The 3 Types of Children Who Bully Their Parents

All children have unique personalities and temperaments, but kids who bully their parents have very particular traits, and three most prevalent styles:

1. The Defiant Bully

• Is your kid always opposing you?
• Does your kid blackmail you?
• Are you afraid of your kid’s anger?

The most challenging of the bullying personality types, these in-your-face kids are exceedingly confrontational and oppositional. If you say, "Go right,” they will go left. If you say, "Sit still,” they will run. Impulsive, impatient, and reckless, defiant bullies want to live on their own terms. They reject every attempt parents make to manage their behavior. If you’re a single parent, defiant kids can be particularly aggressive: With only one parent to focus on, you’re likely to get a double-dose of defiance.

Self-righteous and puffed up with false confidence, such kids delight in debate—and are determined to win every argument. For them, being “right” takes priority over being respectful or getting along. When you try to stand up to their bullying, they may turn obsessive and harass you until you give in. Determined to get their way, they’ll stop at nothing.

Good News and Bad News

Defiance is not necessarily a problematic trait. Many artists, inventors, designers, and original thinkers have a healthy defiant streak. They pioneer new ways of thinking because they oppose conventions. They use their defiance as a creative force for inspiration and vision. In other words, when defiance is fused with ambition and channeled into creativity, it is progressive. Defiant kids have a lot of unbridled and unfocused energy. The challenge is to help them channel it into a positive outlet.

But in fact, every well-adjusted kid has a healthy dose of defiance. If children are too cooperative or accommodating, they lack definition and leave no lasting imprint on others. You don’t want your kid to agree with you all the time. You want her to have her own opinions and views.

Now here’s the bad news about defiance: It takes a lot of effort to help a kid with a defiant bullying style see any relationship as a two-way street—and the longer the pattern has been in place, the more difficult it is to reverse. It takes energy and commitment to help a defiant kid break old habits and foster new ones.

What Drives the Defiant Kid?

Underneath the bravado of defiance is a kid who, for some reason, feels unrecognized and undervalued. She lives with a fear of others forgetting her or leaving her out. No matter how much attention she gets, positive or negative, it’s rarely enough.

You’d never know how vulnerable defiant kids feel because they conceal their insecurities so well. And yet ultimately, defiance is a form of dependency. Here’s why: In order to feel whole, defiant kids must have something to defy. Pushing against someone or something gives them a false sense of strength. For example, imagine a kid leaning against a wall. He may appear secure but what happens when you take the wall away? He falls down. Defiance works in the same way: Without someone or something to defy, defiant kids can’t keep their stance.

What do defiant kids gain from their defiance? Defiance forms a protective barrier against interpersonal insecurities, providing a temporary identity for kids who feel uncertain about their individuality. Kids with a defiant bullying style are easily misinterpreted: Their defiance creates the illusion that they are strong and secure, when actually it’s just the opposite. Spend enough time with defiant kids and you’ll sense their insecurities just below the surface.

2. The Anxious Bully

• Is your kid continually on the verge of a breakdown?
• Does she need constant comforting and reassuring?
• Are his angst-filled monologues wearing you down?

Anxious children tend to oscillate between clinging to their parents and pushing them away. Of course, it’s natural for kids to turn to their parents for comfort, but an anxious kid’s fretfulness is exhausting. Anxious children have little or no self-soothing skills. The moment they feel threatened or frightened, they run to their parents for reassurance. Once they receive comfort, they reject their parents again—and so the cycle repeats itself.

In their heart, anxious kids don’t want to be dependent on their parents, but they can’t break free of their reliance on them. They appear less outwardly aggressive than defiant kids, but their bullying—powered by constant neediness—is no less intense. Here’s the worst part: If anxious kids don’t learn to be self-reliant, their parents will become enablers. When this happens, the kids rarely leave home or find their own way in the world: Lovethat enables ultimately disempowers.

Good News and Bad News

The good news: Unlike defiant kids who outwardly rebel, anxious kids are too fearful to put themselves in dangerous situations, so they rarely engage in risky behaviors. Parents are more likely to beg them to leave their rooms and venture out into the world. But the more parents try to push them out the door, the more anxious kids will dig in. Hunkering down in a bedroom is far more satisfying than the unknowns that lie beyond it. For anxious kids, the familiar always wins over the unknown.

