Bulimia nervosa is commonly known as bulimia.It is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may eat large amounts of food with a loss of control over the eating. There afterwards purge trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way.

To get rid of calories and prevent weight gain, people with bulimia may use different methods. For example, they may regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives. Or even have weight-loss supplements.To get rid of calories and prevent weight gain they may you may use other methods like fasting, strict dieting or excessive exercise.

If you have bulimia, you’re probably preoccupied with your weight and body shape. You may judge yourself severely and harshly for your self-perceived flaws. Because it’s related to self-image and not just about food.

Bulimia signs and symptoms may include being preoccupied with your body shape and weight, living in fear of gaining weight. And episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting. There are many other signs as well. The severity of bulimia is determined by the number of times a week that you purge, usually at least once a week for at least three months. There are treatments available to help treat bulimia. Including taking cognitive behavioural therapy and medications. Treatment for bulimia can be done mostly at home except for appointments at the local clinic.

But effective treatment can help you feel better about yourself, adopt healthier eating patterns and reverse serious complications.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that causes disturbances in thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviour. It affects about 1 in every 100 people worldwide and usually occurs first in adolescence or early adulthood, although it can also occur later in life.

Schizophrenia is a challenging brain disorder that often makes it difficult to distinguish between what is real and unreal, to think clearly, manage emotions, relate to others, and function normally. It affects the way a person behaves, thinks, and sees the world.Schizophrenia is often episodic, so periods of remission are ideal times to employ self-help strategies to limit the length and frequency of any future episodes.

Hallucinations are of the main symptoms.Hallucinations are very real to the person experiencing them. Even though people around them can’t hear the voices or experience the sensations. Also delusions. They may develop a delusional idea to explain a hallucination you’re having. Disorganised thinking lack of motivation and slow movement change in sleep patterns.These symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for deliberate laziness or rudeness.

Medications are the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment, and antipsychotic medications are the most commonly prescribed drugs. They’re thought to control symptoms by affecting the brain neurotransmitter dopamine.Psychological treatment can help you cope with the symptoms. For example, hallucinations or delusions.They can also help treat some of the negative symptoms.Psychological treatments for schizophrenia work best when they’re combined with antipsychotic medication.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps you manage problems by thinking more positively. It frees you from unhelpful patterns of behaviour. It’s an illness someone can combat with the support of family,friends and resources.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault.PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat fatigue” after World War II.

People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. A diagnosis of PTSD requires exposure to an upsetting traumatic event. However, exposure could be indirect rather than first hand. The causes may serious road accidents,violent personal assaults or serious health problems eg childbirth experience. It can develop immediately after someone experiences a disturbing event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later.

They may have intrusive thoughts such as repeated, involuntary memories; distressing dreams; or flashbacks of the traumatic event. Also, they avoid reminders of the traumatic event may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that bring on distressing memories. They would have reactive symptoms which may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way. Or even have problems concentrating or sleeping.

The treatment that could help with PTSD could be psychological therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. CBT is using psychological techniques to help you come to terms with the traumatic event.There’s also medication such as antidepressants which could help with adults living in PTSD. Having PTSD is one of the hardest challenges for people but help is available to reduce the pain.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by extreme shifts in mood.These Episodes of mood swings may occur rarely or multiple times a year. Its also known as bipolar disease or manic depression.People with bipolar disorder may have trouble managing everyday life tasks at school or work, or maintaining relationships.

Bipolar disorder can be a condition of extremes. You may be unaware of changes in your mood and behaviour during phases of mania or hypomania.After the episode is over, you may be upset by your out-of-character behaviour. Some people with bipolar disorder have more frequent and severe episodes than others. During episodes of mania and depression, you may experience strange sensations. For example, hearing or smelling things that aren’t there (hallucinations). People with bipolar disorder may also believe things that seem irrational to other people (delusions).

In the manic phase of bipolar disorder,some people may sleep very little or talking so rapidly that others can’t keep up. Even rapid thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next. Sometimes they may have problems with memory and concentration as they might be highly distractive.

Medication can prevent episodes of mania, hypomania (less severe mania) and depression. These are called mood stabilisers.Short-term medication can reduce distressing symptoms during an episode. Talking therapies can help you deal with depression. They can also give you advice on how to improve relationships and address any unresolved trauma or emotional distress.Lifestyle changes could be helpful as well. With regular exercise and planning activities you enjoy that give you a sense of achievement. Improving your diet and more sleep could also help aid with the disorder. people get the most of their treatment without having to stay in hospital.You may need hospital treatment if your symptoms are severe. You might also need it if you are in hospital involuntarily.

