Specialties

Adjustment Disorders

When you experience a significant life event or change, it is normal to go through an adjustment process where you may not feel quite like yourself. For example, you may feel more anxious, tired or irritable than usual. However, if you feel that these reactions are getting out control and are becoming disruptive to your life, you may consider seeking treatment for an adjustment disorder.

Adjustment disorders are common and can affect anyone. They are triggered by identifiable changes or events in your life which may include:

• Change in marital or relationship status
• Financial problems
• Change or loss of job
• Illness or death of a loved one
• Change in living arrangement or location, such as going away to college or moving
• Being a victim of a crime
• Surviving a disaster, such as fire, flood, or hurricane

If you have faced a significant life event or change and are experiencing the following symptoms as a response, you may consider contacting a health care provider for further assessment:

• Are you having feelings of hopelessness and sadness?
• Do you have physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, or chest pains?
• Are you having difficulty sleeping?
• Are you isolating yourself from people and social activities?
• Are you irritable or aggressive with others?
• Are you less productive at work or school, including frequently taking time off?

Anxiety Disorders

Anyone can feel “stressed out” from time to time. Stress can be a natural, and even productive, response to events in our lives. However, stress is not helpful, and may even be harmful and paralyzing, when it becomes chronic and unmanageable. Our ability to enjoy and meaningfully engage in life can be greatly diminished when stress and anxiety begin to take over our lives. We can become plagued with uncontrollable fear, constant worrying, and irrational beliefs about what can harm us

Anxiety disorders are quite prevalent and affect about 40 million adults each year. There are different types of anxiety disorders, including a) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), b) social phobia (social anxiety), c) panic disorder, d) obsessive-compulsive disorder, e) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and f) specific phobias (unreasonable fear of certain objects, situations, etc.).

The good news is that anxiety disorders are highly responsive to the appropriate treatment program. Research has provided consistent evidence that psychotherapy treatments, particularly cognitive-behavioral approaches, are effective in managing and reducing symptoms of anxiety. For some individuals, medication also may be an option. If you feel that anxiety is interfering with your ability to lead a productive and fulfilling life, take the necessary step to regain control of your life and seek the help of a qualified health provider to determine the best course of treatment for you.

Below is a general checklist to help you assess whether additional consultation is needed:

• Do you worry uncontrollably and excessively about many things?
• Is your mind constantly racing with thoughts, or do you have difficulty concentrating?
• Are you having difficulty sleeping?
• Do you have times when you experience sensations of shortness of breath, heart palpitations or otherwise feel like you are losing control?
• Do you have unexplainable and excessive fears of certain objects or situations?
• Do you often avoid social situations or meeting new people because you feel afraid?
• Do you often have upsetting thoughts that are followed by rituals or repetitive behaviors to help control your distress?

Depression

If you find yourself feeling emotionally “under the weather,” “blue,” or “sad” much of the time, you are not alone. Over 18 million people suffer from depression each year. In order to not allow this curable condition to interfere with your ability to live life to the fullest, you owe it to yourself to learn the signs and symptoms of depression and get appropriate treatment.

Fortunately, over 80% of people with depression experience significant improvement if they seek out and receive appropriate treatment. Although you should be diagnosed for depression in person by a qualified health professional, you can educate yourself about the signs and symptoms to determine if you may benefit from a professional assessment.

Here are some signs and symptoms to consider:

• Do you feel sad or blue most of the time?
• Have you noticed changes in your eating behavior, such as eating significantly more or less than usual?
• Have you noticed changes in your sleep pattern, such as difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much?
• Do you find you are no longer motivated to engage in or no longer enjoy activities or hobbies you once enjoyed?
• Are you isolating from friends, family, and other acquaintances more?
• Are you having difficulty concentrating, focusing, or making decisions?
• Are you more tired or feel that your arms and/or legs are heavy?
• Do you often have feelings of self-doubt, worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness?
• Do you have recurrent thoughts of death?

Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

Although eating disorders should be diagnosed by a qualified health professional, it is important to be aware of certain signs that may require attention. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you use weight as a primary way of evaluating yourself and your self-worth?
• Do you have frequent thoughts of 'feeling fat'?
• Do you often feel embarrassed about your weight and avoid certain situations and people because of it?
• Do you weigh yourself often and does the number influence how you feel about yourself for the day?
• Do you spend a lot of time during the day thinking about food and weight and do these thoughts interfere with your ability to focus on or effectively engage in other activities?
• Do you eat more or restrict your food intake when you are feeling lonely, angry, sad, or stressed?
• Do you feel guilty or beat yourself up after overeating, bingeing, or otherwise eating more than you think you “should”?
• Do you smoke, drink large amounts of water or caffeine, or take pills or supplements to control your appetite and reduce your urge to eat?
• Are you constantly consumed with counting calories and being on a diet?
• Do you often eat alone because you feel uncomfortable eating in the presence of others?
• Do you engage in extreme behaviors to compensate for eating more than you feel you “should”, such as vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics, or exercising for long periods of time to “burn off the calories”?