting into all of the symptoms, mostly what you need to know is that Bipolar Disorder looks like Major Depression with agitation and mood swings – end of story. Similar to Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder is invisible and yet very common (1-6% of adult population), and disabling (6^th in the world, per WHO).

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Admit it! When you see an ANXIETY DISORDER walking down the street, do you  ever give it a second glance? No! And there we are, aren’t we? The same thing happens for a psychiatrist. ANXIETY DISORDERS are the unspoken WIMPS of psychiatry. Sure, two of them are in the top ten of disabling world medical disorders (WHO, 2000). They cause untold suffering and disability for the affected victims- panic, obsessions, and continuous worries. Co-morbid anxiety increases risk of suicide in those with mood disorders and schizophrenia. Anxiety Disorders often impair everyday functioning even though they masquerade as common annoyances. They include the following list:

o       PANIC DISORDER: (debilitating panic attacks).

o       GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (unceasing worry)

o       OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (repetitive nervous habits and phobias)

o       SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER (anxious in performance or social situations) – keep in mind that one of the authors worked with a college sophomore football team captain and scholar who could not attend class regularly (he was failing) because his anxiety was so bad).

FAMILY THERAPY

Even if you think it is an individual problem, often family relationships are damaged in dealing with individual conflict situations. Seeking therapy before problems become out of control can help defuse them.  Clients can learn coping skills to help deal with issues while they are still manageable. Our family counseling can help you resolve a disagreement or impasse quickly and economically with our trained staff.

We understand it is often difficult to juggle the responsibilities of jobs, kids, relationships, and everything else that clutters our lives.  Family therapy can be one of the few times where we take a break from our lives and all the external responsibilities and focus on ourselves.  It can help us handle the stress of our hectic lives.  Ultimately it can lead to an improved quality of life.