There are different types of mental disorders and dysfunctions – some more common than others; some more easily treated than others. One of the more common and less degenerative conditions is a pattern of symptoms officially diagnosed by the French Neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette in the late 1800s: Tourette Syndrome. Tourette’s is an example of a mental health condition which is not debilitating, but the process of overcoming or coping with Tourettes can take many years, and lead to a host of embarrassments depending on the severity of the condition.

Not much is known about the origin of Tourette’s Syndrome. Researchers believe it is received genetically, but they aren’t sure exactly what genetic vehicle is used by the syndrome. Generally it is a condition suffered by children, and it often dissipates as the individual moves towards adulthood. Persistent and severe symptoms of Tourette’s will very rarely last or be as intense in adults as they are in children. An average of .001% to .1% per thousand children are affected, and their symptoms will range from different facial and bodily tics (throat clearing, blinking, squinting, spasming, etc.) to uncontrollable screaming, yelling, and the exclamation of various obscenities.

The greater part of Tourette’s cases do not need any treatment whatsoever, beyond understanding and care. For some children, their tics and other symptoms can be embarrassing, and will often settle down as the years pass. In more severe cases, which can be outright disruptive, medications and treatments are available, but what works in one case won’t work for another. Sometimes people will rely on holistic and spiritual healing, while others will try a variety of medications.

Ultimately, Tourette’s does not affect normal intellectual function, and many successful people who grew up with Tourette’s Syndrome are able to live out their lives and careers successfully, unaffected by the Syndrome.

Whether or not you’ve ever been clinically diagnosed with depression, chances are that you or someone you know has suffered from it. Either way, almost everyone has been affected by depression to some degree. Some people use different forms of treatment and medication for the condition, whereas others will simple ‘grin and bear it’ until it passes. Ultimately, the best way to approach and treat depression is by addressing it holistically; that is, by admitting that everything psychological is equally as biological.
Depression comes in different forms. The psychologist’s handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV TR) considers depression a type of ‘mood disorder,’ insofar that one suffering from a bout of depression is having their mood ‘affected,’ to a certain extent. If one is not routinely fatigued, unexcited, uninspired, and finding him or herself disinterested in things they normally do, then depression is the affectation.
When people usually think or talk about depression, they are thinking of what psychologists and psychiatrists call ‘Major Depressive Disorder,’ or MDD. Other names for it are Unipolar Depression or Clinical Depression, and people suffering from it are the ones at highest risk for suicide. They may turn to different substances or behaviors to self-medicate their depression, and some of these habits can be just as dangerous.
Other forms of depression are Bipolar Disorder, which is characterized by very low emotional states (like MDD), and spontaneous moments of hyperactivity (impulse shopping, for example). There is also Melancholic Depression, which may put an individual in a certain emotional state like that of someone grieving, and Catatonic Depression, when a person may cease to function normally, and perhaps become mute as a way of coping, or self-abuse.
Some depression is a result of chemical imbalance, in which case different types of medication can be used to reactivate those dormant chemicals. In other cases, however, depression truly can be more metaphysical, and can be best treated through conversation, understanding, and holistic treatment, like exercise and study.
Depression is never easy, but even for the worst cases, there is help.

Seeking the assistance of a health medicine practitioner is commonly how mental health issues are addressed. However, there is a current debate gaining momentum nationwide as to if this is truly the best remedy. While mental health issues are a topic of discussion more than ever before—and no longer viewed as taboo, shameful, or indicative of weakness, there is a tendency in the psychiatric field to treat all disorders with a ‘fix all’ prescription drug, or a ‘drug cocktail’ that combines many different medications that work together to seemingly cure the patient. But what is commonly overlooked in a prescription-driven field of medicine is that while an illness can be treated and a patient can function at normal capacity, the root cause of the illness is not being treated, nor cured.

Open to argument is whether there are alternative methods of treatment such as holistic medicine, natural remedies, spirituality-based methods, and compassionate and self-empowerment techniques by a mentor or licensed professional that can alleviate symptoms of a mental illness while at the same time discovering the origin of it—to ultimately obtain healing.

One key point to be made in favor of choosing alternative methods of treatment is the mind-altering effect prescription drugs have on an individual, and the extensive physical side effects the drugs induce. While there are inherent chemical imbalances in some people that need to be treated with modern medicine, other people who suffer from common disorders (like depression) could benefit from more natural and therapy based treatment program.

No matter who you are or what disorder you suffer from, it is important to research all approaches to treatment, making an educated decision on what is right for you and modifying it as you go; the goal being not just to treat, but to cure.

Bipolar Disorder is one of psychiatry’s most studied mental health conditions. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV TR), Bipolar Disorder is officially classified as a ‘mood disorder’ insofar as those who suffer from it undergo drastic and sometimes violent changes of mood. Some cases can be moderated with medication, but ultimately there is no ‘cure’ for the disorder.

