REM Sleep: The Consequences of Disrupting your Sleep Pattern
By, Maro Mikhaeil
Believe it or not, lack of sleep affects you more than just feeling groggy the next day. In fact, sleep plays an important role when it comes to brain function. Your brain needs the time to rest and prepare for the next day.
There are four stages of sleep: the first three stages are called NREM which stands for non-rapid eye movement and the fourth and final stage is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. These stages of sleep cycle multiple times throughout the night. They each last between 90-120 minutes. REM sleep is the deepest stage of sleep and where you might start to experience dreaming.
What people might not realize is that REM sleep is the stage of sleep where memories from the events that happened the previous day are forming and being engraved in your brain. Think of your brain as this filing cabinet where sleep would be the best time for your brain to start sorting all these memories. Even emotions and emotional memories are processed in REM sleep. Making sure you have adequate sleep helps with learning and being able to recall what you just learned. So next time, if you feel like neglecting sleep, think again!
If you or someone you know is struggling with sleeplessness, or mental health, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our offices at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Bipolar disorder is a serious mood disorder and mental health condition that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy levels, thinking and behavior. These shifts can last for hours, days, weeks or months and interfere with ability to carry out daily tasks. When one becomes depressed, they may go through feelings of sadness, hopelessness and or loss of interest in many activities. When one’s mood shifts to mania, one may feel euphoric, energized or irritable. These shifts in mood can impact a person’s sleep, activity or energy levels, behavior and their ability to think clearly. Each type of bipolar disorder includes periods between manic or depressive episodes when symptoms lessen, or people feel stable. The greatest difference between the types of disorder is how extreme the mood states are and their duration. Bipolar I Disorder includes having a history of at least one manic episode, but sometimes also having depressed or hypomanic episodes as well. Bipolar II Disorder includes mood states that vary from an even mood to high to low, although the highs are less extreme and are called hypomanic states.
Individuals with bipolar disorder can be treated with a combination of medication and therapy. Mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants can aid in managing mood swings and other symptoms. Some people may need to try different medications before determining which medication works best for them. Therapy aids individuals in accepting their disorder, being familiar with the warning signs of a manic or depressive episode, developing coping strategies, and sticking with a medication schedule. While people may sometimes experience some stability in their mood between episodes, a long-term, continuous treatment plan is suggested as it can reduce the severity and frequency of mood swings.
If you or someone you know is having mental health difficulties and/ or experiencing symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our offices at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Do you find yourself seeking the approval of people yet being bullied in return? Often, we feel the need to be liked by others and we find ourselves changing who we are. When you are continuously attempting to impress others by pretending to be someone you are not or hiding your genuine self, you are manifesting a fear of rejection. Unfortunately, others may be able to notice your fears and use them against you since you are trying too hard to “fit in”.
Emotional abuse is real, and it may be just as harmful as physical abuse. Emotional abuse creates distress in the individual’s emotional or psychological state. Kids can be harsh, and the Pew Research Center reports that at least 59% of kids in the United States have been bullied. Bullying can lead to low self-esteem and increased self-consciousness. This creates a negative feedback loop in which bullied people are more inclined to suffer from social anxiety, and vice versa. Bullying can potentially escalate into physical violence, resulting in pain on both fronts.
But what is Social Anxiety?
According to the DSM-IV, Social Anxiety is defined as feeling frightened or worried in social situations, which may lead to the desire to avoid social encounters altogether. Unfortunately, bullying does not help; instead, it can worsen symptoms as anxiety sets in, when anything one does is criticized and, as a result, is emotionally abused.
What can you do about it?
First and foremost, in dealing with the disorder, you must not feed the desire to avoid social interactions. The more we care about what others think, the more we lose ourselves and suppress our genuine identities. It is crucial to remember that bullying occurs more frequently than you think and if you allow it to disrupt your life, you are merely hurting yourself.
If you or someone you know is a victim of bullying and/or experiencing social anxiety, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively at (212) 722-1920 or (201) 368-3700 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Binge-Eating Disorder: The Link between Mental Health and Binge-Eating in College Students
By, Maro Mikhaeil
Have you heard of the commonly used expression, the “Freshman 15”? This expression is used to describe how the first year of college can be very challenging as one is transitioning to a different stage of their life. It is so challenging that it could lead to an excessive amount of stress and anxiety leading to the need to compensate those feelings. Food can very well help compensate those feelings, but if it comes to a point where it becomes a habit, you’ve got problems. Overeating may start to occur and that’s where the “Freshman 15” expression comes in. “15” in the expression refers to the amount of weight gain as a result of the high stress and anxiety levels that comes with freshman year of college. Unfortunately this could cause long term problems associated with overeating such as Binge-Eating Disorder.
