| | Mental Health Discussion Board | Achieving sound mental health is about striking a balance in the social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental aspects of our lives. This is an ongoing learning process. At times, we may tip the balance too much in one direction and have to find our footing again. Our personal balance is highly individual, and our challenge is to stay mentally healthy by finding and keeping that balance. |
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 | Take a little time to intrduce yourself to the community. Please avoid using any detials that expose your real identity.
| 1 | 1 | Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:39 pm
MissLee |
 Access Stress | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Major events such as bereavement, failed relationships, financial worries, midlife crisis, health problems or managing a physically or mentally challenged family member and prolonged unemployment can leave you under tremendous stress.
| 0 | 0 | | | Work related stress can have a profound affect on a persons mental health. Share your experiences of the kind of stresses you face at work and how you have dealt with it.
| 0 | 0 | | | Most adults suffering from severe stress blame the deteriorating relationships on their spouse. More often than not, stress arising from marital relationships is manifested in chronic disorders such as depression and insomnia. The probable causes of marital stress is never-ending, but some major factors are; an unaffectionate spouse, unforgiving attitude of a spouse, handling of monetary affairs (budgeting, investments, expenditures), lack of proper communication between spouses, unable to find quality time for each other, extramarital relationships, step children, dealing with in-laws.
| 0 | 0 | | | Parenting can be a pleasurable experience despite its inherent anxieties, worries, frustrations and physical stress. Whether you are a couple, single parent of one or several children remaining cool, calm and collected when dealing with the following factors can be taxing; aggressive children, children under performing in school, handling stepchildren, hyperactive children, caring for a physically or mentally challenged child, nursing chronically ill child, parenting adolescents or teenagers.
| 1 | 2 | Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:03 am
Mikey1 |
Access Anxiety Disorders, Panic Attacks and Phobias | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| These are very common experiences. Typical symptoms are shortness of breath, quick heartbeat, dry mouth and headaches, fear of doing some everyday things like leaving the house.
| 0 | 0 | | | Aften temporary debilitating, sense of extreme fear or psychological distress occurring in panic disorder, schizophrenia, major depression causing an increase in heartbeat and breathing difficulties.
| 0 | 0 | | | The feeling of apprehension, fear, nervousness, or dread accompanied by restlessness or tension. Can be caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors.
| 0 | 0 | | | An uncontrollable, irrational, and persistent fear of an object, specific place, situation or activity.
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Access Bipolar Disorder | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| A disorder of mood causing a person to suffer extreme mood swings. They may become overactive and excitable, perhaps spending far too much money, or over-estimating their abilities. They may also be agitated and irritable and at times very depressed.
| 0 | 0 | | | Involves episodes of severe mood swings, from mania and depression.
| 0 | 0 | | | A milder form, involving milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression.
| 0 | 0 | | | Describes even milder mood changes.
| 0 | 0 | | | Where a person experiences both mania and depression at the same time.
| 0 | 0 | | | Characterised by four or more mood episodes that occur within a 12-month period. More likely to be experienced by women than men. Tends to develop later in the course of illness. A rapid cycling pattern increases the risk for depression and suicide attempts.
| 0 | 0 | | | Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood Feeling helpless, guilty, or worthless Hopeless or pessimistic feelings Loss of pleasure in usual activities Decreased energy Loss of memory or concentration Irritability or restlessness Sleep disturbances Loss of or increase in appetite Persistent thoughts of death.
| 0 | 0 | | | Extreme irritability & distractibility Excessive "high" or euphoric feelings Sustained periods of unusual, even bizarre, behavior with significant risk-taking Increased energy, activity, rapid talking & thinking, agitation Decreased sleep Unrealistic belief in one's own abilities Poor judgment Increased sex drive Substance abuse Provocative or obnoxious behavior Denial of problem
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Access Schizophrenia | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Usually characterised by having psychotic experiences. A person suffering from schizophrenia may become absolutely convinced of something that others cannot understand and know is not real. Some people may gradually lose motivation to do the normal things
| 0 | 0 | | | Hallucinations are sensory perceptions that have no basis in reality, and are common symptoms of schizophrenia. Hallucinations can affect any of the senses: schizophrenia sufferers experience auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, and taste hallucinations.Auditory hallucinations are the most common hallucinatory symptoms experienced by schizophrenics. Hearing voices is the most common of auditory hallucinations produced by schizophrenia. Voices may give schizophrenia sufferers instructions, carry on conversations, or plague schizophrenics with criticism.
| 0 | 0 | | | Hellucinations are a false sensory perception of something that not there. It is essentially seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, or smelling something that is not there but perceiving it or interpreting it incorrectly. You might be familiar with the sue of the terms Visual and Auditory Hellucinations.
