Managing Patients After A Suicidal Attempt

Urgent Psychiatric help and assessment is required for patients who are revived from a suicidal attempt. Attempted suicide is one of the greatest risk factor for a future completed suicide. Despite the known risk little is known about the effective methods and treatment to prevent a suicide to occur.

Some Statistics:

• Suicide attempters have 66 times more risk of a completed suicide than the annual risk of suicide in the general population.
• Approximately 15% of those who have attempted a suicide will re attempt it.
• Suicide attempts and other forms of self injury without intent to die are estimated to occur at a rate of 300 persons per 100,000 per year.

Management:

1. Talking may prevent repeat suicide attempts: In studies done to prevent the repeated suicide attempts it shows that talking helps. The main goal of the talk therapy is to identify the thoughts and beliefs behind the attempt. It also helps in addressing the issues that lead to suicide attempt and the therapist may help the patient to adapt to and cope with the stress. Studies also show that the severity of depression decreases if the person talks and the feelings of hopelessness reduces.

2. Developing a strong supporting network: It is important to have a supportive network of friends and family that can help a person recover and protect from any future attempt for suicide.

3. Help the patient Take care of himself: Taking care of one own self both physically and mentally is very important. help the patient discover his hidden skills and use them. let the patient know that he is worth living and that it is important for him to live this life.

4. Cognitive behavioral therapy: is also very helpful for these patients and as the name suggests this

Introduction To Mental Health And Illness

Introduction: Like many subject understanding mental health is complex and consists of different terms and definitions. For many people being diagnosed with a mental illness is stigmatizing experience.
It is important to understand that all human being at some point in their life are affected by mental distress , that may be due to stress at work, due to loss of a family member or a close friend etc but not all of them suffer from a metal disorder that could be named and given a diagnosis.
Only some group of people suffer from certain medical conditions that could be diagnosed as mental or psychiatric disorders.
Mental disorders may need treatment just like other illness like diabetes or heart disease but at times it is difficult to mange patients with mental illness because patient's acceptance for the illness, use of medications or counselling alone, and needs for hospitalization differ.

One way of understanding mental distress is to view it from the stand point of those who have experienced it.

Definition Of Mental Illness: A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines.

There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. Some of the more common disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Symptoms may include changes in mood, personality, personal habits and/or social withdrawal.

Violence And Mental Illness Are Usually Not Connected: it is a misperception by majority of the people that the violence caused in the society is from mentally sick people which is not true. Instead studies have shown that people who act violently are mostly young males of low socioeconomic status and under the influence of drugs or alcohol and not any mental medical condition.
The media presents a picture of links with metal distress and violent behavior and this leads to people not getting medical help for their mental illness as they are scared to be rejected by the society.

Relation Between Public Health And Mental Health: 
The term public health has two meaning:

Different Ways Your Spouse Can Affect Your Health

Is your significant other keeping you health or making you sick? depends on the relationship and the personality of each partner.
The marriage vows says that the spouses will be together for each other in sickness and in health but some research now shows that marriage itself sometimes may determine whether you get ill or stay healthy. It is well own fact that a good marriage is better for your health but there are different ways your health may be affected by your spouse.
Some recent studies have shown that married couples are more likely to survive cancer and less likely to develop dementia or be hospitalized with pneumonia compared with unmarried adults.
Here are some of the ways your relationship with your spouse may affect your health and well being.

1. If you are married for decades: Couples married for long duration and living together without any conflicts begin to have striking similarities in their physiology. Even some say that they begin to resemble and look alike but regarding the health, longtime couples have almost similar kidney functions, cholesterol levels and general strength. A study conducted by the University of Michigan showed that more than 1500 older married couples had similar blood work results.
With time couples learn to live depending on each other emotionally and physically. They eat a similar diet, have almost same physical and sleep routines which may be the answer to these similarities.

2. If one of you is depressed: Your spouse's depression could raise your own risk of developing chronic pain and even getting depressed yourself. A study at University of Edinburgh showed that while chronic pain  is caused partly by a person's age and genetics it is also affected by partner's mental health. Caring for a depressed spouse can contribute to one's own chronic pain and fatigue.

