Depression : Symptoms

Depression is sometimes referred to as the common cold of mental illness. It is a debilitating disease with significant societal costs. It is, however, one of the most clearly defined and treatable of mental illnesses. Technically, the term "depre...

Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli.

Children can become cranky, fussy or irritable for many reasons. Often it's because they're hungry or just tired. But sometimes irritability can be a sign of illness in children.

Don't Catch a Bad MoodLike the common cold, human emotions are highly contagious."It's easy to get swept up in somebody else's emotions," says James Page, M.D., a psychiatrist in Greenville, SC.

Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another. Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The source of this uneasiness is not always known or recognized, which can add to the distress you feel.

A condition of persistent nervousness, stress, and worry that is triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations about the self Stimulated by real or imagined dangers, anxiety affects people of all ages and social backgrounds. When it occurs in unrealistic situations or with unusual intensity, it can disrupt everyday life. Some researchers believe anxiety is synonymous with fear, occurring in varying degrees and in situations in which people feel threatened by some danger. Others describe anxiety as an unpleasant emotion caused by unidentifiable dangers or dangers that, in reality, pose no threat. Unlike fear, which is caused by realistic, known dangers, anxiety can be more difficult to identify and alleviate. A small amount of anxiety is normal in the developing child, especially in adolescents and teens. Anxiety is often a realistic response to new roles and responsibilities, as well as to sexual and identity development. When symptoms become extreme, disabling, and/or when a child or adolescent experiences several symptoms over a period of a month or more, they may be a sign of an anxiety disorder and professional intervention may be necessary. The two forms of childhood anxiety are overanxious disorder and separation anxiety, although many physicians and psychologists also include panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which tend to occur more frequently in adults. Anxiety that is the result of experiencing a violent event, disaster, or physical abuse is identified as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most adult anxiety disorders begin in adolescence or young adulthood, and are more common among women than men.

Experts say that effective relaxation requires more than simply vegging out in front of the TV set. It means learning a few relaxation techniques to combat stress -- a condition recently linked to a host of physical and emotional problems like heart disease, headaches, asthma and insomnia.

Anxiety is a bodily response to a perceived threat or danger. It is triggered by a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory, and the social situation. It is important to distinguish between anxiety as a feeling or experience and an anxiety disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis. A person may feel anxious without having an anxiety disorder. Also, a person facing a clear and present danger or a realistic fear is not usually considered to be in a state of anxiety. In addition, anxiety frequently occurs as a symptom in other categories of psychiatric disturbance.

Anxiety is a condition of persistent and uncontrollable nervousness, stress, and worry that is triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations over day-to-day events, both trivial and major, with disproportionate fears of catastrophic consequences.

Anxiety is a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. It reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory, and the social situation. As far as we know, anxiety is a uniquely human experience. Other animals clearly know fear, but human anxiety involves an ability, to use memory and imagination to move backward and forward in time, that animals do not appear to have. The anxiety that occurs in post-traumatic syndromes indicates that human memory is a much more complicated mental function than animal memory. Moreover, a large portion of human anxiety is produced by anticipation of future events. Without a sense of personal continuity over time, people would not have the "raw materials" of anxiety. It is important to distinguish between anxiety as a feeling or experience, and an anxiety disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis. A person may feel anxious without having an anxiety disorder. Also a person facing a clear and present danger or a realistic fear is not usually considered to be in a state of anxiety. In addition, anxiety frequently occurs as a symptom in other categories of psychiatric disturbance.

Suicide is the act of ending one's own life. Suicidal behavior are thoughts or tendencies that put a person at risk for committing suicide.

Warning Signs of Suicide and What You Can DoIf you think a person could be suicidal, ask, "Have you thought about suicide?" If they say "yes," they may already have a plan for how and when they will attempt it.

Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for an extended period of time. See also: Adolescent depression; Depression in the elderly.

Detailed information on depression and depression in women, including types, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Depression or depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, and mental processes are a common accompaniment.

A depressive disorder is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It encompasses feelings of overwhelming sadness and despair that persist or intensify over time.

Depression or depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, and mental processes are a common accompaniment.

Depression is the general name for a family of illnesses known as depressive disorders. Depression is an illness that affects not only the mood and thoughts, but also the physical functions of affected individuals. Depressive disorders usually result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Depression and depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep , appetite, and mental processes are common symptoms of depression.

Depression is the general name for a family of illnesses known as depressive disorders. Depression is an illness that affects not only the mood and thoughts, but also the physical functions of affected individuals. Depressive disorders usually result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

An emotional state or mood characterized by one or more of these symptoms: sad mood, low energy, poor concentration, sleep or appetite changes, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide. Until recently, it was thought that children and adolescents could not suffer from clinical depression. It was assumed that children were not physically or psychologically mature enough to develop symptoms of depression and that adolescents with mood difficulties were simply going through "growing pains." However, several investigations have shown that if appropriately evaluated, children and adolescents do suffer from depression. We will refer to clinical depression that presents with severe symptoms as major depressive disorder (MDD) and depression that has moderate, chronic symptoms as dysthymic disorder (see below for specific criteria). Depression is relatively common; the prevalence (number of cases in one year) of MDD and dysthymic disorder combined is approximately 2% for children and 6% for adolescents.