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Access Eating Disorders | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Anorexia nervosa is a serious, often chronic and life-threatening eating disorder that mainly affects girls and women although boys or men can also suffer from it. It is characterised by low body weight and body image distortion shown by thinking they are fat and wearing baggy clothes, strict dieting, fasting, vigorous exercise, vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics in an attempt to lose weight and using the bathroom frequently after meals.
| 0 | 0 | | | According to the World Health Organisation, the criteria for a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa include the following: Persistent preoccupation with eating and an irresistible craving for food. Episodes of overeating in which large amounts of food are consumed in short periods of time. Excessive exercise, induced vomiting after eating, starving for periods of time or taking medicines such as laxatives or diuretics to counteract the bingeing. Fear of obesity, which is also seen in people with anorexia nervosa, and there is some overlap in the symptoms of these two diseases.
| 0 | 0 | | | Compulsive overeating is characterised by uncontrollable eating followed by feelings of guilt and shame and consequent weight gain. Compulsive overeaters use food as a way to cope with stress, emotional conflicts and daily problems.
| 0 | 0 | | | About half of the people with anorexia nervosa also regularly engage in binge eating and then purging to keep their weight down. This usually involves eating an abnormally large amount of food within a certain amount of time followed by a feeling of lack of control over eating. Purging is a way of ridding the body of food by self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.
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Access Personality Disorder | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| This is a term used to describe personality difficulties that may cause us to have problems coping with life and other people. Difficulties associated with Personality Disorder can be accompanied by other forms of mental illness
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Access Substance Abuse | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| The use of substances such as alcohol and non-prescribed drugs can cause some mental health issues. They can also cause people to act in a way that can appear very similar to a mental health problem, ie. paranoia or delutions.
| 0 | 0 | | | The ingestion of alcohol over a period of time and in ways that leads to problems with health, personal relationships, school, or work.
| 0 | 0 | | | Drug use disorder may include the abuse/dependence of heroin, prescription narcotics, cocaine, methamphetamine and other stimulants, hallucinogens, sedative hypnotics, marijuana, and other substances of abuse.
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Access Duel Diagnosis | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Is a term used to describe the existence of a combination of mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders (alcohol and/or drug dependence or abuse).Some mental health disorders commonly associated with substance abuse include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anti-social personality disorder, narcissistic personality, and depression.
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Access Suicide | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| This is a highly sensitive subject that is not suitable for everyone. Please ensure that you have read and understood our policy on this subject.
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Access Friends, Family and Carers | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| An opportunity to meet with other family, carers and friends of people who have experienced mental health problems to unload, seek advice and discuss mutual experiences.
| 0 | 0 | | | Unload, seek advice and discuss mutual experiences.
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Access Your Imagination | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Tap into your creative side. Use this room to post some of your poems, stories, a letter to yourself, to others, maybe a letter to mental illness or other creative forms. So what are you waiting for? Go on, get creative.
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Access the Student Lounge | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Life as a student can be fun, however deadlines, assignments and exams can often have emotional and psycological effects which can lead to a number of issues. Don't suffer in silence. Let out your inner angst.
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Access Recovery | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Share your experiences of Recovery with others.
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Access Stigma | Topics | Posts | Last Posts |
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| Do people treat you differently because of your mental illness or the illness of somone you love or care for? Do they knowingly or unknowingly make you feel like a third class citizen. How does that make you feel? Use this board to write what you think about the STIGMA of mental illness and the effects that it has had on your life and the lives of the people around you.
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| Who is Online ? |  | Our users have posted a total of 3 messages
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The newest registered user is tradebuzzing | In total there is 1 user online :: 0 Registered, 0 Hidden and 1 Guest
Most users ever online was 3 on Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:02 pm
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