#GenderDysphoria - Transgender Issues

#TRANSGENDER PERSON is often used as an umbrella term for identifying all those individuals who have discordance or discomfort between expressed gender and gender assigned at birth. Being identified as transgender person or gender diverse is considered being a matter of human diversity and not pathology.

While both #Genderidentity and Gender role is an important human attribute, it has a profound impact on personal well-being.

Gender nonconformity refers to the extent to which a person’s gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex. Only a proportion of people with Gender non-conformity experience Gender dysphoria at some point in their lifespan. While differences exist between Gender #nonconformity and gender dysphoria, they are considered to be a part of the spectrum that lies between masculinity and femininity.

Gender dysphoria/ Transgender refers to discomfort or distress that is caused by a discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and that person’s sex assigned at birth (and the associated gender role and/or primary and secondary sex characteristics). The distress associated with gender dysphoria can be reduced via treatment which is aimed at providing a gender role and expression which is comfortable for them even if they differ from the prevailing norms and expectations of the sex assigned at birth.

CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION

• Children may not be sure how to express their feelings to you, or they may be unwilling to. These warning signs can occur in children with depression:

irritability or anger

# changes in behavior and temperament

# increased or decreased appetite

# increased or decreased sleep

# emotional or vocal outbursts

# frequent expression of physical illness, such as headaches or stomachaches

# reduced concentration

# defiance

# decline in performance at school

# expressing negative thinking (self-critical comments or complaining)

# talking about death or dying

• Common Symptoms include sadness or low mood

feelings of hopelessness

feelings of worthlessness

feelings of guilt anger or irritability

crying

low energy

difficulty concentrating

thoughts of suicide

• These risk factors increase a child’s chances for developing depression:

Physical health - Children with chronic or severe medical conditions are more likely to be depressed. This includes obesity.

Stressful events - Changes at home, at school, or with friends can increase a child’s risk for depressive symptoms.

Environment - A chaotic or stressful home life can put a child at greater risk for a mood disorder like depression.

Family history - Children who have family members with mood disorders or depression may be more likely to develop depression at a young age.

Biochemical imbalances - Uneven levels of certain hormones and chemicals may impact how the brain works. This can increase the risk for depression.

• Treatment through medication and therapy

#RelationshipStressors - Role of Psychiatrist

- #Relationshipstress can take a toll on the strongest of bonds. When you begin to think “My relationship is stressing me out,” there is the potential for distance, disagreements and disconnection between you and your partner

- Dealing with relationship stress is never easy, but it’s part of life. Even if your partner has consistently been the anchor in your relationship, there will eventually come a time when their tank is running on empty and you will be given the opportunity to provide the love and support that is needed. And while you may find it to be difficult to help your partner during times of stress, generating the mental and emotional resources to help your partner will not only create comfort and connection but a healthy, secure base in the relationship that both partners can consistently count on.

- Hectic schedules and everyday work-life demands make it easy to become wrapped up in our own worlds. But when we lose sight of our partner’s stress, then we are not communicating and we are not connecting. This is why it is imperative to make the extra effort to recognize when you’re dealing with a stressed partner.

- Relationship stress can lead to #mentalhealthproblems like:

- #Anxiety when you are around your partner

- Over analysis of your interactions

- Inability to control your emotions

- Feeling depressed or withdrawn

- Problems sleeping

Relationship stress results in the same negative health effects as any other form of stress:

- Stomach issues

- Skin problems

- Increased risk of heart disease

- High blood pressure

- Weaker immune system

Management involves ruling out and managing psychiatric disorders like #OCD or #Depression. Psychological counselling plays a major role in working on personality of partners.

#COMPULSIVEBUYINGDISORDER

• People who have compulsive buying disorder are often struck with an irresistible and overpowering urge to purchase goods in spite of negative consequences.

• Characteristics include difficulty resisting the purchase of unneeded items, financial difficulties because of uncontrolled shopping, preoccupation with shopping for unneeded items, problems at work, school, or home because of uncontrolled shopping, spending a great deal of time researching coveted items and/or shopping for unneeded items.

• Commonly associated Disorders include #Majordepressivedisorder

#Anxietydisorders

#Substanceuse disorders

#Eatingdisorders

#Impulsecontroldisorders

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (#OCD)

Avoidant personality disorder

#Borderlinepersonalitydisorder

• Common risk factors and impact includes Relationship problems, including divorce

Social isolation

Financial problems, including excessive debt and bankruptcy

Depression and/or anxiety

Worsening of co-incident disorders such as substance use disorder

• Treatment through therapy and medication

#CHILDHOODOCD

• A child with #OCD has obsessive thoughts that are not wanted. They are linked to fears, such as touching dirty objects. He or she uses #compulsiverituals to control the fears, such as excessive handwashing.

