The trip to the Self is an internal journey through dream interpretation, or through literature, in which the dreamer or literary author speculates the content of his/her psyche. The symbolic meaning of this trip is the pursuit of the true meaning of life.

According to Carl Jung’s psychology this trip is part of an advanced level of dream interpretation. It begins only when the dreamer has already passed through the first stages of the basic unconscious psychotherapy. This trip will be followed only by those who have the desire to discover solutions for existential problems that cannot be easily solved.

I had to disagree with Carl Jung in this point after continuing his research in the unknown region of the human psyche. I discovered the roots of the human absurdity, clarifying all the obscure points that he couldn’t see with the knowledge he had.

You don’t need to be the big hero described by Jung when you decide to speculate the unknown content of your psyche because this content is already known thanks to my research. I show you from the beginning all the dangers of your journey ahead, and what you’ll find in the end. You only need to take dream interpretation seriously and truly believe in the unconscious wisdom.

For Carl Jung, the trip to the Self was very dangerous because he didn’t know that all the evilness and the absurdity of the human mind come from the anti-conscience, the wild side of our conscience. Jung believed that those who have no necessity to learn more must simply live based on their conscious notions, without investigating the dark content of their psyche.

I totally disagree with his statement. Everyone must indispensably investigate the content of their psyche through dream interpretation before having psychological problems. Teenagers must learn how to translate the meaning of their dreams while their human conscience is still very strong. This way, they will never become mentally ill in their lives.

The craziness we have inherited in the anti-conscience is a true bomb. We have to get rid of this poisonous content as fast as possible.

The unconscious mind can cure all mental illnesses through dream interpretation. However, it takes a lot of time to cure patients who suffer from grave mental illnesses, like psychosis, schizophrenia, or some types of bipolar disorder.

These patients cannot follow dream therapy alone. They don’t cooperate with their doctors; they refuse to pay attention to their dreams or relate them to what is happening in their lives. Their psychotherapy is based on the dreams that the psychiatrist/psychologist will have about their mental condition and on the observation of their behavior. The unconscious mind gives clear information to all doctors about the mental and physical health of their patients.

Depressed and neurotic individuals are cured in a period of time that varies from 2 to 8 months of psychotherapy, while patients who suffer from grave mental illnesses may need up to 15 years of psychotherapy. This is why I concentrated my attention on preventing craziness before it is too late.

Follow my lessons and learn the dream language. You’ll be constantly protected and guided by the wise and saintly unconscious mind that produces your dreams. After acquiring perfect mental health, you’ll help everyone around you with this knowledge.

Abstract:

In this article we will examine why clinicians diagnose serious mental illnesses and why misdiagnosis is a common factor in the process. Looking at the definitions of schizophrenia and labelling as an incidence of laziness, misunderstanding, poor training and guidance from the psycho-pharmaceutical industry to sell powerful money making drugs for life. To remind ourselves as clinicians that mental illness labels are not real, but a cluster of symptoms, that describe a persons perception of reality to enable directed treatment and internal psychiatric discussion with familiar terms that mean something to the treating doctors.

Introduction:

Schizophrenia like many other mental illness labels describe a cluster of symptoms that can explain the mental state of the person presenting to a mental health profession such as a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist and psychiatric nursing. When a potential patient arrives at the hospital for initial consultation some predisposing information arrives with them. These can be the family story, (what has been happening) the police story, (why they were detained), the social worker story, (their history of social breakdown) and in all these stories is the bias of the referring agency, as they have to justify the reasons they are asking the mental health professional to see the person in the first place. Armed with this background the mental health professional will begin the process of trying to identify from reported behaviour what label is appropriate for this individual from the DSM V manual of mental health statistical classification. (1. ICD 9 in the EU) This book of coding labels as numbers is meant to help mental health professionals to claim insurance payments and give a convenient depersonalising number to a mental health disease so that professionals can agree on a method of treatment, usually a chemical straight jacket in the form of several psychiatric drugs, confinement and even surgery. (ECT and Lobotomy).

To understand what exactly schizophrenia actually is in terms of everyday language we can consider the following extract – is a severe form of psychopathology in which a personality seems to disintegrate, in thought and perception which are distorted and emotions are blunted (2. 2010, Psychology of Life). This catch-all statement is the common idea of being insane or madness in which a persons reality is distorted by delusions that corrupt their everyday concepts of normality.

