Binge Eating

Binge eating affects way too many people across North America. It is a way for people to deal with their stress, depression or with low self-esteem. Food can be a real comfort, but when it turns into a binge every couple of days that causes a major gain in weight, it might be time to stop and ask one’s self if this binging habit is becoming a problem.

There are some cases where uncontrollable eating habits were not caused by another problem, but many are. Some binging happens as a result of a person’s depression, lack of confidence or stress. People who have a problem often feel guilty or embarrassed for binging, do not feel entirely satisfied that the food is a comfort, eat whenever they feel stressed out, or eat continuously without even really realizing it. Binge eating can turn into a serious disorder when not dealt with. It can lead to serious health problems, such as increased chance of heart attacks, diabetes for example.

How can therapy or counseling help someone get away from binge eating? Believe it or not, seeking help from a therapist or counselor can help a person to change their eating habits for the better. As mentioned before, binge eating can usually be an emotional response to stresses occurring in the person’s life that the patient is not usually aware of. A therapist can help the patient to address their true issues and then work with them to find healthier ways to deal with these issues. This can sometimes help the patient get away from their binging because what was actually bothering them has been dealt with.

Seeking therapy can be easier than a person thinks. What stops most from seeking therapy can be the apprehension of going in to consult a therapist or counselor in person. This, of course, can create more stress for the patient who then eats to cope with it and so does not really help the problem. There are online therapists and online counselors available if the person can get onto the internet. All the individual has to do is put in a search and they will be able to find an online therapist who can help them get away from their binge eating and into a healthier life. The online therapist and the patient can message back and forth; the patient answering the therapist’s questions and the therapist giving out advice or suggestions that can help the patient with their eating disorder.

Regardless of how the patient gets help, the first step to getting rid of the binge eating habit is to accept that one needs help. The next is to find a comfortable way to consult a therapist or a counselor who can work with them. The therapist can help the patient address any issues that might be causing the binging and can help work with the patient to make healthier eating decisions. The therapist will also most likely get the patient on a program that will promote a healthier diet and one that the patient will hopefully stick to for the sake of improving their health.

How does someone with Anthrophobia get help?

Anyone being asked how someone with anthrophobia could get help would probably provide a deceptively easy answer, especially if they are not familiar with what this type of phobia is. They would probably suggest that a person suffering from anthrophobia go in to see a therapist or a counselor. While this may seem like the obvious answer, it is one that might not be a choice for someone suffering from severe anthrophobia. Why is this? A person who has anthrophobia has an intense fear of other people, so leaving their home to go and see their therapist means that they will have to be near other people as they pass by them to get to the therapist’s office, then they will probably have to wait in a waiting room with other people until the therapist is ready to see them, and then they will be in a room alone with anther person when they go to talk to the therapist. This can all seem too traumatizing for a person with anthrophobia to do, so they will instead try their best to stay home and this means that they don’t get the help that they need.

Many people may be unaware of this, but there is the option of online therapy or online counseling for a person who can’t seem to make it out of the house. In the case of a person with anthrophobia who lives in an apartment in the middle of New York city is not going to be able to leave their house because they would be surrounded by their fear. So, what does a person in this situation do? If they have the internet, there is hope and another option available. In fact, online counseling is becoming more popular all the time, especially with people who are unable to leave their house due to their phobia. Anthrophobia is just one of many types of phobia that can lead to a person barricading themselves inside their home.

How can online counseling help a person in this situation? Online counseling is not really any different than if they had gone to speak with the counselor in person. The only difference is that the person is contacting the counselor through e-mail. The person messages the counselor and explains the difficulty they have. The counselor will then message the person back with questions to learn more about the phobia the patient seems to be suffering. This communication will bounce back and forth as the counselor discusses the patient’s problem and the counselor will try their best to help the patient overcome their phobia. It can take time, but online counseling is easily accessible by anyone who has a computer hooked up to the internet and who is in the situation where they can’t go to visit the counselor in person.

