Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts

Monday, January 25, 2016

Brain Training for Anxiety, Depression and Other Mental Conditions

A new treatment for psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety uses real-time scans to show patients how their brains go awry—and how to fix the dysfunction.
The treatment is called neurofeedback.
There is an urgent need for new approaches for psychiatric disorders, particularly depression. Almost 17% of Americans will suffer from major depression during their lifetime, according to a 2012 study published in the International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research.
Not everyone responds to current treatments like antidepressant medication and talk therapy. In one study of almost 3,000 patients, only about 1/3 of them achieved remission from their depression after up to 14 weeks on the drug citalopram (brand name Celexa).
An fMRI scan from a participant in a study using neurofeedback for spider phobia. The study targeted activity in part of the insula, a brain region implicated in sustained anxiety. It is at the center of the white cross. PHOTO:ANNA ZILVERSTAND, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI

Neurofeedback aims to be more precise than current therapies. It directly targets the brain dysfunctions and emotional and cognitive processes that are understood to underlie psychiatric disorders. Doctors hope that treatments could also be personalized to address the issues in each individual’s brain.
Besides depression, neurofeedback is being studied in phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, traumatic brain injury and chronic pain, among other illnesses.
With neurofeedback, “there’s no need to take medication and no need to talk about your mother to a stranger,” says Kymberly Young, a postdoctoral associate at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Okla.
In neurofeedback, patients lie in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. In general, they are told to conjure memories or look at pictures while their brains are scanned. The activity of certain brain regions related to subjects’ illnesses is analyzed via computer. Patients see visual representations of their brain activity almost in real time—often presented in the form of a thermometer or colored bar.
Based on what their brains are doing, subjects are told to enhance or suppress that activity. Patients “need to train their brain like they train their muscles when they want to be fit,” says Anna Zilverstand, a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and lead author of a 2015 study using neurofeedback to treat women with a phobia of spiders
The science on neurofeedback for psychiatric disorders is in its early days. So far, studies are very small and researchers are still figuring out which brain areas to target and how many sessions to try. Results are modest and it is unclear how long the effects of the treatment last. Also, fMRI scans are expensive, costing hundreds of dollars. Some researchers believe that neurofeedback will most likely be used in addition to current medications and talk therapies.
Dr. Young led a study of 23 depressed patients published in 2014 in the journal Plos One. In it, those who received one session of active neurofeedback for their illness saw their scores on a measure of happiness increase significantly more than those in a control group.
The happiness scores in the active group jumped 20%; the control group went up just 2%. Depression scores and an anxiety measure also dropped after treatment. But depression also dropped among those in the control group, and the difference in the drop between the groups wasn’t statistically significant.
In results from a more recent study, Dr. Young says that after two sessions of neurofeedback, depression scores dropped 50%. In the control group, they dropped 10%. These results are not yet published, but were presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry annual meeting in 2015.
Neurofeedback didn’t work for everyone: About 10% of depressed participants had normal amygdala activity at the beginning of the studies. Another 10% of participants couldn’t learn how to regulate the amygdala.
While in the scanner, study subjects were told to recall positive autobiographical memories. At the same time, they were shown an image of a red bar, which coordinated with their own brain activity. Subjects in the active group received feedback from their left amygdala, a part of the brain that processes emotional memories.
The amygdala generally isn’t as active in depressed patients when they think of positive autobiographical events. The level of blunting correlates with the severity of symptoms. The control group also received feedback, but from a part of the brain involved in processing numbers and unrelated to depression. Subjects were then told to make the red bar rise.
Beyond recalling happy memories, subjects weren’t given specific strategies on what to do to boost activity. But Dr. Young says that for women, thinking about childbirth or playing with pets boosted amygdala activity the most. For men, pondering thrilling pursuits like sky diving and sex led to the biggest rises.
Zac Williams recently participated in two of the Tulsa neurofeedback studies for depression. “I was going through a tough time. My father had just died and my girlfriend broke up with me,” says the 26-year-old phone repair technician from Tulsa.
While he was in the scanner and trying to get the red bar to rise, researchers told him to pick several happy memories. He said he thought of getting his first car, a camping trip with friends and his first time riding a motorcycle. But those memories, he said, “weren’t necessarily making the bar go up.” So he tried thinking about funny movies. When he recalled scenes of “Dumb and Dumber,” he says the bar spiked. “It was kind of crazy to see something react based on your thoughts.”

