Schizophrenia
Psychosis is a condition that affects the way your brain processes information. It causes you to lose touch with reality. You might see, hear, or believe things that aren’t real. Psychosis is a symptom, not an illness. Before the starting of the psychosis, there is a prodromal state in which you may show slight changes in the way you think or act which can last for days or weeks. A person suffering may have hallucinations, delusions, lack of self-care or hygiene, trouble thinking clearly or concentrating, suspiciousness or paranoia towards others and aggressive behaviors. This illness specifically requires Pharmacological treatment and after reduction in symptoms requires insight -building psychotherapy along with CBT for thought restructuring.
Depression
Depression is one of leading causes of disability in India and is often ignored. However, depression seems to affect over 18 million adults in a year. If left untreated can prove to be one of the leading causes of suicide i.e., about every 13 minutes. Symptoms like low mood, reduced energy and reduction in pleasurable activities can also be accompanied with guilt, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, emptiness and poor memory and concentration. According to your severity of depressive symptoms (after being scientifically assessed), we aim at providing the nest individualized treatment for you consisting of Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy as required.
Anxiety
Anxiety may look like simple restlessness however it can be debilitating and cause difficulties in functioning both social and work sphere. The symptoms of anxiety can range from excessive worry, increased heart rate, nervous, irritable, feeling weak, difficulty in concentration and hyperventilating to avoiding places and people which might trigger your anxiety. Chronic cases of anxiety if not treated appropriately can lead to causing Panic Attacks. Panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you’re losing control, having a heart attack or even dying.
Addiction
Addiction is a chronic dysfunction of the brain which is due to the faulty habit formation based on the reward, motivation and memory. Addiction can be caused due to dependence on a particular substance that the body craves for or even behaviour which can be as healthy as exercising. Addiction causes a compulsive or obsessive pursuit of the desired reward and doesn’t process the consequences of that in the short or long time. Some people experiencing addiction will be unable to stay away from the substance or the behaviour and display a lack of self-control; along with having an increased desire for the substance or behaviour and ignoring the negative consequences which can be biological, social and psychological in these cases. Addiction of substance include substances like Alcohol, Nicotine/Tobacco, Opioids, Cannabis/Marijuana, Prescription pills, Sleeping pills/Sedative hypnotics, Stimulants like caffeine, Cocaine, Hallucinogens like Psilocybin mushrooms (Magic mushrooms), Volatile solvents like paint thinners and any psychoactive substances which have the capability to change/alter the neurochemical processes of the brain along with causing faulty reward pathways. Behavioural addictions are explained in the section of Adult Psychiatric disorders.
Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Neuropsychiatric disorder is a blanket medical term that encompasses a broad range of medical conditions that involve both neurology and psychiatry. Common neuropsychiatric disorders include seizures, attention deficit disorders, cognitive deficit disorder, cerebral palsies, uncontrolled anger, migraine headaches, Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—and behavioural abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. These functions include memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management, and the ability to focus and pay attention. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Neuropsychiatric disorders can occur in children too due to traumatic brain injury, infections, medicine side effects, ADHD, genetic predispositions or environmental factors resulting in problems with focus and learning, also emotional dysregulation and irritability which requires pharmacotherapy and rehabilitation therapy for support and functioning.
Sleeping/Eating Disorders
Sleeping disorders can present with symptoms or forms like insomnia, snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea, sleep hyperventilation, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, bruxism, sleep talking/walking, nightmares & night terrors and rapid eye moment behaviour disorders. The common causes of sleep disorder may stem from concerns about work, school, health, family leading to anxiety in many cases, even stressful events or trauma such as death or illness of a loved one, divorce or loss of job. Eating disorders on the other hand are characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits and these are quite common. The most common eating disorders are serious conditions that can negatively impact your health and emotional wellbeing and includes disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorders. There can be warning signs of eating disorders like not eating enough, being underweight, being obsessed with & terrified of gaining weight, constipation, dizziness along with sleep disturbances.
Sexual Disorders
Sexual dysfunctions can be classified into 4 categories: Desire disorder which is a lack of sexual desire or interest in sex, Arousal disorder which is the inability of becoming physically aroused or excited during sexual activity, Orgasm disorders i.e., delay or absence of orgasm or climax and finally the Pain disorder which indicates that there is pain during intercourse. Sexual dysfunctions can occur at any age, however most commonly after 40 years of age because its often related to a decline in health associated with aging. In men it can present in the inability to achieve or maintain erection (hard penis) which is known as erectile dysfunction, there can also be absence or delayed ejaculation despite of there being enough stimulation known as retarded ejaculation and even sometimes the inability to control the timing of ejaculation. In women specifically there can the inabilities of achieving an orgasm, inadequate vaginal lubrication before and during the intercourse along with inability to relax the vaginal muscles enough to allow intercourse. Causes of sexual dysfunction can be many started from biological like diabetes, heart disease, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances and also psychological like work-related stress and anxiety, concern related to sexual performance and marital or relationship issues/conflicts, even sexual dysfunctions are commonly seen along with depression, body image issues and presence of past sexual trauma.
Childhood disorders
Childhood is the developmental phase of all individuals and it requires the utmost care and attention for becoming a strong foundation for the upcoming years ahead. However, in case of some children childhood tends to become difficult due to many reasons, mental health conditions are amongst one of them. Mental disorders among children can affect and cause changes in the manner children learn, behave or regulate their emotions, which can lead to distress and problems getting through the day. Some of the disorders include anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The signs can be seen as early as 2 years of age in some cases and hence its recommended that screening or psychometric assessments are conducted when there is something that is concerning or something that is different from the way other children of the similar ages do such as in activities of play, learning, speaking as well as acting or behaviour along with the ways children handle their emotions. However, childhood conditions are treatable with appropriate psychotherapy or counselling and medications when required. Parents and Teachers if available can be included in the therapy process for a better prognosis.
Adult psychiatric disorders
Adults from the age group of 16 onwards due to multiple factors like biological, psychological or social can develop various mental health conditions which require medical attention. These illnesses can be Panic disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post-traumatic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Adjustment or Stress related disorder, Substance or Behavioural Addiction as well as Culture-bound syndromes like Dhat. Adults may face difficulty in mood regulation, distress due to thoughts and even psychosomatic symptoms like headache, nausea, backache, and so on. Anxiety and Depression are the most common disorders that can affect due to work-life stress, family conflicts, relationship issues and even sexual disorders. Adults can also face serious mental health issues due to deficit in the coping skills. Treatment of adult disorders are generally done holistically by medications along with psychotherapy or counselling for thought substitution or thought replacement.
Developmental disorders
Developmental disorders are those conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language or behaviour areas. These conditions generally begin in the developmental period and may impact the DALY throughout the person’s lifetime. Developmental disabilities can be caused due to many reasons some of them being, pre-birth or during birth injury, infection or can be genetic too. Certain common conditions are cerebral palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fragile X, Intellectual disability, Language and Speech Disorders, Learning Disorders, Muscular Dystrophy, Tourette Syndrome, and so on. Many of these disorders can co-occur with certain behavioural difficulties like temper tantrums, anger outbursts, use of abusive language, skin picking, nail biting, hitting others/self, and so on. The course of treatment for developmental disorders is first psychometric assessments to identify and figure the severity of symptoms out. Some of these disorders are even the ones which are certified enough for disability certification and allowances. In case of behavioural difficulties, a combination of pharmacotherapy if required along with psychological training, parent management training and social skills along with occupational training are recommended.