Veronica Ross

Drug abuse differs from casual or occasional drug use, though casual use can lead to abuse. Crossing the line from one to the other is something that happens over time, with the accumulation of more and more negative incidents and growing dependence on drugs. The inexact nature of this process can make it easier for a drug abuser to deny that there is a problem.

If you wonder whether your own drug use is a problem, or if friends and family have concerns about it, this could be a sign of drug abuse. Using drugs to self-medicate can often signal abuse. Self-medicating can be thought of in several ways:

• The only time you feel good is when you are high, so you use drugs to feel good

• You use drugs to avoid negative feelings

• You use drugs to avoid and escape from problems

• You use drugs in order to function better in certain situations, like social situations

• You use drugs routinely, several times each week or everyday

• You cannot have fun unless you are using drugs

• Your life feels empty and drugs fill the void.

If you become addicted to drugs, taking the drugs becomes as important, or more important than eating and sleeping and other survival behaviours.

Developing physical symptoms in response to not taking the drug is one of the signs of addiction. Controlling one's behavior becomes difficult.

A sign of addiction is denial about the quantity of drugs used, the need for them, and the fact that drugs have become more important than everything else.

Did your child suddenly become secretive and adamant about protecting his personal space? Does he have angry outbursts, and makes you feel like you have become unreasonable about privacy, when really it is the child who is becoming excessively secretive? This could be a warning sign of drug use.

Another sign is when children suddenly adopt a new group of friends and begin asking for more money, or if money has started to be missing from the house.

Other signs include: sudden changes in behaviour, mood swings, lack of personal hygiene, lack of interest in activities, withdrawal from family members, cutting school, and a sudden drop in grades.

If children begin using eye drops and breath mints, room sprays and incense, they may be trying to cover up red eyes caused by smoking marijuana, and the smell of drugs and alcohol on their breath or in their rooms. Compulsive eating or intense mood swings, excessive talking jags and elation followed by negative moods and disturbed sleeping patterns can all be signs of substance use.

There are two types of treatment commonly used with panic disorder with agoraphobia. One is medication and the other is cognitive-behavioural therapy. Some people use these treatments in combination, but some studies show that cognitive-behavioural therapy alone may have longer-lasting effects.

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterised by random panic attacks and a fear of having panic attacks. Agoraphobia is a complication of panic disorder, that is more likely to occur if panic disorder continues untreated. So, seeking treatment early is important.

A frequently used, incorrect agoraphobia definition is fear of open spaces. However, a more accurate way to define agoraphobia is a fear and avoidance of places or situations where a person believes he might have a panic attack, where help would not be available, or where it'd be difficult to escape and embarrassment would occur.

Agoraphobia symptoms include fear and avoidance of things like crowds, bridges, tunnels, public transportation, elevators, supermarkets, being home alone etc.

Panic disorder with agoraphobia respond well to antidepressant medications. Patients often resist because they feel that the only reason they are depressed is because they are having panic attacks, so they do not understand why they need antidepressants. However, antidepressants are effective in treating panic disorder regardless of whether or not there is an underlying depression.

Usually, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssri's) like Paxil or serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors (snri's) like Pristiq are prescribed. Sometimes benzodiazepines like Xanax and Klonipin are prescribed along with the antidepressant.

The limitation of medication is that it does not help the patient gain insight into the causes of the disorder and the factors that make it worse.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy with an expert in panic treatment is known to reduce panic symptoms as effectively, and sometimes more effectively than medication. Many people can be cured of panic, and most learn how to eliminate or reduce attacks.

The therapy is short-term, usually around 16 weeks long. Group therapy can be especially effective. The treatment focuses on information about panic attacks, what causes them, what you do that makes it worse, and what you can do to cure panic attacks. Coping better with panic attacks helps with the agoraphobia phase of treatment, where people learn to stop avoiding places and situations they once feared. A process called systematic desensitisation is used.

Some treatment programmes can be found online. Edmund Bourne wrote The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, which outlines a course of treatment. It's best to have access to an expert who can properly diagnose you, point out your mistakes and keep you on track.

This article is for information only and is not a substitute for in-person medical or psychological care.

It is easy to find images, video and tutorials about American Sign Language (ASL) online. Here are some free resources, which are simple to find and use if you want to learn American Sign Language.

Fingerspelling learning tool

Lifeprint.com is a website used by ASL students and teachers.

Their fingerspelling learning tool shows very clearly how to sign a letter.

ASL fingerspelling couldn’t be easier to learn, especially with the use of the fingerspelling learning tool.

Put your mouse over a letter and a photo of a real human hand makes the letter. In addition, thirty free sign language lessons are available on this website.

Fingerspelling practice tool

This site also has an interactive fingerspelling practice tool to help you learn the alphabet in sign language through spelling practice. There is a video of a hand spelling out a word for you to interpret. You type in the word, and the site will tell you if you are correct.

Aslbrowser.commtechlab.msu.edu

Michigan State University has The American Sign Language browser at Aslbrowser.commtechlab.msu.edu. The site is a dictionary of words. Click on a word and a video pops up and a person shows you how to sign the word.

