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Mental Health |
| Mental Health issues are often ignored by people in our age group. We sometimes ignore symptoms associated with mental disorders and attribute these conditions to stress and or attempt to mask these symptoms with the use of drugs and or alcohol. The following information is to be used as reference and should not replace consultation or medication of any kind. We hope this helps. |
| Mental illnesses are common health conditions. Information about the signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment for: |
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Anxiety Disorders |
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Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year, 1 causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder. |
| Effective therapies for anxiety disorders are available, and research is uncovering new treatments that can help most people with anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. If you think you have an anxiety disorder, you should seek information and treatment right away. |
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For more information, visit http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/anxiety.cfm#anx1 |
| Borderline Personality Disorder |
| People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders. |
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| Sound like someone you know? |
| Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women. 1 There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases. 2, 3 Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations. 4 Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives., substance abuse, and other personality disorders. |
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For symptoms and more information, visit http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bpd.cfm |
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Depression |
| Depression is a serious medical illness; it's not something that you have made up in your head. It's more than just feeling "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. It's feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for weeks at a time. |
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In other words, It's serious shit. In any given year roughly %10 of Americans will suffer from depression. Please visit the website for the National Institute of Mental health for more information at
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm#ptdep1 |
| Eating Disorders |
| Read this, seriously. If you feel you need more information, please visit http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/eatingdisorders.cfm |
| Eating disorders are not due to a failure of will or behavior; rather, they are real, treatable medical illnesses in which certain maladaptive patterns of eating take on a life of their own. The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. 1 A third type, binge-eating disorder, has been suggested but has not yet been approved as a formal psychiatric diagnosis. 2 Eating disorders frequently develop during adolescence or early adulthood, but some reports indicate their onset can occur during childhood or later in adulthood. |
| Eating is controlled by many factors, including appetite, food availability, family, peer, and cultural practices, and attempts at voluntary control. Dieting to a body weight leaner than needed for health is highly promoted by current fashion trends, sales campaigns for special foods, and in some activities and professions. Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme and unhealthy reduction of food intake or severe overeating, as well as feelings of distress or extreme concern about body shape or weight. Researchers are investigating how and why initially voluntary behaviors, such as eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, at some point move beyond control in some people and develop into an eating disorder. Studies on the basic biology of appetite control and its alteration by prolonged overeating or starvation have uncovered enormous complexity, but in the long run have the potential to lead to new pharmacologic treatments for eating disorders. |
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| Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. |
| More info at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/ocdmenu.cfm |
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) |
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. Additional information at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/anxiety.cfm#anx4 |
| Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder) |
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Social Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation — such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others — or, in its most severe form, may be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people. Please refer to http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/anxiety.cfm#anx5 for additional information. |
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You can find additional disorders and treatment information at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/. The National Institute of Mental Health provided our website with most, if not all of the information listed above. Please visit their website to address your doubts and concerns regarding mental health. |
| Sexual Health |
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The past 30 years of sexual freedom have left us with some baggage. What is this baggage we speak of you might ask? Let us tell you, sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). They're out there, and they are very common. We are not trying to scare you into not having sex; we are providing this information as an educational and reference resource.
According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over half of sexually active men in the United States (U.S.) will have HPV at some time in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. And how does one detect HPV? Good question. Answer: no one knows, there is currently no known test for the detection of HPV (aside from visual recognition).
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Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.
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| Chlamydia- |
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is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis , which can damage a woman's reproductive organs. Even though symptoms of chlamydia are usually mild or absent, serious complications that cause irreversible damage, including infertility, can occur "silently" before a woman ever recognizes a problem. Chlamydia also can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man. Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States.
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Herpes- |
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#Whatis the first outbreak. Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm |
| Gonorrhea |
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- is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae , a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.
Gonorrhea is a very common infectious disease. CDC estimates that more than 700,000 persons in the U.S. get new gonorrheal infections each year. Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States , the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults, and African Americans.
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| Syphilis |
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-is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum . It has often been called “the great imitator” because so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases. |
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Many people infected with syphilis do not have any symptoms for years, yet remain at risk for late complications if they are not treated. Although transmission appears to occur from persons with sores who are in the primary or secondary stage, many of these sores are unrecognized. Thus, most transmission is from persons who are unaware of their infection.
Complications from Syphilis killed Al Capone, get more info at http://www.cdc.gov/std/Syphilis/STDFact-Syphilis.htm |
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These are just a few of the STD's that currently make the rounds. There are other STD's one should be aware of. We have not provided information regarding HIV or Aids because we feel that there are organizations better qualified to do so. We recommend you start at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm. Most of the information listed above was provided by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not meant to replace treatment or consultation by a trained professional. The information provided should serve as reference only. For additional information please visit the CDC center's website at http://www.cdc.gov/index.htm |
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For additional health information regarding consumer health decision making, preventive services, and health care cost, use and delivery, visit http://www.ahrq.gov
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Web site provides practical health care information, research findings, and data to help consumers, health providers, health insurers, researchers, and policymakers make informed decisions about health care issues. |
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| The Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group has been meeting since '92. www.maaddsg.org . | |
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