Depression
Everyone experiences depression sometimes. But when a person feels depressed most of the day, and nearly every day, treatment should be sought. Depression is the most common mental disorder. As many as 25% of women and 12% of men are likely to experience major depression in their lifetimes. It is more common in relatives of people who have the disorder. Major depression often occurs with other mental disorders. For example, as many as half of the people who have Panic Disorder will also have Major Depressive Disorder. The symptoms of depression can be reduced by medication and psychotherapy. They include feeling sad or empty, crying, losing the ability to enjoy things, irritability, loss of appetite and weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, suicidal thoughts and loss of concentration. There are several different depression diagnoses. Your therapist will work with you to determine your diagnosis and your treatment needs.
Anxiety Problems
Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are intense, fairly short episodes of fear or discomfort with symptoms like accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and fear of losing control or dying. People who experience panic attacks often go to the emergency room where the doctor can find no physical cause for these physical symptoms. Panic Disorder is a good example of a “mind-body problem” where psychological and physical symptoms occur together. Treatment often includes both medication and psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and relaxation training.
Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD)
Exposure to trauma will lead to psychological symptoms in most people. They may be recurring recollections of the event, bad dreams or difficulty sleeping. However, when such symptoms last longer than one month and cause a lot of distress or interfere with work, the diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should be considered. Among combat veterans and victims of criminal violence, PTSD can affect as many as 50%. If treated promptly, PTSD can be brought under control and the symptoms can fade away. Without treatment, they can persist and become chronic and resistant to treatment. It is usually best to consider combining medication and psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive thoughts followed by compulsive behavior to reduce tension are the main symptoms of OCD. While we kid each other about being “OC” the actual condition of OCD is relatively rare. It can be very disabling as the person can use up large amounts of time, energy and the goodwill or family or friends in irrational, repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, putting things in order, counting things over and over or checking windows and doors to be sure they are closed. People with OCD can become socially isolated. Psychological evaluation can determine if recurring thoughts or worries are really obsessive or if repetitive behaviors are really compulsive.
Phobias
This is a strong fear of some object or situation. When confronted with the object or situation, the person has feelings of panic. Phobias are fairly common. As many as one in ten people experience them. When they lead to serious problems coping with social or occupational activities, treatment should be sought. Both medications and psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, hypnosis and relaxation training with Behavior Therapy are effective treatments.
Bipolar Disorder
This is a disorder of the brain’s mood system. It is a lifelong disease that usually develops in young adulthood. The person has one or more episodes of mania. This is a period of abnormal, elevated or irritable mood that lasts a week or more. The person may have inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts or excessive involvement in pleasurable activities with increased risky behavior. He or she may not recognize that these behaviors are irrational and may resist treatment. Manic episodes are often mixed with episodes of major depression, however, and people with Bipolar Disorder often agree to be evaluated and treated when they are depressed. This is a major mental disorder with a high risk of suicide and must be treated by medication. Psychotherapy can help the patient recognize symptoms and be more motivated for treatment.
Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders
This is a lifelong disease that is fairly rare and very disabling. It usually develops in the late teens or early twenties and it runs in families. Schizophrenia and related disorders have psychotic symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. They may also include, disorganized thinking (like loose associations) and behavior (like silliness or agitation) or incoherent speech. Delusions are false beliefs that may be paranoid or grandiose. Hallucinations are disturbances of the senses. A person may hear voices that are not really there, or see images like people or animals. The delusions and hallucinations are often bizarre or paranoid. Sometimes these symptoms are mixed with episodes of major depression or mania. These are major mental disorders with a high risk of suicide and must be treated by medication. Psychotherapy can help the patient recognize symptoms and be more motivated for treatment.
Child Behavior Problems
Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder are childhood mental disorders that cause significant problems in the home and at school. Symptoms of these disorders overlap and diagnosis can be difficult. Some are concerned that normally energetic or disruptive child behavior may be misdiagnosed as a mental disorder. Careful assessment is needed to ensure that the behavioral problems are actually caused by one of these disorders and are not simply reactions to family or school stress, for example. Careful interviewing of the child, parents and others such as teachers, combined with psychological testing, can usually lead to an accurate diagnosis and an effective treatment plan. While medications can reduce the symptoms of these disorders, it is often wise to try a non-medicine intervention such as family therapy and play therapy to see if the behavioral problems can be reduced enough to enable the child to be successful at school and happy at home.
