In the elderly dementia can produce significant deficits in functional abilities and mental health, which can affect their safety and independent living at home. Elderly people face certain difficulty in doing their basic self care needs such as bathing, hygiene, and dressing, facing problems with taking timely medications, cooking and eating adequate meals, prone to injuries and falling down two to work coordination, problems in communicating, weakness and poor safety awareness.

 Elderly dementia can also cause a change in psychosis and delusional thinking, personality and a host of other problems, both insidious and evident.

 What types of dementia affects elderly the most?

 Elderly people are usually affected with Alzheimer’s dementia. There are also other forms of dementia that can affect older adults. The other forms include multi-infarct dementia, vascular dementia, Lewey body dementia, and Fronto-temporal dementia. Older adults with other primary disorders such as Parkinson disease and stroke may also develop some form of dementia at certain point of time which affects their mental health and function.

 Dementia can be broadly classified as mild, moderate or severe. If Alzheimer dementia is diagnosed in someone who is 65 years of age, the disease advancement tends to be faster and more severe than in a person who is 80 years old and only recently diagnosed with the disorder.

 What functional and mental problems the elderly undergo with this disorder?

 In an elder person it is crucial to know what type of dementia he is suffering from and if any medications should be given for the physical and mental health disorder. Usually older adults at home will not get an accurate treatment and receive the proper medication which can make living at home tougher both for the person and the caretaker.

 In elder person with Alzheimer’s dementia they have difficulty with speech and communication skills. Person with Alzheimer may have problem to express themselves and communicate with others. Decreased socialization and withdrawal may occur. An elderly may become depressed due to a recognition that their mental health abilities have decreased. An anti-depressant should be given to treat symptoms of their dementia.

 Elderly people require cognitive and functional components to do their task properly which they lack with problems of dementia. Proper medical care should be given to get them away from this problem. Elder care is very important to help them do their day to day activities independently.

 What happens when mental abilities decreases in elderly person and alterations required fitting their needs?

 When mental abilities are diminished elders are at the highest risk of declined mental health and physical health. Diminishing mental abilities and physical health related to cognitive deficits can occur due to malnutrition and poor eating habits, lack of hygiene and self care skills, more risk of falling, improper taking of medications everyday.

 Safety home adaptations to fit the needs includes bright rooms and stairwells, hand rails for climbing stairs, shower to bath, do not throw clutter on their path, proper carpets, limitation in carrying things to upstairs such as laundry, keep vehicle keys away from their reach to avoid them from driving which usually a tough issue to convey for those with dementia.

 For elderly with mild to moderate dementia who live at home, here are some tips that may be helpful for the individual and the family or caretaker.

1. The disorder should be diagnosed properly in a person with dementia and to provide with sufficient medication. It is important that a caretaker look after them and insure that medications are taken everyday.
2. See that medications are dispensed daily by the caretaker. In this way a caretaker can make sure that everyday medications are taken.
3. Adapt proper eating habits to prevent malnutrition. Teach them more physical activity like walking to improve the mental health and physical health in elderly person.
4. Take care that those with mild dementia often become more excited in the evening and they should not be induced during this period. Make them sleep to calm down.

All about Dementia and Elder Care is a post from: Mental Health

Being a man or a woman has a significant impact on physical and mental health because of both gender related and biological factors. Women’s health has been neglected in many countries due to the social and cultural discrimination of women and therefore picking it up from here has become very vital before the things go out of hands. 

Social and health factors relating to gender differences

Social Factors

• Gender differences between men and women, which lead to unequal power relationships
• An exclusive focus on women’s reproductive roles
• Social norms that decrease education and paid employment opportunities for a women
• Experience of a potential or actual physical and mental violence

 Health Factors

• Life expectancy data where women may live up to 80 years of age and men may live approximately 74 years.
• Women are unaware that they can react different to medicines and certain chronic diseases from men
• Women visit the doctors more than men and the health care expenditure on women because of reproductive problems (menopause, pregnancy and cervical problems) are more.
• Women’s mental health is affected more than men are as they are the ones to manage the family and children health and care.

