When most people think of a panic attack, they typically think of someone yelling at the top of their lungs or someone just plain out going crazy. An anxiety attack happens to normal every day people. Some symptoms of panic attacks are shortness of breath, a rapid heart rhythm, and a stomach ache.

The best way to describe a panic attack is to imagine yourself giving a presentation wearing only your underwear in front of 1,000 people, the nervous, jittery, funny yet scary feeling is a panic attack. If you find that you suffer from panic attacks on a weekly basis, you will want to seek treatment to rid yourself of this demon.

So what causes panic attacks you may ask? After all the first steps of any treatment is to know what sparks a panic attack all together. Well scientifically there is no know reason why some people are more prone to panic attacks then others, but anxiety seems to run in families. Many times an anxiety attack is sparked by a physical illness or by a major catastrophic event in ones life. Although there could be 100’s of reasons why different individuals have panic attacks most are sparked by a very stressful incident in someone’s life.

It’s important that you understand that some anxiety is normal. When you encounter a stressful situation some anxiety is to be expected. The problem comes when the anxiety sticks around even after the situations has passed.

What are some things you can do to keep the anxiety to minimal instances?

It’s a BIG must that you get at least 8 hours of sleep every day. Robbing yourself of a good night’s sleep will open the door for an anxiety attack to sneak in. To have some control over your thoughts and emotions your brain needs to rest.

Watch your diet. Make sure to eat the recommended fruits and vegetables each day, also it is suggested to include Omega 3 in your diet. Not only is it good to make sure you eat a healthy diet, it is also important to make sure you eat. How many of us skip breakfast due to our busy life, well as we have been told since we were all kids, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, your body needs fuel, especially at the start of the day.

Make sure to be responsible, if you know something stresses you out and you have the ability to make the necessary changes, then go ahead and make the change. For example, if you’re always running late to work, and that is causing your stress each day, then be responsible and wake up earlier to avoid the stress.

The demise of a child during or a period after its birth is so unbearable to the parents and especially to the mother who is said to know the pain of delivering one.

There are so many untold stories out there about couples that confronted this loss the wrong way by not seeking the support of a counselor and the end result was terrible depression.

So often, spouses blame each other claiming that they should have prevented the baby from dying if only they did this or that, others want to try for one more right away while yet others become self-centered.

Just in efforts to grieve differently and forget their lovely baby, spouses may cut any communication channels to each other and start living like pure strangers in the same house.

With the continuous blame and each of them mourning separately, the marriage may not survive this difficult period, except if professional help is sought.

Such parents endure ample range of emotions that are so intense and fearful- except that counseling experts think they are just natural and expected.

What the counseling help does is not to guarantee that the pain of loosing ones child will go away or that parents can hop back to the cheerful personality they had before the loss, it facilitates the process of reducing the intensity of these emotions.

Most of us have been around such couples and especially mums mourning the loss of their babies and observe how much some try to remain composed on the outside.

Whether or not the pain and loss they feel inside will result to depression, the profound sorrow, poor concentration and longing is obvious.

Those mums, who are left by their husbands for another woman or blamed for the death of the child, may also bear suicidal thoughts on their minds and may even have the courage to do it.

The queries of why it happened and what if they took a different measure their babies would still be around bombard their brains.

This may then give rise to intense resentment, guilt, mania, self-denial, anxiety, poor performance of tasks, loneliness, insensitivity with others, fear, weight loss or gain and many others as some of the most common feelings of loosing a child.

Nothing good comes out of depression and soon or later, the spouse who is completely exhausted by the experience may invite other health related problems.

A counseling psychologist helps those who feel they are fully trapped in their anguish because they deal with such and even serious cases all the times and know the best approaches.

I also think that just like in any other form of depression, getting occupied doing other positive and constructive activities as a couple would help reduce the severity of the pain suffered.

I know that this experience is one of those that lack words to explain the depth of cuts left in the victim’s hearts or is totally incomprehensible, but there is help, first from God our maker, and secondly from other caring people.

Mourning for the loss of a child is a very prolonged, difficult and exhaustive journey, and even though the wounds can never be fully erased in the couple’s lives, seeking help at the right time and place is the very important.
 

 

 

 

Mental health disorders and mental illnesses affect a greater number of children and juveniles than many people are aware of. These emotional and behavioral disorders can have profound negative effects on the growth and development of children, especially when they go unnoticed and untreated. A greater proportion of children and youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems have mental health problems than children and youth in the general population.

-50% of children and youth in the child welfare system have mental health problems.
-67% to 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder.

Prevalence Estimates of Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders In Young People

DISORDER                                            PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE AFFECTED

Learning D/O:                                                                5%
Substance use / addiction disorder:                                  10.3%
CD:                                                                              3.5%
ODD:                                                                            2.8%
ADHD:                                                                           4.5%
Anxiety Disorders (various):                                             8%
Unipolar Disorder:                                                           5.2%
One or more disorders:                                                   17%

(D/O = Disorder; CD = Conduct Disorder; ODD = Oppositional Defiant Disorder; ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Source: Preventing Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People, 2009. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, of the National Academies.)

Early Detection and Intervention are Critical

The onset of major mental illness may occur as early as 7 to 11 years old.
-Research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health indicates that half of adults with MEB disorders were first diagnosed by age 14 and three fourths were diagnosed by age 24.  
-Factors that predict mental health problems can be identified in the early years, with children and youth from low-income  households at increased risk for mental health problems.  

Age at Onset of First Symptom of Full Psychiatric Disorder, by Age 21

DISORDER                        AVG. AGE OF FIRST SYMPTOM            AVG. AGE OF FIRST DIAGNOSIS

ADHD:                                            Age 5                                                 Age 5
ODD:                                              Age 5                                                 Age 10
CD:                                                Age 6                                                 Age 11
Anxiety Disorders (Various):              Age 7                                                 Age 8
Depression:                                     Age 12                                               Age 15
Substance Abuse:                             Age 14                                               Age 15
Substance Dependence:                    Age 16                                               Age 17
Any Psychiatric Diagnosis:                  Age 9                                                 Age 11

(Source: Preventing Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People, 2009. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, of the National Academies)

Obstacles to Access and Quality in Mental Healthcare

Several federal commissions and workgroups federal task forces have documented the need for improved and expanded mental health services for children and youth.

-It is estimated that less than 1 in 5 of these children receive the appropriate needed treatment  
-Only 15% of youths who had difficulties had parents that actively talked to a health care provider or school staff about their child?s emotional or behavioral difficulties.  

There is not adequate financial support for quality services to prevent and treat mental health problems of children and youth. Many child mental health services are not covered by managed care payers. In 2007, 3.1 million youths, (12.5 percent of 12 to 17 year olds) received treatment or counseling for problems with behavior or emotional disturbances in specialty mental health settings (which include inpatient and outpatient care).

Effective Treatment and Prevention Exists

Clear windows of opportunity are available to prevent MEB disorders and related problems before they occur. An intervention before a disorder manifests itself is possible and offers the best opportunity to protect young people. Effective prevention includes strengthening families by targeting problems, strengthening individuals by building resilience and skills, preventing specific disorders by screening individuals at risk, promoting mental health in schools and promoting mental health through health care and community programs. The key to most approaches is to identify risks (biological, psychological and social factors) that may increase a child?s risk of MEB disorders.