Services
ADHD in Children
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is a chronic condition that affects children, with symptoms often continuing into adulthood. Common symptoms of ADHD include inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. ADHD affects the behavior of children both at home and in school. According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately eleven percent of children in the United States are diagnosed with ADHD. Boys are more commonly diagnosed with this condition than girls. Children with ADHD often struggle in school, have poor self-esteem and may be at an increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse as they get older. With treatment, however, most people with ADHD can lead successful and...
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressive illness, is a complex psychiatric disorder that involves sudden and dramatic mood swings between mania and depression. An episode may last for hours, days, weeks or months and symptoms may be severe, sometimes resulting in dangerously impulsive or self-destructive behavior and sometimes leading to depression so deep it results in suicide.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person is consumed with weight and body image. People with bulimia often engage in episodes of binge-eating large amounts of food and then purging, or getting rid of the food, often through vomiting, use of laxatives or extreme exercise. Many people with bulimia nervosa may partake in a combination of all of these purging methods. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people with bulimia nervosa usually maintain what is considered a healthy or normal weight, however, they are often very unhappy with their body size and shape and want desperately to lose weight. Bulimic behavior occurs more commonly in women, and is often done secretly because it may be accompanied by feelings of disgust or shame...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition that is characterized by extreme fatigue that does not improve with rest. Fatigue caused by this condition is ongoing and may worsen after physical activity or mental exertion. Anyone can suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, although it is most common in middle aged women. The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown which makes this condition difficult to treat.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder involving delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and terrifying thoughts. Research has shown that approximately one percent of the population suffer with this condition.
Dementia
Dementia is not a single disorder, but rather a combination of age-related symptoms involving a loss of mental skills and deteriorating brain function. Dementia literally translates to "deprived of mind," and may be the result of several different underlying conditions, some of which are treatable and some of which are not. Patients with dementia gradually lose memory, communication skills, the ability to reason, and the facility to complete the tasks of everyday living.
Depression
Depression, is a medical condition that causes extreme feelings of sadness and emptiness. People who suffer from depression may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed and experience a constant feeling of hopelessness on a daily basis. Depression, also known as clinical or major depression, may be triggered by certain events or occur along with other illnesses. Severe depression can interfere with a person's ability to work, sleep, eat, interact with others or enjoy life. With treatment, however, depression can become a manageable condition.
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders are characterized by a sense of disconnection from oneself or from certain memories or experiences. Such disorders are believed to be the result of traumatic experience. The sense of being walled off from the trauma is considered to be a coping mechanism to keep extremely painful memories at bay.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a chronic addiction disorder in which a person becomes dependent on alcohol. Individuals with this condition are unable to control how much they drink and often experience serious consequences as a result of their alcohol consumption. Some people may not be characterized as alcoholics, but can suffer from alcohol abuse, meaning that they drink excessively but are not fully dependent on alcohol. Both conditions are considered serious and require long-term treatment in order to resume a normal, fully functioning lifestyle.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is a psychiatric problem in which anxiety is not a temporary state but a chronic condition. While it is normal for all individuals to worry about an upcoming event such as an examination or job interview, patients with GAD are in a perpetual state of anxiety, unable to relax. The disorder may become so severe that it interferes with school, work or relationships. GAD is a very common disorder, affecting millions of individuals in the United States alone. More than twice as many women as men suffer from the disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common anxiety disorder involving disturbing repetitive thoughts and rituals designed to try to alleviate such thoughts. The thoughts are obsessions; the rituals are compulsions. OCD affects millions of people and may be associated with other types of psychiatric disorders.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is the excessive use of a drug or substance, despite the harmful consequences that may occur. Individuals that abuse certain drugs or substances become addicted to these substances and cannot control their ability to resist the intense urges to take them. This abuse can affect a person's physical health and personal or social functioning. Substance abuse can include regular, excessive, compulsive drinking of alcohol, and/or the habitual use of illegal or prescription drugs or other harmful substances. Substance abuse is a serious and dangerous condition that affects millions of people in the United States each year. Severe substance abuse can destroy relationships, end careers, and lead to stroke, heart disease, brain...
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder in which patients suffer from sudden and unexplained attacks of extreme fear and loss of physical and psychological control. They may feel in terrible danger of overwhelming embarrassment or death. Panic attacks are sometimes precipitated by an anxiety-producing event, but often seem to occur without any provocation and are all the more terrifying for that reason.
Personality Disorders
A personality disorder is a psychiatric illness in which the patient's thoughts, emotions and behaviors are distorted in unhealthy ways. Patients with personality disorders tend to be inflexible and may appear irrational, at least at times, to those around them. Over a long time period, their behavior leads to serious difficulties in school, in the workplace and in relationships. For those with personality disorders, life is troubling and often stormy. For them, everyday stresses often represent overwhelming, or even, insurmountable problems. Believed to begin in childhood, personality disorders may have genetic, as well as environmental underpinnings and are often difficult to treat.
Phobias
A phobia is a psychiatric disorder in which the patient suffers a lasting, irrational fear precipitated by a harmless object or situation. A patient with a phobia experiences intense anxiety upon exposure to the trigger and may experience anticipatory anxiety as well. Patients with phobias may be aware that their fear is irrational, but may nonetheless find it overwhelming or even disabling. Phobias which develop in childhood, such as a fear of bees or of thunder, are frequently outgrown, while phobias that develop in adulthood may be longer lasting. Nonetheless, about one-fifth of all phobias resolve without treatment.
Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders are disturbances in sleep patterns. They involve difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, excessive daytime tiredness, irregular breathing during sleep, or abnormal sleep behaviors. Sleep disorders may develop as a result of changes in the neurotransmitters of the brain, taking certain medications (such as corticosteroids), illness, stress, anxiety, depression, excessive caffeine or alcohol, or drug use. A sleep disorder can interfere with daily activities, and affect overall health and quality of life. When accurately diagnosed, however, most sleep disorders can be effectively treated.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric condition triggered by a traumatic event during which great physical harm occurs or is threatened. While almost everyone experiences trauma at one time or another, for most people the feelings of terror and helplessness subside over time. For patients with PTSD, symptoms may appear later, last longer and be much more severe than for the average person. There are many reasons an individual may develop PTSD, none of them under the individual's control.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a common condition that affects an estimated 10 percent of new mothers, causing symptoms of sadness and anxiety during this new and often overwhelming experience. This condition often develops as a result of the physical, emotional, hormonal and life changes that take place after childbirth and as a woman adjusts to motherhood.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, is a depressive disorder that occurs in accordance with the seasons. Most people with seasonal affective disorder experience symptoms in the fall and winter seasons. More rarely, patients experience this condition during the spring and summer. It is important to seek medical attention for this condition not only to maintain mood stability, but to prevent symptoms from worsening.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), also known as dysmorphophobia, the fear of having a deformity, is a chronic psychiatric disorder in which patients become preoccupied with a perceived physical defect in a body part.
Self-Injury
Self- injury, also known as self-harm, occurs when an individual deliberately harms their own body. People who harm their own body, often do so by cutting or or burning themselves. Self-injury is often related to trauma, and those who harm or hurt themselves are likely to have been abused in childhood. Self-injury is often a coping mechanism used by people to deal with severe emotional pain, anger, or frustration. The act of hurting themselves helps some people forget their feelings and emotional troubles and focus instead on their self-inflicted physical pain. While these people may not be suicidal, they are consciously injuring themselves and may cause permanent damage or accidental suicide.
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of intellectual and social abilities; it affects memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia, interfering with the functioning of more than 5 million people in the United States alone. With the aging American population, Alzheimer's is expected to affect as many as three times that number during the coming decades. While aging is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's, severe memory loss is not a natural part of the aging process.
Anger Management
Anger management is the process of learning to recognize the signs of one's own encroaching anger and mastering techniques to deal with it safely and effectively. While anger is a normal, healthy emotion, in many people it becomes excessive and out of control, resulting in damaged relationships, employment difficulties, and even physical violence. Uncontrolled anger not only causes disharmony and pain, it is a frequent cause of criminal behavior. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of how widespread issues with anger are and how greatly they affect the world around us. This has resulted in the development of various anger management techniques designed to channel anger in constructive ways.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a common anxiety disorder that affects many people. People with social anxiety have excessive and unreasonable fears before and during different social situations. With a social anxiety disorder, normal, everyday interactions may cause feelings of anxiety, nervousness, self-consciousness and embarrassment. Individuals who suffer from social phobia may avoid certain social situations because of the overwhelming fear and anxiety that these situations may cause. The anxiety and emotional discomfort caused by a social anxiety disorder may interfere with daily routines, relationships, school or employment.
Stress Management
Now that the deep connection between physical health and emotional well-being has been established, stress management is recognized as an important component of daily life. Reducing stress has been found to improve relationships and personal satisfaction, and make students and employees more efficient. In order for successful stress management to take place, a stress assessment must be completed, designed to evaluate a patient's stress level and to highlight any areas of concern. These results are used to devise a customized treatment plan that provides patients with a variety of techniques to alleviate stress and increase comfort, energy level and productivity.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that involves difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, sometimes both. Although most people suffer an occasional sleepless night, patients with insomnia have difficulty sleeping on a regular basis. This condition affects approximately 1 in 10 people in the United States and can lead to other troubling symptoms, such as fatigue, low energy level, and a weakened immune system. While insomnia is not normally considered a serious medical disorder, it can make life difficult, or even unmanageable.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a serious emotional eating disorder that involves an obsession with food, weight and body image. Anorexics go to extreme measures to starve themselves or exercise excessively in order to prevent weight gain or continue losing weight. Often, anorexia nervosa is not really about food, but a psychological condition that manifests in an unhealthy and dangerous way to cope with emotional problems and issues of control and perfectionism. Females suffer from anorexia nervosa more often than males.
Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder, or PDD. Like other PDDs, Asperger's is characterized by difficulties in communication and socialization, but it is mildest of the disorders on the autism spectrum. It is four times more common in boys than in girls and is usually diagnosed in children between 2 and 6 years of age.
Autism
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), encompasses a range of pervasive developmental disorders. These disorders vary in degree from mild forms like Asperger's syndrome to severe impairment.
Autism is characterized by difficulties with communication and social interaction and by repetitive behavior patterns. The disorder has become very common, occurring in more than 1 percent of children. Autism is four times more likely to occur in males. Besides Asperger's syndrome, there are several other types of ASD, including pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett's syndrome.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a psychiatric disorder characterized by mood instability, impulsive behavior and difficulties with relationships. The symptoms usually appear in adolescence or young adulthood, but may begin to be evident in childhood.
Binge Eating Disorder
A binge eating disorder is an eating disorder where people consume unusually large amounts of food in one sitting. Many people who are binge eaters feel a lack of control over their eating and may feel extremely depressed and guilty after a binge eating episode. Binge eaters may be overweight or obese, but can also be of normal weight. Binge eaters are twice as likely to be women than men. There is no specific cause for binge eating but it may be a result of family history, biological factors, long-term dieting and psychological issues. Binge eating may be caused by depression or anxiety or may be the result of painful childhood experiences or family problems.
