The Secret Diary of The Beautiful Mind

  Effects on children - Witnessing the trauma of a parent suffering from addiction at a young age has long-term effects on the child. Children who grow up seeing a parent addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to develop SUDs in their adulthood. They are also 3 times more likely to be neglected or physically and/or sexually abused. Seeing a parent on drugs often invokes distressing emotions which not only create delays in learning and development but can also lead to prolonged mental and emotional disorders. Since children are still developing their personalities and are vulnerable to external influences, they run the risk of repeating such behaviors. Children may be exposed to aggression or violent behavior due to a parent’s drinking. Arguments between parents may be normal, causing the child emotional distress as they witness family members fighting. Early exposure to a home divided by drug use can cause a child to feel emotionally and physically neglected and unsafe. As a res

  The six questions every kidney cancer patient should feel able to ask their doctor! Studies show that doctors and patients making treatment decisions together leads to better outcomes and fewer side effects. 1. “What are my treatment options and what are their benefits and risks?” The treatments available to you will depend on your cancer type, its stage and your general health. Ask your doctors which treatment plan they think is best for you, if there are any costs and how many tests and check-ups you’ll need along the way. 2. “How will this treatment make me feel?” Slowing or curing your cancer is obviously vital, but so is your quality of life during treatment. Discuss what’s important to you – work, travel, fatigue, bowel function, sex life - and ask what you will and won’t be able to do during different treatments. 3.“How much experience do you have with this treatment?” If a surgeon recommends nephrectomy, it’s OK to ask how many he’s done. Similarly for other treatment options

  In a recent survey, 77% of bipolar-I participants said living with the disorder made them feel isolated or alone, and 81% reported feeling like no one understands what they go through. This World Bipolar Day, connect and remind folks that they are not alone in what they’re going through. WBD is celebrated each year on March 30th, the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as probably having a bipolar condition. How Can a Family Support their Loved One Living with Bipolar Disorder? Ask their loved one how they can be helpful. What is helpful for one person may not be for another. Check in with them on a regular basis, especially if they are struggling. Invite them for activities or a meal. Don’t get discouraged if they turn you down. Keep inviting. Sometimes the invite is enough for them to know you care, and that they are not alone. Offer to run errands, get food, fill their car with fuel, take their kids off their hands for a few hours. Be aware that people

  Raising kids alone is not easy. You have no one to support or share your dilemmas and concerns. However let this not overwhelm you. Some tips to empower you to do what you want to. 1. Don't feel Guilty - You may feel guilty for the things you cannot provide or the time you may spend with your kids. For your good, try to focus on all the things to accomplish for the day and also show the love, comfort and attention to your little ones. Seek help as needed. 2. Take care of yourself - Include physical activity in your daily routine, eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep. Arrange time to do activities you enjoy alone or with friends. Give yourself a "timeout" by arranging for child to be with relatives or family friends least a few hours a week. 3. Lean on others - Work out a schedule with other parents in school or classes. Call on loved ones, friends and neighbors for help. 4. Plan and handle finances - Taking care of the family on a single income or being dependent

  Often self harm is seen as a sign of mental weakness or attention seeking behaviour. Views such as these often delay and prevent the person resorting to harming self from seeking help. Self-harm is usually a sign that a person is having a tough time coping with their emotions. The term self-harm encompasses a variety of behaviors that may include but are not limited to cutting, scratching, burning, picking etc. People who self-harm may do so for following reasons. 1. To help manage unbearable emotions and symptoms 2. To help regain a sense of feeling (for those experiencing numbness) 3. To help relieve stress and pressure 4. To help feel in control 5. To reenact a trauma in an attempt to resolve it 6. To protect others from emotional pain What Can You Do? How you react if someone discloses their self-harm is extremely important. The news may distress you and you may feel overwhelmed with emotions. You may also feel confused, frustrated, guilty or sad. All of these emotions, plus

  Single-parent families as those in which there is a single parent, father or mother, raising his or her own children. A single-parent family may get established because of the permanent absence of a parent from home due to death, divorce, separation, desertion, even unwed motherhood, or because of temporary absence as, for instance, due to migration for employment, and imprisonment for long periods of time. In India, the death of a parent is the most likely cause of single-parent family, followed by divorce and separation. Some of the more recent causes leading to single paretning include adoption by those who are unmarried. Some women choose to be single parents via surrogacy. Although relatively small, growing numbers of women in developed countries, especially those who are professional and older, are becoming single mothers by choice. Concerned about their reproductive clock ticking and the lack of a suitable partner, some of those single women have turned to sperm donors in ord

The 90s - With liberalization kicking in with Rao and Singh partnership, life turned around quite dramatically in the 90s. Parents had more options for better jobs and more time for the family as well. TV serials, especially Ramayana and later Mahabharata helped the family be together. Mobile phones and social media were thankfully absent, allowing for proper conversations and relationships to develop. Life was a playground and you could have fun no matter whether you were staying inside the house or going outdoors. Moreover, for the first time, children could opt for a variety of western games like basketball, football, badminton, volleyball etc. Nevertheless, cricket was the staple diet. Children had loads of time to play and had adorable ways to fight with friends. Katti Batti, standing in lines during assemblies, getting scolded for mischiefs in the assembly were common. Playing pranks with fake insects, especially on teachers still elicit bouts of laughters. Fairs during festival

If you have never heard the word Thalassemia before, it is good news. Those who have seen some of their near and dear ones go through the illness may even tell - you are lucky! The prevalence of Thalassemia in India is 4% - which translates to almost 5 crore individuals at risk of the illness, many of whom will require lifelong blood transfusions to just survive. Just imagine what the child and the parents must be going through dealing with the illness and its complications. The best way to deal with it is to have knowledge about the illness and its treatment and most importantly seek support from experts - haematologists and mental health workers to live a life that is fulfilling. Thalassemia is an inherited illness of the blood, the oxygen carrying capacity of blood decreases in it. It affects the child as oxygen is what we live on, the body compensates for this reduced efficiency of blood cells to carry oxygen by producing more blood cells - causing abnormality in face appearance

Our mission & passion at The Beautiful Mind Clinic is about mental health & psychological wellness. Join us in this journey where we have candid conversations & share some secrets about the beautiful mind and everything within it.  It's not merely about fixing what's broken, but finding out what is missing in the recipe of life. Our motto is, "Healing minds, mending hearts, towards fruitful living." Keep watching this space for more on mental health and feel free to reach out to us for more conversations!