In minor cases, the swings between the manic and depressive modes are unpredictable, but can be easily moderated. In more severe cases, however, the swings between the two emotional ‘poles’ is much more drastic, and the spontaneity of the moods can sometimes affect job performance, ability to concentrate, and even relationships with other people.

A person with Bipolar Disorder will often swing back and forth between the emotional poles, and won’t have much control over when or to what extent the swing happens. One day, they might be very sullen, contemplative, melancholic, and find it difficult to get out of bed or find a desire to eat. This would be their behavior on the depressive end. In severe cases, they may develop certain phobias and even entertain thoughts of suicide. Soon, however, their mood will shift and they will enter a manic or hypomanic mode. They will perhaps become quick tempered, irritable, impulsive, and may indulge in certain behaviors they wouldn’t otherwise entertain (substance abuse, binge-shopping, etc.)

At the height of a Bipolar manic phase, the individual may also undergo intense bouts of creativity, perhaps because the brain is being stimulated in such a way to produce creative and artistic output. But this is not uniform for the disorder.

Ultimately, like other mood disorders, the causes and origins of Bipolar Disorder are still up for debate. It might have something to do with genetics, though studies have also shown that ‘advanced paternal age’ may also be a contributing factor in the development of Bipolar Disorder. Treatment and diagnoses for the condition is still being developed as research for the disorder continues.

Mental illness can sneak up you and take control of your life before you even have a chance to fully recognize what it is and how to address it. For many, changes in mood and behavior are thought to be things that will pass—short-term afflictions that are situational or natural, and are not treated until a crisis point is reached.
One of the best ways to not only treat a mental illness, but also to confirm that you are suffering from a disorder, is to keep a log of symptoms that you are experiencing and write detailed notes that describe when and how the symptoms occur. By doing this you can learn to identify what triggers your emotions and mental state—such as being in a certain place, interacting with others, or in the presence of particular items, and subsequently use this information to help you in the recovery process.
The next thing to do is to make a plan. If you are opposed to psychiatric treatment, there are many other options available that employ natural therapies and non-prescription drug methods. Some of these therapies include the use of herbal medicines, spiritually based remedies that seek to resolve inner conflicts, behavior modification therapy, diet and exercise programs, attending a support group, artistic expression, and stress reduction techniques.
It may take some time to find what treatment regiment is right for you, but by simply making a plan you are validating your illness (to yourself and others), and moving forward to discovering ways to manage it. Without a plan it can be confusing to know where to start, and it makes it easy to put off getting help—which can be a dangerous thing when it comes to mental health.
It is important to note that recovery is ongoing process and does not happen overnight, nor is it a state that is definitely reached, allowing a person to stop treatment. Managing an illness is part of the healing process, one that lasts lifelong and requires a person to make a commitment to being mentally healthy.

It is easy to define yourself by a given situation or circumstance, adopting the disappointments of how you have acted and how you’ve made others feel. Even easier is to repeat patterns of negative behavior, deeming yourself unworthy of love or happiness, self-denigrating out of shame, and self destructing any goodness that comes your way.

Such behavior can be seen as signs of mental health issues. However, if we remove the stigmas associated with that title, we see that many of our problems stem from simple insecurity, past traumas, and anxiety that accompanies day-to-day life.

While we have the option to seek help in psychiatry, we can also choose to look beyond our behavior and dig deeper into ourselves by our own account. How do we this is entirely up to us. Some may choose spiritual guidance, talk to a life counselor or mentor, seek wisdom through books, opt for methods of self-enlightenment such as meditation, or simply choose to abide in a state of quiet self-reflection, thereby eliminating destructive chaos from our life.

No matter what method is chosen, the first step to being who you are truly meant to be and cultivating joy in your life is to forgive yourself, or others that may have harmed you. So many of us stay in bondage within ourselves for something in the past that has harvested shame and festered to the point where we are locked in sadness, unease, and self-loathing. When we forgive, we not only take the power back to pilot our own lives, we liberate ourselves and are free to love and be loved; suddenly the entire universe opens up and sings to us, and we see that no matter what we have done or what has been done to us, we possessed basic goodness all along.

This is not to say that health medicine cannot help us along on our journey of healing—it certainly can. But the first step begins inside us, with an intention towards un-cluttering our pain and getting at the heart of who we are, which is far beyond our behavior.

While there is no one singular ‘treatment’ for depression, antidepressant medication is one way that an individual can fight depression. Because the true sources of depression are yet unknown, treating them biologically is only one of the ways a person suffering can go about changing his or her mood. As the psychologists say, everything biological is equally as psychological. For different people, this means different things, but people suffering from depression shouldn’t rely solely on medications to treat their disorders. Therapy, conversation, exercise, sociability, and creativity are other ways a person can work out their sadness and melancholy.

But sometimes, when the psychological treatments aren’t enough, medications can be used to rebalance the chemicals that have gone askew in the body. Different antidepressants exist for different types of depression, so if and when you’re seeking a prescription, make sure you know the exact workings of your condition, because merely painting over a crack in the wall doesn’t make the crack disappear.