Overcome Your Stress In Few Minutes

Stress and anxiety are a part of human life. You may be stressed due to pressure of work or an upcoming exam, these 5 simple tips can help relive stress in few minutes. Try it out and you will feel great.

1. Eat a Square of Dark Chocolate: Not only is it rich in healthy flavanols, but cocoa also causes the brain to release endorphins, the hormone that make you feel good.

2. Embrace the Rush And Use it For the Good: Short term stress can actually help memory and brain function. So use the initial burst of energy to accomplish your goal, then learn to just let it go.

3. Give or Get A Hug: A nice big squeeze triggers the release of the warm and fuzzy love hormone oxytocin. Hug your spouse, child or a close friend. Shaking hands works too.

4. Take a Break: If you are busy with something, work or studies that is causing you stress , just take a break, watch something funny on you tube like a pet video or read some jokes. A good belly laugh relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure and releases body's natural pain killers.

5. Find a Green Space: Walking in nature relieves tension, decreases frustration and calms you down. If you don't have time to go to a park, just watch outside through the window for a while.

How Stress Affects Your Body

Stress affects every cell in human body, and our body under stress undergoes many changes that are not good for our health. The affects are summarized below:

1. Brain: Hypothalamus orders adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline ( the stress hormones that prepare body to action) and endorphins ( to blunt pain) . If Stress continues it leads to Headaches, insomnia, depression and increased risk of dementia.

2. Eyes: When under stress the pupils dilate and continued underlying stress may present as eyelid twitching.

3. Ears: When body faces acute stress hearing sharpens in order to respond to fright and emergency state but if continues there is risk of tinnitus and hearing loss.

4. Esophagus: Stress may be the cause for reflux symptoms.

5. Heart: Heart rate increases and blood pressure rises. Long term effects include increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

6. Lungs: Rapid breathing and can cause worsening of asthma.

Mental Well Being Keeps Your Body Healthy

We live in a fast paced society. Everything is moving so quickly, nowadays people like fast food, fast cars, fast money and so on. We are running and trying to push ourselves harder and harder but at the end it exhausts our minds and disturbs our health.
Depression is taking a significant toll on people. Statistics show that over 40 million people struggle with anxiety. It appears that this fast paced life style is disturbing our normal healthy well being.
Wellness is often said to be associated with food and exercise which is correct but not a complete picture. Mental well being is also very important for normal body functioning. Our quality and state of being is much more that just physical. We are emotional, mental, relational and recreational being.

Let us consider some aspects of the body other than just physical and how to keep our mental health good and perfect.

1. Mind and thinking patterns: When we think , what we are thinking about matters a lot. Many times it is only our own perspective of thinking that influence the level of stress, anxiety and worries in our lives. Stress and anxiety are very real and regularly emerge in our minds. Expectations often create pressure. Awareness is the first and the most important step to reach mental well being.

2. Emotions: Emotions are defined as something that can give meaning to our life experiences. We can feel happy, excited, sad, upset, hopeless , surprised and so on. expressing out the emotions provide opportunities for us to connect with others. however sometimes instead of controlling our emotions we feel controlled by our emotions. When this happens a point may come where we are not able to accomplish our goals in a normal healthy way. It is therefore important to learn to control our thoughts because it directly influence our feelings and later on the body over all health and well being.

3. Love And Relationships: Relationships are an important aspect of life, when healthy loving relationships improve one's mood, increases interest in life and offers energy to face challenging life situations. If there are any misunderstanding among relationships a person can go into severe depression and stress leading to impaired body health.

Breaking Bad News To A Patient- Medical Ethics

Breaking bad news to a patient is one of the most difficult duties for a physician. Without proper training and formal preparation the discomfort and the uncertainty associated with breaking a bad news can lead to emotional misunderstandings between the physician and the patient.

What Is Bad News?
Information that can drastically alter the life and the world of the patient is termed as a bad news.