Effects of women’s physical illness on mental health 

• Menopause can lead to depression, memory loss, sleep disorders, and affect the normal mental functioning.
• Breast cancer is women’s number one worry and affects women’s mental health disproportionately. It decreases her self-confidence and self-image. It increases emotional burden and stress and other mental discomforts. Therapies relating to breast cancer have adverse side effects thus leading to more stress and depression. The emotional aspects of this disease are unavoidable.
• Pregnancy and post pregnancy also impacts a women’s mental health as she feel the stress of the new one and causes lot of anxiety and fear to cope up with the additional work resulting in mood changes which affects her mental health.
• Heart diseases, osteoporosis, other reproductive diseases, hypertension all have a significant role in affecting women’s mental health as they disrupt their day to day functioning’s giving them more stress. 
• Women undergo tremendous hormonal changes with age resulting from menstrual cycle, which has an adverse effect on their mental health and their body.

 Adverse effects of Stress and depression on women health

 Women are more prone to stress and depression than men and it affects their mental health adversely. Stress arises due to many reasons. It can be financial crisis trauma illness or personal and work atmosphere. A woman has many roles to play. A mother, wife, employer, employee, and dealing with this stress are almost inevitable. Thus, it affects the e mental health of the women. Stress and depression have long-term effects and can cause coronary disease. Therefore dealing with them at the right time helps in overcoming the problems.

 Women’s tips maintaining good physical and mental health 

Women’s mental and physical health needs change and is influenced by diet and lifestyle changes that can be controlled.

• Women can stay healthier longer by eating a well nourished diet of fruits and vegetables
• Maintaining good body weight by avoiding high calorie foods and saturated and trans fats.
• Avoid smoking and alcohol intake
• Exercise regularly
• Routine screening tests are recommended for women to avoid physical and mental health complications some of which are:

ü       Cancer screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer

ü       Chlamyda and HIV screening test for sexually active women

ü       The routine physical examination should be done which includes the assessment of body weight, High blood pressure, mental health problems like depression and anxiety

ü       Diabetes, cholesterol and thyroid check

ü       Bone scan for osteoporosis

Routine medication and visits to a health care professional evaluates healthy lifestyle. Addressing physical changes and mental health problems help in receiving proper medication and treatment under close monitoring.

Facts about Women’s Health is a post from: Mental Health

 Stroke is not only a medical disorder but also a medical emergency. When blood supply to one or several parts of the brain is disrupted, it causes stroke. Due to lack of blood flow to the brain, oxygen and glucose (that are present in blood) do not reach the brain. Within no time brain cells start dying as the blood supply from heart to brain gets disrupted.

 Stroke is also a cause of worsening mental health.

 Two types of strokes and their causes

 There are two types of stroke. Ischemic stroke is more common of the two types. It is caused by a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The second type of stroke is known as hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke is caused due to rupture and bleeding of one or more blood vessels with the brain.

 The hemorrhagic stroke is more dangerous since larger areas of the brain are affected due to this stroke. It is known that Insulin resistance leads to diabetes but what is little known is that it can also cause stroke and heart attack. Therefore it is a serious threat to mental health.

 If you are suffering from sleep apnea (a condition in sleep where there is sudden cessation of respiration for about 10 to 30 seconds) you need to be extra careful. Sleep apnea disorder can be the cause of depletion of oxygen in blood, even though for a very brief period, which may result in heart disease, stroke and hypertension.  

 Then there is a ‘mini stroke’ known as transient ischemic stroke. Transient ischemic stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is temporarily disrupted. Bending of your neck on one side while talking on phone can cause calcification (an inflexible and unchanging state) of arteries which may result in stroke. This is also another cause of your aggravating mental health.

 What are the risk factors of stroke?

 The foremost risk factor is the age. People over 65 years of age are susceptible to Ischemic stroke. The other prime risk factors are high blood pressure and heart disease. The following factors also contribute to the increased risk of stroke: drug and alcohol abuse, brain tumor, diabetes, family history of stroke, high cholesterol, narrowing of arteries, smoking etc.