• School-aged children often create group rituals as they learn to play games, take part in team sports, and recite rhymes.

• Older children and teens start to collect objects and have hobbies. These rituals help children to socialize and learn to deal with anxiety.

• Common symptoms include an extreme obsession with dirt or germs, repeated doubts, such as whether or not the door is locked, interfering thoughts about violence, hurting or killing someone, or harming oneself, long periods of time spent touching things, counting, and thinking about numbers and sequences, preoccupation with order, symmetry, or exactness, ongoing thoughts about doing offensive sexual acts or forbidden, taboo behaviors, troubled by thoughts that are against personal religious beliefs, a great need to know or remember things that may be very minor, too much attention to detail and too much worrying about something bad occurring, aggressive thoughts, urges, or behaviors

• Compulsive behaviors are the repetitive rituals used to ease anxiety caused by the obsessions. They can be excessive, disruptive, and time-consuming. They may interfere with daily activities and relationships. They may include repeated handwashing (often 100 or more times a day),checking and rechecking many times, such as making sure that a door is locked, following firm rules of order, such as putting on clothes in the very same order each day, hoarding objects, counting and recounting a lot, grouping objects or putting things in a certain order, repeating words spoken by oneself or others,asking the same questions again and again, repeatedly using four-letter words or making rude (obscene) gestures and repeating sounds, words, numbers, or music to oneself.

• Treatment through medication and therapy.

#GamblingAddiction

• A gambling addiction is a progressive #addiction that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions.

• Symptoms include need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to feel excitement, restlessness or irritability when trying to stop gambling, repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop, control, or reduce gambling, thinking often about gambling and making plans to gamble

Gambling when feeling distressed

Returning to gamble again after losing money, Lying to conceal gambling activities, experiencing relationship or work problems due to gambling and depending on others for money to spend on gambling

• Causes include some factors increase the risk. These include:

#depression, anxiety conditions, or personality disorders

other addictions, such as drugs or alcohol, which have been linked to a higher risk of a gambling addiction

• Treatment through therapy and medication

#SuicidePrevention

#Mentaldisorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and substance use disorders (including alcohol use disorder and the use of and withdrawal from benzodiazepines) are risk factors.

Some suicides are impulsive acts due to #stress (such as from financial or academic difficulties), relationship problems (such as breakups or divorces), or harassment and bullying.

Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts.

Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance abuse; careful media reporting about suicide; and improving economic conditions

#Perfectionists strain compulsively and unceasingly toward unattainable goals. They measure their self-worth by productivity and accomplishment that some tendencies even lead to distraction from other areas of life.

• Perfectionists pressure themselves to achieve unrealistic goals that inevitably lead to disappointment. If the sole focus pertains to everything that needs to be fixed in order to be considered perfect, then it's hard to know when they will truly be happy with themselves. Perfectionists especially, tend to be harsh critics of themselves, their work, and when they fail to meet their expectations.

• Perfectionism can be damaging. It can take the form of #procrastination when used to postpone tasks and self-deprecation when used to excuse poor performance or to seek sympathy and affirmation from other people. These, together or separate, are self-handicapping strategies perfectionists may use to protect their sense of self-competence. In general, perfectionists feel constant pressure to meet their high expectations, which creates cognitive dissonance when expectations cannot be met. #Perfectionism has been associated with numerous other psychological and physiological complications. Moreover, perfectionism may result in alienation and social disconnection via certain rigid interpersonal patterns common to perfectionistic individuals.

#Chronickidneydisease (CKD) is a lifelong condition and requires medical treatment. The stress of living with a chronic, progressive condition can affect your mental health

• There are several mental health issues common in people with CKD. These include: #anxiety, #depression, #stress, and #anxiety.

Understanding #RecurrentDepression

• Recurrent depressive disorder describes the tendency of an individual to suffer recurrent episodes of depressed mood.

• The characteristic features of a depressed patient in a mild to moderate case are-

a sad appearance

sad feelings

sad thought processes

biological symptoms and sign of #depression

in a severe case:

#delusionsofworthlessness, guilt and nihilism

#hallucinations, usually auditory

#suicidalideation

• Risk factors include genetics, hormonal changes and brain chemicals. Studies have identified some other factors for recurrent depression-

severity of first depressive episode

comorbid conditions, such as major depression, dysthymia (i.e., persistent mild depression), and anxiety

proneness to psychological distress (i.e., a tendency for anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings)

stressful life events

family history of mental illness, especially depression

• Treatment through medication and therapy