March 5, 2022

Understanding Clinical Depression

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories Depression health individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

We often hear people talking about depression but do we actually make an effort in understanding what it exactly is? It is very important to understand what clinical depression is if we want to help someone come out of it, or just spread awareness in general. Depression, or major depressive disorder is a mood disorder that can result in persistent sadness or disinterest. The sadness that we’re talking about is not short-lived and cannot be treated by small gestures. There’s a feeling of helplessness, hopelessness associated with this sadness and it can last for weeks and months or even more, if not treated properly. Clinically depressed individuals often lose their will to live. Waking up everyday feels like a mammoth task for them. Feeling pessimistic, losing appetite, fatigue, aggressiveness, and self-harming tendencies are some common symptoms of depression. Some factors that might cause depression are mentioned below. 

  • Hormone Levels 

Alterations in female hormones like progesterone and estrogen during different points of time such as during menstruation, menopause, postpartum period, etc, might increase the chances of depression for menstruators. 

  • Brain Chemistry 

More often than not, there are certain chemical imbalances found in the brains of those who suffer from depression. These imbalances might be in areas that deal with our moods, thoughts, appetite, behavior, etc. 

  • Medical Conditions 

If you’re suffering from certain medical illnesses, you would be at a higher risk of being clinically depressed. Some of these are Parkinson’s disease, heart attack, cancer, insomnia, etc. 

  • Brain Structure

The structure of the brain is not the same for everyone. This plays a major role in determining whether we are prone to depression or not. It has been found out that if the frontal lobe of your brain is less active, there would be a greater risk of you being depressed. 

  • Family History 

If you’ve a family history of depression, you should be more careful because there are chances that you might develop mental illnesses as well. People who have a family history of depression should make additional efforts in taking care of their mental health. 

  • Childhood Trauma 

More often than not, our depression is the result of a past trauma that we are unable to let go of. The trauma becomes more intense if the incident takes place in our childhood. Disturbing memories from our childhood are extremely hard to get over. Sometimes, it might take years of therapy to come out of a childhood trauma. 

February 26, 2022

Why Are Women More Depressed Than Men?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories Depression individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

The awareness about mental illnesses is still quite scant throughout the globe, and especially in countries like India. The taboo associated with mental disorders is way harder to overcome than curing the actual disease. According to conventional thinking, men face more mental health issues than women since the suicide rates are higher than women. However, deep study and detailed statistics reveal that the scenario is quite opposite. The mental health burdens of women are way more than what men go through, in their lifetime.  

Gender plays a very important role in mental health. While mental health issues are important in both men and women, certain factors cannot be denied which lead to a great divide as far as one’s well-being is concerned. WHO or the World Health Organization confirms that the leading mental health problems that are seen in adults are essentially a greater mental health burden on women. These problems include dementia, depression, organic brain syndromes, etc. Several reasons lead to women having more mental health issues such as medical factors, patriarchy, physical abuse, etc.

  • Social Reasons 

The mental health burden on women is major because of the social factors that differentiate between a man and a woman on parameters other than the biological ones. Women have always been oppressed and have not been allowed to live a life of free will. Their aspirations have been ignored and their actions restricted. They have always been dependent on their male counterparts for their financial requirements since they were unable to sustain their livelihood. 

  • Medical Reasons 

The medical factors might include the lower secretion of serotonin in women, which can lead to signs of depression when the circumstances are conducive. Moreover, health conditions like menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, etc, result in a lot of hormonal changes in a woman’s body. Therefore, a wide plethora of leading mental health diseases are quite common in women, when their body goes through such conditions. 

  • Sexual Abuse 

Molestation and rape need to be mentioned in this regard as well. A major mental health burden in women throughout their lives is the burden of sexual abuse. Statistics show that 1 in 5 women in the world go through rape attempts or are rape survivors. Such people often suffer from PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health disorder that occurs due to the trauma attached to such incidents. With numbers as heartbreaking as these, it’s not surprising that mental health illnesses are more commonly found in women. 

It’s time we start acknowledging these issues and treat them effectively, instead of brushing them off and normalizing them. Mental health is as important as one’s physical health if not more and it needs to be catered to. Not everybody is comfortable talking about their issues and whenever you feel you can help someone simply by listening to them or being there for them, don’t step back.

February 24, 2022

Difference Between ADHD And ADD

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories ADD ADHD individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

Do you find it difficult to concentrate in your online classes? Do you lose interest in conversations or forget things easily? Do you fiddle with your lips or your fingers unconsciously? In all probabilities, you have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or ADHD. The term ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder refers to the same disorder, excluding the hyperactivity that’s associated with ADHD. Earlier, both of these were referred to as separate ideas but now, ADD is considered to be the inattentive type of ADHD. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that involves issues relating to inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These three major factors have several specifications. These are: 

  • Inattention

This refers to the problems of concentrating or focusing on something. People suffering from ADHD are not able to manage time and work under deadlines. They keep forgetting stuff and are extremely messy and disorganized. 

  • Hyperactivity

If you constantly fidget with different things, including your hands and legs, without even realizing that you’re doing so, you have hyperactivity symptoms. Such people face difficulty in keeping still. 

  • Impulsivity

This refers to impulsive actions and decisions that are not thought about before they’re acted upon. As a result of the suddenness, more than not, these decisions are not right. Thus, they have negative implications. 

ADHD can be broadly classified into the following three types. 

  1. ADHD Inattentive Type or ADD 
  2. ADHD Hyperactive-Impulsive Type 
  3. ADHD Combined Type 

What Is ADD?