A person who has severe anthrophobia can remain in their home and seek advice and help from their counselor online without having to go through the traumatic experience of facing their phobia before they are ready. This is where communicating with an online counselor is so very useful and the most beneficial. As mentioned before, online counseling is becoming more popular all the time and every day new ways of treating patients are being used in order to ensure that patients will be treated successfully. Many people have been treated successfully by using internet counseling and someone suffering from anthrophobia is no exception.

Dealing With Change

Change can be a wonderful experience for many people. It can be exciting and something that can break up the boring monotonous routine that can get on just about anyone’s nerves over time. There are, however, times when a particular change is not welcome and actually causes some stress on the person who is affected by the stress. This kind of change can be just about anything, from an unexpected and unwanted move from a place the person is renting, of which the owner of the home has decided to sell to someone else who does not want tenants, to facing a transfer where the worker will have to take it or to start looking for another job. While change can be a wonderful thing when it means a promotion or finally moving into that house the person has always wanted, change can be frightening to the point of driving the individual into anxiety or worry about what will become of them in the future with this change.

When feeling stressed, it helps if the person takes a minute to sit down and think about what it is that might be causing them the stress. They start going through everything that might cause them some excessive worry, but it all finally centers on one thing; change. This person realizes that this new job, or them finally moving out on their own and are now in charge of their own life, or they have moved to a new city where they wanted to start over but still need to find a job or anything else that could be classified as a big change in their lives, is what is probably causing them more stress. The worries start to set in with “how am I going to be able to afford this new rent,” “am I really capable of this job with all its responsibilities,” or any other questions or worries that can come to mind that would make one tense up and sweat over. Soon the mind starts to become overflowed with a million things that could go wrong as a result of this change and before the person knows it their vivid imagination has run off with them. This can leave a person more pessimistic about their future and they feel that this change can only bring bad luck on them.

It is important that a person gets control of themselves and starts to rationalize that change can actually be for the better. It can often help to consult a therapist or a counselor about all their worries and possible future troubles that they fear. The therapist or counselor can act as a sounding board for the patient to let out everything that concerns them to the point of anxiety. The therapist can then help the patient to organize these thoughts and talk about how many of these worries are unwarranted. Further therapy can help the patient accept that while any change can come with some risk; a big change in a person’s life can actually spark wonderful results and opportunities that can benefit the person in the end. The therapist can then help the patient calm down and feel more confident about the change in their life.

As with anything, change can be a good or a bad thing. Much of it depends on whether they take it in a positive or negative way. For the more pessimistic or less confident individuals, therapy can be a safe way to help deal with the change in their life in a more positive way.

Anorexia requires immediate therapy

Anorexia is a serious eating disorder that affects way too many people, especially young teenage girls who are trying to liken themselves to their idols, such as movie stars or well known singers. The reason why this eating disorder is so popular with this age group is because this is the age when most girls are changing, are very sensitive with their appearance and many have low self-esteem that can often cause unhappiness with how they look. People with anorexia are desperate to keep their weight down because they don’t want to be overweight. They want to be attractive and become obsessed with losing weight because they think they are still too fat. They don’t seem to see what they actually look like in the mirror. Even when the condition becomes so bad that everyone is seeing a walking skeleton, the person who has the eating disorder continues to see a fat person in the mirror.

Anorexia can almost be considered a fat phobia and it is this fear that causes one to alter their eating habits to become less fat. This is a problem that does require therapy or counseling as soon as it might be suspected that someone may have anorexia. The patient will probably avoid eating in public, avoid eating food they have prepared for others, have excessive loss of weight and are constantly watching their calorie intake. When this person does not get the therapy or counseling they need, they can suffer serious permanent physical and mental health, and also have a chance of eventually dying from starving to death.