Signingsavvy.com

Signingsavvy.com is a similar site,which is newer and has a larger dictionary.

You can use the dictionary for free, and type in whatever word you wish to look up.

Enchantedlearning.com

Free printable alphabet flash cards can be found at Enchantedlearning.com (language ASL flashcards). You can also get flashcards of the ASL numbers here. Cards come with and without the written letter.

Activityvillage.co.uk

Activityvillage.co.uk (American sign language flashcards) has free American sign language alphabet flashcards that look more cartoonish and child-friendly. These can also be used as colouring sheets.

Babysignlanguage.com

Babysignlanguage.com (chart) has a free printable sign language chart that can be used to teach babies and toddlers to sign. Friendly drawings of a mother figure show the signs of interest to baby: milk, book, cat, dog, apples, I love you and more.

This website is a great free resource for new parents. There are baby sign language flash cards, which include pictures of the object and a drawing of the same friendly woman making the sign for the object. These cards are all printable and free.

While there are many resources that you could pay for, excellent and free ASL sign language resources are plentiful online for anyone interested in how to learn sign language.

In its simplest terms, mental health refers to the condition of one’s mind, or the absence or presence of mental illness, just as physical health refers to the condition of the body and the absence or presence of disease.

Mental health was once considered separate and distinct from physical health. However, recently experts are seeing how intricately the body and mind are connected.

For example, depression is now being identified as a heart attack risk factor. Moreover, depression can make a person more likely to get sick.

Furthermore, many mental illnesses are known to have a contributing cause in biological or chemical dysfunction. Mental illness can affect feelings, thoughts and behaviour in addition to health.

Feelings give us a clue to our emotional health first. The purpose of feelings is to help us make good decisions. The problem is that feelings are not always easy to interpret, and sometimes people act on them in unhealthy ways.

Maintaining mental well-being involves identifying the feelings that you have and understanding why you have them. It involves communicating about them and making healthy decisions which are informed by them.

The mentally healthy individual is able to feel and express all of the human emotions. They are flexible in their responses to life situations. They have a wide range of healthy relationships, and are not usually swamped by emotions. They live a balanced life which integrates opposites. For example work and fun, social support and alone time, rest and productivity, feeling and thinking.

A mentally healthy person understands reality versus fantasy. They develop healthy relationship patterns, grow and utilise their talents, live a fairly well-rounded life, and experience joy.

Mental illnesses can be experienced when there is too much instability in a person’s mood or anxiety level. Problems with thinking and reality testing can indicate what are known as thought disorders. There are mental health issues related to eating (anorexia) and to being sick (hypochondria.)

People might experience issues with identity, (dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder) sexuality (pedophilia) and gender identity. Personality disorders occur when there are rigid, destructive patterns of behaviour.

Some people experience problems with impulse control (pyromania), sleeping (night terrors) or substance abuse. There are numerous mental disorders often diagnosed in childhood, like attention deficit disorder or mental retardation.

It is critical to take care of the body, through nutrition and exercise and appropriate medical care. It is equally important to care for one’s mental state and seek professional help when needed.

Note:

This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical or psychological care.

Many people feel anxious about what pregnancy and childbirth will be like. There are three things you can do to ease your mind and give your baby and yourself the best chances for a healthy and happy pregnancy and birth.This article shows you what you can expect if you are pregnant.

Overview

When expecting a baby, pregnancy is calculated as a forty week time period, beginning on the first day of your last period. Most pregnancies last anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks using this calculation. When you receive the news that you are pregnant, you may experience a range of emotions. You might feel happy and sad and confident and anxious all in the same moment. This is normal.

Learning as much as you can about what to expect when pregnant and during childbirth, connecting with other pregnant women, and following up with prenatal care recommendations of your obstetrician or midwife, are three things that will help set your mind and emotions at ease.

Classes

In order to connect with others and learn all that you can, enroll in a childbirth education class. Some classes are offered by hospitals. These classes usually cover topics related to pregnancy, childbirth, and handling an infant or parenting. Some classes focus on a particular method of childbirth, such as Lamaze or The Bradley Method.

Explore, research and sign up for a course that seems right for you and your partner. You will have to make decisions about what type of birth you want and whether or not you will breastfeed your baby.

These classes will be helpful. Information is available at Lamaze.org and Bradleybirth.com.

Books and websites

Reading books will help. Heidi Murkoff wrote the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

She developed the idea for this book during her first pregnancy, because she couldn’t find the pregnancy information that she needed to put her mind at ease.

Her book has become an invaluable resource for those who are pregnant for the first-time.

She also founded the website WhattoExpect.com that offers help, information, and-according to her website-the most popular pregnancy application in the world, the WTE Pregnancy Tracker. The website includes a pregnancy week by week calendar, explaining foetus’ development, symptoms and tips.

Final word

It’s helpful to set up the nursery and have your home prepared and comfortable before the baby arrives.

You will have to decide whether to use cloth or disposable diapers, for example. Free baby product samples can be obtained at numerous websites including Freesamplesuk.org.