Physiotherapy Care

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Postpartum depression is a far more serious condition than the baby blues, affecting about 1 in 7 new parents. If you've had postpartum depression before, your risk increases to 30% each pregnancy. You may experience alternating highs and lows, frequent crying, irritability and fatigue, as well as feelings of guilt, anxiety and inability to care for your baby or yourself. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may appear within a week of delivery or gradually, even up to a year later. Although symptoms can last several months, treatment with psychotherapy or antidepressants is very effective.

You may have postpartum depression if you experience some of the following:

Feeling sad, worthless, hopeless or guilty.

Worrying excessively or feeling on edge.

Loss of interest in hobbies or things you once enjoyed.

Changes in appetite or not eating.

Loss of energy and motivation.

Trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep all the time.

Crying for no reason or excessively.

Difficulty thinking or focusing.

Thoughts of su***de or wishing you were dead.

Lack of interest in your baby or feeling anxious around your baby.

Thoughts of hurting your baby or feeling like you don't want your baby.

Research suggests that postpartum depression can affect your baby in the following ways:

You have trouble bonding with your baby and don't establish a connection with them.

Your child may have behavior or learning problems.

You may skip appointments with your child's pediatrician.

Your child may have feeding and sleeping issues.

Your child may be at higher risk for obesity or developmental disorders.

You may neglect your child's care or not recognize when they are ill.

Your baby may have impaired social skills.

Link between frozen shoulder and diabetes

Link between frozen shoulder and diabetes has not been identified the research has shown that it is likely due to high blood sugar forming what is known as advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs)

These AGEs latch on to your tendons and ligaments, making them stiffer and weaker and ultimately induced inflammation . Combine this with impaired blood circulation due to high blood sugar and stiffness begins eventually leading to a immobility.

ANEURYSM

An aneurysm is a condition where there is a ballooning or weakening of the inside wall of an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that transport nutrient-rich oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When an area on the inner wall of an artery weakens, it bulges out and can burst or rupture due to the pressure of the blood flow. Rupture of an aneurysm causes profuse internal bleeding, strokes, and even death.

Their types:

Aortic aneurysms: The aorta is the largest blood vessel in your body. It starts on the left side of the heart and runs down the chest to the abdomen, where it then splits into two and goes down each of your legs. This blood vessel is a common site for aneurysms. When it occurs in the chest region, it is called a thoracic aortic aneurysm. When it occurs in the abdomen, it is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is the most commonly occurring form in this type of aneurysms.

Cerebral or Brain aneurysms: These occur inside the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to your brain. They can be of any size and show no signs or symptoms. You may not even know that you have one if it is in a blood vessel that is deep inside your brain. This type of aneurysm can cause bleeding in some of the affected cases.

Peripheral Aneurysms: You can also get aneurysms in other parts of your body, such as your knee, spleen, groin, intestines, thighs, neck, or kidneys. The chances of these rupturing is less compared to aortic aneurysms. Popliteal aneurysm, which happens in the knee is the most common type of peripheral aneurysms.

Cirsoid Aneurysms: This is a condition where a group of blood vessels is dilated because of a birth defect or congenital malformation. Here, an abnormal connection occurs between a vein and an artery, called arterio-venous shunting. This can cause a dangerous mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. This type of aneurysm occurs commonly in the head and neck, and they look like nodules.

Aneurysms do not show any symptoms until they rupture or exert pressure on surrounding tissues. The aneurysms that develop near the surface of your body could cause pain and swelling. You may also notice a large mass under your skin if there is one close to the surface. When an aneurysm ruptures, the symptoms will vary based on its location and type. Such symptoms include:

Internal bleeding

Severe pain in the chest, back or head

Increase in heart rate

Angina

Vomiting and nausea

Vision changes

Stiff, painful neck

Dizziness

Some brain aneurysms show symptoms when they grow large and exert pressure over the surrounding brain tissues. This can cause symptoms like:

Severe headache

Blurry vision

Changes in speech

Neck pain

Numbness of Leg and Arm

Aneurysm complications include internal bleeding, vasospasm (narrowing of arteries after rupture), stroke, hyponatremia (low sodium levels), and hydrocephalus (increased pressure on the brain that damages tissues), coma, brain damage, tears in the aorta wall, etc.