In order to understand this process we need to know more about Schizophrenia in the first instance. According to the DSM manual (constantly being revised by psychiatry to include more definitions) there are several subtypes of the condition. The number is 295 plus an additional number to identify type. So 295.30 is paranoid schizophrenia, 295.10 is disorganised, 295.20 is catatonic, 295.90 is undifferentiated, 295.60 residual type, then additional numbers can identify particular presenting problems such as 295.40 schizophreniform disorder, 295.70, schizoaffective, 297.1 delusional, 298.8 brief psychotic, 297.3 shared psychotic, 293.81 with delusions, 293.82 with hallucinations with an additional idea of substance induced psychotic disorder, finally, 298.9 psychotic disorders NOS (no obvious reasons). (1. 1994 – DSM IV Classifications)

With all these sub-types of the labelling of schizophrenia the clinician has to research with the patient the length and severity of the symptoms being expressed. This is usually a self report from and initial interview with the patient about their experience of their own behaviour. This can be very subjective as the patient is suffering from confusion and may not have a clear idea of their own mental state. Let alone know the common word parlance of mental illnesses to explain their situation. Time as a factor so is specified as suffering for two months or more from delusions., hallucinations, disorganised speech, gross disorganisation or catatonic behaviour (turned to stone) negative symptoms such as affective flattening ( dead like response) alogia (without speech) or avolition (failure to engage). These basic requirements can be a mixed bag not requiring all states in order to label the person schizophrenic. The diagnosing mental professional will through experience judge the severity of the case by the amount of symptoms being expressed or reported. In order to extend the label to the other subcategories, for example, paranoid there would have to be additional evidence to support the patient being diagnosed as such by statements that indicate a paranoid belief in that their delusions include persecution from imaginary third parties. Along with schizophrenia may be episodes of depression, anxiety or bipolar (mood swings between both states), this leading to additional diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder for example.

As you can see the process of identifying exactly what the diagnosis should be is quite complex and needs sufficient time in order to be sure of the exact condition of the patients mind. In this case the law takes over giving the psychiatrist considerable power over individuals under the guise of care, such as, is the person considered a danger to themselves or others, as a catch all for confinement over a 24 to 78 hour period with no representation of a third party. In other words the power to arrest and detain a person with out trial, legal protection or any form of protest. In place are panels to review that decision after the initial period of observation but rarely go against the psychiatrists recommendation and so uphold any confinement decisions.

Causes of Schizophrenia:

The problem with causes is that at the moment in psychological science there is a lot of ideas, conjecture and discussion but no clear answer. Biologically, some patients will clearly have brain damage, brain dysfunction i.e. the process of neurological communication or neurotransmitters maybe dysfunctional or low in production, such as serotonin (linked to mood) etcetera. However cause and effect in any correlation means which causes what? Does brain damage occur because you are delusional or are you delusional because your brain is damaged? The only evidence is xrays from differing processes and post-mortum examination of someone diagnosed in their lifetime. Both clearly not definitive in providing real evidence that have many scientific validity problems. The second is twin studies or family studies both with huge validity problems as most evidence is from meta analysis (this means many small studies to combine into one big study) again modelling may explain much of this evidence – if a child witnesses a family member or their twin behaving oddly they will think this is actually normal and so model that behaviour as sound, to be learned from, so a new schizophrenic is developed from the existing schizophrenia within the family or from a twin / sibling. This is not a big surprise to many as we often see similar traits in family members even if they have lived apart for long periods of time. Any clinical psychologist can tell you when treating family issues that often the new mother has revelations about becoming just like her mother in her raising of her subsequent children. As one mother said, “I looked in the mirror and saw my mother staring back at me” What she is expressing is not looking like her mother but in fact acting like her and talking like her as an adult. (Research, Transactional Analysis functional PAC model). So even if there is lots of statistical evidence that schizophrenia runs in families this has no effect on why the disease develops in the first place. Modern genetics again tries to answer the problem by saying it is inherited, however despite mapping the genetics of humans and other species we know very little about how genes actually express themselves and only have a broad ideology that informs us that genes can express themselves in many forms later in life according the to the environment they are exposed to from every day events. Our genetics are like a time bomb that given the right stimulus will create a response in our behaviour, developing disease and longevity of life in general. In other words nothing is specific and nothing is for sure. So as in schizophrenia the biological, genetic and family approach are still full of validity problems from the type of research conducted and are full of bias’s from the very science that seeks the answers they wish they could have. The most likely cause of schizophrenia is still stress and the problem of living in a complex world full of conflicting ideology and purpose, where the disease can be seen as a form of mental escapism from the pressures of life. Better to live deluded than have to deal with the reality of failure, disappointment, lost expectations plus a lack of real love and affection from others. (4. 2011 Abnormal Psychology Core Concepts)