Binge-Eating Disorder is characterized as overeating frequently in a short amount of time. The binge-eater experiences trouble controlling their consumption. According to the DSM-IV, in order to be diagnosed with Binge-Eating Disorder, one must have three or more episodes of:
Excessively eating more consistently than normal
Overeating until feeling uncomfortably full
Eating big portions of food without being hungry
Having the preference of eating alone due to embarrassment
Feeling guilty after indulging in food.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or binge-eating disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively at (212) 722-1920 or (201) 368-3700 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Sources:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV)
Obsessive compulsive disorder is comprised of a pattern of unwanted thoughts and or fears known as obsessions. These obsessions lead one to do repetitive behaviors, also called obsessions. These obsessions and compulsions interfere with much of one’s daily activities and can cause a lot of distress. Ultimately, one feels driven to carry out compulsive acts to reduce their stress. Examples of common content of obsessional thoughts include the fear of contamination, disturbing sexual thoughts or images, religious and blasphemous thoughts, or ritualized hand washing. Ordering things in a particular way, repeated cleaning of objects or repeatedly checking locks, appliances etc. Compulsions can even include the need to constantly seek approval or reassurance. Often there are peole with OCD that recognize or suspect their obsessional thoughts are not realistic though some may think they could be true. Even if they are aware of their intrusive thoughts are not realistic, people struggling with OCS have difficulty disengaging from the obsessive thoughts or stopping the compulsive behaviors.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that is effective for many of those that struggle with OCD. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a part of CBT therapy which involves exposing a person over time to the feared object or obsession, such as dirt. Then one learns ways not to do their compulsive rituals. ERP takes time and practice, but it has been proven to help those struggling with OCD improve their life quality once they learn to manage their symptoms. Patients with mild to moderate OCD symptoms are usually treated with either CBT or medication depending on their preference. It also depends on their cognitive abilities, level of insight and the presence or absence of associated psychiatric conditions, as well as treatment availability. Hypnosis has often also been used to successfully eliminate OCD symptoms. Hypnosis is a relatively short treatment of several sessions which helps the person rid themselves of harmful, repetitive behaviors.
If you or someone you know is having mental health difficulties and/ or experiencing symptoms of OCD, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our offices at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Depression vs. Grief: Are you depressed or are you just grieving?
By, Maro Mikhaeil
Did you experience a loss of some kind, whether it was a loved one, a job, a pet, or even a relationship? Often times, individuals will think that they are experiencing depression when that may not be the case at all. In fact, depression does not solely occur when a traumatic event has occurred but may occur due to genetics or even your environment. However, it may be hard for individuals to distinguish grieving from depression due to the similarities. This is why psychologists or psychiatrists will often ask for your history to determine treatment. Grieving and depression are both characterized by intense feelings of sadness and may have the same cause of trauma and loss. Some individuals may experience both depression and bereavement, commonly known as a process of grief, which causes significant symptoms and functional impairment and is worse than either depression or bereavement alone.
The Differences between Depression and Grief
Depression is characterized by a variety of depressive disorders, such as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, major depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, substance-induced depressive disorder, medication-induced depressive disorder, and other unspecified and specified depressive disorders. Major depressive disorder is the most common and known type of depressive disorder, as it is the classic condition amongst all the other depressive disorders. It is characterized by depressive episodes that have been occurring for at least 2 weeks and/or longer, which is longer than the grieving process. Major depressive disorder is also more persistent and has more obvious characteristics because individuals will be feeling depressive symptoms everywhere, as opposed to bereavement, which is more of a fluctuating state and varies from person to person. Bereavement entails this grieving process where these negative feelings are accompanied by positive feelings, and as time passes, the wave of negative emotions will spread further and further apart. The grieving process and the associated feelings will also come to an end as the individual fully visualizes their loss through a good recollection rather than a more devastating one.
Treatment options
Despite the differences between the two, major depressive disorder and bereavement are both treatable. Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, can definitely treat both major depressive disorder and bereavement. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics can also target the symptoms of major depressive disorder, and people find them useful in conjunction with psychotherapy.
All in all, it’s important to be mindful of all the similarities and differences and to take action when needed. Your mental health is just as important as your health; you should not let it derail your life, as there is a way out. Remember that you are not alone, as individuals all over the world are experiencing what you may be experiencing right now.
If you or someone you know is experiencing grief or depression, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Relationship trauma develops from consistent unhealthy and abusive behaviors that occur between individuals in an intimate relationship. Trauma can arise from physical, emotional, verbal, financial, or sexual abuse. Leaving a toxic relationship may have long-lasting effects on an individual who endured abuse. There are many factors that can cause a development of abuse in relationships. An individual may desire to have control and power over their partner, lack of empathy, causing substance abuse and stress to form. There are many more examples of how relationship abuse may form. A victim of relationship abuse may not recognize that they are traumatized and thus can lead to living with untreated trauma.
