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Thousands of people every day wonder if their behavior or emotional state is normal or not. Unfortunately, someone can needlessly suffer for years before their actions or symptoms become out of control and psychiatric help is finally sought.

Mental Health Diagnoses

With more than 200 classified forms of mental health illness, the organization Mental Health Awareness reports that mental health disorders often share similar symptoms. When multiple diagnoses are present, it takes a skilled professional to make an accurate assessment to design an individual treatment plan for recovery.

Following are some of the numerous symptoms and problematic behaviors that indicate further mental health appraisal is in order.

• Exhibiting frequent and dangerous sexual acting out: The issue may be psychological, emotional or trauma based and include sexting, acting as a prostitute, having sex with multiple partners or wanting an open relationship without boundaries.

• Displaying frequent physical and/or verbal aggression: Having a “quick temper” or a “difficult personality” does not automatically point to a mental health disorder. Behaviors alerting you to a possible mental health disorder include frequently lashing out in anger at others, being abusive to others (verbal, physical, or sexual abuse), or acting in a manner that jeopardizes your job or living conditions.

• Planning to harm yourself or commit suicide: All suicidal threats need to be addressed. Threats with a plan need immediate attention.

• Finding yourself extremely fatigued or depressed: Many have experienced being “worn out” from a hectic work or family week, or feeling sad and depressed about their job, financial situation or relationship. A mental health evaluation may be in order if you suffer for example from chronic sleep disturbance, feel hopeless or helpless, do not care about previously enjoyed activities, have weight gain or weight loss, find yourself irritable with others for no real reason, or finding it more and more difficult just making it through the day.

• Preoccupation with physical appearance, money or crime: Many in our society may display narcissism yet still be within “normal” ranges. Clinical narcissism on the other hand, interferes with one’s daily life routine. Examples include acting impulsively, gambling beyond your means, displaying risky sexual behaviors including infidelity, substance abuse / addiction, or being extremely vain.  It is time to make an appointment with a psychiatrist for therapeutic intervention.

• Flashbacks or night terrors: After experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, it is not uncommon to experience flashbacks or night terrors. Flashbacks about such a traumatic event is known as Secondary Trauma which can often be just as upsetting as or more so than the original event.

• Frequent mood changes: Those that suffer from emotional lability, changing moods, engaging in risky behaviors without restriction, and having intense emotional reactions to normal everyday situations would find receiving the correct mental health diagnosis or the more common dual or combination mental health diagnoses and treatment life changing.

With the multitude of disorders and mental health illness where symptoms may be identical or overlap, a mental health evaluation by a specialist in the field will find the correct diagnosis so that proper treatment can be started.  Call the office for an appointment today.

Adult ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and Autism have been genetically linked in the world’s largest study of its kind. Research found that a person’s genome, the complete set of their own DNA, for the above listed psychiatric disorders can be traced back to the same common inherited genetic risk factors. These studies have been intensive, involving countries all around the world and a database of more than 60,000 participants.

Studying the Genetic Link with Mental Health

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that the common genetic code variations account for up to 28% risk for developing the illness. The DNA-Gene code exhibits four regions of the genetic code where variation was linked to all five disorders. Bipolar disorder is noted in the top two areas of overlap with the highest combination of bipolar-depression, and bipolar-schizophrenia. Adult ADHD and depression show a moderate risk factor as well as well as being the category where the majority of patients go for psychiatric help.

Genetic, Dual Diagnosis and Treatment

Discovering your true diagnosis is key to living a functional life rather than forever guessing what might be wrong. A comprehensive mental health evaluation will allow experts to plan out the proper treatment, medications, cognitive behavioral therapy and other adjunct therapies if indicated. Bipolar disorder and depression overlapping 10% of genetic variation accounts for significant numbers of those with a dual diagnosis receiving only a piece of the treatment puzzle.

Statistics show that inheritability is 80% with schizophrenia using long-term twin and family studies and 23% where the common genetic variation is accounted for. When two psychiatric disorders overlap through shared common inherited genetic risk variations is when choosing a qualified and experienced psychiatrist becomes critical.

Give the office a call today – evening and weekend appointments are available to fit your busy life.

Research has found that sleep problems which used to be viewed as a symptom of mental health disruption may actually be a contributing factor for psychiatric disorders. Studies at Harvard Medical School confirm that sleep problems affect between 10% to 18% of adults in the general U.S. population; the percentage of adult patients seen in psychiatric practices with chronic sleep issues jumps to 80%.