Misdiagnosis:

The most controversial part of any mental illness is being labelled with schizophrenia or any other mental problem and have no power over that decision. A very famous study by Rosenhan (1973) showed that students who were asked to present themselves as hearing voices (auditory hallucinations) could after a few minutes be admitted to a psychiatric ward and be kept for sometimes days and weeks as patients, when reporting soon after arrival, that they no longer hear the voices and felt well – they were still seen as having schizophrenia in remission, when in fact all were perfectly well. Could this still happen today after 40 years – the answer is yes and even more frightening as we never learned anything from the study about the fact psychiatrists are easy to fool! (3. 1973 Rosenhan) A true modern case is given below:

A young woman wanted a medical sick certificate to have some time off work. She was exhausted by her life in general but other than that was not depressed or anxious about everyday life. Her brother suffered from a mental disorder mainly around being dysfunctional, backward and idle. He was on medication for schizophrenia. The girls father took her to the mental hospital where her brother attended and informed the doctor of the family history and his girls exhaustion. The psychiatrist within five minutes of the consultation labelled her as schizophrenic. The psychiatrist went on to register as an out-patient, gave her several types of psychotic drugs, and her sick certificate for work. The young women having left the hospital became extremely anxious about showing the sick certificate to her employer as this might lead to her losing her employment. On a friends advice she sought a second opinion from a clinical psychologist. The psychologist was amazed at the diagnosis but never the less completed a thorough examination of the patient. After an hour his diagnosis was perhaps mild reactive anxiety brought on most probably by the misdiagnosis of the psychiatric doctor.

To understand what happened the psychologist interviewed the young woman, the father and observed the brother. It was clear that the diagnosis was heavily influenced by circumstances, family and by the time element in making a decision about her condition. It would be nice to imagine this as an isolated case but in fact this is the norm. Quick diagnosis based on very little evidence. None of the criteria for schizophrenia existed, she had no delusions, she was not disorganised, she did not report any bizarre affect, she was coherent in speech and manner. So how did such a clear misdiagnosis be allowed to happen? Luckily with budget cuts in mental health and lack of facilities the young woman was not severe enough to be confined to a mental ward. She discarded the medication and sought out a general practitioner who having re-assessed her gave her a sick certificate for exhaustion and no medication was needed. (4. Myler 2016)

The above case is only one example of how misdiagnosis can happen, so what are the main elements that lead to such a dangerous practice by psychiatrists in general.

1. Time – less than 10 minutes average time to make a diagnosis.

2. Depending too much on third party reports – police, social workers, family.

3. Lack of resources – such as second opinions, team lead discussion, clinical psychologists (who have more training in mental health than any psychiatrist).

4. Lack of training – most have less than 18 months after graduation from medical school and most of this is spent on drug therapy.

5. DSM V and preceding publications that promote mental illness instead of mental health.

6. Depersonalisation of medical practitioners by their very training regimes at University.

7. Time – constraints via patient over-load and lack of administrative support.

8. Lack of knowledge about other professionals in the field, such as clinical psychology and counselling therapists.

9. Arrogance – pure and simple – the I know best syndrome – grandiosity (a form of schizophrenia in itself ironically).

10. Governments around the world who think mental health is a low priority to health budgets that in the same time have enormous hidden costs to the global economy.

11. Tendency of the patient to over exaggerated symptoms in order to receive a diagnosis.

12. Other professionals trying to remove responsibility for care.

13. Family seeking to distance themselves from troubled family members.

Conclusions:

The misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and other mental illness problems in the general population cause major distress and depression to millions of people around the world. While there are clearly many genuine cases of schizophrenia, that may benefit from the help and support of the community, in the form of hospitalization and confinement this is clearly not the case for the majority of patients who after five minutes and other peoples reports find their world turned upside down forever. Once labelled, the stigma of being a mental health patients can last for life and push the patient into acting out an illness they do not actually have. You label someone something and their instinct is to become the very label you gave them and so a self fulfilling prophecy is enacted and they can all pat themselves on the back and say – see I told you so!

References:

1. 1994 – DSM IV American Psychiatric Association publication.

2. 2010 – Gerrig, Zimbardo – Psychology and Life, pg. 465 – Pearson Publications.

3. 1973 – Rosenhan – On being sane in insane places – pg179 Science Publications

4. 2011 – Butcher, Mineka, Hooley – Abnormal Psychology Core Concepts 2^nd Ed. – Pearson Publications. General background information on schizophrenia.