Signs of relationship trauma include:
Guilt and shame
Trust issues
Intrusive/Triggering thoughts
Nightmares and flashbacks
Difficulty building healthy relationships
Isolation from loved ones, interests/hobbies, education, and work
When the effects of trauma begin to impact an individual’s well-being, seeking professional help is an effective resource to consider. Talking to a therapist about traumatic events that occurred in a relationship is a healthy beginning for the healing process. A safe environment is provided in therapy where building healthy coping mechanisms, trust, developing a support system, managing triggers, and more positive outcomes are prioritized.
If you or someone you know is seeking treatment for relationship or general trauma, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services. Contact our Manhattan, NY or Paramus, NJ offices respectively at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Additional Support: Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
Depression: What Does Your Messy Room Say About You?
By, Maro Mikhaeil
Are you struggling with maintaining a clean room? A messy room may represent a disorganized mind and high stress levels. FMRI scans have shown that disorganization and clutter negatively impacts the way our brains work. Some may even go as far to say that it can be seen as a depressive episode. Depression has been shown to make it hard for individuals to take care of themselves physically, especially when it comes down to cleaning their bedrooms. Individuals with depression also demonstrate lack of motivation doing their daily tasks. It can take significantly more energy and effort to accomplish even the smallest tasks.
What exactly is depression?
Depression is characterized as a mood disorder that causes one to feel constantly low or sad and may even affect your interest to do certain activities. Symptoms in depression can vary from mild to severe and there are psychological scales that can assess the severity of the illness. Depression can affect anyone even children and adolescents and risk factors ranges from brain chemistry to genetics to environmental factors and even to personality. For instance, you can experience extreme lows, which may lead to depression if you receive a poor score on an exam for which you have been studying and expected a higher score.
Is depression treatable?
Depression is in fact treatable and can be treated by the following ways:
Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy in which focuses on one’s feelings and past experiences. It may help to talk to someone about your low moments.
Medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics may help with symptoms
Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnosis which puts you in a trance-like state to relax you and helps reduce anxiety and stress
And more!
Although cleaning one’s room may be difficult for individuals who are depressed, there is certainly a way through it. Perhaps try cleaning just a small part of your room each day until the entire space is clean. Having your room cleaned might help your depression even more, since a clean environment is proven to improve mood and reduce stress.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or mental health, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visithttp://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Living with a family member who has a mental illness is never fun. Especially when it comes to bipolar disorder, which is a disorder where the individual will have frequent highs and lows. This can sometimes be hard on the family members as they witness their loved one struggle and take it out on the family. Individuals with bipolar disorder often go through many hardships and, unfortunately, may not always want to seek help. This can lead to broken families and trauma for other family members. Some individuals may even go undiagnosed, which leads to more devastating consequences that will derail their lives in significant ways.
Types of Bipolar Disorder:
There are two types of Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar Disorder I and Bipolar Disorder II. Bipolar Disorder I is more severe than Bipolar Disorder II and usually is characterized by several days of insomnia because of mania. Mania is characterized by increased energy, excessively high moods, extreme irritability, racing thoughts, distractibility, spending sprees, and denial that anything is wrong. As for Bipolar Disorder II, the disorder is characterized as experiencing hypomanic episodes, but it is also accompanied by severe depression-like symptoms just as severe as Bipolar Disorder I. These disorders are treatable with medications and psychotherapy. Medications may include mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics to manage elevated mood and depressed episodes.
What can I do to help a loved one with bipolar disorder?
Although it can be tough to be around someone with bipolar disorder, it is also important to understand the illness and seek out a professional that can help. A person with bipolar disorder usually feels isolated because of the condition and faces obstacles on a daily basis. Supporting a family member who may be suffering from this condition is essential for their recovery. Keep in mind that people with bipolar disorder can still lead fulfilling lives, but strongly depends on their support system and their willingness to get help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with bipolar disorder or has a family member with the disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ, or Manhattan, NY, offices, respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by trouble falling or staying asleep. According to the Cleveland Clinic, around one in three adults worldwide suffer from insomnia symptoms. Sleeplessness can be classified into two categories: acute and chronic. Additionally, insomnia may be a sign of a number of mental health issues or even medical conditions. There are several factors that might cause insomnia, including genetic makeup, stress, anxiety, caffeine, alcohol, and more.
Stress, whether it is from your job or school, may keep you from falling asleep. Given that anxiety causes a lot of worry, it can also interfere with your ability to sleep. Caffeine can cause insomnia because it blocks the adenosine receptor, preventing sleepiness and disrupting your sleep pattern. Additionally, studies have shown that alcohol consumption can adversely affect REM sleep, which is necessary for consistently getting high-quality sleep. Lastly, maintaining good sleep hygiene is essential since poor sleeping patterns can eventually lead to insomnia.
If you or someone you know is struggling with insomnia or mental health, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visithttp://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
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