Better Solutions For Your Mental Health

Psychotherapy is known by a few different names: counselling, talk therapy, or simply, therapy. Psychotherapy is a way of treating unwanted thoughts or feelings with the goal of developing healthier habits and coping skills. Psychotherapy is a type of treatment that can help individuals experiencing a wide array of mental health conditions and emotional challenges. Psychotherapy can help not only alleviate symptoms, but also, certain types of psychotherapies can help identify the psychological root causes of one’s condition so a person can function better and have enhanced emotional well-being and healing.

Conditions that can be helped by psychotherapy include coping with stressful life events, the impact of trauma, medical illness or loss such as the death of a loved one; and specific mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. There are several different types of psychotherapy and some types may work better with certain clinical situations. Psychotherapy may be used in combination with medication or other therapies.

Psychologists have studied human behaviour and the brain (including how people think, feel, learn and behave) and have been trained to assist people who are having challenges coping with emotions, thoughts and actions. This can include those experiencing mental health problems in 3 wide areas such as Children, Adults and Geriatrics. Each area may face certain issues like ADHD, Autism, learning issues, Adolescent behaviour problems, anxiety and depression, addictive behaviours, family/relationship issues and dementia. Psychologists use evidence-based approaches that are tailored to suit each client and circumstance and they assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of clients and areas of concern.

Therapy may be conducted in an individual, family, couple, or group setting, and can help both children and adults. A basic screening or detailed psychological assessments shall also be done depending on the issue which leads to diagnosis too. Confidentiality is a basic requirement of psychotherapy.

Sessions are typically held once a week for about 45 to 50 minutes. Both patient and therapist need to be actively involved in psychotherapy. The trust and relationship between a person and his/her therapist is important for working together effectively and making gains from psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy can be short-term (a few weeks to months), dealing with more immediate challenges, or long-term (months to years), dealing with longstanding and complex issues. The goals of treatment and duration and frequency of treatment are discussed by the patient and therapist together.

As early experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain, they also lay the foundations of sound mental health. Disruptions to this developmental process can impair a child’s capacities for learning and relating to others — with lifelong implications Children may develop mental health illnesses. Their symptoms differ from adults such as: Changes in school performance, poor grades despite of consistent effort, hyper activity, recurring nightmares, aggressive behaviour Frequent and unmanageable temper tantrums etc.

Children can show clear characteristics of Anxiety Disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, such as Autism, or concerns of Speech Delay at a very early age.

A counsellor is a mental health professional who holds a postgraduate degree in psychology or counselling psychology, and has significant experience in the mental health field. Counsellors help their clients with resolving emotional, mental, social, interpersonal, relationship and career related conflicts and problems. Counsellors generally specialise within different areas in psychology like career counselling, education counselling, relationship and marriage counselling etc.

A Psychologist is someone having a doctorate with a specialisation in the field of psychology. A psychologist usually conducts research exploring methods of treatment and diagnosis for various mental illnesses and investigates various psychological phenomena. They also commonly teach at universities.

A Clinical Psychologist is a licensed professional with specialised training in dealing with issues pertaining to mental health. Clinical psychologists facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They carry out psychological assessments which are used for the purpose of diagnosis. Only a certified and licensed professional can carry out assessments for the same purpose. Clinical psychologists do not prescribe medication. Medical treatment lies with the psychiatrist who is a medical doctor (MD).

In India, an MPhil is a prerequisite for anyone to be a licensed clinical practitioner, one which is recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

They may also commonly hold PhD or PsyD and, and like counsellors they provide aid to individuals who are experiencing psychological distress. However, they are known to deal with mental illnesses of a more “severe” degree, often working in mental health institutions and hospitals dealing with all age groups and range of psychological/psychiatric disorders.

Psychologists are university trained and registered practitioners holding degree of MA or M.Phil. They have extensive training in research or clinical area. Only Clinical psychologists having licence from RCI can diagnose patient medically and can conduct detailed psychometric assessments. Psychologists assist people with challenges they are facing in their life including depression, anxiety, stress and relationship difficulties, as well as mental health issues. Their focus is on tailoring plans to help their clients develop skills and techniques to cope with difficulties and to prevent on-going issues and they often use a combination of therapies appropriate to the situation. Psychologists or Clinical Psychologists both, cannot prescribe medications to patients.

Psychiatrists are specialist medical doctors with MBBS or BHMS and MD degree, who have obtained additional qualifications to practice in the specialty of psychiatry. They specialise in the diagnosis and medical treatment of mental illness and can prescribe medication as well as using other therapies.

Many people confuse sadness & depression, as the primary emotion attached to depression is being sad. However, these are 2 very different emotional states and must be understood as such. Sadness is a normal emotional state, triggered by an event or act that is difficult, hurtful, fearful, or disappointing. Basically, sadness implies there is a cause to be sad about, an outside catalyst that brings about distress. Resolution of this event leads to the person going back to a happy state. Depression is an abnormal emotional state, where one feels sad about everything. There is a lack of event that may trigger depression; in fact, depressed people often have seemingly perfect lives. A person in a depressed state is not able to enjoy anything, is often irritable, feels fatigued, feels isolated and worthless, is having disturbed sleep, can’t concentrate, and in chronic cases, may have thoughts of suicide. If you or anyone you know is experiencing any of these above symptoms, consult a mental health professional immediately.

Anxiety is a normal emotional state when you are afraid of something or nervous about an event. An anxiety disorder is a mood syndrome where one displays excessive anxiety, worsening every day. One stays in a state of anxiety for months or even years, with no specific trigger. Symptoms include:
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Muscle tension
• Cannot concentrate
• Disturbed sleep pattern
Inability to control worrying

Stress exhibits differently in different people. While some hide their feelings, other turn to alcohol and drugs. Some withdraw from the world whereas some are angry all the time, lashing out at close ones. The common factor with all these people is that they are under stress and are not able to manage it.

Managing stress can be done the following ways:

Talk it out: Find a mental health professional and start talking about your day to day life. Talking it out helps reduce the mental worry one carries with them. Talking to a professional helps you understand your mechanisms and how to deal better with them.

Exercise: Be it the gym or just a run, doing a cardio activity leads to better stress levels
• Meditation
• Breathing exercises
• Choose an activity of your liking