Everybody feels sad sometimes, but to be clinically depressed is not just a matter of feeling sad. A patient with cancer is diagnosed as having major depression only if certain symptoms, such as loss of pleasure or thoughts of death, are present for at least two weeks. Only a healthcare professional can accurately determine whether a patient is depressed or is simply upset because of the disease.

Depression, also known as depressive disorders or unipolar depression, is a mental illness characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, and mental processes are a common accompaniment.

Depression is sometimes referred to as the common cold of mental illness. It is a debilitating disease with significant societal costs. It is, however, one of the most clearly defined and treatable of mental illnesses. Technically, the term "depression" is used to cover a variety of symptomatic conditions, all characterized by negative mood and a loss of pleasure. Together these conditions comprise a spectrum ranging from major depression to dysthymia to adjustment reactions to normal grief and sadness. At one extreme of this continuum lies major depressive disorder, a syndrome characterized by severe episodes of depressed mood accompanied by loss of sleep, appetite, concentration, energy, and hope. The depressed mood must persist for greater than two weeks in order to warrant this diagnosis. At the other end of the continuum lies the diagnosis of dysthymia, which is characterized by a lower level of mood disturbance that persists chronically; that is, involving more days than not for a period of two years or greater. Many patients complain of depressed mood but do not fit neatly into either of these two categories. These patients' symptoms are frequently best accounted for as a reaction to an acute life stressor. These reactions are typically nonpathological and resolve with time, but they may constitute an adjustment reaction if normal functioning is sufficiently disturbed. Depression is both common and costly. It has a lifetime prevalence of 5 to 10 percent of women and 2 to 5 percent of men. It is an expensive disorder in both direct and indirect terms, as depression causes a higher degree of functional disability than many medical illnesses including diabetes, chronic lung disease, and arthritis. Additional costs to society result from the effect of untreated depression on the treatment of medical illnesses, where it contributes to longer hospital stays and morbidity. This has been particularly well demonstrated in the treatment of myocardial infarction (heart attack), where the presence of major depression has consistently been found to increase mortality. Depressive illness is thought to result from a combination of biological and psychological factors. The biological component is strongly suggested by the high genetic concordance of depressive disorders. In the twenty-first century, there are various competing theories about the nature of this genetic/biological contribution, but the available data do not yet indicate the specific nature of the illness. The psychological component is similarly suggested by the correlation of onset of major depression with negative life events and with the increased risk of depression in individuals who experienced abuse in childhood. A variety of psychological theories exist and are linked to models of psychotherapeutic treatment. Interpersonal psychotherapists, for example, emphasize the role of grieving due to the loss of an important relationship or a transition in social roles (e.g., transition from working to retirement, marriage to divorce). Cognitive therapists emphasize a mind-set of construing life events in a way that leads to depression. Alternately, psychodynamic therapists search for the ways that unconscious coping processes and repetitive relational patterns result in negative effects. A commonly postulated mechanism would include the turning of anger in on the self. For example, a depressed woman may feel critical of herself rather than direct her anger toward an abusive spouse. Treatment of depression parallels theories of etiology in that both biological and psychological treatments exist and have been efficacious. A number of different antidepressant medications have been developed, including monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). These medicines have demonstrated efficacy in both the treatment of acute depressive episodes and in the prevention of relapses. A variety of psychological therapie

Sleeping difficulty, called insomnia, can involve difficulty falling asleep when you first go to bed at night, waking up too early in the morning, and waking up often during the night.

Paybacks for Lost SleepAre you getting enough sleep? Do you have sleep debt?

Some nights, sleep comes easily, and you sail through the night in a satisfying slumber. Waking up after a night of good sleep feels wonderful — you're refreshed, energized, and ready to take on the world. Other nights, sleep comes slowly or not until the wee hours. Or you may fall asleep, only to awaken throughout the night.

A routine isn't necessarily bad; it can be comforting because it adds structure to your life and it isn't stressful. But dissatisfaction may start to gnaw at you and erode your self-esteem if you believe you want something more in your life.

What is anhedonia? Michael Craig Miller, M.D., is editor-in-chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Miller has an active clinical practice and has been on staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for more than 25 years.

Studies indicate that almost all children report having fears. Some of the most common fears are of bugs or ghosts, and studies have shown that kids are afraid of pretty much the same things no matter where they live in the world.

Fears, Phobias, and AnxietyEverybody experiences fear at some time or another. Fear is a powerful emotion that arises in situations that are interpreted as dangerous.

Discussion of the effect of anxiety disorders on children and how they can be treated.

Fear is an intense aversion to or apprehension of a person, place, activity, event, or object that causes emotional distress and often avoidance behavior. Fears are common in childhood.