Since the treatment, Mr. Williams says his mood has improved. He says he’s also using the skills he learned in the scanner when he feels down. “If there is something that bogs me down, I try to find a way to make myself laugh,” he says.
While fMRI neurofeedback is only a few years old, its principles have been around for decades. Doctors and researchers have long used electroencephalograms (EEG), tests that record electrical activity, to perform a version of neurofeedback. The approach is particularly popular as a treatment for ADHD in children.
But there are drawbacks with EEG. It is much less precise in targeting brain areas than fMRI, says David Linden, a psychiatrist and professor of translational neuroscience at Cardiff University in Wales who has studied the use of fMRI neurofeedback in depression. In a 2012 study of his, depressed patients saw their symptoms drop by 30% after four sessions of neurofeedback.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are trying a novel approach. Instead of displaying feedback as a chart or temperature gauge, they are using pictures that change based on subjects’ brain activity. Depressed patients tend to have what is known as a negative attention bias: They pay more attention to negative stimuli and have a harder time disengaging from it. The goal of the neurofeedback training is to get depressed patients to disengage from the negative.
In a small pilot study without a control group, depressed patients were shown a series of images while in the scanner. In each one, a sad face was superimposed on a neutral scene, of a living room, for example. Patients were told to focus on the scenes and ignore the faces.
Because emotional stimuli like faces activate certain parts of the brain, the fMRI scan could distinguish what the subjects paid attention to. The image was then changed based on the subjects’ brain activity: The more they paid attention to the scenes, the fainter the faces appeared. Seven depressed adults had three sessions of neurofeedback in a five-day period. Depression symptoms continued to improve during the following month.

Source: The wall street journal
http://www.wsj.com/articles/brain-training-for-anxiety-depression-and-other-mental-conditions-1453144315?mod=trending_now_2

Monday, November 30, 2015

A Comic Perfectly Explaining Why Anxiety & Depression Are So Difficult To Fight


A Comic Perfectly Explaining Why Anxiety & Depression Are So Difficult To Fight



Source:
https://www.facebook.com/thedoctorasky

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

[Testimonial] Bipolar Disorder Treatment Malaysia - Crystal Chong


For years I have dealt with depression, anxiety, moments of crying and suspected having PTSD. 17 years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder by psychiatrist at UMMC. With that I dealt with symptoms with doctors prescriptions having multiple side effects to control symptoms. 

I found SOL integrative wellness centre through the internet and met Hiro Koo. He recommended EEG biofeedback therapy to me. After 10 sessions of the therapy, changes in my symptoms is impressed especially the sleeping quality. Now I can sleep through the night. Besides that, I am now feeling more calm and less emotionally sensitive. Most importantly, I noticed my heart palpitation is reduced which I called it as "anxiety attack".

Thank you for my new life and experience. The therapy is added quality years to my life. I would recommended the therapy. It will change your life!


- Crystal Chong






What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is characterized by unusually large fluctuations in mood such that a person experiences recurrent episodes of depressedmood and episodes of being in an abnormally “elevated, expansive or irritable” mood according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th ed. of the American Psychiatric Society (DSM-IV, 1994). Bipolar disorder was previously known as manic-depressive illness.