5. 2016 – Myler – Case Notes – unpublished

Sound mentality is the main condition to keep one’s personality and one’s family even one’s society safe and sound. It is as important as breathing is for life. people come in this world with a very sound and simple mentality. But the harsh reality of the world makes a child to think too much about many more things. He don’t know what he should think about or what not. Gradually he becomes a youthful beauty of the nature. This is almost the starting point of getting abnormality step by step. there are few vital reasons for this problem. Before starting about the Six step let us see what problems we suffer from this mental complexity…

There are too much problems in this sphere. Some of them are: excessive anger, lack of morality, sexual perversity, doubt in every sphere, confusing conduct, out of reality, complex living system, hatred to mankind, reluctant to life and so on.These problems have too many names clinically. For example: mental disorder, anxiety, phobia, obsession, depression and so on. The most dangerous problem is the ‘Tendency of suicide’ and we see that too many suicides are committed now-a-days.

Now it is time to detect the most powerful reasons of mental illness and solution of these problems.

Six steps to keep the mentality out of danger. The first three to be avoided and next three to be obeyed:-

1. Over thinking

2. Over emotion

3. Negative doings and laziness (irrationality)

Next three steps are:

1. Religion

2. Responsibility

3. Awareness of all things (balanced food, exercise, amusement etc.)

These are the main keys to be mentally fit as well as happy forever. If one maintains those rules will not be in illness most probably (mental illness). There may be some exceptions in rare spheres. However, “Result goes after Doings” is more important to be mentioned. Besides there are many more tips provided by the doctors, should be followed. I hope this article will be helpful.

Mentality of human being is very complex side of the word. We should be happy thinking that we are protected by nature. So we should not think too much of the mental position, because over thinking is to be avoided (it calls an anonymous illness of mind). But being aware of the vulnerable side of mentality one can easily stay calm and safe. Smile right now and say… “I am really happy now.”

As LGBT individuals we already experiencing the shame and guilt of abuse but we may feel also now the pressure to hid our true identity so that we can use services such as shelter, support groups or crisis lines. The belief is if I pretend to be heterosexual I will get more acceptance and care for my situation. Or there is the pressure to “come out” to get help and risk that information not being kept confidential and losing your home, job, custody of children etc. With our LGBT status made public, as nothing in treatment is absolutely confidential especial when law enforcement is concerned, negative life changing events may happen due to lack of local and/or state laws. We have limited protection compared to our abused heterosexual counterparts. Disheartening is that even with me sharing this information with you, they will be many that will not take it further and seek help!

Often LGBT victims are not joined financially to their partner, so ending the relationship is met with little resistance in the money sector. What if though there is conjoined financial responsibilities, such as paying mortgage, there are no legal structures in place that assure that assets are divided equally. Heterosexual have no idea how much laws protect them and how we are seating ducks risk everything for who we are.

Conventional resources for domestic violence often lack training, expertise and sensitivity in understanding LGBT relationship and abuse. We have to deal with other bias, stereotypes, and homophobia. Society also uses the information of finding out that gays hit each other as another reason why homosexuality is immoral and dysfunctional, which makes finding genuine and help difficulty as well as making us feel even further isolated and alone in our pain.

Even more painful to me is that my own community is unsupportive of one of us being abused and hurt. As small as our community is often abuse will travel fast within our circles and sides may be taken as well as disgust of the abuse from within our social networks. This makes the abused even more exposed and vulnerable.

We are trying to fight so hard for society to accept us, many want to maintain or create an image that there exist no problems or disturbing behavior in our community. There is a fear in us if we give this world any more reasons to set us aside we will never reach freedom, so we hide our parts of the dysfunction found in our community instead of building bridge to get healthier and fight a greater more supported fight! Which is again what drives me everyday the need to help my community healthier, happier, and supported?

If we don’t acknowledge that gays have serious problems such as drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, abuse like any other community, resources will remain limited and we will continue to suffer!

I have been met with support as well as resistance to my new journey on building a link and bring together and connecting as many LGBTs as possible but if we don’t know each other and that we are there for one another we will feel isolated. I don’t want to feel that way, alone, why would I want anyone else especially one of my own? I am no better then anyone else and I don’t deserve anymore or any less then anyone else and neither do you!

Alex Karydi~The Lesbian Guru

Mental illness can strike anyone! It knows no age limits, economic status, race, creed or color. During the course of a year, more than 54 million Americans are affected by one or more mental disorders.

Medical science has made incredible progress over the last century in helping us understand, curing and eliminating the causes of many diseases including mental illnesses. However, while doctors continue to solve some of the mysteries of the brain, many of its functions remain a puzzle.