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.Depression is more than just a low mood.

The death of a loved one, loss of a job etc are difficult experiences for a person to endure. Its normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to situations like so.But being sad is not the same as having depression. In grief, painful feelings come in waves, often intermixed with positive memories of the deceased. In major depression, mood and/or interest are decreased for most of two weeks.In major depression, feelings of worthlessness are common. But it’s not say such situations could bring severe depression.Distinguishing between them can help people get the help, support or treatment they need.

There may be many reasons for depression. The main ones being life events,personal factors and changes in the brain. Major life events such as a death of a relative or friend could lead to depression. Where as personal factors many include who you are surrounded by ( family and friends ). But it could also may be the genetics inherited which lead to depression. Changes in the brain may have negative effects which could contribute to depression as well.

Depression can strike at any time, but certain studies show it may first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Some of these studies also showed that women are more like to get depression but it is only certain studies that indicated that.Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. The main ways used are medication,psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy. Antidepressants may be prescribed to help change the brain’s chemistry. ECT is medical treatment most commonly used for patients with severe major depression who haven’t responded to other treatments. It involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anaesthesia. There are many resources available that can massively help and support you if you are fighting depression.

Anxiety is a feeling that everyone experiences at some stage of our lives. It can be a normal emotional response to many stressful situations. Anxiety is also a natural, understandable emotional response that can help us prepare for challenges. A certain level of anxiety helps us stay alert and aware, but for those suffering from an anxiety disorder, it feels far from normal and it can be completely debilitating. It is different from stress that is a response to a threat in a situation whereas anxiety is a reaction to the stress.

There are many types of anxiety which many of us might not know of. Generalised anxiety disorder is when you feel excessive, unrealistic worry and tension with little or no reason. Panic disorder is this sudden, intense fear that brings on a panic attack. Which many of us have heard of . Social anxiety disorder this is when you feel overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You obsessively worry about others judging you or being embarrassed or ridiculed. Lastly agoraphobia is having an intense fear of being in a place where it seems hard to escape or get help if an emergency occurs. For example, you may panic or feel anxious when on an airplane, public transportation, or standing in line with a crowd. These are only some of the vast types of anxiety there are.

The main symptom of anxiety disorders is excessive fear or worry. Anxiety disorders can also make it hard to breathe, sleep, stay still, and concentrate. Your specific symptoms depend on the type of anxiety disorder you have. The common ones are panic, fear, sweaty or the ting,ink of hands or feet or even shortness of breath. Thinking about a problem over and over again and unable to stop is also a symptom.But for some people we don’t even see these symptoms although they are struggling without showing others.

What we can do is simple if they are struggling with anxiety. The main one being staying with the person and keeping calm. Also don’t make assumptions about them. Instead speak to them with short and simple sentences to understand what they are struggling with. The last thing we could do is help them slow their breathing and get into their normal breathing pace. Just by bring with them can help them immensely.

An introvert is often thought of as a quiet, reserved, and thoughtful individual. They don’t seek out special attention or social engagements. Now extroverts are the opposite. Extroverts are often described as “the life of a party.” They seek out interaction and conversations. They thrive in the frenzy of a busy environment

They do have tendency to be reserved helps these personality types to pace themselves. They’re likely to listen to others more carefully. This often helps them pick up cues more quickly, making them great at reading many situations.Introverts enjoy more focused “alone time” – leading to more and deeper insights. Introverted personality types take things slowly and cautiously.

They are also often known to be perfectionists and very self-critical. Such characteristics can leave individuals feeling unsatisfied with themselves and with their lives. It can also lead to stress, mental and physical exhaustion, as well as mental health issues. As such, it is important for individuals who possess such characteristics to be mindful of these characteristics, and to attempt to be gentler on themselves with respect to self-criticism.While introverts have many characteristics that make them vulnerable to mental health issues, extroverts have their own set of attributes to be cautious of as well.

Extraverts are interested in engaging with their environment, and they feed off the responses of the people and events around them. They enjoy pushing limits and seeing what the world can do. Extraverted personality types lean toward taking the initiative and relying on the world around them for validation.While all of this is noble and often admired in society, it can also become unbridled. Extraverts may put too much value in their engagement with those around them. Being with others can be so important to these personalities that they often find it difficult if they’re stuck alone. This can lead them to do things simply for excitement rather than thinking through more subtle but important considerations.