Describing Bipolar Disorder

Before describing the diagnostic features of bipolar disorder, it is necessary to understand that the elevated mood mentioned in the definition above is classified into two subtypes; manic, and hypomanic.
The DSM-IV states that a hypomanic episode is distinguished from a manic episode in that hypomania is not so severe as mania and does not lead to “marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or requiring hospitalization”.
Hence the symptoms exhibited in mania and hypomania are similar varying only in degree or intensity and may include:
  • Self esteem significantly elevated above the usual, grandiosity
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Hyperactivity
  • Talking too much and or feeling the need to talk
  • Racing thoughts
  • Increased distractibility
  • An intense drive to attain some goal (sexual, social or career in nature)
  • Engaging in pleasurable activities without considering the long term consequences e.g. buying a condominium on the spur of the moment perhaps without the necessary financial means.


Source:
http://www.psychologymatters.asia/common_mental_illness/17/bipolar-disorder.html

Monday, July 6, 2015

Treating ADHD, Anxiety, Depression: Here are 6 Important Things Your Doctors Won't Tell You

Treating ADHD, Anxiety, Depression: Here are 6 Important Things Your Doctors Won't Tell You. 



1. Your child is most likely suffering from a nutritional deficiency and/or a food sensitivity

2. Genetically modified foods (GMOs), food preservatives & chemicals are contributing to many of your child's attention, focus, sleep issues and even psychiatric symptoms. 

3. For every medication that benefits a person, there is a natural plant or remedy that can achieve the same result without the consequence of side-effects. 

4. Our emotions are largely governed by the state of our intestinal system. There is more serotonin in our bowels then in our brain. 

5. Research has shown that the brain has a tremendous amount of neuroplasticity. Brain training therapies such as Brain Balance, Integrative Reflex, Vision & EEG biofeedback can make a world of difference. 

6. The body has a greater ability to heal than anyone has permitted you to believe and recovery is possible without the need for potentially dangerous medication. 




Source: www.healingwithouthurting.com

Sunday, June 7, 2015

[Exhibitor] National Cancer Survivors Day 2015


I am here and I care!

It is an honour to be invited to participate in National Cancer Survivors Day 2015 which organized by the National Cancer Society Malaysia. Managing mental health needs is a crucial part for cancer patients or survivors. My role today is to provide brain assessment, support and treatment advice if necessary. 

There is a healthtalk on how the clinical hypnotherapy able to help cancer patients and cancer survivors. In fact, clinical hypnotherapy has proven to be extremely valuable in the treatment of cancer. Hypnosis has been shown to be effective for decreasing chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in children with cancer. 

Indeed, hypnotherapy is an effective supplement therapy in the management of terminally ill cancer patients in a hospice setting. It is useful in addressing: 
(1) management of anxiety, depression, anger, and frustration; 
(2) management of pain, fatigue, and insomnia; 
(3) management of side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy; 
(4) visualization to promote health improvement. 
By successfully addressing these areas, studies have shown that hypnotherapy improves the individual quality of life and life expectancy. Further, there is a quantifiable cost savings to the hospital in terms of reduced medication and need for medical care.
One of the most well-known techniques involves the use of “positive mental images” of a strong army of white blood cells killing cancer cells. One 10-year follow-up study involving 86 women with cancer showed that a year of weekly “supportive/ expressive” group therapy significantly increased survival duration and time from recurrence to death. Postoperative complications and hospitalizations for the hypnotic intervention group are significantly shorter than the norm.

You can read this review:
"Hypnosis for Cancer Care: Over 200 Years Young" - The goal of this review was to summarize the empirical literature on hypnosis as an integrative cancer prevention and control technique. We have reviewed where hypnosis has strong support for its efficacy (surgery and other invasive procedures), where it holds promise (weight loss, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, metastatic disease), and where more work is needed.
Neuro-hypnotherapy is first of its kind in Malaysia developed by myself by combining technology (EEG biofeedback) and art of science (Clinical Hypnotherapy) which is best of two worlds. 
Feel free to contact me for a free brain assessment session. 