Attention Problems
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is the diagnosis when a person has persistently poor attention and concentration in work or play and/or is persistently hyperactive or impulsive. These problems begin in childhood and cause lifelong challenges for education and work success. ADHD is found in 3-5% of school age children and is more common among relatives. Children and adults with ADHD can learn to work around this problem through educational and psychotherapeutic interventions. Evidence is growing that children can learn to pay attention better with neurofeedback, a form of therapy that teaches the child to control his brainwave patterns. By first learning what attention “feels like” and then practicing paying attention while playing games, the child trains his brain to pay attention better. Adults can benefit from neurofeedback, too. While medication is highly effective for ADHD, many people prefer a non-medication approach like neurofeedback or family and individual psychotherapy.
Learning Problems
While most learning problems are best assessed and treated by the schools, a parent may seek a more extensive evaluation from a private practitioner, such as a Clinical Psychologist, to determine if the child actually has a learning disorder or is failing academically because of other reasons. Psychological and neuropsychological testing can be very helpful in diagnosing learning disorders. Test results can provide a basis for more effective educational interventions or psychological treatment of the behavioral problems that often go along with learning problems.
Substance Abuse
The abuse of alcohol and drugs can lead to severe problems like dependence and addiction. Other problems are caused simply by their use – like mood and anxiety disorders, sexual dysfunction and sleep disorders. When substance use is causing psychological problems, the substance use must stop before the psychological problems can be solved. In some cases, the substance use issues can be addressed in individual therapy along with the depression or anxiety. In other cases, specialized services such as inpatient programs or intensive outpatient programs must address the substance use issues before any headway can be made in solving the psychological problems. Our clinicians are able to help you determine the best course of action for you, using community resources as well as our own.
Smoking Cessation
Hypnotherapy is a proven treatment for smoking cessation. It can’t help everyone, but for those who are already motivated to stop smoking, one or two sessions of hypnotherapy may be enough to put the cigarettes away and cope well enough with withdrawal symptoms to be successful. This is a low cost service that can lead to a lifetime of rewards in money saved and health improved.
Weight Problems
Hypnotherapy is a proven treatment for overeating. Hypnosis can’t help everyone, but for those who are already motivated to improve their eating habits, hypnotherapy can significantly strengthen the conviction to eat healthier to gain a longer and healthier life. The more severe eating disorders, Anorexia and Bulimia, are best treated by behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.
Sleep Problems
In any given year, up to 30% of adults will complain of a least occasional insomnia. Sleeplessness is distressing itself. But insomnia also causes physical and psychological symptoms. People who suffer from insomnia have less energy and motivation, poorer concentration and more stress-related illnesses such as headaches and gastrointestinal upset. They are more likely to become depressed as well. For many people, simple sleep hygiene education is sufficient to improve sleep. Others can benefit from relaxation training with biofeedback and from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These treatments can greatly improve sleep without the need for sleep medications.
Sexual Problems
The most common sexual problems for which people seek treatment are lack of desire and problems with orgasm. Effective treatment of these problems is dependent on a good understanding of the causes of the problem. Misinformation and performance anxiety often explain the sexual problems of men. Women’s sexual problems are usually more complex and are more likely to involve biological causes. Sexual problems are a good example of the need to take a holistic approach to “mind-body” problems. But poor relationships are often the underlying issue. A variety of treatments are available to address sexual problems – from marital therapy to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to behavioral therapies like systematic desensitization and sensate focus techniques.
Memory Loss
Memory, especially short term memory, is a fragile thing. It can be disturbed by stress or disease. With the rapid increase in the number of cases of dementia, caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s and strokes, and the aging of our population, many people are increasingly concerned about the meaning of everyday failures of short term memory. Neuropsychological testing is the most efficient and effective way to find out if memory problems are normal or not. Neuropsychological testing is the best means of making an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. While Alzheimer’s Disease cannot be cured, memory performance of people in the earlier stages of that and other related diseases can be improved by memory training.
Chronic Pain Problems
Millions of people suffer from headaches, back pain and gastrointestinal pain. These are common causes of lost productivity, failed marriages and increased health care costs. Most chronic pain problems are “mind-body” problems. That is, they are the result of an interaction between physical pain caused by injury or illness and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, insomnia or personality problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and relaxation training with biofeedback are effective interventions to relieve the suffering associated with chronic pain.
Anger
Anger is a natural emotion that can be a symptom of a mental disorder. Anger has its place among human emotions, but anger can cause more problems for us than it solves. When anger is harming work or school performance, or personal relationships, it may be a sign of any one of several mental disorders, from insomnia to schizophrenia. Or it may just be a sign of being stressed out. Anger management training can help people to learn to control their anger as they learn to stop, relax and think before expressing it.