3 Faulty Thinking Patterns in Depression

A gorgeous young lady walked into my office looking nicely dressed and corporate. Her story was that she was finding it very difficult to fall asleep at night and that this had been going on for weeks now. Less than 10 minutes into the interview she started weeping profusely stating she was anxious about her health and the possibility of her lack of sleep affecting her mental health. She was very worried about how this could impact her future and her chances of getting married. She also felt overwhelmed by a feeling of low self-esteem: she felt everyone else was better dressed and more intelligent compared to her.

This lady was actually experiencing the 3 patterns of faulty thinking that are common in people who are depressed or susceptible to becoming depressed. They are called the Cognitive triad of depression.

The Cognitive triad of depression entails negative thoughts about

# 1 Self

The individual sees him or herself as deficient, worthless or flawed. They tend to minimize their achievements and magnify their faults.

 
# 2 The world/environment

This entails a tendency to give negative interpretations to events or people around.

 

# 3 The Future

The future looks hopeless. He or she may view their current suffering as permanent.

 

Read up more about signs and symptoms of depression

Remember people with mental illness can live more productive lives. When you are better educated about what you’re dealing with, then you are never without hope. Let’s spread the awareness not the stigma. Talk to a professional today.

Q & A sessions with Dr. Edebi

Dear Doc, I have schizophrenia but I am currently stable on my meds. I will like to know if these antipsychotics are safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

---R.E

The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy and breastfeeding is largely safe. Though the data on the safety of the use of antipsychotic drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding are limited, reports of harm to baby from the use of these drugs are very uncommon. All antipsychotics drugs are sedating therefore when the baby is born it advisable to look out for lethargy, sedation and appropriate developmental milestones.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding period is not a time to stop your medications rather it’s best you work closely with your doctor during this period instead.

 

For further reference on this check Here

That extreme excitement may be a tell-tale sign

My first case of mental illness just about when I was starting my residency training in psychiatry back in 2006 was a case of Bipolar Disorder.  

Jimmy (not real name) is like a younger brother and he came to pay me a visit at home. He appeared very happy however everything else seemed fine. He shared with me some of his new spiritual experiences and how he had become bolder and more expressive of himself. He simply said that he was having one of the best times of his life and that he had all these fabulous ideas going through his mind. We chatted till about 12 midnight then I had to stop the discussion simply because I had to go to work the following day. At about 3 a.m. Jimmy was up again. He woke me up saying that he wanted to chat some more because he had discovered that, in his words, “great men don’t have need of sleep.” It was at that point that it hit me that Jimmy was having a mental breakdown.

Jimmy has a condition called Bipolar Disorder. Read about the signs and symptoms Here and Here. The proportion of any population regardless of ethnicity, race or geographical location that is usually affected by this illness is usually about 2%. Young people with Bipolar disorder have far greater risk of committing suicide.

Some famous people who are known to have this illness are Ted Turner, an American Billionaire media mogul, founder of CNN; Jean Claude Van Damme-a very successful martial art actor; and Winston Churchill-a famous British Prime Minister who was noted for his leadership of the British Army during the Second World War.

Bipolar disorder, though challenging, can be managed when proper management is sought. Remember that “when you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you are never without hope.” Let’s spread the awareness not the stigma. Talk to a professional today.

#demystifyingmentalillness
#PDoc
#diaryofapsychiatrist

“Doc, don’t you think most mental illnesses are spiritual attacks?”

This is a common question I encounter during some of our mental health awareness campaign programs. More often than not most people refer to episodes of mental breakdown as periods of “attacks”.

I consider myself as also being a spiritual person however here is my usual response to this commonly asked question

1. I believe that mental illnesses are not more spiritual than other physical illnesses. For instance the Bible listed madness¹ as a curse however it also listed fever², inflammation¹, burning fever¹ and blindness² as curses too. Do we then say when someone is blind or has a fever for instance, that he or she is cursed or demon possessed? The Bible records that Jesus cast out a demon from a ‘mad’ man and after the demons left, the man became sane.³ The same Bible recorded that Jesus also cast out a demon from a speech impaired (dumb) man too and the man started speaking.⁴ So will it be logical to argue that because of this isolated report that “majority” of speech impaired (dumb) persons are possessed? If this-"majority deduction"- doesn’t apply to the speech impaired why then is it different regarding mental illnesses?

