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Psychiatry Blog

Discussing topics like how to find a psychiatrist, psychiatrist vs. counselor, what is psychotherapy, and much more.


​Our blog is meant to provide information and answers to common questions in psychiatry, cognitive behavioral therapy, mental illness, mental health professionals, talk therapy, psychologists, substance abuse, and anything else that would be helpful to those seeking mental health information. Knowing how to find a good psychiatrist, and what a licensed psychiatrist is will help you in your search.

Anger Management Assessment

10/27/2020

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Anger Management Assessment and Evaluation

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If you need an anger management assessment, this is not something you can do at home. A professional assessment needs a clinical interview. A healthcare provider will interview you in person (or by phone). Only then might you discover your diagnosis or potential causes of the anger.

Ideally you should find a psychiatrist who will make the assessment, diagnosis, and develop a treatment plan. After you are assessed, they will recommend the best course of treatment or trained professionals for assistance.
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Anger Management Classes Online


There are plenty of people giving out anger management classes online, and to hook new students they offer free assessments. You can take these free tests, but there is often something they are trying to get you to purchase afterwards.  These self-assessment tools are often not helpful.

The kind of questions you’ll get from these tests are situational questions. A situation is first presented: someone accidentally spilled their drink on you, children are noisy, traffic is holding you up, and so on. 

You are asked “How do you feel?”, or what would be your typical reaction to that situation. You could say you don’t feel angry in the least, you’re a little annoyed, you feel angry, you feel very angry or you feel furious. 

How would you react? Are you still able to be polite, would you ask for help, or will you take action on your own? Would your action be physical or would you be satisfied with a snide remark. 

Finally, you’ll have to guess how long this incident will linger in your thoughts. Will you forget immediately, or keep thinking about it for hours afterwards? Will it bother you for more than a day? 

Assessment for Self Improvement

If you feel you get angry too often and it has become a problem that disrupts your life, you should consider an evaluation with a psychiatrist that has spent years of training for this type of problem.

Anger issues can fall under impulse control disorders that are difficult to manage on your own.   Other common causes can include anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and depression.

If you have other issues aside from anger management, especially alcohol or substance abuse, it is a mountain of a burden to handle on your own. You will want to start building a treatment team to help manage your symptoms synergistically.  This may include a psychiatrist, primary care doctor, counselor, and support groups.  It is important to find support, even if it’s just help from an online support group.  Online support groups are becoming more common since Covid-19 began. 

anger assessment and alcohol

Assessment for Someone You Know

If you suspect someone you know has anger issues, you should be supportive by helping them establish care by trained medical professionals.

If it happens only once, it could be an isolated incident. Frequent outbursts should prompt an assessment.  Escalating substance use, alcohol, isolating, and hitting things are definite red flags.  Observe for isolation and self-harm, which is self-violence.  Studies show that women are more likely to self-harm and become verbally aggressive when compared to men.  Men are more likely to be physically aggressive and cause harm to others.  All types of aggression are a concern and a form of violence. 
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If you believe yourself to be in danger, take care of your safety first.  It does not matter if the other person has a mental illness or not, your safety is the primary goal.  Then you can begin planning and looking for ideal mental health physicians in your area.
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Premature Ejaculation

10/20/2020

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Premature Ejaculation: Causes and Treatment

Premature ejaculation Doctors near me
Data shows that premature ejaculation (PE) affects 4-39% of men at one point in their life.  While many men initially feel embarrassed by this symptoms, it is much more common than you would expect.  Most men use the search term ‘premature ejaculation doctors near me’ to find timely help, but many psychiatrists will also treat this problem.

Men with an IELT (intravaginal ejaculation) of less than a minute suffer from “definite premature ejaculation.” In contrast, those with an IELT of 1 to 1.5 minutes have “probable PE.”

PE is “persistent or recurrent ejaculation with minimal stimulation before, on or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it, over which the sufferer has little or no voluntary control," according to the World Health Organization.

Since people have varying expectations from their sex life, it is not easy to define premature ejaculation based on sexual performance. A typical ejaculation occurs five minutes after the inception of sexual activity. However, some people wish to ejaculate before or after five minutes. The difference in sexual preferences explains why the definition of PE relies on the time an individual desire to ejaculate. 