The bad news: Anxious children have trouble growing up. Anything chancy, anything that involves risk, increases their anxiety. As a result, they miss out on many opportunities for growth.

What Drives the Anxious Kid to Bully?

Parents of anxious kids often wonder:

• as my kid born anxious?​
• Am I doing something wrong?
• Is something that I don’t know about causing him anxiety?

These are great questions, but rather than getting caught in the old dilemma of nature vs.nurture, consider nature and nurture to get a clear diagnostic picture. For example, let’s consider your child’s age, temperament, and family history:

• Is there a history of anxiety in your family?
• Have you had difficulties with anxiety?
• Has your kid always been anxious, or did it come on suddenly?

If your family has a history of anxiety, it’s more likely that your child inherited this trait. Also keep in mind that anxiety is contagious: Parents who are anxious, or families that are filled with conflict and angst, are more likely to produce anxious children.

But even if your child seems wired for anxiety, there are plenty of things you can do to break the cycle. First, let’s look for changes in his or her environment that could be generating anxiety:

• Have there been any modifications in family routines, such as moving, changing schools, or starting a new class?
• Are your child’s social insecurities ongoing or recent?
• Did he or she experience a traumatic event?

Sudden changes in mood or temperament usually have clear precipitating events, which are easy to spot and typically affect the whole family. Developmental shifts, however, many will overlook: For example, it’s common for many kids to develop off-the-wall anxiety as they enter adolescence. This stage, with its surge of hormones, massive psychological shifts, and physiological maturation triggers enormous insecurities in preteens and teens. Many kids who were calm, cool, and collected in elementary school suddenly turn turbulent in middle and high school. We refer to these responses to adolescence asnormative developmental crises.

3. The Manipulative Bully

• Is your kid an excellent liar?
• Does he know how to exploit your fears?
• Are you blackmailed with threats of self-harm?

If you suffer fears and insecurities about your parenting, it won’t take long for a manipulative bullying child to home in on them, particularly if you are an anxious or guiltyparent. Phony illness or injuries, elaborate plots, extortion, blackmail—these are the tools that the manipulative bully uses to extort his wants and needs from his parents by preying on their anxieties and generating self-doubt.

This can make the manipulative bully sound like a monster, destined to ruin a family. Of course, that’s not true: Just as with the defiant and anxious bullying styles, the manipulative bully is trying to manage his fears and insecurities, in this case by controlling his environment and everyone in it. Getting to the root of his fears, and helping him put them into words, is key to helping a manipulative bully develop better ways of relating.

​
From Conflict to Cooperation

Naturally, children’s personalities are too complex to fit into such tidy little categories. The bullying styles discussed here offer a lens through which to view your own child’s behavior. With a clearer understanding of his or her bullying style, you will gain a deeper understanding of the child's inner life and be better prepared to steer your relationship in a new direction. Keep in mind that beneath the tough exterior of every bully is a scared child, constantly wrestling with insecurities and worries. Bullying is an expression of this internal unrest. By understanding what makes your bully tick, you will gain insight into the nature of her fears, better understand the forces that fuel her bullying, and become poised to take action to restore balance.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-kids-call-the-shots/201604/the-3-types-children-who-bully-their-parents?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志 - J Mental by Hiro Koo (July 2016 Issue) 失眠症

 

在我中心里，因失眠问题而求医的人不计其数。

许多人在练习了我教导的自我催眠法后，睡眠都得以改善。

承蒙茉莉杂志对心理健康的醒觉活动，我有这个机会跟大家分享一套简易的助眠秘籍。

现在就去临近书摊找出7月份的<Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志>,

你就可以学到一个由我教导的简单易学自我催眠术来改善你的睡眠质感哦！

 

How to Stop Emotional Eating

Emotional eating means turning to food for comfort, not because you’re hungry. That bag of potato chips and those chocolate chip cookies may appeal when you feel bad. But the relief doesn't last, and it can make you overeat and gain weight.
You can learn other ways to manage those feelings, so that you have don't reach for unhealthy foods when you feel sad, stressed, anxious, or angry.