Having the need to always be around others may be a sign that one is uncomfortable being alone with themselves. The reason may be that they are avoiding their own feelings and thoughts. Avoiding introspection is not healthy and is a sign that the individual has an underlying issue that they do not want to face.Extroverts should also be cautious about what their motives are for wanting to be around others. While it is not unhealthy to crave social interaction and be energized from social engagement, it may be unhealthy to crave attention.Individuals who constantly need to be around others should look in-ward and be honest with themselves as to if they are trying to fill some kind of emptiness within them. Extroverts may display mental health symptoms differently.

Mental illness isn’t a uniquely modern phenomenon. In fact, the ways in which modern cultures both understand and deal with mental illnesses have gone through a radical transformation.

In the earlier stages ( in USA ), people who had mental illnesses were placed in institutions that had similarities to jails. Once inside, they weren’t given the opportunity to leave, at all. Some facilities had terrible procedural rules that allowed people with illnesses to be treated in ways that were unspeakably cruel.Placing the mentally ill in facilities allowed the rest of the community to ignore the problem. If a person was placed a in an institution like so, they may not have come back to visit or shared stories of any visits they did make. The people just seemed to disappear. But this began to change in the late 1880s, due to the work of a writer named Nelly Bly. She posed as a mentally ill woman and she documented everything that happened to her. There afterwards was turned into a book.

In the early part of the 1900s, experts began to try to understand what might make a person behave in an such a way, and what kinds of thoughts and opinions they may possess. Sigmund Freud developed a number of theories and he created therapies that aimed to help people who might once have been placed in one of the torturous facilities. So practitioners began dabbling in radical cures in the 1930s. Examples being electroshock therapy and insulin induced comas. Hoping to eliminate mental illnesses altogether with one big gesture as Freud was taking time to come up with a solid resolution.

Nowadays, services are available to provide people with the help they need to manage their conditions. It’s clear that people have options for treatment today through community resources that didn’t exist a decade or so ago.

Writing, drawing, painting, embroidery, and even coloring can be a powerful means to mental health. In recent years, scientists have studied the positive effects art can have on our health.

Art requires focus and concentration. It is easy to become lost in thought as we paint, sketch, or write. This “flow” can help improve our mental health. As you create art, you’re allowing yourself to experience your stressful thoughts and recognize them as just thoughts and doesn’t overtake your life. Essentially, it provides a distraction that will give your brain a much-needed break from all of your usual ways of thinking.It stimulates your brain with this type of creative thinking. As doing art makes us use both hemispheres of your brain.Doing art whatever type it may be can leads us to boost our self esteem. The fact that you don’t have to create something that looks absolutely perfect in order to obtain these feelings.When you finish a creative project, you feel a boost of dopamine that gives you a sense of accomplishment.

The health benefits of art include relieving stress for people of all ages Artistic activities contribute to lower stress levels and mental calmness. They help take your mind off of your everyday life and provide a relaxing distraction and is a resource to exert any tension we may have. It helps set aside your worries and focuses on the detail of the art you are creating. Sometimes, it is easier to put thoughts on paper rather than saying them out loud. Art therapy can be effective in these situations. Painting or drawing these memories and anxieties can help start the process of talking about them. Through art, you are moving the thoughts out of your mind and on to the paper. The process allows you to be proactive in your own therapy.

Simply start off with a colouring book. Finding a creative hobby you enjoy is good for doing some positive reflection.

Self-care is any activity that we engage in to take care of our personal needs and well-being. It is surprisingly something we frequently neglect to practice. It is important as it will refresh and recharge us so that we can feel and be at our best.

Self-care improves aspects lives in different ways. Which are important to our overall health. When we take care of ourselves, it affirms our self-worth and improves our self esteem in ourselves. With regular self-care, our self-awareness is enhanced . Our regular activity will usually be something that we already enjoy. But this may lead to us the opportunity to branch out and try new things. It allows us to figure out our personal likes and dislikes as wellSelf-care encourages self-improvement as well. It promotes rest and relaxation, which benefits our overall health and wellness. When our self-esteem and self-awareness improves, it has a positive effect on our overall mindset. There after, it enables us to care for our friends and loved ones.

Many surveys have shown we don’t practice self care enough for many reasons which shouldn’t be the case. As we are just taking care of ourselves. The lack of energy or time are two of the most common reasons why we don’t practise self-care. For some it may be due to financial situations which means it may seem irrelevant to them. Selfishness or guilt is a main contributing factor as well. When we practice self care many of us may feel selfish for only looking after ourselves.

Self care activities can be anything you find enjoyment in. It could be as simple as going for a walk around the park or watching movies. Especially during these uncertain times, practice self care as this the time to reflect on yourself as well as do the activities you always have disregarded. Self care is giving kindness to yourself just like you would give to others.