Reasons Why It is a Difficult Task To Break Bad News?
Conveying a bad news to the patient is a skilled communication and not at all easy. There are many reasons why it is a challenging task for the physicians and doctors.

1. The amount of truth to be disclosed is subjective.
2. There is a feeling of incompetence on the part of the physician and a fear of a negative reaction from the patient and the relatives.
3. The physician is reminded of his/her own vulnerability to a terminal illness and many times they find themselves helpless over the emotional distress.
4. Lack of sufficient training in breaking bad news is a major drawback to most physicians and health care workers.

A Few Protocols To Learn For breaking Bad News:
In order to deliver a bad news to the patient in a diciplined and a structured manner different protocols have been adviced and few of them are discussed below:

Anger Management Techniques

Introduction:
Everyone can get angry at some point in life. Anger is simply a human  emotion and it is completely normal to feel angry when you are mistreated or wronged. The feeling it self is not a problem but what you do and how you react when you are angry makes the difference.
When this emotion of anger becomes out of control it can turn destructive and can lead to problems at work, problems with relationships as well as effects the overall quality of your life. It can also be damaging to your mental as well as physical health.

Definition Of Anger: Anger may be defined as a very powerful emotion feeling that happens when some one is frustrated, hurt, annoyed or disappointed. Anger can either help you or hurt you depending on how you react to this feeling.

Anger Management Techniques: Anger management is a term used to describe the skills one can use to recognize the feeling of anger and to take appropriate actions to deal with the situation in a positive way. Below are describes a few techniques to help manage your anger:

1. Take a break as soon as you recognize that you are angry: If you get angry you can take a break by stopping what you are doing, getting away from whatever that is irritating you and creating the frustration. For example:

• If you are angry at work step out of your room for a moment.
• If you are upset on something or someone at home, go to a single occupancy space (like in a bathroom) for a while and think about something different.
• If you find nowhere to go just close your eyes for a few seconds and think yourself in a peaceful environment.

2. Wait it Out and Let it Go: Research have shown that the neurological anger response lasts for only 2 seconds, beyond that it takes a commitment to stay angry. So it means you just need to control yourself from the negative effects of anger only for 2 seconds. Just count backwards from 10 and it will divert your mind for few seconds.

Understanding The Psychology Of Crying

Crying, sobbing, tearing what ever you can call, we all do it from the time we were babies. Also the physiological tears are important for the eye ball to stay moist and the normal health of the eyes function emotional crying is something that is being discussed here and is unique to human beings.
According to some famous authors:

And whether it's tears of joy or sorrow, the moments that cause us to choke up can tell us a lot about ourselves. ( Michael Trimble)

Crying, as well as other sorts of intense emotional experience, can help highlight for us what's important and what we need to focus on (Lauren Bylsma Ph.D)

We all have experienced crying either after a breakup, or a loss of a loved one or just after a hard day at work and it often makes us feel  better and help us put things in perspective. Research have shown both some beneficial as well as harmful effects of crying.

A Brief Physiology Related To Crying:
A neuronal connection between the lacrimal gland (tear duct) in the eyes and the areas of the human brain involved with emotions have been well established. Some scientist believe that only humans can shed tears in response to emotions.
It is interesting to know that tears that are shed while emotional crying have a different chemical composition compared to other types of tears.
The exact theory about why a person cries in response to emotional feelings is still unknown but just to simplify it is response to pain either physical or psychological.

Why Do We Cry? 
It is both a simple as well a difficult question. Crying may be considered a response to some feelings of helplessness. A person may cry when hears a devastating news and has a feeling of being powerless over it and unable to influence it.
At times crying may be a survival mechanism and helps up release a buildup of feelings inside our mind.
Sometimes people may cry to signal a problem or to gain support from others during time of stress. Crying may sometimes elicit compassion and guilt. But again crying in majority of the situations is sudden and without one's control over it. It is difficult or almost impossible to make oneself cry without the emotional feelings inside.

Some Interesting Information About Crying: 
Several factors play a role in the individual's crying.