7 Ways to Stop the Trigger

When you notice that you are about to eat because you don't feel good, look for healthy things you could do until the urge to eat passes. For instance:

1. Talk to a friend.
2. Read a book or magazine, or listen to music.
3. Go for a walk or jog.
4. Meditate or do deep breathing exercises.
5. Play a game.
6. Do housework, laundry, or yard work.
7. Write an email.

Keep a food diary. Write down what and when you eat, and what thoughts or emotions you have at each meal or snack. You may find patterns. For instance, you might notice that you eat for social reasons, such as when other people encourage you to eat or to fit in with a group.
You may also want to work with a mental health profession. It's a good place to plan other ways to handle your emotions and how you relate to food.

Source:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/stop-emotional-eating

[Workshop]南方大学学院催眠工作坊Hypnosis workshop for students of Southern University College

Retrieved from: http://www.southern.edu.my/chinese/news/news.php?id=869

谢谢南方大学辅导处心理咨询师的邀请。

7月5日我将到南方大学给予催眠讲座，只开放给南方大学学院生。

欢迎通知你在南大的同学知道，我主要会教导如何用催眠来克服考试所带来的压力与恐惧（考试前恐惧问题）。

Thanks for the invitation from the counseling psychologist of Southern University College, 

I will conduct a hypnosis workshop there for their students. 

It is an absolute pleasure to share my knowledge with those who attended the mentioned workshop. 

Advance psychotherapy training by Bryan Perry at Sunway Medical Centre

Advance psychotherapy training (oversea lecture tour by Bryan Perry) at Sunway Medical Centre. 

Trainer of the day: Bryan Perry, also known as the Grandfather of Hypnotherapy in Australia. He is the author of 'A Handbook Of Hypnotherapy'. 86 years old Bryan has been practicing since 1952 (until the present) and has accumulated more than 50,000 patients over a wide spectrum of disorders in conjunction with psychiatrists and other professionals. 

学到了一些不错的点子，给了我动力去探索更多治疗技巧。

感恩可以和澳洲催眠师之父学到许多进阶治疗技巧。

敬请期待更多特殊催眠疗法资讯吧！

Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志 - J Mental by Hiro Koo (June 2016 Issue)

担心催眠后会不会醒不来？好奇什么是催眠？压力大，想要学学有效的科学放松方法不？

那就去临近书摊找出六月份的<Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志>,

你就可以学到一个由我教导的简单易学自我催眠术！

你也可以做自我催眠达人哦！

特别鸣谢Jasmine Magazine给予机会推广身心健康专题<J Mental ‪>

4 Ways to Start Healing the Wounds of Childhood Trauma

The goal is to be more flexible and less afraid. Change can come in several steps:

1. Start by recognizing and taking a hard look at your stance and its limitations.

How do you view the world and how to cope with others? By doing this, you are not only being honest with yourself, but you begin to separate the past from present.

2. Get closure.

You want to begin to heal some of the trauma by trying to create closure, expressing what you could not express at the time. Try writing a letter—in Bill's case, to his mother; for Teresa, to the car driver or the doctors at the hospital or perhaps her family who wasn’t always there; for Oliver, to his parents—saying what you could not say then. Then write a second letter, from them to you, saying what it is you most want them to say—that they are sorry, that it wasn’t your fault, that they loved you. Make the letters as detailed as possible, and allow yourself to write down whatever comes to mind.

3. Step outside your comfort zones and patterns.
Time to be the grownup rather than the frightened child. Experiment with stepping outside your comfort zone: Speak up rather than being passive, open up and lean in in rather than being closed and isolated, focus on the present rather than constantly looking ahead to the frightening future, or experiment with letting go of anger and control.

4. Get support and help.

All of this is easier said than done, of course, and support and help is what you never really received. Here you may take the risk of seeking professional help to support and make those baby steps towards behavioral change; you may, on a therapist's advice, consider medication to help break the cycle. It's not about doing it right but doing it different.