Even at the leading research centers, no one fully understands how the brain works or why it malfunctions. However, researchers have determined that many mental illnesses are probably the result of chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances may be inherited, or may develop because of excessive stress or substance abuse.

It is sometimes easy to forget that our brain, like all of our other organs, is vulnerable to disease. People with mental illnesses often exhibit many types of behaviors such as extreme sadness and irritability, and in more severe cases, they may also suffer from hallucinations and total withdrawal. Instead of receiving compassion and acceptance, people with mental illnesses may experience hostility, discrimination, and stigma.

Why does stigma still exist?

Unfortunately, the media is responsible for many of the misconceptions which persist about people with mental illnesses. Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence.

Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence. Television news programs frequently sensationalize crimes where persons with mental illnesses are involved.

Comedians make fun of people with mental illnesses, using their disabilities as a source of humor. Also, national advertisers use stigmatizing images as promotional gimmicks to sell products.

Ironically, the media also offers our best hope for eradicating stigma because of its power to educate and influence public opinion.

What Is A Mental Illness?

A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thinking, perception and behavior. If these disturbances significantly impair a person’s ability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines, then he or she should immediately seek proper treatment with a mental health professional. With the proper care and treatment, a person can recover and resume normal activities.

Many mental illnesses are believed to have biological causes, just like cancer, diabetes and heart disease, but some mental disorders are caused by a person’s environment and experiences.

The five major categories of mental illness:

·Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses. The three main types are: phobias, panic disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. People who suffer from phobias experience extreme fear or dread from a particular object or situation.

Panic disorders involve sudden, intense feelings of terror for no apparent reason and symptoms similar to a heart attack. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder try to cope with anxiety by repeating words or phrases or engaging in repetitive, ritualistic behavior such as constant hand washing.

· Mood Disorders

Mood disorders include depression and bipolar disorder (or manic depression) symptoms may include mood swings such as extreme sadness or elation, sleep and eating disturbances, and changes in activity and energy levels. Suicide may be a risk with these disorders.

·Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Schizophrenia is believed to be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain that produce a variety of symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, withdrawal, incoherent speech and impaired reasoning.

·Dementias

This group of disorders includes diseases like Alzheimer’s which leads to loss of mental functions, including memory loss and a decline in intellectual and physical skills.

·Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia involves serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses. People with these disorders have a preoccupation with food and an irrational fear of being fat. Anorexia is self-starvation while bulimia involves cycles of bingeing (consuming large quantities of food) and purging (self-inducing vomiting or abusing laxatives). Behavior may also include excessive exercise.

Common Misconceptions About Mental Illness

Myth: “Young people and children don’t suffer from mental health problems.”

Fact: It is estimated that more than 6 million young people in America may suffer from a mental health disorder that severely disrupts their ability to function at home, in school, or in their community.

Myth: “People who need psychiatric care should be locked away in institutions.”

Fact: Today, most people can lead productive lives within their communities thanks to a variety of supports, programs, and/or medications.

Myth: “A person who has had a mental illness can never be normal.”

Fact: People with mental illnesses can recover and resume normal activities. For example, Mike Wallace of “60 Minutes”, who has clinical depression, has received treatment and today leads an enriched and accomplished life.

Myth: “Mentally ill persons are dangerous.”

Fact: The vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent. In the cases when violence does occur, the incidence typically results from the same reasons as with the general public such as feeling threatened or excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs.

Myth: “People with mental illnesses can work low-level jobs but aren’t suited for really important or responsible positions.”

Fact: People with mental illnesses, like everyone else, have the potential to work at any level depending on their own abilities, experience and motivation.

How You Can Combat stigma:

1 Share your experience with mental illness. Your story can convey to others that having a mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about.

2 Help people with mental illness reenter society. Support their efforts to obtain housing and jobs.

3 Respond to false statements about mental illness or people with mental illnesses. Many people have wrong and damaging ideas on the subject. Accurate facts and information may help change both their ideas and actions.

Mental Illness in the Family

Recognizing the Warning Signs & How to Cope

Most people believe that mental disorders are rare and “happen to someone else.” In fact, mental disorders are common and widespread. An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year.

Most families are not prepared to cope with learning their loved one has a mental illness. It can be physically and emotionally trying, and can make us feel vulnerable to the opinions and judgments of others.

If you think you or someone you know may have a mental or emotional problem, it is important to remember there is hope and help.

What is mental illness?

A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines.

There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. Some of the more common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and/or social withdrawl.