 What are the symptoms of stroke?

 Symptoms can vary depending upon ischemic or hemorrhagic type of stroke. The general symptoms of a stroke include the following: severe headache, dizziness, speech with a thick tongue, mix-up of things, trouble in understanding, double vision, loss of vision, blurring, numbness, paralysis (generally on one side of the body) etc.

 How is stroke diagnosed?

 Time is a critical factor while diagnosing the stroke. First three hours are very crucial since during these three hours help your doctor determine the medication course to be adopted. At first your doctor has to ascertain the type of stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) you have. It is very important because the medicines given for the wrong type of stroke can prove to be life-threatening.

 CT (computed tomography) scan and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may have to be carried out to assess the damage to brain and its recovery. Other tests may include the ECG (electrocardiogram), CBC (complete blood count), blood sugar, liver and kidney function.

 What is the treatment for stroke?

 If there is a prompt treatment to stroke the damage to brain can be minimized and the chances of the fast recovery brighten. Again the course of treatment varies depending upon the type of stroke. Ischemic stroke is caused by blood clot and hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain.

 The important job before your doctor is to restore the blood flow if you have ischemic stroke and control the bleeding in case you have hemorrhagic stroke. After you have received the treatment you should focus on rehabilitation and prevention of another stroke. You should control the risk factors mentioned above. This will help you to regain your physical and mental health.

Types, causes and treatment of stroke is a post from: Mental Health

 There are people who even after trying hard do not get sufficient and good sleep. When your body does not get adequate good quality sleep you may be suffering from a medical disorder known as sleep disorder. This affects your physical as well as your mental health.

 Sleep disorder is a condition when you find it extremely difficult to fall asleep or when your rhythm of sleep or getting up early in the morning is disturbed. According to one estimate approximately 55% of people have sleep disorders in one form or the other. Many psychological and physiological conditions are responsible for disruption in sleep.

 What are the common sleep disorders?

 There are many types of sleep disorders, some of the most common are:

• Snoring and sleep apnea – snoring may not seem to cause any direct danger to your health but because of snoring you cannot keep your throat open while sleeping. If you have sleep apnea (sudden cessation of respiration while in sleep) you suddenly stop breathing for a while.
• Insomnia – insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders that does not allow you to have a good amount of sleep, your body and mind do not feel rested. As a result of this medical disorder your mental health also suffers.
• Parasominias – in this sleep disorder you may exhibit symptoms of being both asleep and awake at the same time.
• Sleep paralysis – if you have sleep paralysis you are not able to move while changing over yourself from sleep phase to the wakefulness phase.
• Restless legs syndrome – in this disorder you feel some sensations in your legs. These sensations can be aches, burning, or sometimes you feel as if bugs are crawling over your legs. 

 What are the dangers of sleep disorders?

 There are following risks of sleep disorders:

• If you do not have proper sleep at night you cannot remain in a proper state of mental health. As a result your personal life and work become the causality.
• If you suffer from sleep disorders you are most likely to meet an accident while driving.
• The death rate of the people having sleep disorders is higher than those of having adequate good quality of sleep.
• In case you have sleep disorders you cannot breathe properly thereby causing the oxygen levels in your blood to drop.
• Sleeplessness can become the cause for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and a number of other serious health complications including hypertension, diabetes etc. 
• Your mental health is not a good shape

 What are the causes of sleep disorder?

 Sleep disorders can happen due number of causes. They include:

• Stress – stress is one of the most common causes of sleep disorders.
• Illness – there are some illnesses like headache, backaches etc. due to which you are not able to have proper sleep.
• Diet – junk food, caffeine, alcohol are some of the other causes of sleep disorders.
• Medications – some medicines like antidepressants can cause sleep disorders.
• Work at night – your biological clock gets disturbed if you remain awake at night due to work. You may feel sleepy but you cannot sleep because of your work. This causes digestive, emotional and mental health problems.

 What are the symptoms of sleep disorders?

