Posted by: Gillian Green in Untagged on
Jun 29, 2009
The minute summer arrives, everywhere we look the media tell us it's bad news. We should all stay out of the sun for fear of skin damage, food-poisoning, hay fever, eye damage...so the list goes on.
How refreshing, then, to hear that a leading professional - Professor Steve Field, Chairman of the Royal College of GPs - says that summer is a time when "health advantages far outweigh the disadvantages".
Hear, hear!
Posted by: Uticopa in addiction on
Jun 22, 2009
We have always understood addiction to include such horrors as drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling, nicotine etc. However, in today's technological age, there's a new kid on the block: violent computer game addiction.
What exactly is computer addiction?
Computer addiction, or more broadly computer overuse, is excessive or compulsive use of computers that interferes with daily life. People can be addicted to computers and suffer withdrawal symptoms.
History
There are examples of computer overuse dating back to the earliest computer games. With the widespread use of computers in the 21st century, it may be difficult to distinguish users who are ‘highly engaged' in their computer use from those who might be considered "addicted".
Posted by: Gillian Green in anger management on
Jun 17, 2009
Bitterness is a common occurrence, ranging in strength according to the reason for it. As two extremes, think of how the Jewish people viewed the Nazis during WW2, compared to a person today who harbours feelings against a bank who has refused him a home loan. At one end of the scale, a traumatic event can make a whole people angry, pessimistic, aggressive and hopeless. For most, though, it is a fleeting emotion, one that slips away as readily as any other as the hours progress and new thoughts seep in to push out the bitterness.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) generated a measure of incredulity recently by debating whether bitterness should be labelled a bona fide mental disorder. They've even come up with a new name for it: post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED), stating that it could be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.
But, is it a mental illness?
I agree that there's certainly a lot of anger and bitterness in the world at the moment. From global issues to personal financial meltdown, there's no lack of things to feel embittered about. ‘Why me?' is the constant refrain.
Posted by: Uticopa in music therapy, memory, dementia on
Jun 17, 2009
In all forms of dementia there is a loss of protein, effectively cutting off the vital connections of the brain. Yet, it can't be as simple as that. Vestiges of old memories seem to lie dormant with sufferers, as if waiting for that essential trigger to spring them back to the forefront of consciousness again.
It was with this in mind that a programme called Music for Life was started in 1993. It was set up to use music to find the person behind the dementia. From this original, small group, a much larger organisation has now been handed over to Wigmore Hall in London. In May, the transition was launched attended by the charity's royal patron, HRH Princess Alexandra.
The latest remit for the charity is for a group of classical musicians, some from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, to take their instruments to nursing homes and provide around eight sessions involving dementia patients and their carers. As soon as the residents arrive, some in wheelchairs, some with sticks or walking-frames, the musicians strike up a pre-improvised melody. Subtle, entrancing and hypnotic, it's composed especially to alter mood through both the rhythm and dynamics.
Posted by: Uticopa in stress management on
Jun 16, 2009
We all live our lives as if the secret purpose is to somehow get everything done. Well, no!
As soon as you've finished one ‘to do' list, another one will surely come along. The ‘in box' of our daily lives is meant to have tasks to do in it; it isn't supposed to be empty. The trick is to enjoy what you do, not be obsessive about getting everything completed. In reality, most things can wait.
So often when we're dealing with bad news, we get into certain habits which are not good for our mental health. We focus on the negative aspects of life and lose sight of the bigger picture. The thing to remember is you can change your attitude to life, but only by taking a less stressful approach to things. Stop worrying about the trivia of life, stay calm and your mental health will improve.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Jun 01, 2009
Our body's ability to metabolise food is complex and not widely-understood. There are as many different types of metabolic-rate as there are, say, types of facial features. If someone has inherited a poor bodily metabolic rate and then, foolishly, overeats to a marked extent as well - then we get the sort of extreme obesity levels one sees in places like the USA. There's one particular family I know where the wife is obese, the husband skinny, the one son following the mother's shape, the other the father's.
Yet, they all eat the same amount and type of food!
Every day there seem to be yet more doctors telling us that what we eat is bad for us. Most related studies have in the past concentrated on how obesity and poor choice of food give undoubted risk to our cardiovascular system, leading to strokes and cancer. However, a new Australian study has now shown a link between Western-style diets and mental health problems in teenagers.