The longer the problem persists, the more difficult it will be to get help for the person. It is best for this individual to have a lot of support from family and friends who will encourage the person to seek professional help from the family therapist or family counselor as soon as they are aware there may be a problem. There are actually many different causes that would have a person develop this eating disorder. It could be guilt, unhappiness with their appearance and so on. A therapist can help the patient address why they might have developed the disorder in the first place. Counseling and therapy can help a patient to eventually lose the fake image they have of themselves and finally see what they are doing to their body, physically and mentally. The therapist will work with the patient to work through their guilt or unhappiness and eventually help the patient get rid of their eating disorder. This can take time and a lot of visits to the therapist. For something like this where it can take a long time to get over, the patient has the option of online therapy or online counseling as well. A simple search on the internet will bring up many sites of professional therapists and counselors who are willing to help their patients online. This way, the patient who is too concerned about their appearance can contact the professional online so the stress of meeting yet another person who the patient believes will be judgmental of their appearance will be eliminated.

In many cases, online therapy is an easier way for a person suffering anorexia can get help. Online counseling offers more confidentiality for the patient because others don’t have to see they are getting help if the patient prefers to get the help secretly. Regardless of how they wish to seek help, the most important thing for any person with anorexia is that they seek the help they need as soon as possible.

What is Social Phobia?

Who would have thought that a member of a species that tends to be more social in nature would have such an intense shyness or fear of socializing with other members of its own species? It may seem strange, but there are a lot of people out there who are shy of other people and some of these people are so shy of other people that they can’t even make friends. If not corrected, a person can develop an anxiety or an intense fear of socializing with other people. They will have little difficulty with socializing with their own family members, but when it comes to being around people they are unfamiliar with socializing can be one of the most difficult things for them to do.

How is social phobia treated? Therapy or counseling is often recommended for anyone who may be suffering from social phobia. This phobia can often make life complicated and can get in the way of a person’s ability to succeed in life. This is why consulting a professional is highly recommended if someone wishes to overcome their phobia. Of course, this can be difficult for someone who has an intense fear of meeting and socializing with new people. Some, with the help of caring family members, can eventually make it in to see a therapist or counselor in person; however, there is another option for people who are too uncomfortable meeting someone new. There is phone counseling, but online therapy is fast becoming a way for people suffering from this kind of phobia to get the help they require. In most cases, when people with this phobia are unaware of the online therapy now available, they try to stay home as much as they can, will avoid any social events when possible and will tend to avoid seeking the help they need, because they believe it will require them to meet with a therapist in person.

Someone with social phobia can avoid this discomfort if they have a computer and internet connection at home. All they have to do is make the commitment to remain in constant communication with their online therapist. A quick search on the internet will bring up a few different sites of therapists who will be able to help the patient overcome their fear of socializing. Online therapy is probably the easiest way for a person with this phobia to get the help they need. They can converse with the therapist in a way that eliminates the uncomfortable atmosphere. Now, while it is easier for the patient because they are not speaking with the therapist in person but from the comfort of their own home, it might still be a little uncomfortable for the patient to be open with someone they have never met and are unfamiliar with. In most cases, this discomfort is minimal and is worth trying to push it aside to make their lives easier out in the social world. This could almost be considered the first step toward pushing the phobia away and coming closer to being able to feel more confident in one’s self in the social world.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy hardly seems like the traditional type of therapy a person would see on a television show or a movie, does it? Therapy is hardly the age old stereotype that people who have no personal experience of being through therapy may picture in their minds. New methods and ideas are thought up and put into practice all the time in an effort to help people more than before. With more options available to individuals who are suffering from phobias, depression or any other condition, the more of a chance they have to work through their condition and have better lives as a result. Art therapy is one of many proven methods used to help people deal with the issues they may have that are making their lives more difficult than they need to be.

Art therapy is basically what this type of therapy is all about. It is where a person will use art, whether it is clay, paints, or pencils, to express themselves. It is a therapy that can help a person explore their inner feelings, their dreams or memories in a way that could often be easier than using words. It is through this method that a therapist can learn more about what is troubling the patient. Learning more about the patient can help the therapist decide what the best treatment or therapy the patient may need in order to continue the healing process, or overcome their depression.