 Loud and chronic snoring is one of the most common causes of sleep disorders. Morning headaches, irritation, depression, learning or memory problems, feeling sleepy all the time during the day are some of the other symptoms of sleep disorders.

 Treatment of sleep disorders

 There are no medications to treat the sleep disorders. Lifestyle changes, breathing devices and/or surgery are the other forms treatments for sleep disorders. Breathing devices and mouthpieces (oral appliances) can treat cases of mild or moderate sleep disorders only. For severe sleep disorders you may need even surgery to widen your breathing passage.

 Most importantly a change in your lifestyle can help you overcome sleep disorders to a large extent and keep your mental health in good form.

Some common sleep disorders, their dangers and treatment is a post from: Mental Health

 Introduction:

 The term mental health cites to the international view on different ways of mental health. Taking into account cultural engagements and the particular circumstances of the country, it deals with the medical especially of the mental disorders in different countries, mental health education, and their treatment options, financial and political views.

  The human resources in mental health, the structure of mental health care systems, and human rights issues are amongst the others.

 The overall goal of the area of mental health is to make strong or stronger mental health all over the world by giving data about the mental health situation in all nations and identifying mental health needs in order to arise cost-effective treatments to meet those specific needs.

 Maintaining Health:

1. Social activity: Mental health for any particular person depends, in some degree, on the social system of individual life. The care of strong social relationships i connected to good health conditions, productivity, long lived, and a good attitude.

 This is due to the fact that a good social interaction as deem to be by the participant gains many chemical levels in the brain which are connected to intelligence and personality traits. 

2. Managing the stress: Lengthy psychological stress may impact health in a harmful way, such as by causing debilitation of the mind and immune system. Management of the stress is the practical application of methods to either cut down stress or to increase tolerance to stress.

 Techniques to relax are the physical methods used to get rid of from the stress. Methods used for the betterment of the mental health include meditation, cognitive therapy and positive thinking which work by cutting down the response to stress. Bettering abilities and relevant skills builds confidence, which also reduces the stress reaction to positions where those skills are relevant.

 3. Hygiene: The practice of holding the body clean to keep infection and illness away, and the dodging of contact with an agent capable of producing infection is known as hygiene.

 The practice of hygiene includes flossing and brushing of teeth, bathing, washing food before it is eaten and especially washing hands before eating, cleansing the utensils in which the food is prepared and surfaces before and after preparing meals, and many others.

 This may help to keep you away from illness or getting infected. Dead skin cells are washed away with the germs if you can clean the body, and thus this reduces their chance of getting in the body.

 Disturbance of mental health for sexually transmitted diseases:

 STD or sexually transmitted disease is also called as venereal disease which is transmitted during the sexual intercourse. A sexually transmitted diseases is an illness that has a substantial chance of contagion between animals or humans when coming in contact by a sexual means, including oral sex, vaginal intercourse, and anal sex.

 While in the past times, these sicknesses have mostly been cited to as STDs or VD (venereal diseases), these days there are more commonly termed as the sexually transmitted infections.

Some sexually transmitted diseases can also spread through sharing the syringes or the drug needles and if anyone among them is infected. They could also get transmitted through the breastfeeding or with the birth of a child. Sexually transmitted contagions have been seen and experienced from hundreds of years.

 Preventions from sexually transmitted diseases and improvement of mental health:

 To protect against some viral sexually transmitted infections many vaccines are always available in the market and they are such as Hepatitis B and some types of HPV. Vaccination before introduction of sexual contact is proposed to ensure protection to a maximum limit.

 The most efficient way to stay away from sexual transmission of sexually transmitted infections is to avoid get hold of body parts or fluids which can conduct to carry-over, not inevitably any sexual practice with and tainted partner. It is by far the safest way to get into ‘no contact’ which minimizes the risk of getting infected.

Some Facts about Sexually Transmitted Diseases is a post from: Mental Health

 A state of happy, healthy and prosperous, in which a person individually understands his or her own powers, can satisfy or fulfill the normal emphasizes of life, can work profitably and productively, and is capable of making a share to his or her group of people is stated as mental health by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

 Physical health:

 Physical fitness cites to body health, and this can be achieved by the help of proper diet, exercise for everyday, proper rest is required for fast physical recovery and last but not the least, most importantly by getting proper nutrition to the body.