Sleep Problems Point to Increased Risk for Psychiatric Disorders

Patients with a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD commonly report being plagued with sleep problems. While sleep dysfunction was once viewed as a symptom, clinical data supports the hypothesis that adult sleep problems raise the risk for developing a psychiatric disorder. In long term studies it was found that adults who reported a history of insomnia were four times as likely to develop major depression on re-evaluation three years later, indicating the sleep disruptions developed before the mental health disorder.

Sleep Problems versus use of Antipsychotics

Sleep issues and insomnia began to be more closely looked at in the 1970’s. The sleep problems were thought to be directly tied to use of antipsychotics at the time; however, data indicates a long history of sleep disturbance complaints long before use of antipsychotics began. Today it is more widely believed that chronic sleep problems puts one more at risk for the development of psychiatric issues and that treating the sleep disorder can actually assist in alleviating symptoms of a co-occurring mental health problem.

Sleep Disorders in Psychiatric Patients

Of the more than 70 types of sleep disorders the most common problems are insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, unpleasant sleep movement syndromes and narcolepsy. The University of Brazil Medical School reports the type and impact of the sleep problems vary by the psychiatric diagnosis with examples noted below:

• Up to 90% of adults with major depression experience a sleep problem
• One-in-five adults with depression suffer from obstructive sleep apnea
• Depressed adults with insomnia less likely to respond to treatment, at a higher risk for relapse and are more likely to die by suicide
• Up to 99% of adults with bipolar disorder experience insomnia or restless sleep
• In adults with bipolar depression up to 78% sleep in excessive amounts
• More than 50% of adults with anxiety disorders have dysfunctional sleep patterns
• Sleep problems precede anxiety disorders 27% of the time
• Sleep dysfunction precedes depression 69% of the time
• 68% of adults with PTSD report sleeping problems
• Long term studies indicate that insomnia or other sleep disruptions worsen before a manic episode or bipolar depression

Sleep and mental health are interconnected though not yet completely understood. Neurochemistry studies do indicate that having a good night’s sleep promotes a healthier outlook, while chronic sleep problems can set up an arena for negative thought processes and emotional vulnerability. Call the office for a comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Hege who will work with you to get your sleep patterns and mental health issues back into functional ranges.

Adults with ADHD find most aspects of their life are impaired in one way or another. Adults who have recently been diagnosed with adult ADHD report that they have previously experienced significant difficulties in their personal or social relationships, in being an effective parent or role model, to even their employment – UCLA’s Psychiatry Department research shows that when comparing similar job positions, those adults with ADHD make significantly less income.

Impact of Undiagnosed Adult ADHD Widespread

Adults with undiagnosed ADHD find that when they finally receive the correct diagnosis and begin treatment with a qualified health care practitioner they are able to look back and see all the “signs and symptoms” missed for years and even decades.

Adults with untreated ADHD have a higher divorce rate, higher percentage rate of unemployment in the population, discover themselves at a loss at developing effective parenting skills especially if their child has ADHD, find the struggle with substance abuse challenging and even end up paying higher car insurance rates from their ongoing history of multiple car accidents or tickets.

Misdiagnosis of Adult ADHD

Adults with ADHD often do seek out help from the medical community but are often misdiagnosed. Doctors inexperienced in working with adult ADHD may provide a diagnosis of depression or anxiety and prescribe antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication. These medicines may improve the overall situation somewhat as adults with ADHD often do have both of these overlapping conditions – the treatment is incomplete and not effective as the core problem is missed or misdiagnosed.

Telltale Symptoms of Adult ADHD

While the number and severity of symptoms as well as the disruption adult ADHD may cause vary widely, receiving the correct diagnosis and starting on the right treatment can bring about positive changes to their life as well as to all those they interact with regularly.

• Problems with Attention – easily distracted by noise, movement or activity; adults with ADHD are able to focus on what interests them but have difficulty paying attention to tasks or activities they find boring, dull or require too much cognitive concentration or effort.
• Forgetfulness – some adults with ADHD may perform a task or job well but find they forget or get tripped up by the details involved; others may find they are constantly forgetting and misplacing items; still others may find they need frequent reminders to complete a task fully or to “finish up any missing ends.”
• Feeling Restless or Acting Impulsively – adults with undiagnosed ADHD may not find themselves hyperactive, however they may make rash impulsive decisions, blurt out thoughts or feelings without thinking, frequently interrupt others as they have trouble waiting their turn, or they may display a “habit” of fidgeting or wriggling around in their seat.
• Disorganization or Procrastination – adults with ADHD may find it difficult to gather all needed material or items to start or finish a project properly, tasks may be put off until the last minute even if there are negative consequences involved, or they may constantly run late, lose track of time, and never feel like they “have their life together.”

Find the Right Diagnosis Once and For All

The correct diagnosis and treatment for adult ADHD is a phone call away. Call the office for a confidential appointment.