For more information on volunteering opportunities, you can contact the NCSM.




Source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755455/
http://web.wellness-institute.org/blog/bid/399323/The-Use-of-Hypnosis-in-Treating-Cancer

Saturday, March 28, 2015

马来西亚自律神经失调与治疗:调好自律神经

自律神經失調可以輕易治癒 

 臨床上時常遇到病患有許多的不舒服症狀,但是做過了各種檢查,卻找不出病因,藥物治療效果也不佳,這些絕大部分都是自律神經失調所引起的。這些問題長期困擾著病患,影響了他們的工作與生活作息,而醫療人員雖耗費了許多寶貴的醫療資源,卻無法提供滿意的治療,原因在於過去的醫學對神經系統的調控機制尚無法正確掌控。相應神經調節療法(逆行性神經療法)是在對神經調控機制的完整了解後,所獲得的突破性療法,可以輕易透過神經調控機轉治癒許多神經失調疾病。


何謂自律神經系統
自律神經包括交感與副交感神經,它受到人的感情、情緒與感官所影響,人體會自動依照需要而做出適當的反應,它的功能主要是控制心跳、呼吸、腸胃蠕動、排汗、睡眠等非意識控制的機能。
    交感神經的作用是使心跳加速、呼吸加快、胃腸蠕動變慢、體溫上升、流汗、血壓升高等,使身體的各主要器官系統的活動力增加,以應付外來的緊急狀況如壓力、焦慮、緊張、恐懼等;副交感神經的作用則與交感神經相反,它使心跳變慢、呼吸平穩緩慢、腸胃蠕動變快、血壓下降等,使身體主要的器官系統活動力降低,達到身體休息與睡眠的狀態。交感與副交感神經的交互作用可以使神經系統既可以應付壓力又可以獲得足夠的休息,以達到平衡狀態。



一群西方學者組隊到非洲考察,請當地原住民當嚮導及挑夫,兼程趕路,前三天都很順利,原住民吃苦耐勞,沒有怨言,但到了第四天,原住民卻不肯出發了。 

是哪裡得罪他們了,還是在要脅加錢?考察隊隊員不解。這時,原住民的頭領解釋道:「 按照我們的傳統,如果連續三天趕路,第四天必須停下來休息一天,以免靈魂趕不上我們的腳步。 」 

現代人日復一日地「趕路」,趕到沒時間停下來思考為何而趕,趕到大小病痛都來報到。 

慢,慢,慢 

非洲原住民的生活智慧,竟與自律神經保健之道不謀而合。「要調節自律神經,一言以蔽之,就是『慢』。慢慢呼吸、慢慢行動、慢慢生活,」日本順天堂大學外科教授小林弘幸在《自律神經健康人50招》中提醒。 

他指出,現代人的自律神經失調多半是交感神經過度亢奮,「慢」能提升稍顯低下的副交感神經,讓自律神經傾斜的天秤恢復平衡。 



Newmindcentre.com治疗团队所能提供的治疗方法包括:
1.脑波反馈催眠疗法啟動副交感神經,安定身心 
副交感神經的作用在于它使心跳變慢、呼吸平穩緩慢、腸胃蠕動變快、血壓下降等,使身體主要的器官系統活動力降低,達到身體休息與睡眠的狀態。

2.Newmindcentre.com咨询师将教导您使用食物保養神經的作用穩定 
大腦中有許多神經細胞,靠神經傳導物質當「傳令兵」,幫忙傳達指令,身體各部位一收到訊息,就會有所反應。 
神經傳導物質有上百種,其中和情緒、壓力有關的包括多巴胺、正腎上腺素、血清素等。好消息是,一些食物可以增加神經傳導物質的濃度,維持神經的作用穩定,不妨適量攝取。 