 The strong indicator which is used to mark the health of focalized density of people is its mean weight or height and, the weight and the height are generally increased with much better mental health care and proper nutrition. This is also acted upon by the quality of life and standard of living.

 Genetics also acts a role in people’s height which is of greater importance. The study of growth of the humans, its implications and also its regulators is known as Auxology.

 Mental wellness:

 Mental wellness is generally conveyed as a conviction or view of a positive credit, such that a person can reach heightened levels of mental health, even if they do not have any identifiable state of mental health. This definition of mental health highlights emotional well-being, the space to live an entire and originative life, and the flexibility to deal with life’s fate challenges.

 Medical disorder:

 The disorder which makes a significant part to the burden of disease in the whole world is the mental disorder or dysfunction of mental health. This is a worldwide step of so-called impairment adjusted life years allotted to a certain disease, which is a total amount of years lived with handicap and years of life lost due to this disease.

 Multiple Sclerosis affects the mental health very badly:

 Multiple sclerosis strikes the power of the cells of the nerve in the spinal cord and brain to interact with each other. The nerve cells interact with each other through the network of fiber called as axons by sending the electric signals to them. Myelin is the insulating cover which wraps around the axons.

 In multiple sclerosis, the immune system of the body strikes and harms the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer be in effect to conduct signals. Multiple sclerosis can be termed as the marks (scleroses – in a better way, it is known as plaques or wounds) in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin.

 In spite of the fact that much is known about the mechanisms required in the disease process, the reason remains unknown to all. Possibilities include the cause of getting infected or may be a genetic problem. It has also been found that the risk factors of poor mental health lie with the different environmental conditions.

 It has been also seen that the symptoms for multiple sclerosis may go away completely between the attacks, but permanent neurological troubles often occur, especially as the disease progress further. The disadvantage of this disease, multiple sclerosis, is that there is no known cure.

 Interventions seek to return to active work after an attack, prevent disabilities and also prevent new attacks. The medications for multiple sclerosis can have reverse as well as adverse effects or can be sickly suffered, and many patients tries to engage in alternative interventions, in spite of the deficiency of backing scientific study.

 The medical prognosis is difficult to make a prediction about the after effect of the treatment for the multiple sclerosis and the state of mental health and it depends on the features of the individual patient’s disease, subtype of the sickness, the initial indications and the degree of impairment of the person experiences with the advancements of time.

Some Fact about Multiple Sclerosis is a post from: Mental Health

The condition erectile dysfunction explains a range of disorders but usually refers to the difficulty in obtaining a good erection for a satisfied sexual activity.

Erectile dysfunction is not only a symptom of physical problem but is often accompanied with emotional stress and trauma which in turn affects the mental health in men. If the erectile dysfunction is persistent, it will interfere with the sexual life of men causing a lot of stress and depression

 What are the physical causes for erectile dysfunction? 

• Diabetic neuropathy nerve damage due to diabetes
• Cardio-vascular disorders affecting the blood supply to the pelvis
• Side-effects of some type of medications
• Due to surgeries for cancer of the prostate
• Injury to the spinal cord causing fracture
• Multiple-sclerosis
• Male hormone disorders also affect mental health. Erectile dysfunction may be caused by low levels of the testosterone hormone.
• The deposits and accumulation of plaques in the arteries also can prevent enough blood from entering the penis. Moreover, the penis and the strength of the erection are the male essentials for overall health
• Use of alcohol and other forms of drug abuse
• The first symptoms of an underlying medical problem
• Damage to the nerves which control erections can cause erectile dysfunction. These nerves damage can occur if you had injured to your pelvic area or spinal cord.
• Operative procedures done for rectal, prostate cancer, bladder, can increase your risk of erectile dysfunction.
• Bicycling for a long time that is for an over an extended period. Pressure from a bi-cycle seat has been shown to compress nerves and blood flow to the penis, leading to erectile dysfunction and penile numbness.

