Counselors Helping (South) Asians / Indians

Most people experience feelings of anxiety before an important event such as a big exam, a business presentation, wedding or some other big event. Anxiety disorders, however, are illnesses that fill people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear that are chronic, unremitting, and can grow progressively worse. Tormented by panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, flashbacks of traumatic events, nightmares, or countless frightening physical symptoms, some people with anxiety disorders even become housebound or lose functionality to some extent.

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“Addictions” in the context of mental health may refer to smoking, alcoholism or substance use disorders. In the larger sense “addictive behaviors” may also refer to problems such as compulsive buying, gambling, certain eating disorders such as binge eating, sexual addictions just to name a few. Usually there is a compulsive habit pattern wherein the individual seeks a state of immediate gratification.

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WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

Everyone feels “down” at some points in life. Ups and downs are normal. However, for some people, at certain times, these mood fluctuations are so intense that their level of functioning is compromised. At these times it is important to determine if they are suffering from depression.

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Definition:

• Domestic violence is also referred to as family violence and spousal abuse
• One person in a relationship believes he/she has the right to control the other
• Usually occurs between two people who are or were intimate with one another
• Involves a pattern of behavior intended to control and subjugate the victim
through the use of fear, jealousy, isolation, economic control, threat of
deportation, verbal attacks, sexual abuse and physical force/assault
• Abuse of a child or an elderly by an adult also comes under family violence

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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by 6 months or more of chronic, exaggerated worry and tension that is unfounded or much more severe than the normal anxiety most people experience. People with this disorder usually expect the worst; they worry excessively about money, health, family, or work, even when there are no signs of trouble. They are unable to relax and often suffer from insomnia. Many people with GAD also have physical symptoms, such as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headaches, irritability or hot flashes.

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Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mix of depression and manic episodes. It could be equivalent to the highs and lows of a roller coaster ride from an amusement park. Mood swings are normal and during times of crisis or high pressure can be expected. The duration and the intensity of the mood swings not resulting from any external factors can be one of the indicators of a bipolar disorder.

Symptoms of mania/ or a manic episode include:
* Increased energy, activity or restlessness
* Extreme irritability
* Inability to focus thoughts

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Suicide is the act of taking ones life.
Suicidal ideation is the repetitive thoughts of taking ones life.
Suicidal gestures are behaviors that express ones thoughts about taking their life.

Suicide is rarely a random, impulsive act. A person thinking about suicide may have several stressors that have led him or her to believe that suicide is the only resolution to what appears to be a hopeless situation. A person often communicates warning signs to those around them indicating that they are thinking of committing suicide.

Warning Signs:

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Imagine watching television and hearing messages directed at you from the television, or trying to speak to your supervisor at work when a voice inside your head is loudly commanding you to leave the room. Imagine the fear you would experience when you are walking down the road and then hear the footsteps of someone chasing you or seeing a figure come to life in the middle of the night that actually touches you. A person diagnosed with schizophrenia suffers from a severe disabling brain disease that changes their reality and perceptions.

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Incestuous sexual abuse is not "sexual indiscretion" or "affection that went too far." It is often "planned, calculated and systematic" and aimed at manipulating and taking advantage of a victim's trust. This kind of abuse is facilitated by and couched within a trusted relationship between victim and perpetrator -- a relationship, not limited to immediate or biological family members but extending to anyone who is known to the victim, and has contact with the child in a familial and/or household setting.

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Culture Shock is the term given to the experience of encountering a culture different from the one in which a person grew up. Rather than a single event, it is a process of big and small surprises and adjustments as one gets accustomed to being in a new place. It also varies by person so that while it can be a disorienting and painful process for some, it can be a relatively pleasant process for others, with only mild discomfort.

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