The majority of men have ejaculated before they wish, so doctors emphasize frequent unintentional ejaculations when diagnosing PE. 

​Causes of Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation results from psychological as well as neurobiological causes. Some psychological factors include:
  1. Religious beliefs
  2. Expecting failure
  3. Anxiety and depression 
  4. Stress
  5. Relationship problems
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Diagnosis for Premature Ejaculation

Men have varying degrees of control over when to ejaculate during sex.  PE can get in the way of your sexual pleasure, cause problems in intimate relationships, or prevent you from pursuing close relationships. 
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Premature ejaculation doctors conduct a physical exam before diagnosis. They also a multitude of questions like:
  • The type of sexual activity you are currently involved in, e.g., foreplay, intercourse, masturbation, etc.
  • How long the PE has been there 
  • The time it takes to ejaculate during masturbation vs intercourse
  • Whether you experience PE with all, some or, one partner
  • Frequency of premature ejaculation
  • The effects of PE on your life
  • Whether you have had regular sexual encounters without PE. If yes, what you think made the intercourse regular. And, whether you had PE at the time of normal intercourse
  • What you think makes your premature ejaculation worse or better
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Treatment options for PE

When you search for ‘premature ejaculation doctors near me’ or speak with your psychiatrist you will notice that doctors use the following treatment methods:

Behavioral therapy relies on exercise to train the body to delay ejaculation. The start-stop and squeeze method are the most common exercise routines for treating PE.  

Psychological treatment focuses on emotions and feelings that lead to sexual problems. The therapy aims to get the root of issues and find solutions. Psychological treatment can be used alone or with another treatment. 

There are no medications specifically FDA approved for PE, but premature ejaculation doctors often use some antidepressants to treat PE. Not all medications work for each person, so the physician might recommend a different drug if the first drug fails. Timing of when to take the medication should be discussed with your physician. 
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Specialists such as sex therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, or urologists provide treatment for premature ejaculation. To find a specialist in Houston, look for ‘Houston premature ejaculation doctors’ or talk to your psychiatrist at Your Family Psychiatrist.
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Trichotillomania OCD

10/13/2020

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A Guide to Trichotillomania OCD

Trichotillomania OCD
Trichotillomania is an OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) in which a patient has an endless urge to pull their hair from somewhere on the body. Most people use their hands to remove their hair while others use instruments such as tweezers. People with Trichotillomania feel restless or uncomfortable until they pull their hair out.  

Trichotillomania is common among adolescents. In most cases, it starts the same time as puberty. 

Those with Trichotillomania may develop bald patches as a result of pulling their hair. In the case of balding, patients result in using scarves, false hair/eyelashes, and hats.  In instances where hair loss cannot be covered, most with trichotillomania will keep away from social gatherings. In the end, the patients suffer from low self-esteem and embarrassment. 

In other instances, sufferers chew the hair they pull from their bodies. Although the disease is curable, some people suffer from the condition all their life if they do not seek treatment. 
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Patients tend to isolate themselves due to the shame associated with balding. If the balding is pronounced, friends and relatives will start to talk about it. If you are beginning to isolate yourself or just can't stop, it is time to seek help. 

Causes of Trichotillomania OC

​The three leading causes include:
  • An obsessive-compulsive disorder mainly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain
  • Stress and anxiety- some people use it to deal with stress and anxiety
  • Hormonal level changes during puberty

Risk Factors ​

  • The condition is common among people of ages 10 to 13
  • High level of stress could trigger the disease
  • People with OCD, anxiety, or depression 
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Symptoms of Trichotillomania OCD

  • The sufferer finds relief after they pull their hair
  • Hair loss as a result of hair pulling
  • Unexplainable urge to pull out one's hair
  • Uncontrollable tension when you resist to, or, before you pull out the hair
  • Hair loss unaccounted for by any dermatological conditions 
  • Swallowing hair, cutting it into pieces or, playing with hair that has been pulled out 
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Treatment for Trichotillomania OCD