Be bold, be patient. What’s important is moving forward so you don’t have to keep always protecting yourself from danger, so you can lean into your life. To quote Benjamin Button: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be….


Source:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fixing-families/201603/4-ways-start-healing-the-wounds-childhood-trauma?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

妥瑞症醒觉月份National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month (May 15 – June 15)

这个五月天，乃是妥瑞症醒觉月份；
虽已来到月末，但并不表示患有相关病症的人士所感受到的痛苦随之流逝而去……

在日常中，你可曾察觉到身边某些人总爱清喉咙？
不自觉地抖动他们的身体？
甚至是忽地发出怪叫的声响？
或许你会认为此等行径是坏习惯的一类，但却未深层地区了解更多……

这，可能正是妥瑞症的症状。一种难以自我控制的症候群。

在工作范畴中，我接触过不少患有此症的群体；
无论是大人或孩子，他们身心上所受的委屈是你我无法想象的。
好比说，最近一位患者来求医时告诉我，他感到极致的难过，原因正是学校中的师长都怪他频密地发出怪声，以致干扰周遭的同学。
而更递进的问题是，当他开口澄清状况之际，师长们会怪他找藉口。
他的内心充满着忧伤的情绪，甚至也想过自残。
他因此不爱上学，脾气也变得相当糟糕。

即便并非病患，你可曾遭遇过相似的情景——努力解释但依旧被误解？雷同的景况若是驾临在自身身上，任何人皆不会好受。
试想象相关病患一直活在师长、朋友与陌生人的团团误解之中，这一番感觉将会如何啃噬你的心境呢？

始于今天，少点批判，多点同理心。

更多关于马来西亚妥瑞症治疗介绍Non-drug therapy for Tics/Tourette syndrome：

http://www.newmindcentre.com/2016/02/non-drug-therapy-for-ticstourette.html

《健康时尚A Healthy Lifestyle Magazine》March 2016 - All about sleep apnea and snoring 睡眠窒息症与打鼾

转载自《健康时尚A Healthy Lifestyle Magazine》March 2016 - 生活专题：睡眠窒息症与打鼾
欢迎留言咨询更多治疗详情。

[Review] Quit smoking in 1 session - Su Case

What did you find as a result of your hypnotherapy session? Did you expect it would work as well as it did?

Su: Stopped smoking after 1 session. I was amazed at the results.

What specific feature did you like most about our hypnotherapy session?

Su: Personalized to exact needs, very customized session. 

What do you like most about using our service?

Su: Attention to scientific detail and use of EEG biofeedback technology (Neuro-hypnotherapy).

What would be the other benefits about this service?

Su: Gives me a great sense of self control, relaxation and motivation.

Would you recommend our service to others? If so, why?

Su: Yes, it really helps break bad habits and makes people empowered.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Su: Would return every few months from Canada. I would like to add better habits for achieving even more from life.

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

10 Ways to Learn to Like Yourself Better

Now let’s examine those 10 ways you can become a self-liker rather than a self-critic:

1. Don’t be afraid to confront your failings. The Boyraz and Waits study showed that being able to think about your weaknesses doesn’t condemn you to a life of self-hatred.
2. Step back and enjoy your accomplishments. When you’ve done something well, don’t be afraid to admit that you succeeded. It doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering: Having cooked a good meal, eat it with pleasure and allow any compliments from those you cooked for to sink in.
3. Learn to look at the things you like about yourself in the mirror. Sure, your makeup isn’t perfect and that rash on your chin makes it look a little red. But what about the great job you did on your hair? If all else fails, find a mirror with better lighting than the bright fluorescents in your office.
4. Go on a date with yourself. On the date, spend some time alone devoted to thinking about your experiences: Enjoy a movie or concert, or a meal at your favorite restaurant while you spend time reflecting on what’s going on around you. You can even laugh at your own jokes.
5. Strive to be a better person, but don’t expect changes to happen all at once.You might be completely unhappy with your weight and can’t stand the thought that the pounds aren’t melting off faster. Give yourself a realistic timeline and measure yourself against smaller, achievable goals.
6. Spend a weekend day or evening without worrying about how you look. Try a makeup-free Sunday or a grubby t-shirt Tuesday night. See what it’s like to be yourself without being concerned about impressing anyone else.
7. Think about the past, but don’t let yourself be overwhelmed with regret. You wish like anything that you could turn back the clock and not have said the hurtful thing you said to your friend. Once you've uttered those words, though, you can't unsay them. However, you may have learned something useful about yourself in the process and certainly can make every effort to apologize.
8. Understand that no one is perfect. When you’re in low self-acceptance mode, you believe that everyone is better than you. It’s possible that others are better than you in certain ways, but that doesn’t mean you’re any less of a person yourself. Instead of comparing yourself negatively, accept that fact, and then see if you can learn from it.
9. Enjoy your personality, foibles and all. So you’re a little bit too meticulous and want everything to be perfect. When things don’t work out as you wish and you start to berate your weaknesses, stop and do a reality check. So you spilled coffee all over your brand-new tablecloth. OK, maybe you’re a bit clumsy. That doesn’t mean you’re worthless.
10. Like “most” of yourself as much as you can. You’re may not reach 100% self-satisfaction, but maybe you can get to 75 or 80%. In the measure of self-acceptance that the Louisiana Tech team used, getting high scores meant saying you were happy with “most” of your personality traits.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201604/10-ways-learn-yourself-better?utm_source=FacebookPost&utm_medium=FBPost&utm_campaign=FBPost

Defense Mechanisms

What is a Defense Mechanism?

Definition:

Most notably used by Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory, a defense mechanism is a tactic developed by the ego to protect against anxiety. Defense mechanisms are thought to safeguard the mind against feelings and thoughts that are too difficult for the conscious mind to cope with. In some instances, defense mechanisms are thought to keep inappropriate or unwanted thoughts and impulses from entering the conscious mind.

Because of anxiety provoking demands created by the id, superego, and reality, the ego has developed a number of defense mechanisms to cope with anxiety. Although we may knowingly use these mechanisms, in many cases these defenses work unconsciously to distort reality.

For example, if you are faced with a particularly unpleasant task, your mind may choose to forget your responsibility in order to avoid the dreaded assignment. In addition to forgetting, other defense mechanisms include rationalization, denial, repression, projection, rejection and reaction formation.

While all defense mechanisms can be unhealthy, they can also be adaptive and allow us to function normally. The greatest problems arise when defense mechanisms are overused in order to avoid dealing with problems. In psychoanalytic therapy, the goal may be to help the client uncover these unconscious defense mechanisms and find better, more healthy ways of coping with anxiety and distress.

Researchers have described a wide variety of different defense mechanisms. Sigmund Freud's daughter, Anna Freud described ten different defense mechanisms used by the ego.

Follow the links below to read more about each type of defense mechanism as well as other defense mechanisms described by psychologists.

Denial

Denial is probably one of the best known defense mechanisms, used often to describe situations in which people seem unable to face reality or admit an obvious truth (i.e. "He's in denial."). Denial is an outright refusal to admit or recognize that something has occurred or is currently occurring. Drug addicts or alcoholics often deny that they have a problem, while victims of traumatic events may deny that the event ever occurred.

Denial functions to protect the ego from things that the individual cannot cope with. While this may save us from anxiety or pain, denial also requires a substantial investment of energy. Because of this, other defenses are also used to keep these unacceptable feelings from consciousness.

In many cases, there might be overwhelming evidence that something is true, yet the person will continue to deny its existence or truth because it is too uncomfortable to face.

Denial can involve a flat out rejection of the existence of a fact or reality. In other cases, it might involve admitting that something is true, but minimizing its importance. Sometimes people will accept reality and the seriousness of the fact, but they will deny their own responsibility and instead blame other people or other outside forces.

Addiction is one of the best-known examples of denial. People who are suffering from a substance abuse problem will often flat-out deny that their behavior is problematic. In other cases, they might admit that they do use drugs or alcohol, but will claim that this substance abuse is not a problem.

Repression

Repression is another well-known defense mechanism. Repression acts to keep information out of conscious awareness. However, these memories don't just disappear; they continue to influence our behavior. For example, a person who has repressed memories of abuse suffered as a child may later have difficulty forming relationships.