3.運動是一種好壓力,改善自律神經的功能 
壓力並非全然是壞事,適度壓力是好的,「運動就是一種好壓力,」精神科醫師楊明仁解釋,運動可以消耗讓人緊繃的腎上腺素,腦內啡和血清素則會增加,讓人放鬆、愉悅。 


吳立偉指出,規律運動可以改善自律神經的功能。最新研究顯示,第二型糖尿病患者合併自律神經失調,經15個月持續中等強度的有氧運動,可改善自律神經功能並幫助控制血糖。 

不是汗如雨下、氣喘如牛才算運動,小林弘幸推崇健走是效果最好、最安全的運動。 

因為運動量過大(如快跑),會造成呼吸淺而快,拉高交感神經的作用,副交感神經的作用下降,「這樣不但不能維持健康,甚至還可能加速老化,」而且呼吸短淺會讓末梢血液流動下降,代表氧氣及營養難以送到末梢神經及細胞,細胞便難以發揮功能。「如果考量健康,讓呼吸變短淺的運動是不好的,」他認為。反觀健走並不會讓人喘不過氣,還可邊走邊深呼吸,讓副交感神經活絡,並把氧氣和營養運送到每個細胞。 

4. 教导您个人化的自我催眠,从而改善睡眠质感
熬夜、睡眠不足也是自律神經的大敵。「不論一個人的自律神經原本多平衡,單單睡眠不足這一擊就足以讓他的自律神經失衡,」小林弘幸指出。 
長庚醫院腦神經外科教授張承能說,夜間本來是副交感神經發揮的時間,人自然想休息,硬是熬夜不睡、保持清醒,等於刺激交感神經繼續運作,副交感神經無從發揮,久而久之不但自律神經失調,其他的健康紅燈也一一亮起。「熬夜的人容易高血壓。」 

5.到戶外曬太陽、流汗,恢復自律神經調節體溫的能力 
流汗也是由自律神經控制,吳立偉指出,現代人長期依賴空調,身體調節體溫的功能愈來愈弱,這也是自律神經失調的原因之一。建議不要過於依賴冷暖氣,走到戶外曬曬太陽、呼吸新鮮空氣、流點汗,對調節自律神經是好事。 

6. Newmindcentre.com临床催眠师
透过观察你的五感反应来推荐适当保健品,让您可利用五感舒緩神經 
諮商心理師邱永林說,視覺、聽覺、嗅覺、味覺、觸覺等五感,都會影響自律神經,比如某人心跳的速度大約每分鐘90~100下,若想放鬆,便可聽速度比心跳慢的音樂。他解釋,這是「帶走」現象,也就是身心會受到外在環境的影響,聽了節奏慢的音樂,心跳會隨之慢下來。
氣味也有效果。 比如薄荷、洋蔥、辣椒可刺激自律神經,如果希望自己有精神,不妨聞這些味道;反之如果想放鬆,就用薰衣草等柔和的香氣,讓副交感神經活躍一些。 

7. Newmindcentre.com咨询师将幫助您发泄情緒,不讓起伏的心情打亂自律神經的節奏 
心情起伏過大,會打亂自律神經的節律。吳立偉說,情緒過於高亢(緊張、不安、興奮等)或過於低落(悲傷、沮喪、失望、鬱悶等),都會阻礙交感與副交感神經正常運作,引發失調。




文章大部分内容摘取自以下网站,在此感谢以下作者为患者提供宝贵的资料:
http://www.commonhealth.com.tw/article/article.action?nid=66835&page=4
http://anscare.com.tw/
http://www.raphaelmedical.com.tw/index3.php?ad=1&p=112&b=7&ly=3

Neuro-hypnotherapy or EEG biofeedback for depression

The mind-body connection is prevalent in many diseases. 



What Research Says?