Treatment of Trichotillomania OCD is not straight forward: some people try various strategies before they find one that helps them cope with the condition. There are two main treatment methods:
Medication
  • Medicines prescribed by your psychiatrist can help to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, any obsessive-compulsive symptoms, or depression.  
Behavioral treatments include:
  • Habit reversal therapy is a strategy that focuses on substituting hair pulling with other harmless activities. Patients focus on journaling and different techniques to curb the effects of hair pulling triggers. 
  • Therapy can be group, family, cognitive, or process-oriented therapy. Family therapies are useful if the patient is an adolescent or child. The treatment helps parents to understand their child and what they are going through and how to help manage the symptoms better. Process-oriented therapies focus on talks, which helps to identify the emotions behind the condition and triggers. Group therapy provides moral support from other people who have Trichotillomania OCD. 
  • Relaxation training helps individuals to relax their central nervous system to manage stress. In self-awareness training, people learn to track their hair pulling patterns. The training heightens an individual's awareness of when they pull hair and emotions that trigger hair removal. Deep breathing therapy can also be helpful.  
Trichotillomania is a DSM-5 mental health disorder, so you need to seek medical care for the disease to go away. ​
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How To Help Someone With Depression?

10/4/2020

3 Comments

 
how to help someone with depression

Having someone close to you struggle with depression can be challenging.  You might find it difficult to empathize with the condition or feel that you are unprepared to help with your family member’s or friend’s depression. Your inability to assist may cause feelings of inadequacy with associated emotions such as frustration, anger, helplessness, guilt, and fear. 
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However, your support and companionship could play a crucial role in the recovery of your loved one. Read on to know how can you can someone with depression. 

Be Aware of the Symptoms

Being aware of the symptoms of depression can allow you to recognize the disorder in your loved ones.  Hence, it’s important to be aware of the signs of depression.
​

It may be time to seek support if you notice the following symptoms in your loved one: 
  • Has lost interest in work
  • Lack of interest in hobbies and other activities he loved doing earlier
  • Prefers to be alone
  • Appears sad, angry, and irritable most of the times
  • Exhibits mood swings
  • Complains of vague aches and pains frequently 
  • Sleeps less or more than usual 
  • Eats less or more than usual
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Encourage Seeking Medical Help for Depression

​You can advise your loved one to see a psychiatrist. If he or she is reluctant to see a psychiatrist, you can suggest visiting a family doctor for a general check-up. Consulting a psychiatrist and receiving appropriate treatment will help overcome the difficult emotions and enable faster recovery.

Offer Help

You can offer help by being supportive in finding a therapist. You may also accompany him or her to the first visit. For a person battling depression, it can be a huge help to have someone present while going to a doctor.
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Follow Up with the Treatment

​Make sure your loved one is visiting the therapist regularly and engaging in treatment. Show  support and enquire kindly about progress and hurdles. 

You can also help make and keep appointments, stay on schedule with the treatment, and research other treatment options. 
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Encourage Activities

One of the best ways to help your loved one living with depression is to re-introduce them to his/her hobbies. You can also encourage him/her to attend social events. You can encourage or prompt fun activities such as having dinner or watching movies.
​

Exercises

Exercise for Depression
Exercises can help to support the recovery of patients with depression. Physical activities stimulate the release of some chemicals in the brain that improve moods and reduce negative thoughts such as stress and anxiety. 

You can invite your friends to accompany you to the gym or for a walk in the park. 

Safety
People with depression can have thoughts of suicide. While caring for your loved one with depression, be alert to notice the warning 
signs of suicidal tendencies.

It may exhibit as: 
  • Talking about dying, suicide, or harming oneself
  • Self-destructive actions
  • Expressing feelings of self-hate, worthlessness, and hopelessness 
  • Getting their affairs in order 
  • Seeking out weapons or pills
  • Saying goodbye

If you feel your loved one might be contemplating suicide, do not wait. Instead, talk openly to them and seek medical help immediately!
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A Caring Attitude

A caring attitude can play a vital role in the recovery of your loved one. You can be their pillar of support. You can also seek the advice of a psychiatrist to help him overcome the symptoms so that he can live a healthy and happy life. 
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