Sometimes we do this consciously by forcing the unwanted information out of our awareness, which is known as suppression. In most cases, however, this removal of anxiety-provoking memories from our awareness is believed to occur unconsciously.

Displacement

Have ever had a really bad day at work and then gone home and taken out your frustration on family and friends? Then you have experienced the ego defense mechanism of displacement. Displacement involves taking out our frustrations, feelings, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening. Displaced aggression is a common example of this defense mechanism. Rather than express our anger in ways that could lead to negative consequences (like arguing with our boss), we instead express our anger towards a person or object that poses no threat (such as our spouse, children, or pets).

Sublimation

Sublimation is a defense mechanism that allows us to act out unacceptable impulses by converting these behaviors into a more acceptable form. For example, a person experiencing extreme anger might take up kick-boxing as a means of venting frustration. Freud believed that sublimation was a sign of maturity that allows people to function normally in socially acceptable ways.

Projection

Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people. For example, if you have a strong dislike for someone, you might instead believe that he or she does not like you. Projection works by allowing the expression of the desire or impulse, but in a way that the ego cannot recognize, therefore reducing anxiety.

Intellectualization

Intellectualization works to reduce anxiety by thinking about events in a cold, clinical way. This defense mechanism allows us to avoid thinking about the stressful, emotional aspect of the situation and instead focus only on the intellectual component. For example, a person who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness might focus on learning everything about the disease in order to avoid distress and remain distant from the reality of the situation.

Rationalization is a defense mechanism that involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior. For example, a person who is turned down for a date might rationalize the situation by saying they were not attracted to the other person anyway, or a student might blame a poor exam score on the instructor rather than his or her lack of preparation.

Rationalization not only prevents anxiety, it may also protect self-esteem and self-concept. When confronted by success or failure, people tend to attribute achievement to their own qualities and skills while failures are blamed on other people or outside forces.

When confronted by stressful events, people sometimes abandon coping strategies and revert to patterns of behavior used earlier in development. Anna Freud called this defense mechanism regression, suggesting that people act out behaviors from the stage of psychosexual development in which they are fixated. For example, an individual fixated at an earlier developmental stage might cry or sulk upon hearing unpleasant news.

Behaviors associated with regression can vary greatly depending upon which stage the person is fixated at:

• An individual fixated at the oral stage might begin eating or smoking excessively, or might become very verbally aggressive.
• A fixation at the anal stage might result in excessive tidiness or messiness.

Reaction formation reduces anxiety by taking up the opposite feeling, impulse or behavior. An example of reaction formation would be treating someone you strongly dislike in an excessively friendly manner in order to hide your true feelings. Why do people behave this way? According to Freud, they are using reaction formation as a defense mechanism to hide their true feelings by behaving in the exact opposite manner.

Other Defense Mechanisms

Since Freud first described the original defense mechanisms, other researchers have continued to describe other methods of reducing anxiety. Some of these defense mechanisms include:

• Acting Out: In this type of defense, the individual copes with stress by engaging in actions rather than reflecting upon internal feelings.
• Affiliation: This involves turning to other people for support.
• Aim Inhibition: In this type of defense, the individual accepts a modified form of their original goal (i.e. becoming a high school basketball coach rather than a professional athlete.)
• Altruism: Satisfying internal needs through helping others.
• Avoidance: Refusing to deal with or encounter unpleasant objects or situations.
• Compensation: Overachieving in one area to compensate for failures in another.
• Humor: Pointing out the funny or ironic aspects of a situation.
• Passive-aggression: Indirectly expressing anger.

While defense mechanisms are often thought of as negative reactions, some of these defenses can be helpful. For example, utilizing humor to overcome a stressful, anxiety-provoking situation can actually be an adaptive defense mechanism. In other cases, they allow people to temporarily ease stress during critical times, allowing them to focus on what is necessary in the moment.

Source:

https://www.verywell.com/defense-mechanisms-2795960

Treatment-Resistant Depression Might Be ADHD

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.