Types of antidepressants include Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs), Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), and Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), and a few others. Though the names of these drugs may seem a mouthful, they are exact descriptions of what chemicals these drugs help balance. For example, studies show that one of the chemical effects/causes of depression has to do with a lack of serotonin in the brain, which is used by neurons as a type of transmission fluid. Presynaptic neurons are responsible for moderating the ‘uptake’ of serotonin, and if your chemicals are out of balance, you need some intervening chemical (or medication) to block the ability of your presynaptic neurons to restrict serotonin. Drugs like Prozac and Zoloft are examples of drugs that do this.

Oddly enough, however, some of the side-effects of antidepressants can actually show up as symptoms of the depression they’re attempting to treat, so medication should never be a first option. Sometimes, however, medication is necessary.

One of the fastest ways to find information is to use the Internet. By going to a search engine, you can type in any word and get thousands of web pages with information on the topic. Do you need car insurance? You can find quotes and buy a policy online. Do you want to travel to New Zealand? You can use a web application to get an email anytime airfare drops within your price range.

For many people, the Internet is a useful resource, and this can be especially true for people who have an illness. Some people have used the web to determine a list of potential illnesses when doctors haven’t been able to find the correct diagnosis. One person visited over ten doctors before finding information online that saved his life. He found a website for an illness, and it had every symptom he had been experiencing. When doctors tested for the illness, they confirmed the diagnosis.

People can also use the Internet to learn about the types of symptoms they may experience as a certain illness worsens. This can help them prepare for what might be ahead. Others use health medicine websites to learn about the drugs doctors might prescribe to handle different stages of cancer or other conditions. Patients can find out the side effects and risks associated with a certain medication. They can look at clinical studies showing the success rate for a certain drug, or they can look for medications that interact with one another.

With health-related information prevalent on the web, a person can feel like he has more control over a situation. Instead of waiting for doctors to provide every little detail, a patient can be proactive in finding out what she wants to know. When you have a condition, you can find more than information. You can join an online support group or start one.

One of the primary ways you can help to prevent mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, and achieve a healthy state of being is to eat a balanced diet. Scientists have discovered that changes in diet have a direct affect on the mind, so much so that certain foods even worsen the symptoms of disorders like schizophrenia.
A diet that is organically based and focuses on vegetables, fruits, and grains aids in mental health recovery, a claim that is substantiated by the Center of Mental Health Services. In addition, a diet that does not have large portions of fats, dairy, and meats also helps to prevent mental disorders, as well as treat them. It is also a good idea to keep processed foods to a minimum, as they can contain harmful, chemically-based preservatives that can upset the nervous system.
Along with a balanced diet, exercising regularly also facilitates a healthy mind, improving mood and providing emotional stability. It is a recognized fact in the field of health medicine that people who have mild depression can use running to treat it, which incredibly enough is just as effective as pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, a study in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal implies that regular yoga exercise as done by psychiatric patients leads to a direct improvement in mood, reduced anxiety, and a lessening of depression. It also helps to quell aggression and calm patients. However, any aerobic exercise positively affects the overall health of mind, releasing natural endorphins within the brain that stimulate ‘feel-good’ feelings, such as serotonin.
Whether or not mood altering drugs are used to achieve mental, diet and exercise are crucial factors that will enhance the effectiveness of prescription drugs, if not eliminate the need for them.
A healthy body works hand in hand with a healthily mind, and vice verse. So, take care of your body and mind, and it will take care of you.

With suicide on the rise nationally and depression rampant among all demographics—regardless of race or income, there is a need to explore mental health treatments that go beyond simple psychiatry.

In fact, more health medicine professionals are beginning to believe that psychotropic drugs do not solve the mental disorders and/or issues that plague millions of people. It has even been suggested that some drugs make them worse, as has been the reputation of certain depression-treating drugs that increase thoughts of suicide.

In order to manage our lives and be of sound mind, many doctors and psychiatrists are opting for treatment regiments that address physical and spiritual wellbeing, as well as mental health. In sum, it is a trio of body, mind, and spirit that goes beyond merely treating the chemical properties in a patient with prescription drugs.

Ancient wisdom related to spiritual practices such as Zen, Taoism and Buddhism teach that a balance between these three faculties is the source of our contentment and allows us to fully experience life in a generous, joyful, and compassionate way. But regardless of how this balance is obtained, it is thought to be a more long-term and effective approach to treating psychological illness—many of which stem from traumatic experiences in our past, suppressed anxieties, and grief that has not been dealt with.

Today, there are more resources than ever to explore paths to mental health. Consulting a holistic healer or someone who administers natural remedies is a good start, as is talking to a nutritionist who can balance your diet, or a personal trainer who can start you on an exercise program. Yoga is great way to center your self, and there are many professionals affiliated with drug-free organizations who offer everything from counseling to natural health products.

Start today on your path to mind, body, and spiritual wellbeing, discovering what so many have: that there is treatment beyond drugs.