Arthritis

Arthritis is actually not a disease; it is really a joint disorder. It literally means inflammation of the joints. It is derived from the Greek word Arthron, which means joint. It is actually a general term for a group of more than 100 diseases.

Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction fighting off various diseases. Inflammation can also be caused by injury, infection, autoimmune disease or the body’s own “wear and tear” (of joints) process. Inflammation that lasts for a long time can lead to tissue damage. Inflammation that does not go away or results in long term pain or deformity is considered arthritis.

In a healthy body, the joints care covered by a smooth spongy material called cartilage, which acts as a cushion between the joints, and allows the joints to move without pain. Each joint is enclosed in a fibrous casing called synovium. This synovium lining produces a synovial fluid which nourishes the joints and helps in limiting friction.

Ligaments connect the bones and keep the joints stable, while muscles and tendons support the joints enabling movement. In arthritis, the area in and around the joints becomes inflamed. This inflammation causes pain, stiffness in the joints and difficulty moving.

Arthritis occurs in both men and women, and can strike at any age; however it is more common in older people. Around 70 million or 1 in 3 Americans suffer from some form of arthritis, and it is a major cause of lost work time and a serious disability for many people. In people over the age of 55, women are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis. This is the most common variety of arthritis in the U.S.

The Different Types Of Arthritis Include

• Osteoarthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Osteoporosis
• Paget’s disease
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• Gout
• Scleroderma
• Psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Reiter's syndrome/Reactive arthritis
• Adult Still's disease
• Tertiary Lyme disease
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica
• Pseudogout
• Raynaud's Phenomenon
• Repetitive Stress Injury
• Sjögren's Syndrome

These different types of arthritis mostly have causes that are unknown. Researchers however, believe that genetics (heredity) and lifestyle behaviors play an important part in the development of arthritis.

And though the exact cause of arthritis is not known, there are several risk factors. They include;

• Age
• Gender
• Obesity
• Work factors
• History of trauma
• Various genetic or metabolic diseases

As a person gets older, their risk of developing arthritis, especially osteoarthritis increases considerably. Older women in general tend to suffer more from arthritis than men. Being overweight also puts extra stress on various joints in the body, increasing the body’s natural wear and tear process, thus increasing the risk for developing arthritis. Jobs that require heavy lifting or repetitive movements causing stress and injury to joints also lead to arthritis.

People With Arthritis May Suffer From Some Or All Of The Following Symptoms;

• Joint pain or swelling
• Early morning stiffness
• Warmth around a joint
• Redness of skin around a joint
• Reduced ability to move a joint &
• Unexplainable weight loss, fever or weakness/fatigue that occurs with joint pain

Different types of arthritis have different symptoms and all the symptoms vary from person to person. Osteoarthritis does not generally cause any symptoms outside the joint.

To treat arthritis, treatment varies with each particular cause. It depends on firstly, how severe the arthritis is, then, which joints are affected, after that, to what degree the patient is affected and lastly the person, age, job and activities.

The goal of arthritis treatment is usually to provide pain relief and increase joint strength and mobility. Remember arthritis is not curable, but it can be treated effectively for one to go on and lead a healthy life.

Treatment Options For Arthritis Include;

• Medication – Medications reduces joint pain and swelling. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), acetaminophen, aspirin, corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs are used to ease the pain caused by arthritis.
• Exercise – Exercise is very important as it keeps the joints flexible. Simple stretching exercises can be extremely beneficial.
• Surgery – Surgery is usually the last resort. It is done to rebuild the joint (arthroplasty) or to replace the joint (total knee joint replacement) and help the person lead a more normal lifestyle. The decision to perform surgery is made when other alternatives, such as lifestyle changes and medications are no longer effective.
• Use of joint protection – Knee or elbow caps are often used by people to ease the pain and increase mobility.

If diagnosed early most types of arthritis can be managed, and the damage to joints minimized. Early treatment of arthritis manages both pain and disability. In rheumatoid arthritis for example, early aggressive treatment can prevent damage and disability in the long run. In some cases, simple modifications to daily activities can help ease the pain of arthritis.

Arthritis is not preventable, but you can take certain steps to reduce your risk for developing this disorder. They include;

• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Exercising regularly.
• Using joint protection devices and techniques at work.
• And eating a healthy diet.