An aversion to a person, place, activity, event, or object that causes emotional distress and often avoidance behavior. Fear is defined as emotional reaction related to a person, place, activity, event, or object. Symptoms of fear may include stiffening and crying in the newborn; crying and avoidance of the feared person or object in toddlers; bodily symptoms such as a stomachache or headache in children or adolescents (especially regarding school or separation anxieties); anger, avoidance, and denial of the fear in adolescents and teens; and panic reactions—sweating, trembling, fast heartbeat. While normal fears tend to be experienced in phases and tend to be outgrown by adulthood, abnormal fears are those that are persistent and recurrent, or fears that interfere with daily activities for at least a month. Abnormal fears, including extreme separation anxiety, school phobia (being afraid to go to school), or extreme social fears, may indicate an anxiety disorder. More than 50% of children experience normal phobias (fear of a specific object) or anxieties (more general worries) before they are 18 years old. For adults it may be helpful to distinguish between rational fears, such as fear of snakes or guns, which are survival mechanisms and serve to protect a person from danger, and irrational fears (phobias) which cannot be traced to any reasonable cause. Many childhood fears fall somewhere between the rational and irrational, occurring in phases as the child or adolescent is exposed to new experiences and as both cognitive reasoning and the capacity for imagination develop. Whether a child's fear is considered normal generally depends on his or her age, background, and most importantly by how much it interferes with his or her normal daily activities. Fear of water may be considered normal in a child who has never learned how to swim, but it might be considered abnormal in the adolescent son of a coastal fisherman. There are many avenues that parents, guardians, and teachers can follow in responding to childhood or adolescent fears. The first step is to assess whether the fear is age-normal. Following are some normal fears and their approximate ages of occurrence. Other fears not associated with any specific age are fear of visiting the doctor or dentist; fear of traveling by car, boat, or plane; and fear of going to school, sometimes called school phobia. School phobia often results in a refusal to attend school and is caused either by a deeper separation anxiety or fear of some aspect of the school environment. Many children experience a mild, temporary form of school phobia. If refusal to attend school lasts longer than three days in a row, however, parents might want to seek the help of a school counselor in addressing the underlying problem(s). In earlier grades the many new experiences of school may contribute to the phobia—being with strange authority figures, older children, submitting to a new rule system, publicly performing or speaking. In later grades the social and academic or extracurricular pressures may create additional fears. The most significant factors in overcoming fear are identifying the fear, developing a sense of control over the feared environment (autonomy), and envisioning alternatives to the feared negative outcomes. Forcing children to perform activities they are afraid to do destroys, rather than builds, autonomy and self-confidence. If a child refuses to do something or explicitly voices fear, it should be taken seriously and explored through questioning and discussion. Ask the child or adolescent what change can be made to accommodate the fear and make him or her feel more in control. Some theories hold that reading scary picture books functions as a courage-building tool for children and helps them face their fears in a controlled environment—they are free to turn the page or to remind themselves that the monster is not real. Horror stories or movies may serve the same purpos

Researchers have found that the hormone cortisol, produced by the body in response to stress, may in fact have a calming effect on people with certain phobias or performance anxiety.

Researchers have found a chemical in the brain thay may affect how the mind retains or discards memories of a traumatic event.

A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are extremely rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better by making lifestyle changes, learning ways to relax, and occasionally by taking medications. See also: Cluster headache; Migraine; Tension headache.

A headache is a pain in the head and neck region that may be either a disorder in its own right or a symptom HEADACHE THERAPIES Description Type Acupressure Press pointer fingers beneath cheekbones and parallel to pupils (Stomach 3) for one minute. Squeeze fleshy area between thumb and pointer finger (Large Intestine 4) for one minute. Sinus Aromatherapy Massage mixture of lavender oil and sunflower oil in temples, sides of eyes, behind ears, and on the neck. Do same using eucalyptus. Migraine, tension, and sinus Chiropractic Spinal or cervical manipulation to realign posture. Tension Diet and exercise Avoid chocolate, cheeses, citrus, red wine, and foods containing sodium nitrates or MSG. Exercise regularly. Migraine Herbal remedies Feverfew, hawthorn, skullcap, ginger, goldenseal, valerian, passionflower, and cayenne. Migraine and tension Homeopathy Belladonna, bryonia, kali bichromicum, and nux vomica. Sinus and tension Home remedies Simultaneous ice pack/warm foot soak; drink three cold glasses of water; inhale pure oxygen. Migraine and cluster Massage Scalp massage All Mind/body Meditation and relaxation and biofeedback. Migraine Osteopathy Neuromuscular manipulation and massage of head, neck, and shoulders. All of an underlying medical condition or disease. The medical term for headache is cephalalgia.

This report helps you identify the cause of your headache and learn what to do about it. Includes the latest treatments, such as new medications and mind/body techniques.

Detailed information on headaches, including the different types of headaches and statistics relating to headaches

A headache involves pain in the head which can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself.

About 90 percent of all headaches are harmless episodes that can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers, either alone or together with rest, ice packs or relaxation techniques.

A headache involves pain in the head that can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself.

Most headaches in kids are caused by tension, not disease. Your pediatrician can determine what kind of headache your child has.

