Schizophrenia – Key Points
Definition Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to: Tell the difference between what is real and not real Think clearly Have normal emotional responses Act normally in social situations Causes Schizophrenia is a complex illness. Mental health experts are not sure what causes it. Genes may play a role. Schizophrenia occurs in […]
Post-traumatic stress disorder – Overview
Definition Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you have gone through an extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death. Alternative Names PTSD Causes Doctors do not know why traumatic events cause PTSD in some people, but not in others. Your genes, emotions, and family […]
Drug dependence
Definition Substance use disorder occurs when a person needs alcohol or another substance (drug) to function normally. Abruptly stopping the substance leads to withdrawal symptoms. Addiction means that a person has a strong urge to use the substance and cannot stop, even if they want to. Tolerance to a substance (needing a higher dose to […]
CPR
Definition CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is an emergency lifesaving procedure that is done when someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. This may happen after an electric shock, heart attack, or drowning. CPR combines rescue breathing and chest compressions. Rescue breathing provides oxygen to the person’s lungs. Chest compressions keep oxygen-rich blood flowing until […]
Alcoholism and alcohol abuse
Definition Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are two types of problem drinking. Alcoholism is when your drinking causes serious problems in your life, yet you keep drinking. You also may have a physical dependence on alcohol. This means that you need more and more alcohol to feel drunk. Stopping suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol abuse […]
Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
Overview Complimentary and Alternative Medicine or CAM is a group of healthcare practices and products that are are not currently considered to be part of modern, Western medicine. The word ‘complementary’ describes a treatment that is used ‘in addition to’ and ‘alternative’ describes a treatment that is used ‘instead of’ conventional treatment. Thus, CAM treatments […]
Behavioral Activation (BA)
Overview Behavioral Activation (BA) is an effective psychotherapy for the treatment of depression. Sometimes depression can become a vicious cycle where people stop doing things or being social because of their depressive symptoms, which in turn, worsens the depression because people become may become isolated and miss out on fun opportunities. BA is based on […]
Assessing Depression
Depression: How is it Treated
Depression Causes
Causes Most likely, depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. Brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have shown that the brains of people who have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts of the brain involved […]