1. Gender differences in crying is well known and it is seen that women cry more often than men. The exact reason is not known but it is a cultural as well as hormonal influence. Men are just not considered to be crying and is considered for them to be behaving like kids or women if they cry. Men not only cry less often but also for shorter time compared to women.

Compulsive Lying- A Psychological Disorder

Introduction:
Compulsive Lying or Pathological Lying is a controversial topic. It is still not defined exactly by the field of Psychiatry, but is is some how considered to be a psychological disorder that is characterized by a behavior or a habit of lying continuously. This frequent and repeated lying has no associated motive or benefit.
It is important to understand that a normal person usually lies in order to hide something, to obtain some external benefit or to avoid a punishment that is an ordinary lie is goal directed. On the other hand an individual who has a compulsive lying disorder, often lies without any purpose.
This disorder may be associated with other psychiatric or psychological conditions like Border line personality disorder, Bipolar disorder or Narcissism.

Characteristics of Compulsive Lying Disorder:
An individual who has a compulsive lying disorder usually shows following characteristics:

• Telling stories that are dazzling or fantastical.
• The tendency to tell a lie is chronic and is not proved by any situation or social pressure. 
• There is an element of dis control present. 
• The lie they tell usually show them as a constant victim, somehow trying to gain attention from others. 
• Sometimes the stories told in the lie are to gain popularity and fame

Diagnosing A Compulsive Lying Disorder:

It is difficult to diagnose this condition and is not recognized as an isolated condition. It usually occurs along with other Psychiatric disorder. Excessive lying can be a symptom of many mental illnesses. 

Lie detection also known as deception detection that involves certain questioning techniques and then monitoring the physiological functions to ascertain truth and false to certain extent. A normal person shows signs of stress and guilt but an individual with a disorder may not show any reaction. 

Help For People With Compulsive Lying:

Compulsive lying is something similar to addictions like overeating, drinking, gambling and an individual with this disorder keeps on lying with no control. Here are few hints that can help people with this problem:

General Care For Elderly Patients

All humans undergo physiological and psychological changes with aging. If anyone of us has to deal with caring for an elderly person it is important to take into consideration these normal changes. The patient may be at home, hospitalized or at a nursing home who ever cares for the elderly person should understand a few basic needs and ways to deal with them.
Even in hospitals there are few professionals that are really trained in specialized care for geriatric patients.
Caring for elderly people needs patience, effort, kindness as well as many times a hard work. Here are a few tips to help you understand the ways to manage them better:

1. If you are caring for an old person who is your parent always remember that there was a time when you were so weak and dependent and they were the ones who cared for you day and night to make you a person what you are now.

2. Many times your loved one is getting old and sick but he/she resists the need for a care. Never take it easy and remember even if they resist they need a proper care and it is your responsibility to provide them the care and attention they need.

3, Take time and determine the type of care that is needed. If they are not too sick to be hospitalized provide them the appropriate care at home. Many people when they get old find difficult getting a shower on their own, changing clothes, cooking, going to toilet, doing the grocery, driving etc. But initially they will deny a need for help with these daily chores. Talk to them and make them feel that you understand them and are always there to help.

4. It is very important to give elderly people a warm emotional support. Never isolate them. Talk to them and let your children play with them. Even if they are sick, bed ridden or hospitalized it is important for the loved ones to visit them on a daily basis, give them time, sit with them and eat together, keep on asking them if they need anything, stay positive and talk with them in a positive way giving them hope.

5. Elderly people at times needed to be psychologically prepared to understand the gradual visual and hearing impairment, difficulty with walking , skin changes etc.

6. If  an elderly person is grieving the death of a loved one like the spouse, close relative or friend , those are the times when the care giver needs to give more attention and help them not go into depression or commit suicide or self harm.

Care In The Hospital: Among half of the adults who occupy hospital beds are more than 65 years old. As the life expectancy is increasing the number may also increase over the next few years.

Stress Management Techniques

Definition Of Stress: Stress may be defined as a physical, chemical or an emotional factor that causes uneasiness and feelings of being not relaxed. It is a normal physical and a psychological feeling to the increasing demands of life.