Headache is a pain in the head and neck region that may be either a disorder in its own right or a symptom of an underlying medical condition or disease. The medical term for headache is cephalalgia. Headaches are one of the most common and universal human ailments, described in the Bible as well as in medical writings from ancient Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, Rome, India, and China. Severe chronic headaches were once treated by the oldest known surgical procedure, known as trepanning or trephining, in which the surgeon drilled a hole as large as 1–2 in diameter in the patient's skull without benefit of anesthesia. Evidence of trepanning has been found in skulls from Cro-Magnon people that are about 40,000 years old.

Youngsters' most common head pain is a tension headache—a dull ache that feels like pressure around the head.

When seeking treatment for headaches, start with your primary care provider. Most people who suffer from headaches tell their doctors about their pain only as an afterthought. And 31 percent have never seen a health care provider for their condition, according to the National Headache Foundation (NHF). The result is a lot of needless suffering.

Detailed information on headaches, including types, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Can dehydration cause headaches? Howard LeWine, M.D., is chief editor of Internet Publishing at Harvard Health Publications. He is recognized as an outstanding clinician and teacher and is a recipient of the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year award at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. LeWine continues to practice Internal Medicine; most recently he became a hospitalist after practicing primary care for over 20 years.

An old theory about the connection between headache and high blood pressure makes a comeback.

Detailed information on headaches, including the different types of headaches and statistics relating to headaches

Unintentional weight gain is an increase in body weight that occurs when a person takes in more calories than the body needs or uses.

The term overweight is used to describe an excess amount of total body weight including all tissues (fat, bone, muscle, etc.) and water. Obesity , in contrast, is an excess amount of body fat. An adult woman or man who has a body-fat percentage exceeding 35 percent (for women) or 25 percent (for men) is considered obese . A person can be overweight without being obese, as many professional football players and bodybuilders are, for such individuals have large amounts of muscle but not much fat. Likewise, a person can be obese without being overweight, such as some elderly individuals or lazy "couch potatoes," who may not weigh a lot but have too much body fat. However, almost all obese people are also overweight. Because body fat is very difficult to measure accurately, height and weight are used to estimate overweight and obesity. Body mass index (BMI) is a formula that combines both height and weight. It is computed as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, or as weight in pounds times 703 divided by height in inches squared. Normal weight for adults is represented by a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9; overweight by a BMI of 25 to 29.9; and obesity by a BMI of 30 or greater. SEE ALSO O BESITY ; W EIGHT L OSS D IETS ; W EIGHT M ANAGEMENT . John P. Foreyt

Whether you’ve already gained a few extra pounds or have yet to reach perimenopause, here are strategies to help you maintain a healthy weight in midlife and beyond.

Between the late 30s and late 40s, it's not uncommon for both men and women to gain 10 pounds.

When weight gain occurs suddenly or can't be explained by your eating and exercise habits, it's worth taking a closer look.

In experiments on mice, suppressing a chemical linked to stress and appetite prevented the formation of abdominal fat cells, which could lead to new possibilities for weight loss drugs.

A Harvard Medical School physician discusses how to avoid holiday weight gain.

Most people who gain weight are taking in more calories per day than they are using. If you are gaining weight despite eating fewer calories and maintaining your usual amount of physical activity, this guide is for you.

The most common prescription medications to cause weight gain include drugs that treat depression, heartburn, bipolar disorder, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Does insulin cause weight gain? I started taking insulin in July and gained 15 to 20 pounds in three months.

Question: Why does it get harder to lose weight with age? Answer: One must burn more calories than one takes in to lose weight at any age. This can be done either with caloric restriction or with exercise. Although metabolism slows down somewhat as we age, increasing weight with age is usually due to a drop-off in activity while dietary habits stay the same or get worse. See also: Intentional weight loss; Physical activity.

Weight loss is a reduction in body mass characterized by a loss of adipose tissue (body fat) and skeletal muscle.

Weigh Less, Live Longer helps you determine the cause of your excess weight and tailor a plan to your particular needs. Even a modest reduction of 7%-10% of your starting weight can lead to significant improvements in health.

The not-so-secret secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. This can be done safely and effectively by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

The latest studies conclude that a successful weight-loss plan is a mind/body undertaking that not only involves monitoring calorie intake and expenditure, but dealing with the psychological side of weight loss and habit change.

Out of the millions Americans who are overweight and go on a diet each year, many regain all or a part of the weight they lose within five years.

Moderately intense activities, such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance and taking your dog for a quick jog after dinner, won't help you train for a sport. But they can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.

The balance of diet studies shows it's not carbohydrates specifically that count, but the total calories and fat consumed.

Most people want to lose weight in a hurry, so they go on a fad diet, lose some weight, go off the diet and go back to eating as they always have.

Walking is a great form of exercise that can be done just about anywhere. If you're trying to lose weight, though, you'll need to do more than a leisurely stroll.

If you’re starving most of the time or can’t imagine staying on a particular diet past a perceived deadline, you’re on the wrong track.

Some diet advice is just plain wrong—and some can be dangerous to your health.You don't have to look far to find diet advice. It's as close as your Web browser, your local bookstore, or that pop culture magazine you leafed through. But how accurate is the information? Some diet advice is just plain wrong—and some can be dangerous to your health.

Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.

Here are strategies that can help you troubleshoot and personalize your weight-loss plan to manage common workplace weight-loss roadblocks.

Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.

New types of weight-loss medications may help those who struggle with obesity, but there are some potentially serious side effects. Also, use of such a drug requires a significant adjustment in one's diet and level of physical activity.

The majority of dieters regain the weight they lose within five years. But they could avoid doing so by gradually changing their eating and exercise habits. Your approach to weight loss should be to make changes you can keep up for the rest of your life.

Out of the 90 million Americans who are overweight, 50 million go on a diet each year, according to the National Women's Health Resource Center.

Constipation refers to infrequent or hard stools, or difficulty passing stools. Constipation may involve pain during the passage of a bowel movement, inability to pass a bowel movement after straining or pushing for more than 10 minutes, or no bowel movements after more than 3 days. Infants who are still exclusively breastfed may go 7 days without a stool.

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.

Contrary to popular myth, it is not necessary for you to be "regular" (have daily bowel movements) for your bowel pattern to be normal. If your bowel movements are so infrequent that they cause you discomfort, or if bowel movements are an effort for you, then you are experiencing constipation.

Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Oncology: Controlling ConstipationConstipation(difficulty passing stool) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Constipation can be caused by the medications you are taking.

Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Although constipation is a relative term, with normal patterns of bowel movements varying widely from person to person, generally an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated. Infants who are still exclusively breastfed may go seven days without a stool.

Difficulty with producing a bowel movement, or infrequent bowel movements. Constipation, a condition that can affect the human digestive system at any stage of life, is rarely serious or chronic. Because bowel functions vary from individual to individual, the individual's own normal pattern should be taken into consideration when constipation is suspected. For this reason, it is important for parents and caregivers to be familiar with the bowel patterns of their infants and young children. Although constipation may cause considerable discomfort, a return to normal bowel function is usually accomplished within a day or two. Constipation is caused when the muscles at the end of the large intestine restrict the fecal material from passing through and out of the body. A tendency toward constipation seems to be hereditary. The longer the fecal material is "stalled" in the large intestine, the drier it becomes, making it more difficult and even painful to pass. For children, the discomfort associated with passing a dry stool may cause them to avoid the process, thereby exacerbating the problem.

ConstipationSymptom and DescriptionConstipation means being unable to move your bowels, having to push harder to move your bowels, or moving them less often than usual. Bowel movements will be small, dry, and hard.

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.

Lots of children suffer from constipation -- bowel movements that are hard or painful. Your child may become constipated because of toilet-training troubles or anxiety related to using the toilet. Or, he may not be getting enough fiber or liquids in his diet or may not be getting enough exercise.

Many parents worry that their baby is constipated, which can happen for many reasons. Sometimes, however, babies are not really constipated, but just have their own way of pooping.

Colds usually are mild illnesses that get better within one or two weeks. However, even mild symptoms can make children feel miserable.

The most common beliefs about alleviating constipation may be myths, say some experts.

What's the best way to relieve constipation in babies? Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".

I am suffering from constipation. Dulcolax works, but it cannot be taken too often. Could you suggest a better, non-habit-forming medicine?

Why does taking iron cause you to be constipated? Mary Pickett, M.D., is a lecturer for Harvard Medical School and an assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR. At OHSU, she practices general internal medicine and teaches medical residents and students.

An emotional state produced by thoughts that we have not lived up to our ideal self and could have done otherwise. Guilt is both a cognitive and an emotional experience that occurs when the child realizes that he or she has violated a moral standard and is responsible for that violation. Typically, among American children, the violations include hurting another person, disobedience, or seizing of someone else's property. A guilty conscience results from thoughts that we have not lived up to our ideal self. Guilt feelings may also inhibit us from falling short of our ideal again in the future. Individual guilt is an inner reflection on personal wrongdoing, while collective guilt is a shared state resulting from group—such as corporate, national, or community—wrongdoing. Guilt serves as both an indicator and inhibitor of wrongdoing. Healthy guilt is an appropriate response to harming another and is resolved through atonement, such as making amends, apologizing, or accepting punishment. Unhealthy guilt, sometimes called neurotic or debilitating guilt, is a pervasive sense of responsibility for others' pain that is not resolved, despite efforts to atone. Healthy guilt inspires a person to behave in the best interests of him- or herself and others and make amends when any wrong is done. Unhealthy guilt stifles a person's natural expression of self and prohibits intimacy with others. Unhealthy guilt can be instilled when a child is continually barraged with shaming statements that criticize the child's self, rather than focusing on the specific harmful behavior. A statement such as, "It is wrong to take someone else's things without permission—please return my book," creates an appropriate awareness in the child of healthy guilt for doing wrong. Saying, "Give me my book back! I can't trust you with anything!" shames the child, declaring that he or she is by nature untrustworthy and will never be better than a thief, regardless of future behavior. Consequently, the child sees his or her identity as defective, and may feel powerless to atone for any wrongdoings. This identity can be carried into adulthood, creating a sense of debilitating guilt. An important difference between shame and guilt is that in the former, the child does not feel he could hae aoided the action; in guilt, he feels responsible. Guilt can be used to manipulate someone into behaving in a certain way. This is known as a "guilt trip." Provoking another's sense of guilt in order to obtain something that he or she might not otherwise have offered is a manipulation of internal motivations. If a teenager asks permission to go out for the evening and the single parent responds, "Go ahead and go to the movie, dear ... don't worry about me ... I'll be fine here all by myself in this big old house all evening with nothing to do ..., " the teenager will be made to feel guilty for the parent's loneliness. If the guilt trip is heavy, the teenager may decide to stay home with the parent, even though he or she really wants to go to the movie. It is appropriate to let people know when they have unnecessarily or intentionally hurt others, or have ignored their responsibilities to others. This will instill fair guilt that will help a person be less hurtful in the future. Although conclusive studies have yet to be conducted, it is likely that the sense of guilt changes along with a person's cognitive and social development. These stages have yet to be thoroughly documented and are still open to critique, particularly the early stages. Some people believe that infants and young children feel a great deal of empathy for others and could conceivably experience guilt over causing them harm. Guilt can be deactivated, the conscience "turned off." Some people never seem to develop a healthy sense of guilt in the first place, through a failure to develop empathy or a lack of appropriate limits, while others choose to turn theirs off. Guilt can be deactivated in two differ