Mental health problems may be related to excessive stress due to a particular situation or series of events. As with cancer, diabetes and heart disease, mental illnesses are often physical as well as emotional and psychological. Mental illnesses may be caused by a reaction to environmental stresses, genetic factors, biochemical imbalances, or a combination of these. With proper care and treatment many individuals learn to cope or recover from a mental illness or emotional disorder.

How to cope day-to-day

Accept your feelings

Despite the different symptoms and types of mental illnesses, many families who have a loved one with mental illness, share similar experiences. You may find yourself denying the warning signs, worrying what other people will think because of the stigma, or wondering what caused your loved one to become ill. Accept that these feelings are normal and common among families going through similar situations. Find out all you can about your loved one’s illness by reading and talking with mental health professionals. Share what you have learned with others.

Handling unusual behavior

The outward signs of a mental illness are often behavioral. Individuals may be extremely quiet or withdrawn. Conversely, he or she may burst into tears or have outbursts of anger. Even after treatment has started, individuals with a mental illness can exhibit anti-social behaviors.

When in public, these behaviors can be disruptive and difficult to accept.

The next time you and your family member visit your doctor or mental health professional, discuss these behaviors and develop a strategy for coping.

Establishing a support network

Whenever possible, seek support from friends and family members. If you feel you cannot discuss your situation with friends or other family members, find a self-help or support group. These groups provide an opportunity for you to talk to other people who are experiencing the same type of problems. They can listen and offer valuable advice.

Seeking counseling

Therapy can be beneficial for both the individual with mental illness and other family members. A mental health professional can suggest ways to cope and better understand your loved one’s illness.

When looking for a therapist, be patient and talk to a few professionals so you can choose the person that is right for you and your family. It may take time until you are comfortable, but in the long run you will be glad you sought help.

Taking time out

It is common for the person with the mental illness to become the focus of family life. When this happens, other members of the family may feel ignored or resentful. Some may find it difficult to pursue their own interests.

If you are the caregiver, you need some time for yourself. Schedule time away to prevent becoming frustrated or angry. If you schedule time for yourself it will help you to keep things in perspective and you may have more patience and compassion for coping or helping your loved one. Only when you are physically and emotionally healthy can you help others.

“Many families who have a loved one with mental illness share similar experiences”

It is important to remember that there is hope for recovery, and that with treatment many people with mental illness return to a productive and fulfilling life.

Warning Signs and Symptoms

To learn more about symptoms that are specific to a particular mental illness, refer to the NMHA brochure on that illness. The following are signs that your loved one may want to speak to a medical or mental health professional.

In adults:

confused thinking

prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)

feelings of extreme highs and lows

excessive fears, worries and anxieties

social withdrawal

dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

strong feelings of anger

delusions or hallucinations

growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities

suicidal thoughts

denial of obvious problems

numerous unexplained physical ailments

substance abuse

In older children and pre-adolescents:

substance abuse

inability to cope with problems and daily activities

change in sleeping and/or eating habits

excessive complaints of physical ailments

defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism

intense fear of weight gain

prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death

frequent outbursts of anger

In younger children:

changes in school performance

poor grades despite strong efforts

excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)

hyperactivity

persistent nightmares

persistent disobedience or aggression

frequent temper tantrums

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Proper belly breathing increases the flow of oxygen and has a calming effect on the mind and body. To check if you are breathing properly, lie on your back and put a rubber ducky or favorite toy on your abdomen. The duck should float up and down (not your chest). Sometimes simple things can make a difference. Watch the ducky for a while.

The other is a grounding exercise given to me by a mental health expert. It is divided into four steps. This particular exercise I found to be helpful when feeling unsafe.

GROUNDING

1. Grab furniture with hands, open eyes, observe location at the present time.

2. Say to self: My name is ________________, I am ____ years old, today is _______ and I am at _____________ (name the exact location).

3. I am safe, I am not back in the place where they ___________ and __________ me, I am not as vulnerable as I was and the __________ is not happening now.

4. Repeat this until you are calm. Do this 10 times a day if you need to.

The third is a relaxation technique. While doing this you want to create your own location. It should be a favorite place with pleasant memories. It also should be done in a quiet private place. Record the script and play it. If you want, add calm music (instrumental or the sounds of the scenery) it helps take you where you need to be. Mine takes place at the ocean.

Safe Place Relaxation Technique

You are on the Oregon walking out on the beach on the beach. It’s huge and goes and goes and you hear the sound of the waves, it’s calm today not crashing and the sky’s blue.

The sun is shining down on our head and the sand is warm under your feet, you’re walking barefoot and the sound is white and gritty. You walk along looking down at the seashells and the glistening sand where the tide has gone out.