A cerebral or intracranial aneurysm is
an abnormal focal dilation of an artery in the brain that results from a weakening of the inner muscular layer (the intima) of a blood vessel wall. The vessel develops a "blister-like" dilation that can become thin and rupture without warning. The resultant bleeding into the space around the brain is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This kind of hemorrhage can lead to a stroke, coma and/or death.

Aneurysms are usually found at the base of the brain just inside the skull, in an area called the subarachnoid space. In fact, 90 percent of SAHs are attributed to ruptured cerebral aneurysms and the two terms are often used synonymously.

Aneurysms range in size, from small – about 1/8 inch – to nearly one inch. Aneurysms larger than one inch are called giant aneurysms, pose a particularly high risk and are difficult to treat. The exact mechanisms by which cerebral aneurysms develop, grow and rupture are unknown.

However, a number of factors are believed to contribute to the formation of cerebral aneurysms, including:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Cigarette smoking

Congenital (genetic) predisposition

Injury or trauma to blood vessels

Happy International Women's Day

There are warning signs that you may have a mental health problem, including

A change in your eating or sleeping habits
Withdrawing from the people and activities you enjoy

Having low or no energy

Feeling numb or like nothing matters

Having unexplained aches and pains

Feeling helpless or hopeless

Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual

Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, angry, upset, worried, or scared

Having severe mood swings that cause problems in your relationships

Having thoughts and memories that you can't get out of your head

Hearing voices or believing things that are not true

Thinking of harming yourself or others

Not being able to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school.

Anxiety disorders: This group of mental illnesses is characterized by significant feelings of anxiety or fear accompanied by physical symptoms, such as shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and dizziness.

Three major types of anxiety disorders are generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Bipolar and related disorders: Formerly known as manic depression

, Bipolar disorders are characterized by alternating episodes of mania, hypomania, and major depression.

There are three broad types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymia.

Depressive disorders: The common feature of all depressive disorders is the presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood, accompanied by somatic and cognitive changes that significantly affect a person's capacity to function. Examples include major depressive disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders: A group of psychiatric conditions that affect involving problems with the self-control of emotions and behaviors. Some disorders in this group are oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, and pyromania.

Dissociative disorders: This group of psychiatric syndromes is characterized by an involuntary disconnection between consciousness, memories, emotions, perceptions, and behaviors—even one's own identity or sense of self.

Elimination disorders: Children with elimination disorders repeatedly void urine or f***s at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places, whether the action is involuntary or not.

Paraphilic disorders: Describes intense or persistent sexual interests that cause distress or impairment. These may involve recurrent fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving atypical sexual interests.

Personality disorders: These disorders are characterized by an enduring inflexible pattern of experience and behavior that causes distress or impairment. There are currently 10 recognized personality disorders.

Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders: These disorders are defined by abnormalities in one or more of the following areas: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (including catatonia), and negative symptoms.

Sexual dysfunctions: This heterogeneous group of disorders is characterized by a person's inability to fully engage in or experience sexual pleasure. Some of the most common sexual dysfunctions include female or****ic disorder, erectile disorder, female sexual interest/arousal disorder, and delayed ej*******on.

Sleep-wake disorders: There are several different types of sleep-wake disorders and all involve problems falling asleep or staying awake at desired or socially appropriate times. These disorders are characterized by misalignment of circadian rhythms with the surrounding environment or abnormalities of the circadian system itself. Common sleep-wake disorders include insomnia and narcolepsy.

Somatic symptom and related disorders: People with these disorders feel extreme, exaggerated anxiety about physical symptoms—such as pain, weakness, or shortness of breath. This preoccupation is so intense that it disrupts the person's daily life.

Substance-related and addictive disorders: All substance-related disorders are characterized by a cluster of behavioral and physical symptoms, which can include withdrawal, tolerance, and craving. Substance-related disorders can result from the use of 10 separate classes of drugs.