 

 2.     Because science cannot explain the actual cause of most mental illnesses then it must be spiritual. Well you see it was just in the 19^th century – 1873 to be precise – that G.H. Armauer Hansen isolated the bacteria – Mycobacterium Leprae – that causes leprosy even though for thousands of years prior to that discovery leprosy was believed to be largely a curse from God or the gods. My point here is that because something is a popular belief for thousands of years does not make it true. I also believe that it is just a matter of time that causes of various mental illnesses will be better understood just like Leprosy is now better understood despite thousands of years of wrong myths and ignorance.

Like I said earlier, I consider myself a spiritual person and a man of faith, but the aim of this post is to cause a rethink of the notion that mental illnesses are largely “spiritual attacks”. This popularly held belief, particularly in Africa, has prevented many from seeking more appropriate and effective treatments that could have helped with many unnecessary years of suffering.

Let’s spread the awareness and not the stigma because "When you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you're never without hope." Remember that people with mental illness can live more optimally fulfilling lives therefore talk to a professional today.

 

*Bible References: 1. Deuteronomy 28:28; 2. Deuteronomy 28:22; 3. Matthew 8: 28-34; 4. Luke 11: 14

 

NB: I gladly look forward to your comments, contributions and questions.

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I am not Feeling well in my body yet my doctors say it’s all in my head

Chioma (not real name) couldn’t hold back her tears as she explained to me that her family doctor had referred her to me because all her test results came back negative and couldn’t explain her various symptoms. She had been on various treatments for several months but was not getting any better therefore she thought her doctor had given up on her when he decided to refer her to see a psychiatrist. After evaluating her, a diagnosis of Somatoform Disorder was made. She was then educated on the the nature of the illness and also placed her on medications. Since commencement of her treatment Chioma has significantly improved and also reported that she is now happier with her health.

Somatoform Disorders is an umbrella name for a group of psychiatric disorders which present with numerous significant physical symptoms yet with no medically explainable or evident cause. These disorders cause significant distress for patients and often difficult to diagnose. What is characteristic in this psychological illness is that despite several examinations and laboratory investigations pointing to the absence of physical illness the individual still remains overly preoccupied with being ill. He or she therefore repeatedly visit healthcare facility searching for “cure” even though they have been repeatedly told that nothing appears to be wrong with them. Collaboration with a mental health professional can be helpful in making the diagnosis and the subsequent proper management of a somatoform disorder.

Like I always say, “You are never without hope when you are better educated about what you are dealing with.” Let’s spread the awareness and not the stigma.

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today.

Is it a heart attack or a panic attack

In the last 4 months Sandra (not real name) has been experiencing repeated sudden "attacks." During an attack her heart starts racing, she experiences discomfort in the chest, internal heat, and a feeling as if she is about to pass out and die. Sandra feels she has a life threatening situation and has been rushed to the emergency room on several occasions. She has done several tests yet all the test results have not been significant enough to explain her attacks.


A panic attack which is often mistaken for a life-threatening situation such as a heart attack is actually a form of an anxiety disorder. It is different from normal fear and anxiety reaction to stressful events rather it often strikes without warning and for seemingly no apparent reason. In some individuals it happens in particular situations such as when flying.

When an individual experiences several repeated attacks it is called a Panic disorder. Each attack usually last for few minutes but may sometimes go on for hours. Some other symptoms of a panic attack include shortness of breath, sweating, stomach upset, and fear of loosing control or going crazy.


It is very important to note that even though the symptoms that occur during a panic attack are very uncomfortable, they are not life-threatening. Remember, "When you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you're never without hope." 

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today. Let's spread the awareness and not the stigma.