Healthy Life

By: Paul Hata

Nervous breakdown occurs when a person is suffering from severe stress for a very long time. There is a sudden change in the behavioural pattern of the person. A person with nervous breakdown is unable to perform his normal duties as done by him earlier. Some other individuals might experience uncontrollable need to cry, loss of energy, withdrawal, confusion, inability to think clearly, sleep disruption or insomnia and a loss of pleasure in day to day activities, a feeling of worthlessness and depression. These symptoms are termed as the depressive disorders. Effects of Stress, Anxiety and depression
on mental health Whatever is the reason of the breakdown; all the breakdowns have in common- the inability to function as normal. The person suffering from nervous breakdown is actually suffering from some sort of mental disorder. Stress, depression and anxiety are all responsible and are related to the mental disorders. The increase of stress, depression, anxiety levels leads to nervous breakdown. The symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety are lack of energy, exhaustion, trembling hands, disturbed sleeping patterns, excessive worries, irritability, isolation, panic, worthless feelings, guilt, headache, muscle pain, increased heartbeat, loss of sex drive and loss of appetite. Lack of energy is one of the most common symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Even after trying hard to get energized a person cannot achieve that. All finally results in lesser energetic feeling and accounts to lesser motivation level. In a person suffering from stress, depression is mentally exhaustive and hence he is unable to perform his day to day activities normally. No matter even if he takes rest for long hours, he feels exhausted all the time. The trembling symptom is also one of the features of stress and anxiety. Effects of the stressful situations When a person is in a stressful situation the body flows with the powerful chemicals such as the adrenaline. There is a change in the sleeping pattern when the person will tend to sleep too much or sleep only for few hours. Once the stress level decreases then the nightmares will disappear. Excessive worry is another symptom of anxiety, stress even for smallest events in life. The person feels negative about every situation. The sufferers often feel like being alone as they feel awkward around others and rather are alone to avoid this feeling. Loss of appetite is one of the most common features. Reducing food intake further affects energy levels and deprives the body of nourishment, further aggravates stress, depression and anxiety. All these stressful experiences tend to make a person mentally weak and thus, this leads to mental breakdown.

by: Mary Rose

The birth of a baby can trigger a range of powerful emotions such as excitement, joy, even fears. But it can also result in something you might not expect-postpartum depression. It is a condition which affects the mental health of many young mothers. The symptoms are the following: strong feelings of sadness, anxiety, or irritability, emotional stress which interferes with taking care of self or family,tearfulness,trouble to motivate oneself to do normal, routine chores, compulsive overeating or diminished interest in food, lack of interest in self grooming, inability to sleep when tired or too much sleeping, trouble concentrating or making decisions, forgetfulness, loss of pleasure or interest in doing things which used to be fun, undue worry about the baby, lack of interest in the new baby, fear of harming the new baby, thoughts of self harm or suicide. The causes of post partum depression could be hormonal changes. Sometimes the hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger some symptoms. The amount of the two female hormones estrogen and progesterone increase greatly during pregnancy in a woman's body. During the first 24 hours after childbirth, these amounts decrease rapidly and keep dropping till it reaches the normal level. Apart from these biological changes, numerous physical, psychological and environmental factors also contribute to postpartum depression such as fatigue, broken sleeping patterns, insufficient rest etc. There are various breakthroughs in medical sciences dedicated to the mental healthcare of young mothers. The most common treatment for depression is the use of antidepressant medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. The treatment depends on the nature and severity of the depression and to some extent on the individual preference. In severe cases medication is generally recommended under the supervision of a psychiatrist. It is necessary to help young mothers cope with postpartum depression. It is to be borne in mind that everything cannot be done single handedly by the young mother. She should get sufficient rest when the baby sleeps. Friends, relatives or spouse can be solicited to assist in housework, baby care and cooking. The young mother should find time for herself and the spouse. One need not be guilty if the medications make it impossible to breastfeed the baby. A good mother is the one who takes care of herself so that she is able to take care of the baby. When the baby starts to have regular sleep during night, it is time to think about the mother's diet and exercise program to aid her get back into shape. Exercise and proper diet will improve the mood and give a boost to the self esteem as well. Breastfeeding will help to jump start on shedding the baby weight. If depression is interfering with one's ability to take care of the baby, it doesn't make one a bad mother. Be aware of the fact that it is only a passing phase and can be treated effectively. It is imperative to get professional help and follow the doctor's instructions if one is suffering from postpartum depression. Finally, the support of spouse and family is vital to assure mental healthcare of young mothers.