Feeding and eating disorders: Eating disturbances are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating patterns that lead to poor physical and psychological health. Three major eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

Gender dysphoria: Formerly known as gender identity disorder, gender dysphoria occurs when a person feels extreme discomfort or distress because their gender identity is at odds with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Neurocognitive disorders: These disorders are characterized by an acquired decrease in cognitive function. In addition to Alzheimer's disease, other conditions in this category include Huntington's disease, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurocognitive issues due to HIV infection.
Neurodevelopmental disorders: These disorders typically manifest early in development, often before a child enters grade school. They are characterized by impairments of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Examples include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and learning and intellectual disabilities.

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: As the name suggests, these disorders are characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Examples include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), hoarding, and body dysmorphic disorder.

Trauma and stressor-related disorders: This group includes disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as a diagnostic criterion. The most common is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Signs of mental health issues in the elderly

Changes in appearance or dress, or problems maintaining the home or yard.

Confusion, disorientation, problems with concentration or decision-making.

Decrease or increase in appetite; changes in weight.

Depressed mood lasting longer than two weeks.

Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, helplessness; thoughts of su***de.

Memory loss, especially recent or short-term memory problems.

Physical problems that can’t otherwise be explained: aches, constipation, etc.

Social withdrawal; loss of interest in things that used to be enjoyable.

Trouble handling finances or working with numbers.

Unexplained fatigue, energy loss or sleep changes.

Memory issues are incorrectly considered a normal part of the aging process by many, which causes mental illnesses to often go unrecognized until they have advanced significantly. Memory problems can be a warning sign of mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia in older adults. Signs of this memory loss may include misplacing belongings, repeatedly asking for the same information or forgetting important dates.

Changes In Personal Care
Often times, a person with mental health issues will stop adhering to their regular personal care routines. A noticeable change in appearance might signify that a person is unable to successfully adhere to their former routines related to personal appearance. While this will look different for everyone, changes in personal appearance that may be a sign of a mental illness include forgoing bathing or skipping previously standard personal care tasks, such as applying makeup.

Social Withdrawal
Individuals suffering from mental illness often become socially withdrawn. If you notice your loved one losing interest in activities that they used to be excited about or avoiding regular social engagements, it may be because they are suffering from a mental health issue that makes these things difficult. For example, they may blow off weekly card games with their friends because they are having difficulty remembering how to play.

Changes in Mood
A change in disposition often accompanies mental illnesses, such as depression and Alzheimer’s. Your loved one may go from carefree to anxious, upbeat to depressed, or confident to confused. If these mood changes last more than a couple of weeks, there may be a more serious cause driving their altered personality


Dementia is a progressive syndrome which leads to a deterioration of thinking, memory and behaviour, including the ability to perform routine activities.

Some of the causes of dementia have been identified as:

Alzheimer’s: the most common cause of dementia is a progressive brain disease that leads to various cognitive impairments that worsen over time.

Chronic high blood pressure, blood vessel disease or stroke.

Parkinson’s disease, in severe and advanced stages.

Huntington’s disease: a genetic disorder signalled by mental dysfunction, altered personality, psychosis, and movement disturbance.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a viral infection that leads to rapid and progressive dementia.

Depression in the elderly, commonly referred to as geriatric depression, may mirror the symptoms of a general depression diagnosis for any age group, and because the symptoms occur in conjunction with other illnesses, the disorder may go undiagnosed and untreated.

Types of depression vary and include major depression, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder or seasonal affective disorder. Some of the common signs of depression to look out for are a persistent sad or anxious mood, feelings of worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness, decreased energy, constant fatigue, irritability and loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

The key defining feature of an anxiety disorder is a constant, excessive worry about everyday events and issues which should not cause such severe uneasiness. Although it is normal for the elderly to worry about health problems and financial affairs, a constant state of worry is cause for concern. Medication and therapy can be very effective in helping the elderly cope with anxiety and an effective treatment plan is instrumental in improving the quality of life.