Here’s an example: if you have depression that’s not responding to treatment, the core issue you’re dealing with might not be depression at all.

Medscape is reporting on some interesting research just presented at the 2016 Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Conference. It turns out a lot of people who seek help for depression but don’t respond well to antidepressants might in fact have undiagnosed ADHD.

The study looked at 105 people between the ages of 17 and 71 who were referred to a clinic for mood and anxiety disorders. Although none of the patients were referred for ADHD, an assessment found that 22.6% of them had undiagnosed ADHD.

The results also suggested that patients with less successful treatment histories were more likely to have undetected ADHD. Specifically, patients who had received more diagnoses, tried more medications, and tried more SSRIs were more likely to have ADHD.

Among people referred for treatment-resistant depression in particular, those who had received more diagnoses, tried more medications unsuccessfully, tried at least one SSRI unsuccessfully, and been diagnosed with social anxiety had the highest rates of undiagnosed ADHD.

This research highlights an important point: many people with undiagnosed ADHD initially seek help for depression and/or anxiety.

That’s how I first found out I had ADHD. I was lucky to have a doctor who was able to start untangling what was really going on, that depression and anxiety weren’t the whole story.

Unfortunately, many people with ADHD seek treatment for depression or anxiety, and that’s what they get. They try failed med after failed med. They don’t get the answers they’re looking for, just a bunch of SSRIs that don’t work, because SSRIs don’t treat ADHD.

It’s easy to misdiagnose ADHD as depression not just because adult ADHD is a newer and somewhat complicated diagnosis but also because ADHD and depression can look similar.

First, there’s the fact that undiagnosed ADHD often leads to depression. It’s pretty damn depressing to feel like you can’t get your life together, like you’re destined for failure for reasons you don’t understand. It can feel downright hopeless to think you’re too lazy to create the kind of life you want but at the same time there’s no amount of work you can do to make yourself not lazy.

Then there’s the overlap in actual symptoms between ADHD and depression. People with ADHD and depression both struggle with motivation. The understimulation and boredom-proneness of ADHD can look similar to the anhedonia of depression. And inattention can be associated with depression, not just ADHD.

Despite these similarities, though, ADHD and depression are very different in terms of brain chemistry. No amount of antidepressants are going to treat ADHD. Treating ADHD like depression leads to doctors prescribing failed med after failed med until the patient just gives up on treatment altogether.

There are also big differences in terms of symptoms. Maybe most importantly, ADHD is a chronic condition that begins in childhood. It might make itself known in different ways, but a doctor and patient working together should be able to find a running thread of symptoms through the patient’s life. ADHD is like the worst kind of house guest – it shows up early, makes your life hard, and never leaves. The showing up early and never leaving parts in particular are aspects of the disorder a good doctor can use to distinguish ADHD from depression.

But many people with ADHD never do get past a misdiagnosis of depression. The fact that almost a quarter of the patients in this study had undiagnosed ADHD despite the fact that none of them were referred for ADHD shows that there’s still a lot of work to be done in raising awareness about adult ADHD, and that doing this work will help a lot of people.

How did you get diagnosed with ADHD? Did you seek help for depression or anxiety, or did you know you had ADHD? Please share in the comments!

Source:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/adhd-millennial/2016/04/treatment-resistant-depression-might-be-adhd/

Parents talk and sharing session for the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM)

Parents talk and sharing session - Fatigue and stress management for caregivers by Hiro Koo

The eighth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2016. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.

This is how I spent my day:)

I am honored to have this chance to share the emotional and stress coping techniques for the parents.

Autism is a developmental disability that remains with a person for his or her whole life. This condition affects the brain's functions. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. People with autism often:

• Find social interaction difficult.
• Have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Demonstrate restrictive and repetitive behavior.
• Have a limited set of interests and activities.

Autism affects girls and boys of all races and in all geographic regions and has a large impact on children, their families, communities and societies. The prevalence is currently rising in many countries around the world. Caring for and educating children and young people with this condition places challenges on health care, education and training programs. 

Yes, Autism Awareness Month is a time to educate your community about autism and Light It Up Blue!

Thanks NASOM for the contribution!

You guys are the best!