A common misconception about art therapy is that it is used more for children who seem to be suffering as a result of an incident or condition, but in truth it is for just about anyone who it will work for. Regardless of what the patient’s age is art therapy can help people who suffer from depression, abuse, or certain phobias. Art encourages a person to be more creative and through this type of therapy can gain a better understanding of themselves and their issues. It will also help the counselor, or therapist, get a window into the patient’s subconscious where they can find the answers they need in order to help their patient. Often, being creative can even bring out the most subconscious thoughts of a person without them even realizing it. After all, many of the problems a person may have can often be found by the therapist helping them to look deeper into their subconscious to retrieve the issues that are at the root of their problem. It is through gaining a proper understanding of what the patient’s real problem is that a therapist can properly treat the patient, either through medicinal or non-medicinal therapies.

Art therapy is perhaps the best way for a therapist to help a patient bring out what is bothering them and creating the depression or condition. Sometimes words are just not enough and can’t fully explain what a patient is feeling or going though. Art has a way of allowing a person to express their feelings fully. Words can occasionally be limiting, where art does not really have any limits and this is what makes this type of therapy a great option for young and old alike.

Does Your Relationship Need Couples Therapy?

Our world is ever changing. Fifty years ago, in the 1950’s, and for all time before that, divorce was almost unheard of. Couples married, and expected to remain married for life. Because divorce was so taboo at that time, couples managed to work out their problems, and make the best of their situations. They simply had to learn how to live together, because the alternative was literally ‘unthinkable’ and not to be considered.

Things have certainly changed! Today, more than half of all marriages end in divorce. We no longer are required to learn how to live with each other, because there is always the option of ‘getting out’ without society ‘marking’ us for the effort. You’ve probably heard of ‘starter marriages.’ You may have thought it was a joke. It isn’t.

The truth is that anyone who is serious about maintaining a relationship will benefit from couple therapy. Even the strongest of relationships can benefit and grow even stronger with the help of a qualified couple’s therapist.

Society mistakenly tends to believe that only those individuals in relationships that are rocky need counseling, but this isn’t so. Note the word ‘individual.’ We are all very individual, separate people. We all have our own way of thinking, and our own way of getting things done – and when two individuals come together to form a relationship, two worlds literally collide.

When you enter into a relationship, there is somebody else that must be considered in all of your decisions and actions, and this is exceedingly hard for many people to adjust to. This is especially true for adults who have ‘been on their own’ for some time.

No matter how well you get along with your significant other – whether you live in the same household or not – you will find that couples therapy will not only give you and your partner a foundation on which you can build, but that you will also gain greater understanding as to how that person thinks and operates. This alone makes it easier to maintain the relationship down the road, when life throws problems your way – as life does indeed tend to do.

Couple therapy can be carried out in a variety of ways, with a variety of counseling methods. Some therapists will work with only one or two methods, while others will work with the method that they and the couple deem best for that particular couple, and their particular problems, if any exist.

Look at it this way – if you do not seek couple therapy when everything is still okay, you can bet that when things go wrong, the therapy will not only take longer, it will probably cost a great deal more. Furthermore, the relationship may have deteriorated to the point where it cannot be salvaged. Avoid this by entering into couple therapy with your partner while things are still going great! The love that you feel today is worth saving for tomorrow.

Cyclothymic depression

Cyclothymic depression is a depression caused by dramatic mood changes. It is considered to be a form of bipolar II disorder where the patient will at one moment feel highly irritable and then fall into a state of depression. Some symptoms of this depression are, as mentioned above, the person drifts between a highly irritable mood and more energy, and then they will usually fall into a period of depression. The period of depression is where the person will suffer constant mood swings, sadness, have changes in sleep patterns and eating habits, worthlessness, and fatigue. The person may also appear to slow down in thinking and response. The period where the person will have more energy will exhibit signs of irritability, appear to be more hyper in speech and in their activities and appear to have more focus on their activities than before.