When it comes to describing common symptoms of adult ADHD, the list would probably not contain hyperfocus or the intense concentration on something to such a degree that all else is ignored. Hyperfocus is the “flip side” of distractibility that is expected with ADHD; while it may not be a deficit of attention, it is a problem of being able to regulate one’s attention span when involved in a specific task or activity that is found stimulating and personally rewarding.

Hyperfocus and Dis-Regulation 

Research from Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C. reports that hyperfocus is a coping mechanism for dealing with the distraction so typical with ADHD.  In understanding how ADHD affects adults, it can be said that ADHD does not mean having a short attention span – adult ADHD means having a dis-regulated attention system.

Hyperfocus as a Coping Mechanism

Hyperfocus acts as a coping mechanism for tuning out the chaos in one’s mind, making them oblivious to everything else that is going on around them. Health-line.com reports that hyperfocus makes a person completely lose track of time, neglect their work, forget to keep track of their finances or bills, ignore those around them, as well as causing relationship misunderstandings and problems.

Positive Side of Hyperfocus

Working with an experienced Adult ADHD psychiatrist who has had success treating hyperfocus issues is critical for a positive outcome. Treatment may include learning how to channel hyperfocus into a productive activity or task instead of finding themselves deep into unproductive or negative activities in addition to ignoring their daily responsibilities and tasks.

Adult Hyperfocus and Medication

The use of medication does decrease the distractibility issues; likewise the frequency of hyperfocus episodes will also decrease. Working with a specially trained mental health professional is key to developing the medication schedule and treatment strategies for the best possible outcome.

Call the office for an appointment with Dr. Hege today!

Prescription drug addiction affects more than 15 million people in the U.S. The numbers of adult abuse of prescription drugs now far exceeds all of those that abuse cocaine, inhalants, heroin and hallucinogens combined.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 48 million have used prescription medication for non-medical purposes at some point in their lifetime; this number indicates that around 20% of the U.S. population have abused at least one of their prescription drugs.

Prescription Drugs and OTC Medications Commonly Abused

In recent years WebMD reports that studies of the reasons for doctor or ER visits show a dramatic increase in the abuse of prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) medications. Addiction drug treatment programs show just as sharp an increase in drug addiction admissions. The drugs most commonly abused are:

• Opioid Pain Relievers such as Vicodin, Opana, or OxyContin, codeine, morphine
• Stimulants used for ADHD such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin
• Depressants for relieving anxiety or sleep disorders such as Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin

The OTC drugs that are most commonly abused are:

• Cough and cold OTC remedies that contain dextromethorphan

What is Prescription Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that typically has numerous periods of relapse into abuse. Abusing drugs, including prescription medication leads to actual changes in the function and structure of the adult brain.

Following the dosage and frequency of a prescription may become more and more difficult to follow, affecting self control and the ability to make good sound decisions. Visits to the ER or to multiple doctors for more medications is abuse and the intense impulses to take more drugs become more and more frequent.

There is Help for Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription and OTC medications are very effective when they are taken as ordered. Long term pain relief medication use however, such as with an opioid, can lead to drug abuse with both physical dependence and addiction. Professional help is crucial for a sound recovery.

An experienced psychiatrist and other medical professionals can help change the direction your prescription drug use is heading. Call the office for an appointment.

Being a parent is no easy task, but if you have adult ADHD the challenge dramatically increases. Medical News Today reports that ADHD parents find it difficult to be consistent with discipline, have a harder time problem solving when conflict arises, may be less likely to give praise, and tend to give commands or directions that are ineffective for follow through.

Medications Help ADHD Parents Manage

Being properly diagnosed and taking the right combination of medications provides parents with the extra help they may need to reduce the impact their adult ADHD has on their children, the family as a whole, and on themselves as well. Adult ADHD symptoms can affect all aspects of your life, but with parenting, the impact can make for a negative home atmosphere. Reacting to your child’s misbehavior or tantrums may turn an emotional event into feeling like you are losing control of the whole situation, sending you on an emotional roller coaster where you are unable regain control of the volatile situation. Proper adult ADHD medications help to keep you on an even keel.

ADHD Parents Who Seek Help Are Proactive

ADHD parents who look for help should be commended for taking a proactive step and admitting that they have special needs that need to be treated first. While many parents may put the needs of their family first, the ADHD parent may come to realize with help that having their ADHD under control will create the most positive changes for all.