You hear the seagulls over head. The temperature is just perfect. It’s about 80 degrees. The sun feels hot but there is a light sea breeze that ruffles your hair. The smell of the ocean air is of seaweed and sand. It smells good. To your left the waves are breaking against the rocks. You walk into the surf up to the your knees. Life is perfect. The day is perfect.

As a weight loss counselor I called on similar techniques often. I found these steps especially valuable in dealing with woman clients and young girls that I counseled as they battled their weight problems.

Learning self defense is not just about the physical benefits that you can get. Yes, there are some great physical things that will change within your body, but you should focus on more than just that. In fact, there are several mental health benefits that will come with learning martial arts, self defense, and fighting in any capacity. If you have never thought about this, perhaps the following will guide you to understanding the importance of learning the steps necessary to defend yourself, and others.

The Confidence Boost

Regardless of which martial art you want to learn, regardless of the classes that you take, you will gain confidence. People that know how to defend themselves don’t walk around scared. They know that if something comes at them, they can calmly disarm, and avoid being beaten. Now, that doesn’t mean that self defense is going to protect you from bullets in a gun fight, but it can give you confidence to move forward when others are in a panic. Staying calm when nefarious characters are trying to hurt you is tough, but when you know that you have skills to defend yourself, you will see things differently. While everyone else panics around you, imagine going through slow motion, and being able to fight back with relative ease.

Learn To Manage Stress

Alongside the benefit of staying calm, and getting a boost in your confidence, self defense classes can help you manage stress. Regardless of which option you decide to learn, martial arts are famous for teaching how to manage stress in all situations. There’s nothing more stressful than being attacked, or dealing with a situation where you have to use your fists and feet as weapons. When those things occur, you can either panic or you can be calm. Managing stress doesn’t just factor into the moments where you need to fight, but rather bleeds into your work life, home life, and relationships. Reducing stress, fighting depression, improving mental health, and assisting your daily routine are all benefits that come with this type of learning process.

Fighting Depression and Other Mental Health Disorders

Learning martial arts does not replace having to use antidepressants, or any other medications. That is not what this means. However, research studies have shown that individuals that train in self defense classes, manage mental health disorders a bit easier. In some instances, individuals were able to reduce or completely replace their medications as a result of improvements in their self-esteem, and mental health. Now, this doesn’t mean that every single person will get this benefit, but there are some that do in fact get those results over time. One thing is for certain in this benefit, those that study martial arts, and learn how to defend themselves, improve their mental health over time, since it’s a life-long process of learning.

Although physical isolation is having a negative impact on kids learning, the effect of the pandemic on mental health also needs our attention. According to health professionals, physical isolation is putting a lot of strain on kids as well as young people. Since they cannot meet their friends to take part in healthy physical activity, they are suffering from anxiety and depression. In this article, we are going to take a look at a few tips that will help parents maintain the mental health of their children during the coronavirus pandemic. Read on.

During these challenging times, the mental health of your children should be your higher priority. If you follow the tips given in this article, it will help you lay a great foundation that will help your kids enjoy great health. These tips are quite important if you want to take good care of the psychological health of your kids. Without further ado, let’s check out those simple tips.

Help them get the Basics Right

For good mental and physical call health, the importance of a good sleep pattern, regular exercise, and a healthy diet cannot be denied. Once you get the basics right, you will be able to help your kids maintain their mental health even during this difficult condition.

Encourage them to eat a Healthy Diet

It is important that you encourage your kids to eat a healthy diet. According to many research studies, there is a strong relationship between good mental health and a healthy digestive system. If your kids have anxiety and depression, they will suffer from an adrenaline and GABA imbalance. With a good digestive system, this problem can be rectified.

A healthy diet consists of organic food instead of processed food. Apart from this, it is better to consume small but regular meals. They should start their day with a diet that consists of protein and carbohydrates. Besides, drinking a lot of water is also important.

Ask them to Get Plenty of Exercises

Exercise is important for good mental health. Besides, regular exercise helps improve your mood and release stress. Therefore, we suggest that you encourage your kids to play with each other indoors. Even a few minutes of running around can do the trick.

Each day should begin with some movement. What you need to do is help them get their hearts pumping.

Help them Maintain a Good Sleep Schedule

If your kids don’t have a good sleep pattern, they won’t be able to enjoy good mental health. As a matter of fact, a regular sleep pattern is important for parents to work properly and maintain their hormone level balance. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will suffer from a greater level of anxiety. As a result, they won’t be able to perform your routine task properly.