Emotions such as guilt, pride, shame, and hubris. Succeeding or failing to meet the standards, rules, and goals of one's group or society determines how well an individual forms relationships with other members of the group. Living up to one's own internalized set of standards—or failing to live up to them—is the basis of complex emotions. The so-called self-conscious emotions, such as guilt, pride, shame, and hubris, require a fairly sophisticated level of intellectual development. To feel them, individuals must have a sense of self as well as a set of standards. They must also have notions of what constitutes success and failure, and the capacity to evaluate their own behavior. Because these emotions are complex, they have generally been thought of as adult emotions. But very little research had, until recently, been done to confirm this. Research has now shown that children start to develop self-conscious emotions surprisingly early in life. Before a child reaches the third birthday, he or she has started to manifest these emotions in some form. Self-conscious emotions are difficult to study. For one thing, there are no clear elicitors of these emotions. Joy registers predictably on a baby's face at the approach of a parent, and fear appears at the approach of a stranger. But what situation is guaranteed to elicit pride or shame, guilt or embarrassment? These emotions are so dependent on a person's own experience, expectations, and culture, that it is difficult to design uniform experiments. Some psychoanalysts, notably Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson, argued that there must be some universal elicitors of shame, such as failure at toilet training or exposure of the backside. But the idea of an automatic noncognitive elicitor does not make much sense. Cognitive processes are likely to be the elicitors of these complex emotions. It is the way people think or what they think about that becomes the elicitor of pride, shame, guilt, or embarrassment. There may be a one-to-one correspondence between certain thoughts and certain emotions; however, in the case of self-conscious emotions, the elicitor is a cognitive event. This does not mean that the earlier primary emotions are elicited by noncognitive events. Cognitive factors may play a role in eliciting any emotion, but the nature of the cognitive events is much less articulated and differentiated in the primary than in the self-conscious emotions. Those who study self-conscious emotions have begun to determine the role of the self in such emotions, and in particular the age at which the notion of self emerges in childhood. Recently, models of these emotions are beginning to emerge. These models provide testable distinctions between often confused emotions, such as guilt and shame. Moreover, nonverbal tools for studying these emotions in children are being developed. As a result, models exist to explain when and how self-conscious emotions develop. The self-conscious emotions depend on the development of a number of cognitive skills. First, individuals must absorb a set of standards, rules, and goals. Second, they must have a sense of self. And finally, they must be able to evaluate the self with regard to those standards, rules, and goals and then make a determination of success or failure. As a first step in self-evaluation, a person has to decide whether a particular event is the result of his or her own action. If, for example, an object breaks while you are using it, you might blame yourself for breaking it, or you might decide the object was faulty. If you place the blame on yourself, you are making an internal attribution. If you decide the object was defective, then you are making an external attribution. If you don't blame yourself, chances are you will give the matter no more thought. But if you do blame yourself, you are likely to go on to the next step of evaluation. Whether a person is inclined to make an internal or an external attribution depends on the

Detailed information on the crying patterns of newborns

All babies cry. They may cry for as long as a few hours each day. Crying is how babies communicate their feelings or needs. Your baby may cry because he has a wet diaper or is hungry. Or it may be that he just wants you to hold him.

Some babies cry for long stretches at 3 and 12 weeks of age during steps in development when their sleep is less settled.

Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood.

Detailed information on the most common types of mood disorders, including major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide

Research on the connection between a person's mood and the food he or she eats has reveled what many people have long believed, that eating a certain food can influence a person's mood—at least temporarily. Research by Judith Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has focused on how certain foods alter one's mood by influencing the level of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters . While many other factors influence the level of these chemicals, such as hormones , heredity, drugs , and alcohol, three neurotransmitters—dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin —have been studied in relation to food, and this research has shown that neurotransmitters are produced in the brain from components of certain foods.