What are the psychological causes for erectile dysfunction? 

• Depression, stress, fatigue, and anxiety which effect mental health
• Resentment feelings such as feelings that you express toward your sexual partner or that are expressed by your sexual partner towards you can be a factor in erectile dysfunction.
• Lack of interest, libido, low self esteem, a feeling of insecurity about a circumstance.
• The effects of a past sexual trauma.
• Lack of communication or conflict with your partner

How is the condition of erectile dysfunction diagnosed?

 A medical assessment is done when a man reveals about erectile dysfunction to his health-care professional. The assessment may include a physical and psychological examination. Laboratory tests are done to rule out certain diseases.

 Sometimes, a test known as nocturnal penile tumescence or erection self test is performed. This evaluation is done to see if erections occur during nocturnal period. When test confirms that erections occur, it can indicate the problem is psychological affecting mental health rather than the physical problem

 Another test, known as color phase ultra-zoography may be done. This test assesses the blood flow to the penis.

 What are the treatments for the condition?

 Before starting any treatment, the underlying conditions which may cause the erectile dysfunction should be treated. This includes counseling or sexual therapy for men whose erectile dysfunction roots from mental health problems. Medical intervention for physical causes of erectile dysfunction should progress gradually step by step.

 Erectile dysfunction treatment may include:  

1. Applying a vacuum pump device to draw blood into the penis
2. Taking oral prescribed medications and herbal products, such as Viagra
3. Injecting pro-stacyclin E into the penis
4. Operation performed to improve blood flow to the penis
5. Implants to inflate prostheses into the penis
6. Behavior modification therapy and psychotherapy are also suggested along with drug therapy.
7. Surgical procedures, vacuum devices, implant depending on the severity of the issue.
8. Quitting smoke, alcohol will improve your erection problems. Mental health of men gets affected to a greater extent due erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction and Men’s health is a post from: Mental Health

 A problem of memory occurs in the brain but it is not just confined by the brain. Even most of the things around us influence our ability to recollect from or memory. Emotional, physiological, environmental and social processes are said to affect memory functions in day to day life.

 Memory performance could be impacted socially by the group pressures and prejudices from others. Social isolation is dangerous to mental health and cognitive functions.

 What are the causes of memory problems?

 Medical condition: Some particular medical conditions can cause memory problems. They include: 

1. Defective reaction to some medicines
2. Depressed feeling that affects your mental health.
3. Dehydration, caused by not having adequate fluids in the body
4. Unhealthy eating habits
5. Not having required amount of vitamins and minerals in the body
6. Mild head injury
7. Problem with thyroid gland.

 Emotional problems: this can cause memory loss in elderly people. Sad feeling, loneliness and anxiety can subject a person into confusion and forgetfulness.

 Alzheimer’s disease: This disease can also cause certain memory problems. Changes in the brain nerve cell which causes more number of brain cells to die can create serious damage to mental health. A person with this disease starts with forgetting things and progress to difficulty in thinking clearly. It becomes hard for them to do their daily activities like cooking, shopping and even finding hard to indulge in communication. When this disease condition worsens, the memory loss can reach its heights.

 Multi-infarct dementia: Similar like Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms of dementia occur suddenly. In this condition memory loss and confused state of mind are caused by changes in the blood supply to the brain. This damage to the brain by lack of blood supply causes a lot of mental health disorders.

 Things to be done to overcome the memory loss:

 There are certain things which you can do to improve your memory. Just the performing the below mention mental health exercises and other activities, you can go a long way to lessen the memory problems.