A Brief Overview; 
Every individual may suffer from stress at some point in their lives and it is a common thinking that there is nothing one can do about stress. The usual day to days problems like paying monthly bills, lack of time to complete a particular task, family responsibilities etc cannot be vanished all of a sudden to get a stress free life. The idea here is to manage stress in a healthy way while dealing with daily responsibilities as well.
Managing stress actually means taking in charge of your thoughts, emotions and schedule in a healthy reasonable way, that can help you deal with the daily problem more easily.

The Physiology of Stress: 
If we need to understand stress it is actually some thing that can interfere with bodily or mental well being. Scientists and physicians use the term stress for any force that impairs the stability of balance of bodily functions. But the point to note here is that not all stress are bad, in fact at times mild degrees of stress and tension can be beneficial.  For example getting stressed out to prepare for the upcoming exams helps a student to prepare more effectively, give more time to study and thus get a good result. Eliminating stress is practically impossible as well as unhealthy. since it is a part of normal life.

Management Of Stress:
When we talk about managing stress it actually means ways to get control over our stress and learn some relaxing techniques. This may help so that the body is not over burdened by the effects of stress so much to cause physical or mental illness.
Here are few techniques that may help:

1. Try To Identify the Source Of Stress: Stress management can usually begin first by identifying the source of stress. it is not as easy as it sounds. Many times the true source of stress is not obvious and also there may be more than one reasons. Writing down a dairy may sometimes help to figure out the problem and work over it. At times the cause may be temporary like a deadline for completing an assignment. This can give some relief thinking that it will be over soon.

2. Organize Yourself: At times things can over burden you just because you have not organized yourself. Take better control of the way you spend your time and energy and the stress can be managed more effectively.

3. Avoid Unhealthy Ways of Coping With Stress: People deal with the day to day stressor in different ways. Some may cope with he stress using unhealthy ways that may give some relief temporarily but are harmful in the long run. Instead of smoking, drinking, using drugs, over or under eating . sleeping for long hours etc try to change the situation in a more healthier way.

4. Learn To Alter The Stressful Situation: many times a stressful situation can not be avoided so learn ways to alter the situation.

Most Common Reasons For Conflicts Between Spouses And Ways TO Prevent It

Conflicts between spouses is common and it happens in almost every marriage. It is something natural and almost inevitable to have conflicts and misunderstandings. But these conflicts should always be stopped at an earlier point to prevent bigger problems and even situations like separation and divorce.
Martial relationships are particularly more more to conflicts because spouses live together with great intimacy and interdependence. These qualities makes the partners more vulnerable to each other.
The term conflict gives a picture for disagreement and misunderstanding in the mind but sometimes a successfully solved conflict between the spouses can even strength the bond of relationship and make things clear between the partners.

Most Frequent Reasons For A Conflict:
The most frequent topics of conflict between the spouses are usually matters like:

• Financial Problems
• Making decisions for children
• Family plannings
• Sex
• House work
• In-laws
• Jealousy and competition of being more superior
• Likes and dislikes for food
• Choice of Job
• Keeping secrets
• Having extramarital affairs etc....

Tips For A Successful Marriage and Ways To Avoid and Prevent Conflicts:

Although at times conflicts are unavoidable it is important for a married couple to try their best to keep their marriage successful and happy and prevent conflicts. Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Accepting and Adjusting to the Differences : It is important to understand that each partner is an individual with a different feelings and upbringings. Also men and women have their own ways of interacting and understandings. Once married each partner should understand this reality and try to adjust with the differences. Men and women have different ways of expressing their emotions with men mostly trying to avoid the emotion and feel it inside while women most often tend to raise concerns and problems. 

2. Open Communication: A good communication can be difficult especially at times of conflict. But it is important as sometimes people hear a different message than what the speaker intended to say and this creates misunderstandings. Talking again on the same problem a a later time may help clear the things that might have been misunderstood before. 