Understanding Affective (Mood) DisordersMost people have mood changes now and then. One day they may feel cranky and the next day, they feel great.

Treating Affective (Mood) DisordersAffective disorders are disorders of your mood. They includedepressionandbipolar disorder(also calledmanic-depression).

Colds and the flu can be passed from one person to another, but did you realize that emotions can be passed just as easily?

For many women, the "baby blues" pass quickly. For others, the feelings of sadness don't ease and may become worse.

A state of weariness with, and disinterest in, life. Everyone, at one time or another, feels bored. Children, however, may report boredom more frequently because they have not yet learned to alleviate it for themselves. The following essay describes children's sense of boredom at the major developmental stages.

Anorexia is characterized by a loss of appetite or lack of desire to eat.

Detailed information on anorexia, including causes, characteristics, types, diagnosis, treatment, complications, and prevention

Appetite StimulationSymptom and Description Loss of appetite is a loss of the desire to eat. Not eating can lead to weight loss.

Your loss of appetite may be because of anxiety or depression, aging, medications or a health concern.

A harvard Medical school physician answers your question about the prevalence of anorexia in men, and discusses the biological and environmental factors that influence the disorder in both sexes.

Women suffering from anorexia nervosa may benefit more from general support than in-depth therapy, according to a recent study.

It is normal to have periods of low energy when one needs to rest and recuperate. However, if low energy persists and a person continually feels sluggish, disinterested in life, and has low energy, the situation should be investigated by a physician.

A practical guide to the causes of memory loss and the steps you can take to improve your ability to learn and remember for a lifetime.

Many people with cancer experience memory changes—such as mild forgetfulness, an inability to concentrate on more than one task, or more severe memory loss—after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. In other cases, as in a person with a brain tumor, the cancer itself may cause memory changes. Surgical interventions, particularly for brain cancer, may also lead to memory loss.

Inhibited sexual desire (ISD) refers to a low level of sexual interest. A person with ISD will not start, or respond to their partner's desire for, sexual activity. ISD can be primary (in which the person has never felt much sexual desire or interest), or secondary (in which the person used to feel sexual desire, but no longer does. ISD can also relate to the partner (the person with ISD is interested in other people, but not his or her partner), or it can be general ( the person with ISD isn't sexually interested in anyone. In the extreme form of sexual aversion, the person not only lacks sexual desire, but may find sex repulsive. Sometimes, the sexual desire is not inhibited. The two partners have different sexual interest levels, even though both of their interest levels are within the normal range. Someone can claim that his or her partner has ISD, when in fact they have overactive sexual desire and are very demanding sexually.

Female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) occurs when a woman is continually unable to attain or maintain arousal and lubrication during intercourse, is unable to reach orgasm, or has no desire for sexual intercourse.

Increased appetite means you have an excess desire for food.

America has a weight problem. More than half of us are classified as overweight, say officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Problem behavior is often associated with adolescence but may manifest in the very young or in adults. Delinquency, drug use, academic failure, risky sexual behavior, violence, property damage, vandalism and disregard of the rights of others are all problem behaviors.

Considered an important component of emotional health, self-esteem encompasses both self-confidence and self-acceptance. Experiences at home, at school, and with peers can all build or diminish a child's self-esteem. Psychologists and child-care authorities who write about self-esteem generally discuss it in terms of two key components: the feeling of being loved and accepted by others and a sense of competence and mastery in performing tasks and solving problems independently. The value placed on self-esteem by the mental health profession over the past 30 years has been critiqued by psychologist Martin Seligman. Seligman claims in order for children to feel good about themselves, they must feel that they are able to do things well. He claims that trying to shield children from feelings of sadness, frustration, and anxiety when they fail robs them of the motivation to persist in difficult tasks until they succeed. It is precisely such success in the face of difficulties that can truly make them feel good about themselves. Seligman believes that this attempt to cushion children against unpleasant emotions is in large part responsible for an increase in the prevalence of depression since the 1950s, an increase that he associates with a conditioned sense of helplessness. Like Seligman, pediatrician and child-care expert T. Berry Brazelton emphasizes that children develop self-esteem through the sense of competence and mastery that comes from tackling and triumphing over challenges, even modest ones. He believes that parents can boost children's self-esteem even in infancy by giving them an active and autonomous role in casual play. As infants and toddlers advance to self-care activities, such as beginning to feed themselves, Brazelton encourages parents to let children complete tasks for themselves, however imperfectly, rather than jumping in and providing help. For example, he suggests allowing children to pick up small bits of food at the age of eight months even if they drop some, and letting them hold their own bottles at 12 months. Like Seligman, Brazelton emphasizes the value of leaving a child to work through a problem for herself, trying out different approaches to a task until she succeeds. For a child accustomed to learning by trial and error, frustration can serve as a source of motivation and energy rather than an obstacle. Brazelton also emphasizes the importance of encouraging the child in her endeavors and providing positive reinforcement when a goal is achieved. In spite of his emphasis on the development of competence, Brazelton does advise parents to address their children in a positive way to reinforce feelings of love and acceptance. Among the harmful negative examples he points out are belittling comparisons with siblings ("Why can't you be more like your brother?") and threats of abandonment ("If you don't stop that right now, I'm leaving you here!"). Various experts have noted that when parental communication is consistently delivered in a negative style it becomes internalized, and children start to practice negative "self-talk," generating their own negative messages. In addition to their verbal communication style, parents also express acceptance and affirmation by showing physical affection and being good listeners, which makes children feel important and cared about. Social critics have pointed out that it can be more difficult for children in the United States and other modern industrialized nations to achieve a sense of competence than it was for their counterparts in earlier historical periods. Children in the past, or in modern developing countries, participated actively in the economic life of the community, helping their families by doing some of the same jobs performed by adults. Today's children, especially in urban areas, perform little "useful" work and thus have few opportunities to master tasks that contribute to the welfare of their families and the community as a whole. In addition, thei