What causes cyclothymic depression is not yet entirely understood; however, research has shown it to be a mood disorder that could be a result of the genes a person may inherit. As is true with many types of depression, there is still a lot of research being done on depression to find out more about it. Even though some people might be suffering the same type of depression, their symptoms differ as well as their treatments. The causes of depression also tend to differ from person to person.

Despite the fact that depression is not yet fully understood, more is being found out about depression every day through the research that is being done. New treatments and therapies are being developed for patients all the time and many people are being successfully treated by these methods. Of course, no one can help a person suffering depression if the patient does not seek help. Anyone who believes they might be suffering from depression should consult a therapist or a counselor as soon as they can. Only a therapist or counselor can properly diagnose the type of depression and then properly treat the patient. There is the option of online therapy for people who don’t like to go into doctor’s offices. There is also the option of phone therapy. While these two options are great ways for someone to ease into the idea of asking questions about their possible condition or seeking advice, going in to see a therapist in person is probably the best of all three options. The reason for this is that the therapist will be able to speak with the patient uninterrupted and will be able to read the patient as they talk. It can aid the therapist in better understanding what it is that the patient is suffering from and this will help the therapist to recommend the best options for treatment.

Depression is not something that should ever be ignored. It is a real condition that many people suffer from every day. Many people who have gone in to get help have successfully been treated and are now living better lives as a result.

The Impact of Physical Illness on Mental Health

While there have been many advances made in the mental health field over the last quarter century, with mental health professionals acknowledging more and more mental illnesses and how they develop, one aspect of mental health is still not widely discussed. This is the actual impact that physical illness has on one’s mental health.

In fact, few people who are not in the mental health field even consider the part that physical illness plays when it comes to mental health. For example, when you get a cold, you may be a little irritable, and most of us would attribute the fact that we don’t feel good to that irritability.

However, it goes a little deeper than that. When we don’t feel good – even if feeling bad comes from a simple cold – we also tend to feel a little ‘blue.’ Things that would not otherwise be a big deal in our lives become a little larger. We do not respond or react as we normally would.

Fortunately, the cold does not last long, and we get back to being ‘normal.’ But what if that cold turned into a long term illness, or even a fatal illness? How does that affect our mental health? It affects every area of your life, including personal relationships, social interactions, work, and even religious beliefs and spirituality. With such illnesses, it isn’t even so much a question of not feeling good, in the physical sense. It is a question of not feeling good in the mental sense.

Naturally, when confronted with long-term illnesses, no matter how mild or serious they are, we experience a range of emotions, such as anger, worry, and sadness. We feel that our bodies let us down. We feel that we have no control. We may feel lonely or feel that people don’t understand what we are going through.

The biggest concerns, from a mental health standpoint, when it comes to long-term illness, are depression and anxiety. It is not at all uncommon for someone who is suffering from a long-term physical ailment to experience either of these conditions. It is, however, often overlooked and left untreated. This, of course, can be very dangerous, and as research has shown, even have a negative impact on the physical recovery process.

These days, doctors are more aware of how physical ailments affect our mental health, and they are on the lookout for signs of anxiety or depression in their patients. However, for the most part, your doctor will not be aware that a problem exists if you are not open and honest with them about your feelings and what is going on in your life.

Overall, it is perfectly fine and perfectly normal to feel a little blue when you are under the weather. But when it comes to long term illnesses, you need to be able to recognize the signs of depression and anxiety. When you see those signs, let your doctor know immediately, and seek treatment. Don’t try to ‘go it alone’ and do not assume that ‘it will pass.’

If you feel like this affects you or anyone that you know, then you can contact Jennifer@completecounselingsolutions.com for more information.

Understanding and Recognizing Depression

One of the most misunderstood things about depression is what causes it. There are those who believe that there must be a reason to be depressed, and this is not the case. It is never that simple, and there doesn’t have to be an apparent reason for depression to occur at all.