Schizophrenia Is Developed Due To Social and Personal Problems - It Is Not Inherited

What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a condition of the mind or a mental disorder that prevents one from leading a normal life in society. Schizophrenic people are no longer able to interact with others properly. This is because of the fact that they become far too imaginative and non-realistic in their approach to life. Schizophrenics suffer from severe delusions and some of them may even believe that they can fly.

They often put themselves at undue risk and assume that everyone misunderstands them. They believe that they are right in whatever they do. Some schizophrenics are hyper while some are subdued. The active ones may be just as bad as the subdued ones as both types are likely to put themselves at risk.

According to professionals and psychologists, apart from some hereditary element, the major cause of schizophrenia is environment and social and personal problems. These factors cause an individual’s detachment from the society causing impairment in perception of reality and behavioral problems.

Effects of Environment and Society on People

The environment within which one lives has a significant impact on his/her behavior. The exposure to environments may be short-termed or long-termed; nonetheless, it affects one in a profound manner. It may also depend on the way a person responds to environmental factors. It has little to do with resistance and now with latest psychological researches it has been confirmed that the psychological conditions that people suffer are believed to be the result of their exposure to the environment. The belief that genetics play a role in the development of particular psychological conditions is also being questioned.

There is no doubt, of course, that hereditary characteristics play a role in the development of a personality. However, the question asked concerns how much of the environment affects a person. In particular, a condition such as schizophrenia is believed to be one that is greatly influenced by one’s environment and exposure to certain elements and things.

Factors Affecting Schizophrenia

1. It is believed that a person has a higher chance of turning schizophrenic if s/he uses drugs. The smoking of marijuana is no exception, as there have been several people known to turn schizophrenic who had a history of using this drug.
2. It has been discovered that the stronger one’s foundations are regarding nutrition and social well-being, the fewer chances one has of turning schizophrenic. This is because nutrition strengthens a person internally and protects from illnesses that could lead to schizophrenia. If one’s resistance is strong enough it is difficult for any thing to affect him or her.
3. Socially speaking as well, one needs to feel secure. This feeling of security is the key that helps one remain psychologically fit. One who is not traumatized tends to stay sane as opposed to those who have many worries and stress.
4. Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) is believed to be associated with preventing schizophrenia. This is because lack of EFA results in dysfunctions of lipid membranes.
5. Consuming antioxidant foods is believed to reduce one’s chances of getting schizophrenia. It also helps in reducing the effects of medications.
6. Lifestyle is believed to greatly impact the chances of people developing schizophrenia. It is said that those who have had a country life before the age of 15 have fewer chances of developing the disorder.
7. In addition to asserting that country life reduces the chances of one turning schizophrenic, it also must be asserted that family life itself plays a vital role too. Indeed, stress in family life plays its part, and it is said that more stress in the family results in increased chances of schizophrenia.
8. Aside form the psychological influences, it must be asserted that exposure to certain substances may cause one to turn schizophrenic. It has been discovered that children who are exposed to the T. Gondi virus have increased chances of developing schizophrenia.

In addition to the above factors, there are many more that affect the chances of a person getting schizophrenia. These are mostly external factors that are society-related. Thus, society and environment play a significant role in mental health of an individual.

Sexual Predators Are Created Due To Childhood Abuse

The manner in which a child is brought up greatly affects the way that his or her personality is developed. The immediate environment at home, the school and the wider society all have significant parts to play in the shaping of an individual’s personality.

The manner in which external factors play a role in the molding of a child’s personality can be magnified through statistics and research against people who have been abused as children. It is no mystery now whatsoever, that children who have been sexually abused are more than likely to commit the same offense when they grow older.

This is because of the fact that their personalities have been molded that way. Many children do not show signs of being mentally or physically affected. However, according to researches, several years after the incidents, three times as many as those children who were not affected, committed the same offense i.e. abused others sexually.

The impact is logical; when a child is taught something, it does not simply go away. It remains embedded in some part of the child’s mind and awaits application when they are old or strong enough or when they have the opportunity.

Reasons Why Sexual Predators Are Created Due To Childhood Abuse

Having been molded into such a situation when they are young it is so easy for them to switch into the roles as they grow up. They know what it feels like as the younger partner and so, when they grow up they are able to see themselves in other children. They know exactly how those children feel and how they would respond to them. In other words they learn how to prey on other children through their own experiences.