Cognitive hypnotherapy for major depressive disorder.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22655331



Suggestion in the treatment of depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488249/




The power of belief and expectancy in understanding and management of depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488252/



Out-of-illness experience: hypnotically induced dissociation as a therapeutic 
resource in treating people with obstinate mental disorders.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19711767



Feasibility of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: a case study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23427841



Efficacy of hypnosis-based treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a pilot study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23162510/



Antidepressants in the treatment of depression: the clinician and the controversy.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488250



Treating depression with antidepressants: 
drug-placebo efficacy debates limit broader considerations.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488253



Game-based biofeedback for paediatric anxiety and depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/2294290




Is alpha wave neurofeedback effective with randomized 
clinical trials in depression? A pilot study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21063132



A new neurofeedback protocol for depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21568194



Audio-biofeedback training for posture and balance in 
patients with Parkinson's disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21693054/?



Biofeedback therapy for symptoms of bowel dysfunction 
following surgery for colorectal cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21755415/


Bowel biofeedback treatment in patients with 
multiple sclerosis and bowel symptoms.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21825891/



Biofeedback in the treatment of heart disease.
'' Preliminary data suggest that use of BFSM (biofeedback-assisted stress 
management) by heart failure patients may actually cause cellular and
molecular remodeling of the failing heart in the direction of normal
. ''

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21972325

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

5 Genetically-linked Mental Disorders


It turns out that bipolar disorder has a genetic link to at least four other mental illnesses: autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major unipolar depression and schizophrenia. Since depression is part of bipolar disorder, it’s not surprising that unipolar depression might be related and any search for bipolar disorder is going to bring up schizophrenia. The others came as more of a surprise. The surprising thing is that there seems to be this same group of genes present in those of us with these mental illnesses that is responsible for these disorders and the one you end up with is dependent on how they express. Basically, roll the mental illness dice and see what comes up! Okay it’s not at all that simple, but when I first read about this, that’s what I felt like.



Let’s review. There are several potential causes of mental illness. We haven’t figured out exactly what does cause mental illness but the main theories currently involve genetics, brain structure, environment, and traumatic experience, among others.
  • With genetics, it’s more likely that multiple family members will have mental illnesses.
  • Imaging has shown that brain structures in those with mental illness do not function quite the same as those of the general population.
  • Environment is, unfortunately, an incredibly broad category. It can stem from an uncontrollable, in-utero occurrence, to drug use or exposure later in life.
  • Traumatic experience is fairly self-explanatory. It can be physical, social or psychological. An important thing to remember about trauma is that it is perceived trauma. If two people have the same experience, one may not experience the same level of trauma as the other. This doesn’t mean one person is stronger or better than the other. It’s just how the brain processes events at the time.
Back to genetics for a minute. If you have one of these psychological disorders in your genetic bloodline, you’re more likely to inherit a disorder, but it may not be the exact same disorder. It could be one of the other four. In fact, just because you have the gene doesn’t mean you will have a disorder at all! There has to be a stressor. Stressors go back to what I was talking about with environment and trauma. Basically, something has to happen in order for the gene to activate. There’s no real way to know, but I’m almost certain my stressor was the death of my grandfather. I’d had problems before that, but it really felt like everything went downhill from there.

It really isn’t just a role of the dice to see which of these disorders will present if the stressor is triggered. Pinning down the diagnosis is hard as it is. Most of the time, diagnosis for these disorders is a long process. They do have some overlapping symptoms, but they can be very few and more subtle. This link blurs the lines further.
Fortunately, (well, fortunately may not be a great word for anything related to this topic) there are correlations between the different illnesses and which ones may show up in other family members. Autism and ADHD are less likely to present than the others. However, ADHD is linked to childhood bipolar disorder. The earlier the onset of ADHD symptoms, the more severe the bipolar disorder. If bipolar disorder expresses in late childhood to adolescence, the severity of ADHD is lower.

The highest linked disorders are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, meaning if someone in your family has schizophrenia you are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than major depressive disorder. If you have major depressive disorder, your children are more likely to develop ADHD than some of the others. Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder have the weakest link.