Partners can learn to communicate better by giving time to listening and understanding without going to conclusions too soon. 

3. Forgive Each Other: It is important for the spouses to forgive each other for the day to day conflicts and clear up the feelings of hurt. Forgiveness enables the partners to stay emotionally connected and stay positive with their marriage. Forgiving makes the relationship grow even more stronger. 

Counselling A Patient Diagnosed With Terminal Illness

Introduction.
Everyone of us knows that death is inevitable but most of us don't think about it until it is a time to face it. With the advancement in the filed of medicine a lot of diseases can be diagnosed and if God forbid someone is given a news of being diagnosed with a terminal illness that is going to lead to death in a few months time it is really very shocking and difficult to accept it.

A few points are summarized here to help and support those with a diagnosis of a terminal illness.

1. Hearing The News for The First Time: Patients who might get to hear the diagnosis of a terminal illness are usually not well but almost none of us can except to hear such a dreaded news. Being sick is fine but there are hopes to get well soon. Learning for the first time about such an illness is initially very shocking and the patient may feel numb and refuse to accept it.
It is important for the physician to ask the patient if he /she needs a close friend or a family member to accompany when coming for the results.

2. Going Through the Process Of Grief: It is completely normal for a person to go through a process of grief similar to when one loses a beloved one or faces death of someone very close. This process of grieving may have a range of emotions like:

• Shock
• Fear
• Anger
• Denial
• Guilt
• Helplessness
• Sadness
• Frustration
• Finally Acceptance.

3. Look And Ask For Different Options: Although on the first time the patient may be so numb and confused it is important to have a follow up appointment with the physician when both the doctor and the patient can work together and discuss different available options regarding the further management. The patient can also search for better options and how to live along with the disease. 

It is also important that the patient gets a chance to ask all the questions in his mind and the ways to deal with the disease process.

4. Sharing the feelings; Sharing the feelings and the sadness with the people you trust is an important step in getting relief and support. It is always personal and it should not be forced to speak to someone if the patient don't feel like to. Some people may like to be left alone to grieve. 

Nowadays one can fine many support groups where people can fine others suffering from the same process and can more openly share their feelings.

5. Disclosing It To friends And Family: Sometimes it becomes very hard to give the bad news to close friends and family members. It is important also to discuss personal choices like funeral arrangements etc with the close members. 

Young kids may go into grieving process knowing about their parents illness. This issue should also be addressed appropriately. 

Healthy Sleeping Habits

A good healthy sleep can improve the quality of your life and help you perform better when you are awake. Here are a few tips for healthy sleep and good sleep hygiene:

1. Stick to the same bed time and wake time, even on weekends. This helps keep your body's natural clock regulated and fall asleep easily and wake up on time.

2. While taking a day time nap be careful to limit it to a short time up to thirty minutes which will help you relax but will not lead to night time insomnia.

3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol,nicotine and other chemicals that interfere with sleep. Don't take coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and some pain relievers for 4 to 6 hours before sleep.

4. The bedroom should have a sleep inducing environment. Avoid noise and keep it dark and comfortable. The room should be well ventilated and the mattress and the pillows should be comfortable.

5. Keep computers, TV, work material and even pets out of your bed room so that you are not distracted and get a comfortable sleep.

6. A few relaxing bedtime rituals may include reading a book or magazine in a soft light, taking a warm bath, listening to soft music, doing some easy stretches and making simple preparation for the next day.

7. Exercise regularly which helps you get a more deep comforting sleep.

8. Avoid heavy meals in the evening that may cause indigestion and interfere with sleep. It is good to finish eating at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed.

The Psychological Effects Of Divorce

Marriages may end up in divorce for a number of reasons like misunderstandings between the couple, incompatibility or just a minor fight but the after effects of divorce are many creating emotional and a psychological impact on the family as a whole.

Emotional Feelings Related To Divorce:
During the process of divorce or once the divorce takes place an individual both the men and the women have many emotional feelings that may have a long term psychological effect on their mind. theses feeling may include:

1. Anger: During all stages of divorce there are intense feelings of anger towards the Ex. The person may feel angry for not being understood, for his/her ex having an affair or just feel angry on the thought that why he/her was left alone.