Children are largely unaware of being abused. They do not know or understand the actions of a predator or fully grasp their actions are until the time they are abused. Also, at the time of being abused, they do not know that they are being abused. They are lured into sexual actions and eventually begin to see it as normal. They learn it only to apply it later, even if they do not completely understand what is going on.

By the time they grow up, they are not like other people. This is because they have grown up believing that what they had been into was normal and acceptable.

This is the dangerous part about being abused as a child; the child does not really know what’s right or wrong and for the rest of its life the person cannot really see anything wrong with expressing the sexual desires they way they had learned to do so at one time.

The reason why they are compelled to keep their actions concealed is because they know that people do not like these actions in general, but yet they go on operating the way they know.

It is indeed a sad affair but a true one, as child abuse is rampant. This is because child abuse occurs more often than it is reported. The statistics of reported child abuse are high.

In industrialized countries these statistics show the minimum cases of abuse. In under developed or third world countries the condition is even worse, where most of these crimes are never reported, leaving many children to suffer psychologically, and later turn into predators themselves. Thus, it can be said that sexual predators are not created by choice but due to the abuse that they are made to suffer in their childhood.

Schizophrenia Is Developed Due To Social and Personal Problems - It Is Not Inherited

What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a condition of the mind or a mental disorder that prevents one from leading a normal life in society. Schizophrenic people are no longer able to interact with others properly. This is because of the fact that they become far too imaginative and non-realistic in their approach to life. Schizophrenics suffer from severe delusions and some of them may even believe that they can fly.

They often put themselves at undue risk and assume that everyone misunderstands them. They believe that they are right in whatever they do. Some schizophrenics are hyper while some are subdued. The active ones may be just as bad as the subdued ones as both types are likely to put themselves at risk.

According to professionals and psychologists, apart from some hereditary element, the major cause of schizophrenia is environment and social and personal problems. These factors cause an individual’s detachment from the society causing impairment in perception of reality and behavioral problems.

Effects of Environment and Society on People

The environment within which one lives has a significant impact on his/her behavior. The exposure to environments may be short-termed or long-termed; nonetheless, it affects one in a profound manner. It may also depend on the way a person responds to environmental factors. It has little to do with resistance and now with latest psychological researches it has been confirmed that the psychological conditions that people suffer are believed to be the result of their exposure to the environment. The belief that genetics play a role in the development of particular psychological conditions is also being questioned.

There is no doubt, of course, that hereditary characteristics play a role in the development of a personality. However, the question asked concerns how much of the environment affects a person. In particular, a condition such as schizophrenia is believed to be one that is greatly influenced by one’s environment and exposure to certain elements and things.

Factors Affecting Schizophrenia

1. It is believed that a person has a higher chance of turning schizophrenic if s/he uses drugs. The smoking of marijuana is no exception, as there have been several people known to turn schizophrenic who had a history of using this drug.
2. It has been discovered that the stronger one’s foundations are regarding nutrition and social well-being, the fewer chances one has of turning schizophrenic. This is because nutrition strengthens a person internally and protects from illnesses that could lead to schizophrenia. If one’s resistance is strong enough it is difficult for any thing to affect him or her.
3. Socially speaking as well, one needs to feel secure. This feeling of security is the key that helps one remain psychologically fit. One who is not traumatized tends to stay sane as opposed to those who have many worries and stress.
4. Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) is believed to be associated with preventing schizophrenia. This is because lack of EFA results in dysfunctions of lipid membranes.
5. Consuming antioxidant foods is believed to reduce one’s chances of getting schizophrenia. It also helps in reducing the effects of medications.
6. Lifestyle is believed to greatly impact the chances of people developing schizophrenia. It is said that those who have had a country life before the age of 15 have fewer chances of developing the disorder.
7. In addition to asserting that country life reduces the chances of one turning schizophrenic, it also must be asserted that family life itself plays a vital role too. Indeed, stress in family life plays its part, and it is said that more stress in the family results in increased chances of schizophrenia.
8. Aside form the psychological influences, it must be asserted that exposure to certain substances may cause one to turn schizophrenic. It has been discovered that children who are exposed to the T. Gondi virus have increased chances of developing schizophrenia.