Research on this is still being done. Research on mental illness in general is huge. We just don’t know enough about the brain and how neuropsychology works. Findings like these genetic links are helpful. They are a step in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go.




Source:
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar-laid-bare/2015/03/linked-disorders/

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Success Story (Depression and poor quality sleep with excessive dreaming)

Miss Ng has suffered from depression and poor quality sleep with excessive dreaming for more than 5 years. 
She has been prescribed anti depressant as well as drug for depression and sleep problem. 
She knows about our neuro-hypnotherapy service through Internet and she wants to try it as it is an evidence based practice (She is able to view her own brain waves). 

After 3 neuro-hypnotherapy sessions, her life become more dynamic, more positivie, with new ways of looking at things. 

The biggest difference that she has noticed is her sleep quality. Now her dreams decrease in frequency and her sleep quality and sleep quantity rise significantly. Now she able to sleep all the way till morning and able to focus more easily. 


She enjoyed the service here because of the high-quality healthcare treatments delivered in a relaxed environment. She also told us that after her neuro-hypnotherapy session, her psychiatry doctor reduced her dosage to lower amount and decrease visit frequency from once a month to every 3 months after noticed her improvement. Overall, she feels that our service is really helpful and it deals directly with the root causes of her problem. Compared to other forms of therapy such as counseling, she prefers to use neuro-hypnotherapy service as it is brief therapy and evidence based practice.



Remark: Our client's information will be kept strictly confidential all the time. All
reviews have been acknowledged and provided by past and current clients of Spectrum of Life proactive healthcare centre (Clinical Hypnotherapist Koo). Clients names have been changed to protect their identity. 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

催眠治疗抑郁症

在生活中人們背負著很多的壓力,壹旦這些壓力長久的無法排泄出來,就會讓人抑郁。抑郁癥給人們帶來的危害很大,嚴重影響人們的身體健康,今天小編就來給大家介紹壹些抑郁癥的壹些表象,解開催眠療法是否能治愈抑郁癥的謎底。大家請看下文。


抑郁癥的表現:

  1.心境低落
  心理抑郁輕者使人長久的神情低落、悲觀。重則會讓人有種生不如死、悲觀絕望的心理狀態。

  典型患者的抑郁心境有晨重夜輕的節律變化。在心境低落的基礎上,患者會出現自我評價降低,產生無用感、無望感、無助感和無價值感,常伴有自責自罪,嚴重者出現罪惡妄想和疑病妄想,部分患者可出現幻覺。

  2.思維遲緩
  患者思維聯想速度緩慢,反應遲鈍,思路閉塞,自覺“腦子好像是生了銹的機器”,“腦子像塗了壹層糨糊壹洋”。臨床上可見主動言語減少,語速明顯減慢,聲音低沈,對答困難,嚴重者交流無法順利進行。

  3.意誌活動減退
  抑郁癥患者的意誌活動是很櫃乏的。壹些權威機構研究表明,抑郁癥患者的生活非常的被動,而且他也不願與周圍的人有交往,經常的閉門獨居、疏遠親友和回避社交。

  嚴重時連吃、喝等生理需要和個人衛生都不顧,蓬頭垢面、不修邊幅,甚至發展為不語、不動、不食,稱為“抑郁性木僵”,但仔細精神檢查,患者仍流露痛苦抑郁情緒。伴有焦慮的患者,可有坐立不安、手指抓握、搓手頓足或踱來踱去等癥狀。嚴重的患者常伴有消極自殺的觀念或行為。消極悲觀的思想及自責自罪、缺乏自信心可萌發絕望的念頭,認為“結束自己的生命是壹種解脫”,“自己活在世上是多余的人”,並會使自殺企圖發展成自殺行為。這是抑郁癥最危險的癥狀,應提高警惕。