2. Guilt: There is a feeling of guilt for both the partners whether they have initiated it or not. Feeling guilty on the fact that why one was not able to keep the marriage is a common emotion feeling in divorce.

3. Anxiety: Being anxious and stressful is a mixture of emotions that occur following a divorce. A person may stop taking care of oneself, missing meals and thinking only about the conditions that lead to divorce. It may be associated with sleep disturbances and continuous thoughts about the relationship with the ex.

4. Fear: People may remain terrified after a divorce. There may be fear of unknown or a fear of something worse happening in near future. There is a fear of what people would think and say and an individual might isolate oneself. There are thought of 'what if' disturbing the normal life.

5. Grief: When a marriage breaks up it is natural to grieve over the loss. It can be a very painful experience and going through all the stages of grief as for the death of a loved one may help recover oneself from the loss and the effects of divorce. It may take a long time and may even be a life long process of adjusting to the effects of divorce.

Want To Quit Smoking- Here Are A Few Tips To Help You

Whether you are a new smoker, a teenager or a life time smoker, when ever you decide to quit smoking and think it will be difficult to stop smoking here are a few tips that will help you out.

1. Smoking tobacco is both a physical addition as well as a psychological habit. Understand that it might be difficult to quit smoking but it is never impossible.

2. Make up the plan and fix the date to quit smoking. Also inform friends and family about your plan so that you will have people who can support you.

3. Identify your triggers for smoking like stress at work, or a stress with a relationship and try to avoid those triggers.

4. If you know a friend or a family member who smoke , you both can work together to help quit smoking.

5. Get rid of ashtrays, lighters and all the cigarettes.

6. Be prepared for the withdrawal symptoms which occur when the addicted body does not get its nicotine. The symptoms may include nausea, feeling sick, headache, anxiety, irritability and feeling awful but they will gradually subside over 2-4 weeks.

7. Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit smoking.

Forgive, Forget And Live Happily

Introduction:
Forgiving someone who has done wrong to you and forgetting about it has a great impact on ones own well being and feelings of happiness. Few people realize this truth.
According to a famous personality
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal, with an intent to throw it on someone else but instead you are the one getting burned. 
It is never easy to forgive someone who has hurt you but that doesn't mean that we keep our own self at distress and discomfort just thinking about the revenge and staying angry forever.
This life has many ups and downs with experiences of suffering, loss, hurt, betrayal and injury but forgiving and forgetting will help let us go on and stay happy and content.

Definition of forgiveness as explained by Psychologists :
Psychologists define forgiveness as 'a shift in thinking' towards someone who has wronged you. It is explained as a feeling that the desire of taking revenge has decreased and instead a desire to do good has increased. Forgiveness is also a natural resolution in the grief process for any loss.

Forgiveness not necessarily means reconciliation: 
If a person forgives another for the injustice done to him it is just his/her inner feelings and it does not necessarily mean to come together with the person he had suffered an injustice. After forgiving it is entirely up to the person himself either to reconcile or not.  Sometimes even the person you forgive is not a part of your life anymore or has been deceased or you may think that the relationship with the concerned person may not be good for you.

Forgiveness Is Not Justice:
It is sometime easy to forgive someone who sincerely apologizes but sometimes justice needs to be given may be in the form of punishment by law or a compensation.

How To Forgive:
Forgiveness is a powerful choice which a person makes and it surely helps in a greater well being and stronger relationships.
Here are a few ways that may help you forgive:

1. Let go off the ill feelings in Your mind: It is better said then done but in order to truly forgive a person it is necessary to kick off all the ill and bitter feeling you have towards him in your mind. Once you get rid of the negative feelings you will feel more happier and content. It is not an overnight process and will take time. May be you can write it down to take them off your mind.

2. Be Honest with Yourself And Your God: Be sure to be honest and share your feelings with your God Who already knows what is inside your heart. Just trust in God and think positive and it will make you feel better.