1. By organizing your sleeping habits, the physiological side of memory can be vastly improved.
2. There are many types of relaxation exercise which can help you to gradually improve the performance of your memory.
3. Performing colloquial and name recognition activities can help you to reduce the social anxiety which normally helps you in remembering the names. 
4. Preparing and organizing your environment and personal effects can help you to recall where things are located.  
5. Set an alarm system that would remind you to perform medication.  
6. Certain other simple activities can be helpful in treating mild to moderate memory problems. Those simple techniques have been used to assist people with memory problems caused by various circumstances including cardiovascular illness, head injury, memory disorders due to age.  
7. Sharpen your memory by indulging in a hobby. You can also lessen the memory loss affects by spending time with family members and friends, eating well. Exercise and workouts may help you to stay fit and clear headed,
8. In order to fight the depression, you could interact with people everyday for at least a few minutes. Practicing it along with exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy and meditation can be very useful in improving your mental health. 

How can family support help? 

Memory loss can affect you so badly that you’ll require family members and friends to help you out with this problem. Family and friends can help you to live a normal life with their support and care. Friends can help you by reminding repeatedly about your daily routine, exercise program, time of your day, where you live, and what is happening around them.

 Family members use the following things to help you with your memory problem: 

• Hanging Big calendars
• By listing of the everyday activities
• Keep notes on safety precautions at home.
• By giving written directions whenever possible

All about Memory Problems is a post from: Mental Health

Heart is one of the most important organs of our body. It acts as a pump, which supplies oxygen rich blood to different parts of the body in order to maintain a healthy body. Heart disease or cardiac disease is a general term used to cover all the malfunctions of the heart. Mental health disorders are very closely associated with coronary heart diseases. It can cause adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the patients with the history heart disease.

 Mechanisms that link heart diseases to mental health disorders: 

Psychosocial factors like stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are the stronger risk factors associated with heart diseases when compared with other health defects. There are several mechanisms which link stress and depression with cardiovascular diseases.

 One of the possible mechanisms is that patients with depression and stress are less likely to comply with medical advice. They are more likely to resort to smoking and drinking and thus leading to hypertension.

 Mental health disorders lead to physiologic changes such as cardiac rhythm disturbances, hyper-cogulability, and inflammation. Depression and anxiety also chronically elevate levels of stress hormones and thereby diverting the body metabolism meant for tissue construction needed to repair the heart diseases. High levels of insulin and cholesterol also increases the risks of heart diseases like heart attacks and cardiac failure.

 Heart disease facts:

Heart disease is related to two conditions, which are myocardial infarction (heart attack) and angina pectoris. When the arteries carrying nutrients and oxygen to the heart become narrow and clogged, it results in coronary heart disease. If the oxygen rich blood does not reach the heart the person develops a pain called angina. The pain is usually in the chest or left arm. When the blood supply is cut off, the unfortunate result is the heart attack.

 Symptoms and signs of heart diseases:

Chest pains or breathlessness are the early signs of heart diseases when the person feels tightness, burning pain, heaviness and pressure behind the breastbone. These signs usually call for immediate medical intervention.

 The symptoms of depression like fatigue, loss of interest in work and activities, loss of appetite, weight loss, and restlessness interfere with the normal functioning of the heart thus leading to heart disease. However, symptoms of depression should not be confused with symptoms of cardiac failure or heart attack. Only the health professionals can evaluate the heart diseases after conducting intensive tests.

Treatment: 

Mental health disorder and heart disease can lead to extreme sickness and death. Prescribed medication under proper supervision, cognitive behavioral therapy which promotes adherence and behavior change, can increase the impact of pharmacological and behavioral approach to both the diseases.

Mental health disorders can be treated under the supervision of skilled professionals like any other diseases depending totally upon the circumstances and symptoms exhibited by the person. 

Strategies for promoting a healthy heart: 

The diagnosis of heart disease in relation to other mental health disorders are the wake up call alerting you to view your own habits that might be harmful or worsen the disease. 

Several measures can be adopted to reduce the symptoms of heart diseases. The support of your family and friends helps you in the transition to a healthy lifestyle. 

• Smoking and drinking which are normally taken to combat stress should be avoided since they lead to increase in heart rate and blood pressure. 
• A healthy nutritional diet with regular fluid intake, fruits and vegetables, limiting sodium, avoiding foods with high saturated and trans fats like red meat, whole milk should be avoided. Small portions of meal with low fat diets and protein rich should be taken. 
• Exercise is the best potential way to improve mental health and they can slow down the risks of heart disease is. Exercise relieves stress, strengthens muscles, gives confidence, and strengthens the cardiovascular system. 