 4.認知功能損害
  研究認為抑郁癥患者存在認知功能損害。主要表現為近事記憶力下降、註意力障礙、反應時間延長、警覺性增高、抽象思維能力差、學習困難、語言流暢性差、空間知覺、眼手協調及思維靈活性等能力減退。認知功能損害導致患者社會功能障礙,而且影響患者遠期預後。

  5.軀體癥狀
  主要有睡眠障礙、乏力、食欲減退、體重下降、便秘、身體任何部位的疼痛、性欲減退、陽痿、閉經等。軀體不適的體訴可涉及各臟器,如惡心、嘔吐、心慌、胸悶、出汗等。自主神經功能失調的癥狀也較常見。病前軀體疾病的主訴通常加重。睡眠障礙主要表現為早醒,壹般比平時早醒2~3小時,醒後不能再入睡,這對抑郁發作具有特征性意義。有的表現為入睡困難,睡眠不深;少數患者表現為睡眠過多。體重減輕與食欲減退不壹定成比例,少數患者可出現食欲增強、體重增加。


  催眠真的可以治療抑郁癥嗎?
  發生抑郁現象的人很難適應現實生活。導致抑郁的原因無體止地縈回在他們的腦際,使他們 總是感到自己陷於痛苦的深淵而無力自拔。
  在心理上,缺乏生命活力,對什麽都不感興趣,註意力難以集中,總是感到疲勞,感到神經衰弱;情緒十分不穩定,意氣消沈,感到前途渺茫,命運多件。長期遭受抑郁癥的折磨,必然導致心智的損害而對工作、對事業、對前途作出錯誤的判 斷,由此造成的危害無法估量。
  在生理上,處於抑郁狀態時,人體調節功能紊亂,出現血壓上升,心跳變慢,胃腸蠕動遲緩;由於血液循環不好,導致皮膚失去紅潤,四肢發冷,日漸憔悴;由於荷爾蒙分必活動減弱, 導致各種生命活動減弱,於是,高血壓、冠心病、消化性漬痛、食欲不振、便秘、頭痛、失眠、 早衰。各種疾病接踵而來。
  盡管我們知道了抑郁發生的原因和表現的癥狀,要想治療這種病癥卻非易事,因為這是壹種與個人性格素質有關的心理疾病,只有改造患者的人格素質,才有可能從根本上杜絕抑郁癥的發生機會。
在壹般情況下,要想讓患者"忘卻過去或眼下的不幸"或者"不要為遙遠的將來傷太多的腦筋",是不會收到什麽效果的。因為患者的素質決定了他"壹定會這樣想",是改變不了的。

  催眠療法可以在催眠的狀態下,使患者的下意識被改造,亦即使患者在催眠狀態中加強自我意識 化,提高自我認識、自我觀察、自我了解、自我分析的能力,從而加強個性素質,才能從根本上戰勝抑郁。

  
心理治療

  對有明顯心理社會因素作用的抑郁發作患者,在藥物治療的同時常需合並心理治療。常用的心理治療方法包括支持性心理治療、認知行為治療、人際治療、婚姻和家庭治療、精神動力學治療等,其中認知行為治療對抑郁發作的療效已經得到公認。


物理治療

  有嚴重消極自殺企圖的患者及使用抗抑郁藥治療無效的患者可采用改良電抽搐(MECT)治療。電抽搐治療後仍需用藥物維持治療。近年來又出現了壹種新的物理治療手段——重復經顱磁刺激(rTMS)治療,主要適用於輕中度的抑郁發作。

  總結:抑郁癥嚴重困擾人們的身心健康,在現在生活中人們對於心理疾病並不是很在乎,所以很多的心理疾病都是因為人們的忽視才找上門來。在現在的醫學上,催眠是人們發現的又壹治療抑郁的途徑,在文章裏小編給大家介紹了壹些催眠治療抑郁的知識,大家要多多了解喲。



资料来源:http://tw.gigacircle.com/1235353-1