3. Don't Try To change the Past: Understand the fact that past has gone and nothing could be done to change what already has happened. Try to make choices in the present that can be good for the future.

Counselling For Infertile Couples

Introduction:
A diagnosis of infertility is emotionally a very distressing event. Infertility has been a source of sadness and despair since very early times. People normally assume and expect that they will be able to have children and start a family whenever they choose, but when a couple starts experiencing problem with that then it begins to create anxiety and if after medical workup a diagnosis of infertility is made then it leads to feelings of hopelessness and grief.

Definition Of Infertility: By definition infertility is a difficulty in conceiving despite having regular unprotected sex. There is no defined cutoff period after which a medical professional may determine a couple to be infertile but statistics show that normally if a couple is trying to conceive naturally more than 3 years with no success is less than 25%.

Infertility Statistics: 

• About 6% of married women age 15-44 years in United states are unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.
• According to NHS statistics about 1 in 6 couples experience difficulties when trying to conceive which means that around 3,500,000 people are affected by this condition in UK.
• A study done in year 2006-1007 and published in Oxford journal concludes that internationally there is a 9% prevalence of infertility among which 56% of couples seek medical care. 

Common Emotions Felt When Infertility Is Diagnosed: 

• Women may feel angry on the fact that she is not being able to get pregnant. 
• She may be jealous of other pregnant women or friends who can get pregnant easily.
• Feelings of guilt.
• A women may have feelings of inadequacy, perceiving her body as dysfunctional. 
• There may be a significant strain on the relationship of the couple.
• Females usually feel isolated from her social circle and society.
• Women may put everything else in their lives on hold and will try to put all the energy, time and what ever needed to get pregnant. 
• Many women delay making changes in their carrier, to the current housing situation just thinking that it is better to wait until the baby arrives.
• For some women there goes a cycle of hopefulness until the period arrives that leads to feelings of severe disappointment and depression. 
• In case if infertility is due to male factor, the men may feel that his masculinity is challenged
• Many men try to keep their infertility a secret that leads to isolation. . 
• Couples may feel difficulty with scheduled intercourse.
• Some may start using alcohol or drugs.

Effect on the Relationship Between the couple: 

Infertility puts a great strain on the relationship between the couple especially if a problem lies with one of them. 

Counselling For Grieving Parents

Introduction:
There can be no more devastating loss than the death of a child. This experience which a parent faces is the worst possible grief. In the natural order of life children are supposed to outlive the parents that is the reason death of a child is like no other. A psychologist truly said,
   "When Your child dies, Your life changes irrevocably, Life gets different. You are different."
Grieving parents say that their grief is a life long process, a long, painful process in which they try to give some meaning to their lives without the child. Most parents describe their feeling as "A hole in the heart that will never heal. "
The loss of a child is the loss of the innocence and the loss of the future hopes and dreams.

The Process Of Grief:
Grief is a natural process that the parents will go through after the death of their child and it cannot be bypassed, instead it is important to be allowed to happen. The age of the child at the time of the death does not effect the feelings of loss and devastation even if the child dies in utero or may be of age 19 years.
Everyone goes through the process in a different way and it may depend upon their beliefs, culture, family history etc. Also it depends upon how the child died. Some losses may not be visible such as miscarriages, while some experiences may be more traumatic like a sudden unexpected accident which may even involve more than one child at the same time.

Types Of Loss:

1. Miscarriage effects about 25% of woman who get pregnant during their lifetime. The pregnancy loss experience can be very devastating for the couples more so if they were trying to conceive for a very long time and this good news and hope gets shattered so soon.
2. Stillbirths that occur in about 1% of pregnancies leaves a feeling of disorientation and despair.Most stillbirths occur at or near term and parents have already prepared the nursery to welcome the baby and this loss leads to a very traumatic and devastating experience.  
3. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the most frequent cause of death of children less than one year of age. The parents are just learning to know their new baby and spending time with the child when all of a sudden with no apparent reason the child dies. It causes a profounf sense of loss in the family.