People with ADHD Inattentive type or just Attention Deficit Disorder exhibit no symptoms of impulsivity or hyperactivity. They are mostly shy and introverted people who have severe issues paying attention and following regimes. The symptoms of ADD are: 

  • Forgetfulness in day-to-day tasks and functions. 
  • Lack of focus and attention to detail in regular jobs. Intense study and analysis are not carried out. 
  • Ignorance and inattentiveness in conversations. Showcase of disinterest to those who want to communicate. 
  • Irregularity and insincerity concerning being on time and meeting deadlines. 
  • The inability of sustaining attention for long periods and frequent zoning out. 
  • Incapability to own up to mistakes and losing belongings, frequently. 

ADD Vs ADHD: Which is Common?

Studies have shown that since women are mostly associated with a tender and calm nature, ADD or inattentiveness is mostly found in them. On the other hand, most men are known to have a hyperactive side to them and ADHD is predominant in them. There are exceptions to both of these facts. Since the rate of diagnosis of ADD is lesser than ADHD, it is given that ADHD or Hyperactive-Impulsive type is a more common phenomenon. 

The curing process of ADHD or ADD can be catalyzed by certain steps taken by patients. These include adequate amounts of sleep, consumption of a proper, balanced diet, effective physical workout, and lessened usage of smartphones, laptops, computers, etc. Yoga and meditation are also proven methods of reducing the symptoms of ADHD. 

February 22, 2022

What Is High Functioning Anxiety?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories high functioning anxiety individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

This condition refers to symptoms that are opposite to those of conventional anxiety. Anxiety usually involves secluding oneself from others and staying aloof. Anxiety makes you want to stay away from people and gatherings and parties. On the other hand, high functioning anxiety means to outwardly maintain a happy and calm demeanor which is way different from the actual, inherent insecurities. While suffering from this disorder, one may pretend to socialize and fit in but secretly wants to discard all kinds of social events and meetups. They try to maintain a false image. 

People become overachievers due to their constant questioning of their self-worth. However well they do, they’re never good enough for themselves. This is because they feel that they’re not entitled to make mistakes or do anything less than what can be called perfect. They feel that they would be judged, humiliated, and disregarded by others, otherwise. Thus, they become more and more conscious of themselves and what they do. Following are the symptoms of high functioning anxiety. 

  • Overworking

This refers to draining oneself in work to stay occupied. This results from the need to meet self-assumed expectations and deadlines. Patients feel that they don’t deserve a break or even a tad bit of relaxation before they complete the work that they’re doing. They focus solely on one thing at a time. Before the completion of something that’s near to perfection, they have breakdowns and panic attacks, caused due to stress and anxiety. After prolonged hours of work, pangs of unproductivity hit hard and this is the worst time for high functioning anxiety patients who find it difficult to cope, during these times.

  • Inability To Say No 

People having high functioning anxiety feel the constant need to please people and work according to their expectations, even if that means, taxing their health. They go out of their way to be there for them and make them feel comfortable. This is also a kind of defense mechanism because they don’t want other people to go through what they feel. They don’t want to face their thoughts. 

  • Overthinking

The question of “what if” is the most commonly asked question when it comes to high functioning anxiety. People think about all how things could go wrong and turn away from their favor.  They are unable to consider themselves good enough for anything and thus, the obsession with work and exemplarity. It might not show in their faces but when something happens that they had not anticipated, it bothers them. They have a hard time accepting changes and coming to terms with those.

February 16, 2022

What Do Career Counselors Do?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories career counseling counseling individual counseling professional help

Career counselors are professionals who help their clients determine the perfect career for them with methods like aptitude assessments, career transitions, and the confidence to overcome challenges. A career counselor usually deals with high school students or college students to fixate their career objectives and help them develop the suitable skills that they would require to excel in their careers. They provide all the tools and resources you need to reach closer to your aim. The point of career counseling is to find purpose in your life and figure out ways and means to attain that purpose. Following is a list of things that career counselors are responsible for doing when they are consulted. 

  • Assisting the client in recognising the factors that are responsible for the career development and providing them with tools and resources for their individual growth and development that is directly proportional to their careers. 
  • Analyzing and evaluating the results of aptitude assessments and other testing methods to help recognise suitable careers and help prepare for them. 
  • Guiding clients in setting realistic goals and planning out ways to achieve those goals in an organized manner, and to ensure success. 
  • Counseling clients throughout the entire process of them finding the most appropriate career for themselves and providing them with all the necessary support that they might require for the same. 
  • Organizing one-to-one and group career counseling sessions to cater to the career needs of students with similar skills and interests. These sessions also provide the scope of networking and forming new connections with like-minded people that might turn out to be helpful for the clients in the long run. 
  • Fulfilling the academic, as well as the emotional needs of a client because looking for the suitable career is often related to immense stress and anxiety. Emotional support is one of the most important things that career counselors should provide students with. 

If you want to become a successful career counselor, you would not only require professional degrees but work experience also plays a  major role. If you don’t have real world working experiences, your degrees and accolades would be of no value. Moreover, you would have to update or renew your certification or license every two to three years if you want to keep practicing as a career counselor. Being able to communicate well is a great skill that would turn out to be a blessing in a job like career counseling. If you are not able to communicate well with your client, your client wouldn’t be able to connect with you and share their difficulties with you. You would be able to provide emotional support to your client only if you have the adequate communication skills. 

1 2