So, what you need to do is encourage your kids and yourself to go to the bed at the same time and wake up early in the morning. They should get exercise before getting to bed as this will help them fall asleep much faster.

Long story short, this was a description of some common tips that will help you maintain your kid’ health during the pandemic.

As a new business owner starting my own private practice, I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about finding passion in my work. If you own your own business, you have to be excited about your work every single day in order to stay on task. You don’t have a boss holding you accountable, and you quickly discover you are only as successful as the time and energy you put into your work. Which all means I HAVE to be passionate about my work. And that passion is what keeps me going when tasks are boring, days are slow, technology is tedious or the work just isn’t “fun.”

So what does passion for work have to do with mental health?

One element I have found to be true over and over again, is that a great passion for work is a protective factor towards maintaining balanced mental health. In this blog I have talked about eating well to feel well, including exercise and choosing a good therapist when you need a little extra help coping… in addition to those things, I want you to consider whether or not you have passion for the work that you do.

How do you spend your time each day? Do you constantly complain about your job? Do you dread Monday mornings? Or are you excited to go into work? Do you love your co-workers and look forward to whatever challenges the day might bring?

Whatever you do for a living, however you choose to occupy your time- you MUST be passionate about it. Find a job you enjoy. Maybe you are like me and were brought up to believe work is work- its not supposed to be fun. Well, my parents were wrong! (Sorry, Mom… you can rest assured you were right about pretty much everything else, though). The truth is that work does not have to be painful, boring or dreadful. You just have to find what it is that makes you passionate.

Having passion for your work helps you maintain good, balanced mental health because it is fulfilling. One component of mental health is an innate desire to seek meaning in our life–if you think your job is meaningless and boring, you will feel meaningless and boring. Our mental health is also greatly affected by our physical surroundings and relationships… if you have a seriously negative work environment, it will eventually effect your mental health, resulting in anxiety or depression.

One thing is for certain- every person I know who is truly happy most of the time (say a solid 90% of days) loves what they do for work. They have passion and excitement every day that keeps them fulfilled, stimulated, and challenged yet balanced.

If you are not one of those “mostly happy” people, or you want to work on maintaining or achieving more balanced mental health- maybe its time to take a look at your work. And find your passion.

A mental illness is the alteration of your psychological functions because of the invasion of the absurdity of your anti-conscience into your conscience. Depending on how much your anti-conscience will manage to destroy your conscience, your mental illness will have one characteristic or another, but all mental illnesses are generated by the same demon.

When you eliminate the demon through consciousness, you stop being tormented by mental health problems, and you become more intelligent and sensitive. Your dreams help you eliminate the demon existent into your anti-conscience by helping you acquire consciousness.

You understand your mistakes and the mistakes of the world. You understand what is good and bad. You understand why you must always be calm, and many other things that today you ignore or disregard.

A scientist wouldn’t feel comfortable declaring that all mental disorders are generated by Satan, which occupies the biggest part of the human brain, and this is why we have to obey God’s guidance in our dreams. This information doesn’t have a scientific aspect, even though it is a scientific truth that can easily be confirmed through many ways, as I already showed you in various articles.

This information seems to be only religious, but it can be scientifically explained when we translate the meaning of dreams according to Carl Jung’s method of dream interpretation, which I simplified and clarified after completing his research.

All dreams help you eliminate your absurd and evil anti-conscience, by showing you how you can develop your intelligence based on goodness and wisdom. You learn how to organize your thoughts and control your behavior. This is how you will safely stop having mental health problems and become a wise and sensitive human being.

The fact that we have inherited a primitive conscience that has satanic characteristics into the biggest part of our brain is a tragedy. I’m really sorry because I had to discover this truth.

Wish we were perfect creatures and we didn’t need to be transformed, but this is not the case.

Unfortunately, we are demons with a tiny human conscience that must be developed. There are more than too many satanic characteristics in our behavior, and our world is characterized by terror, immorality, violence, poverty, hypocrisy, and indifference. We are as cruel as the Roman gladiators.

In order to stop having mental health problems and find sound mental health that lasts forever, we have to attain sanctity.

This is a difficult process, but God helps us all the way with the information He gives us in our dreams and with the lessons we have in our religion.

You must stop considering the intention to attain sanctity as if it was too difficult because it is indispensable for the maintenance of your mental health.

You have the privilege to learn what I could discover because I trusted God’s guidance in my dreams. This information is scientific because my dreams were translated according to Carl Jung’s scientific method of dream interpretation, even though the messages contained in these dreams cannot be verified based on the requirements of today’s science.