Another thing that many people don’t realize is that short periods of feeling ‘down’ or ‘blue’ are normal. It is when those feelings are prolonged and start interfering in one’s life that it becomes serious, and requires treatment.

These days, most people do recognize the symptoms of depression. They include loss of interest in daily activities, changes in appetite or weight, changes in sleep patterns, feelings of helplessness, feelings of hopelessness, loss of energy, self loathing, trouble concentrating, irritability, and aches and pains. It is important to note that not all people who suffer from depression will suffer all of these symptoms, and the degree to which these symptoms are suffered varies from one person to the next.

There may be a life event that actually causes the depression. This could include the loss of a job, the loss of a spouse through death or divorce, a change in seasons (known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD), postpartum depression (after the birth of a baby), or any other number of life events.

But then, there is the depression that has no apparent cause. When this occurs, the culprit is usually a change in body chemistry, or chemicals produced and/or released by the brain. This is often very serious, simply because nobody expects the depression – including the person who is suffering from it. For example, if a loved one dies, you, your friends, and family members would reasonably expect a period of depression. But if nothing like this has occurred, it is simply unexpected, and often goes unnoticed for a long period of time.

You might assume since there is no ‘reason’ for depression that what you are suffering is not depression, and therefore, you may fail to seek treatment. If you are suffering from any of the signs of depression, you should have a medical checkup. If nothing is discovered during that checkup, your next line of defense against depression should be to seek counseling.

Online counseling for depression is a good place to start. A good online therapist will be able to help you discover whether there is a life event that could have brought on the depression, or if in-person care is required to determine whether or not medication may help put the body chemistry back into balance.

The worst thing that one can do when any sign of depression is present is fail to seek help. Depression that is left untreated has many consequences, including not living life to the fullest and potential suicide.

Overcoming Apprehension to Attending Therapy

Sometimes, in life, things happen that can so overwhelming, that therapy may be the only way to cope with them. Other times, mental illnesses may play a factor. Whatever the reason, if therapy has become an option or a necessity, you may feel some apprehension. This apprehension could come from thinking about sharing your personal thoughts and feelings with a stranger, even if it is a professional. It could come from not knowing what therapy entails. Moreover, the apprehension could come from the fact that you will soon be facing the reality and learning how to cope with whatever the reason is you are having to attend therapy. What you need to know is that feeling anxiety or apprehension is normal; especially if this will be the first time you have ever attended therapy. However, there are things you can do to overcome your apprehension about attending therapy.

Generally, anxiety comes from the unknown, which means not knowing what will happen or not knowing exactly what something, such as therapy, is. One of the best ways to overcome or at least lessen the apprehension you may be feeling as a person entering into therapy is what it is and what it entails. Being informed gives you the power to control your emotions, if only a little. With that said, learning general facts about therapy starts with understanding what it is. Therapy refers to counseling and/or therapy that focuses on working through any issues you may have. These issues can be needing help figuring out a direction for your life, dealing with something tragic, just needing someone to talk to in order to gain perspective, or just about anything that you may need help with. In some cases, a mental health issue, such as depression, anxiety, or anger may be apparent, and this too would be addressed in therapy.

Understanding the specifics of young adult therapy can be difficult as each therapists or center will view things differently, meaning each center can have a different approach. Moreover, your reasons for seeking therapy are uniquely yours, so there is no standard way that can help you. However, you can expect to have a choice of one or many therapy sessions, all which can vary in their length of time, depending on what you and your therapists feels is best for you. In addition, how many times you attend therapy depends on your unique needs. You will probably have a type of assessment in your first visit, meaning you will discuss why you are seeking therapy, what you hope to gain from it, etc… This is the time you and the therapists are deciding what course of actions are best for you. Remember though, during your first few sessions, you are getting to know your therapists and visa versa. Feeling fully comfortable and confident in your surroundings will come with time and your apprehension will fade away.