Surprising Treatments for Mental Disorders

SURPRISING FOR MENTAL DISORDERS THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR MENTAL ILLNESS IS GROWING IN POPULARITY DUE TO CONCERN OVER THE SIDE EFFECTS OF SSRIS AND A GENERAL MISTRUST FOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES. LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE NATURAL WAYS PEOPLE ARE TREATING DISORDERS LIKE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. MENTAL HEALTH IN THE U.S. AT A GLANCE AARA 9.6 52.6% MILLION 36.2 MILLION Adults (18+) in the Percentage of those with a serious Number of Americans who U.S. with a serious paid for mental health care services in the span of a year ) mental illness who used prescription pills to treat their condition in the past year () mental illness (1) REMEDIES While a combination of medicine and therapy can help many individuals suffering from a mental illness, some people are seeking other methods of treatment. What options are out there? DEPRESSION ACUPUNCTURE HYPNOSIS MAGNESIUM Using hypnosis allows a sufferer of depression to achieve a bettered mood and deal with negative thoughts or attitudes. An ancient Chinese SUPPLEMENTS practice, acupuncture works to redirect your body's flow of energy using carefully placed needles. For What began as an old home remedy for headaches and restlessness still works today to treat symptoms of depression. A little bit of magnesium can be found in our diets, in things like seafood and coffee. But taking an extra supplement can only help, as most adults don't get the Consistent depression, pressure points in the hands and feet are targeted hypnotherapy sessions have, in some cases, been shown to lessen the to increase the flow of "qi." (2) severity of a patient's depression more so than cognitive behavioral therapy. (3) recommended dose of 320 mg to 420 mg daily. (4) ANXIETY ********* BIOFEEDBACK YOGA KAVA During a biofeedback session, electrodes are While there are many Though the safety of long-term use is debated, kava extract has been found to be effective in the different kinds of placed on the patient's skin; the patient can then see his or her heart and breathing yoga, the practice as a whole has been known to calm anxieties and relieve short-term treatment stress. Yoga's emphasis on breathing is beneficial to those with anxiety problems, who develop improper breathing habits that intensify symptoms. (6) rates on a monitor. of anxiety. Studies Stress is then have shown that users feel the symptoms of anxiety less often, and depression levels also drop. But the supplement should only be taken for a short period of time for acute anxiety and stress. (5) introduced and the patient must use relaxation techniques (deep breathing, guided imagery, meditation) to calm themselves. They can instantly see the feedback on the monitor and see that they can indeed control their body's responses to stress. (5) PERSONALITY DISORDERS 00000 AYURVEDA HOMEOPATHY REFLEXOLOGY Ayurvedic treatment for mental illness takes the body as a Using the principle that you should treat like with like, Reflexology is said to improve mood and energy flow, which can both help the ups homeopathy works to balance that which is whole and includes herbal intake, and downs of massage, changes in diet and meditation. (7) imbalanced in the disorders like manic body to trigger its natural healing depression and schizophrenia. 7) process. (7) WHO'S BUYING? Are people actually using alternative and complementary medicine? Let's take a look at the numbers. According to a 2007 survey completed by the National Sunday Monty Tday $34 Institutes of Health 38% 12% BILLION OF ADULTS OF CHILDREN Spent per year in the U.S. on alternative medicine for general use (8) admitted to using some form of complementary or alternative medicine. () $33.9 BILLION In another national survey by the NIH, 16.5% of respondents 16.5% had used alternative medicine for mental health care. (10) The amount spent in 2007 on alternative care and visits to practitioners of alternative care (9) SOURCES 1. http://www.nimh.nih.gov • 2. http://psychcentral.com • 3. http://www.abouthypnosis.com •4. http://www.psychologytoday.com 5. http://www.webmd.com • 6. http://www.depressionanxietydiet.com • 7. http://www.emergenceplus.org.uk 8. http://onpoint.wbur.org • 9. http://nccam.nih.gov • 10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov BESTPSYCHOLOGYDEGREES.COM