Considered an important component of emotional health, self-esteem encompasses both self-confidence and self-acceptance. It is the way individuals perceive themselves and their self-value.

Research shows that adolescents who grow up with high self-esteem are far less likely to abuse drugs or drink, compared with children who grow up without much sense of self-worth.

Problems at work are carelessness, excessive absenteeism, being accident prone, being unable to follow through on assigned tasks, frequent anger or other problems that may be attributable to a medical or psychiatric problem. People with stormy or unpredictable ways of relating to others in social situations may have problems in a work environment..

Here are suggestions for becoming more efficient and effective at your job.

Clarifying Your Work ExpectationsThe thought of talking to your boss about your work expectations probably sends shivers down your spine.But if you're a new employee and want to start off on the right track, or if you've worked at a company for ye...

If you procrastinate a lot, it can cost your company thousands of dollars in lost productivity and unhappy customers. It also can cost you your job.

The more you learn about the pressure times and triggers at your workplace, the better you'll be able to plan for them.

Hypersomnia refers to a set of related disorders that involve excessive daytime sleepiness.

HypersomniaSymptom and DescriptionA good night's sleep is important for your functioning and well-being. Too much sleep can be a problem.

Hypersomnia refers to a set of related disorders that involve excessive daytime sleepiness.

Unintentional weight loss is a decrease in body weight that is not voluntary. In other words, you did not try to loss the weight by dieting or exercising. See: Intentional weight loss

What is the most effective method for weight loss/management while taking prednisone?

Doctors become most concerned about unintentional weight loss if it reaches more than five percent of the usual body weight (about ten pounds), especially if your weight has not stabilized and continues to go down.

Most customers get mad because they didn't get what they expected, but some are upset for unrelated reasons.

Learning how to express anger assertively and constructively can improve your personal interaction and your health.

Anger is as legitimate an emotion as joy or sadness, and it's the most common way children express feelings of frustration.

Long-term studies show a probable link between anger in young men and increased risk of heart disease in middle age and beyond, but excessive anger at any age is bad for the heart.

Bowel movements normally occur at approximately the same time each day. The feces (stool) itself should be soft enough that it can be passed without straining.

Suicide is the act of deliberately taking one's own life. Suicidal behavior is any deliberate action with potentially life-threatening consequences, such as taking a drug overdose or deliberately crashing a car.

Alternative terms: Deliberate self-harm The phenomenon of deliberate self-harm, often with a wish to die. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents, occurring at a rate of 10.8 per 100,000 among 15-19 year olds in 1992. Suicide is much less common among 10-14 year olds, at 1.7 per 100,000, although the rate of suicide has increased dramatically since 1950 among all age groups. Suicide attempts are much more common, occurring in 2% of adolescent girls and 1% of adolescent boys per year. Significant suicidal ideation (with a plan to commit suicide or intent to die) is more common, occurring in 5-10% of child and adolescent youth. The suicide completion rate is about four times higher in males than females, while the rate of attempt is two to three times higher in females than males. Completed suicide may be greater among males because of their tendency to utilize methods of more potential lethality. The rate of suicide also varies according to victims' race. Highest are Native Americans and whites. The suicide rate among African American males increased dramatically in the 1980s, and now approaches 80% of the white male suicide rate. In the United States, the most common method for completed suicide is firearms, followed by hanging, carbon monoxide, and jumping. A gun in the house, particularly a loaded gun, appears to increase the risk for completed suicide, even in those youth without other obvious risk factors for suicide. Among suicide attempters, the two most common methods are overdose and wristcutting. The most common precipitants for suicidal behavior among children and adolescents involve interpersonal conflict or loss, most frequently with parents or romantic attachment figures. Family discord, physical or sexual abuse, and an upcoming legal or disciplinary crisis are also commonly associated with completed and attempted suicide. Adolescents who complete suicide show relatively high suicidal intent (wish to die), although many are intoxicated at the time of death. The most serious suicide attempters leave suicide notes, show evidence of planning, and use an irreversible method. Most adolescent suicide attempts, though, are of relatively low intent and lethality, and only a minority actually want to die. Usually, suicide attempters want to escape psychological pain or unbearable circumstances, gain attention, influence others, or communicate strong feelings, such as anger or love.