In addition to the above factors, there are many more that affect the chances of a person getting schizophrenia. These are mostly external factors that are society-related. Thus, society and environment play a significant role in mental health of an individual.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a kind of disease that leads people to have unwanted thoughts that cause obsessions and repeat certain behaviors over and over again making them compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions make people deviate from their normal behavior patterns.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

It is a type of anxiety disorder, an illness which engages one in an endless cycle of repetitive thoughts and behavior pattern. People afflicted with OCD are often plagued by recurring and distressing thoughts and images that seem beyond their control.

The images, ideas and impulses that run through a person’s mind over and over again are called obsessions. An individual afflicted with OCD finds them disturbing and tries to avoid them but is unable to do so. They just persist and keep on annoying him.

In order to get rid of these obsessive thoughts and feelings, an individual tries to perform certain behaviors s/he makes up for himself, which are called compulsions. Performing these compulsions or rituals only make the thoughts go away for a short time, but when they reoccur, the individual will repeat the routine all over again.

Obsessions and Compulsions

Some common obsessions

• Fear of dirt or germs
• Disgust with body waste or fluid
• Concern with balance and order
• Fear of imperfection
• Fear of evil thinking
• Thinking about certain things again and again
• Need for constant reassurance
• Fear of harm

Some common compulsions

• Repeatedly washing and grooming oneself
• Arranging things in certain ways
• Counting again and again a certain number
• Seeking constant approval
• Checking doors and appliances to see if they are locked or working

Causes Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Although no exact cause of OCD has been yet pointed out, yet studies have shown that it results due to a combination of biological and environmental factors:

Biological Causes

The brain contains tiny cells called neurons, which work together for body to perform its functions as they communicate through electrical signals. Special chemicals called neurotransmitters help move these signals from neuron to neuron, thus, a link between levels of one neurotransmitter called serotonin has been found. This can also cause OCD to pass from parents to children.

Serotonin imbalance also involves the pathways of the brain that impair judgment and planning. OCD can also be caused by certain infections caused by streptococcus bacteria.

Environmental Factors

Certain environmental factors may also trigger a tendency to develop OCD in people. They can be:

• Change in living situation
• Some prolonged illness
• Death of a loved one
• Relationship concerns
• Family or work problems

Diagnosis

There is no hard and fast rule or test that can be applied to detect OCD in an individual. The physician’s diagnosis is based upon the behavior pattern that the patient exhibits.

Treatment Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD can be treated with medicines as well as therapy.

Medicines

Several medicines are used to treat OCD. The medicines include:

• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• flouxetine (Prozac)
• Sertaline (Zoloft)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

However, these medicines should only be used after they are prescribed by a qualified physician as they can cause side effects like nausea, dry mouth or drowsiness.

Therapy

During therapy, people are encouraged to overcome their obsessions and face situations that produce feelings of anxiety. The patients are also encouraged not to perform rituals that usually help control their nervous feelings. With passage of time and continued therapy, symptoms of OCD may go away.

Multiple Personality Disorders

Multiple Personality Disorder – An Insight

Multiple Personality Disorder is perhaps one of the most discussed mental disorders, something that is probably a result of the widespread acclaim commanded by the famous book, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

And while the condition was quite monumentally dramatized in the case of the book, actual features and characteristics of the disorder are not all that dissimilar from those portrayed in the book. It would be relevant to here acknowledge that Multiple Personality Disorder is contemporaneously referred to as the Dissociative Personality Disorder.

Salient Aspects of the Disease

One of the most basic aspects of the Multiple Personality Disorder is that it brings about dissociation between a person’s usually active personality traits and those that tend to typically be dormant. Individuals suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders tend to experience distortions of consciousness and subsequently, behavior. These distortions are immediately influenced by the alternation of the two separate states of awareness and/or personality states.

The fundamental relevance of these distortions, however, lies in the dramatic degree to which they alter the consciousness of the affected individuals.

• Take into consideration, for instance, that people suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder usually adopt the altered awareness of completely distinctive individuals possessing different names, histories and personality traits.
• And while this is something that typically occurs repeatedly in the people suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders, some of the more dramatic cases have even included individuals switching between altered consciousnesses of different genders, sexual orientations, ages and even nationalities.
• Indeed, some extreme cases of the Multiple Personality Disorder have even included individuals swapping between alter egos of animals and aliens.

The significance of this, moreover, is something that is emphasized when considering it in light of the fact that individuals suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders may switch between 2 to 10 separate alter identities.

Symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorders

Some of the noteworthy symptoms that are related to people suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders are amnesia, depersonalization, de realization and identity disturbances.