Mental health disorders and heart diseases are two major causes for disability in a person.

It has been established that risks of heart diseases is 2-6 times more common in patients having mental health disorders. Hence, preventing mental and heart diseases plays a vital role in improving the chances of survival.

Heart Diseases and Mental Health Are Closely Related is a post from: Mental Health

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a serious brain disorder resulting from the damage to the brain’s nerve cells which impacts the everyday living like memory loss and other cognitive changes (The psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning). 

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease which progresses from mild forgetfulness which is severe enough to affect their work, lifelong hobbies and even the social life.

Mental health symptoms are the changes in the brain which gradually terminate the ability to create, remember, reason, and learn etc.

There is a common tendency for confusion or trouble in organizing and expressing feelings of thoughts, forgetting and misplacing things, getting lost even in the familiar places, and changes in personality and behavior. The disease gradually worsens as more cells are damaged and destroyed.

What are the signs and symptoms that can lead to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis?

In order to arrive at a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, we will need to gather the family history information, order medical tests, and estimate your memory loss using a variety of assessments. Out of them, the most important information relates to past and present mental health of the person.

Classic patterns not only eliminate other causes, but they also distinguish Alzheimer’s from other forms of dementia.

The following criteria are very essential to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease:

• Significant memory problems - delayed recall, short term or long term memory loss
• Significant thinking deficits - is seen in at least one of the four areas which are expressing and comprehending language, identifying familiar objects through the senses, poor coordination, gait or muscle dysfunction. They might also experience problems with the executive functions of planning, ordering, and making judgments.
• Significant decline which is severe enough to interfere with relationships and work performance
• Symptoms appear gradually and steadily worsen over a period of time
• Other mental health causes are ruled out. Memory and cognitive symptoms are surely related to Alzheimer’s.

What are the various types of dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease?

Mild cognitive impairment:

A person will experience problems with memory or one of the other core functions when affected by dementia. These problems are severe enough to be noticeable to other people and to show up on tests of mental health functions, but it is not serious enough to interfere with daily life. If symptoms do not disrupt the daily activities, the person does not meet criteria for being diagnosed with dementia.

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer disease over the years, especially when their main problem involves memory.

However, not everyone diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment progresses to Alzheimer’s or another kind of dementia.

Vascular dementia:

This dementia is the second most common type, after the Alzheimer’s disease. It normally occurs when the blood flow to the brains are blocked by the clots, thereby depriving the nerve cells of nutrition and oxygen.

If it develops soon after a single major stroke, it blocks the large blood vessels and it is sometimes termed as the post-stroke dementia. Vascular dementia symptoms can vary from person to person, depending on the brain regions involved with the issue.

In vascular dementia, forgetfulness is the main symptom along with confusion. The damage may occur slowly step by step which involves subtle changes in mental health functions.

Mixed dementia:

In mixed dementia, Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia occur at the same time. Decline may follow a pattern similar to either Alzheimer or vascular dementia or a combination of both. In this type, the symptoms of dementia steadily worsen.

Moderately Severe or Middle Dementia Alzheimer’s disease:

The main symptoms are lack of present awareness and the inability to accurately remember the past. The patients progressively lose their ability to dress and bathe independently. Bowel and bladder incontinence often occur along with repetitive verbal or non-verbal behaviors such as wandering. Suspicion and personality changes are common. 

They cannot remember close family members but know do realize that they are familiar. Agitation and hallucinations are particularly experienced in the late afternoons with the diminishing mental health function.

Frontotemporal dementia:

This is a rare disorder chiefly affecting the frontal region and sides of the brain. Fronto-temporal dementia progresses more quickly than Alzheimer’s disease and tends to occur at a younger age. The first symptoms often involve changes in personality, judgment, planning and social skills. Mental health declines gradually along with activities of daily living.

Brief introduction to Alzheimer’s & other Dementias is a post from: Mental Health