• The first, amnesia is rather unsurprising in as much as the fact that people switching between identities would obviously be unaware of certain situations and factors experienced while under the influence of the other identity or identities.
• People with Multiple Personality Disorders may report such ostensibly inexplicable things as finding items in their house that they can't remember having purchased and finding notes written in different handwritings.
• While depersonalization relates to a surreal feeling of unreality concerning ones physical properties; de realization in Multiple Personality Disorders patients causes them to adopt a distorted impression of their external surroundings such as shapes, colors, buildings, places, structures and even people.
• Identity disturbances, which are the most prevalent characteristic in the significant cases of Multiple Personality Disorders, result from the patient's having split off entire personality traits or characteristics as well as memories.

Identity disturbances usually bring about the sudden shift from one personality into another, especially during situations of uncharacteristic stress or duress.

Treatments Suggested For Multiple Personality Disorder

Some of the widely known techniques for the treatment of multiple personality disorders are psychotherapy, medication and hypnosis. Particularly as a result of the fact that Multiple Personality Disorders usually include anxiety disorders, medication typically entails the prescription of antidepressants and mood balancing drugs.

Hypnosis, on the other hand, is used to recover respectively individual ideas, memories, and tendencies and desires that may be instrumental to the formation of the alter ego in particular. Psychotherapy, however, tends to be hailed as the most relevant treatment, to date, for people suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders.

This is because the psychotherapeutic approach to treating Multiple Personality Disorders calls upon the need to isolate and then address the origin of the imbalance of personality traits. The effectuality of the psychotherapeutic model, moreover, is reflected in as much as the fact that it entails three steps or phases.

There is an initial phase for uncovering and studying the patient's alters followed by a phase within which the particularly traumatic memories are delved into in order to bring the alter egos together. The final stage comprises the consolidation of the patient's newly integrated personality.

Domestic Abuse: A Social or Medical Problem

Domestic Abuse: How Is It Committed?

There are several types of crimes being committed each day. Some of them are medical related ones while others are social crimes. Indeed, man is a social animal who is influenced by his inherited instincts to attack and take what is his. This same approach is visible in contemporary man and in spite of the law clamping down such crimes; males persist in dominating and controlling their female partners.

As women are sometimes observed to be the weaker of the two sexes, they are vulnerable to suffer physically and mentally, the abuse inflicted on them by men.

Men tend to use their physical strength against women in order to make them submit to their demands. It is a situation that is hardly fair, but such is the plight of a male-dominated world.

The Most Common Crime: Domestic Violence

Among the most common crimes in the United States is domestic violence. Indeed nearly 25% of all crimes committed in the country are incidents of women being assaulted. One might assert that since men are physically large and mentally strong, they maintain a balance between their lives as perfectly sane citizens, however, contrary to this, it is these normal men who are the most violent social animals.

Some spouses can hardly believe how their husbands transform into possessive and dominating figures in the home once they are married. Prior to being married many men show a completely opposite side until the get what they want. This is a nature that is opposed to the old animal instinct because animals would grab; social animals (men) do not grab.

They are smart when it comes to being getting their way. However, once a man gets his way, as many women have experienced, he changes his colors. However, this does not refer to all the men because to say that it would be unjust; it only encompasses those who are violent.

Men: The Dominating Factor in Domestic Abuse

Society has indeed many men who abuse their wives and children too and most of them are perfectly sane with no medical problems or anything to that effect. So, one can say that the problem is definitely social rather than anything else to blame.

Similar to married men beating their women, boyfriends too do the same. This is even more likely to occur when girls live in with their boyfriends. It must be noted here that living in automatically creates a home for the couple. Being a man, like any other male, the unmarried male also begins to dominate. It is not true in all cases, but this fact is certainly supported by the statistics of domestic abuse that are worth looking.

Looking at unmarried men dominating in their relationships, it is obvious that the problem is rampant. It is a problem that is related to society and not simply one society, as there are many parts of the world where males dominate. Since they are the stronger of the two sexes, they try to dominate. It is most apparent that it is an instinctive behavior and only strict laws will be able to bring down the statistics of related violence.

In order for domestic abuse to be a medical problem there would have been some kind of problems being faced by males medically or genetically speaking. However, the problem apparently lies in the need to dominate and since most men are stronger than women, they are able to get their way. The widespread occurrence of domestic violence makes it a social problem and not a medical one.