Common Symptoms of Adult ADHD

While you may have one or several of the symptoms noted below, receiving a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis by a qualified psychiatrist is important as you may have one or more forms of adult ADHD, or other psychological issues that impact your mental health and ability to be the parent you want to be. Some common symptoms include:

For hyperactive episodes of adult ADHD:

• Fidgeting (a foot, a leg, tapping fingers, shifting in their seats)
• Difficulty with Relaxation (difficulty doing quiet activities, or seated activities)
• Feeling energized where they feel they need to be up and on the go

For ADHD adults with inattention and focus deficits:

• Distracted easily
• Impulsive behaviors
• Forgetfulness – misplacing items or frequently losing things
• Difficulty keeping a relationship for long periods of time
• Problems with keeping focus or attention on a conversation, a book, or a task
• May move from job to job
• Avoids or does not bother to finish tasks that are not easy or interesting

Atlanta Psychiatrist for Adult ADHD Parents

If you are an adult who is having difficulty with parenting issues and feel you may have ADHD, take the proactive step and call for an appointment.

Proper psychiatric diagnosis requires expert clinical knowledge, extensive training and a foundation from years of experience working in the field. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of psychological disorders and how they are related to one another can make a critical difference in choosing which treatment plan will be the most effective and successful.

Self-Diagnosis Delays and Prevents Correct Treatment

Psychology Today reports that with the ease of being able to “Google” anything today, hundreds of thousands of people self-diagnose reaching their own conclusions about what may or may not be “wrong.” Unfortunately self-diagnosis is often incorrect, delaying and often preventing proper treatment. For example, almost 70% of people who report anxiety as their main concern also have depression – with self-diagnosis, a second or even third disorder which needs to be treated can be completely overlooked.

Medical Problems Missed in Psychiatric Self-Diagnosis

While there is always a danger with the process of self-diagnosis of a psychological syndrome, one of the greatest dangers is that a serious medical disease may be missed. It is not uncommon for a medical problem to masquerade as a psychiatric syndrome, such as those that present with changes to their personality, depression, or psychotic behaviors – treating symptoms with over the counter medications from self-diagnosis would not be the proper treatment when the correct diagnosis may be a serious neurological, cardiac, or endocrine problem.

Common Dangers of Psychiatric Self-Diagnosis

When self-diagnosis is wrong then proper care and treatment can be delayed or the wrong treatment can be instituted which can negatively affect any hoped for outcomes. Receiving a proper diagnosis takes a well experienced psychiatrist or mental health professional to not only determine what the problem is, but to sort through what the problem is not. Some common dangers of psychiatric self-diagnosis include:

• Missing the nuances a proper diagnosis demands – those with mood swings for example may self-diagnose manic-depression or bipolar disorder when they may have a borderline personality disorder with major depression, other complicating factors or different combinations of diagnoses altogether
• Misdirecting the mental health professional with complaints related to self-diagnosis
• Providing self-treatment based on an incorrect decision
• Denial or inability to correctly interpret symptoms and behaviors displayed that disrupt one’s life
• Many personality disorders are not openly reported as they are a problem to others, not one’s self

Self-Diagnosis versus Clinical Diagnosis

Self-diagnosis can have life-impacting consequences on one’s life. Discussing symptoms and noted behaviors with a clinical specialist is imperative to starting the treatment strategy that fits and is successful. If symptoms or behaviors are causing distress in your home, work or social situations, seek out a professional. There’s no issue with educating yourself about symptoms; however, leave the diagnosis to an experienced psychiatrist. Please call the office to set up an appointment and make sure you get the right diagnosis.

Mental illness may affect someone as close to you as your next door neighbor, or mental illness may be a reality you or a family member will come to face. If you’ve been struggling but have never sought treatment for a mental health issue before, it’s common that over time the ability to cope with ordinary life demands may reach a point that help is finally sought.

Mental Illness Surrounds All of Us

Twenty-five percent of adults experience mental illness in any given year; the percentage takes on an even more personal importance when saying one out of every four adults suffer with some form of mental illness. One-out-of-four brings the issue home. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports one-out-of-four means that over 60 million adults in the U.S. who may have difficulty coping with life, and many who may be living life unfulfilled who could be on the road to positive change working with a practiced mental health professional.

Symptoms of Mental Illness

The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health indicates that having a mental illness does not mean an emotional reaction to an event or situation – it is normal to experience feelings, for example, of sadness, loss, anger, fear, agitation or panic related to a real-life occurrence. With the wide variety of diagnosed mental disorders, the combination of different symptoms needs to persist over time and dramatically impact one’s life roles, social and family relationships, work history, behavior, or even the ability to perform basic self-care and hygiene.

Stigma of Mental Illness

With one-out-of-four experiencing mental illness and one-out-of-17 living with a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression, one would think the awareness and willingness to seek help would be commonplace. Typically however, people wait a long time to seek help, if they ask for help at all.  The person may know something is wrong, or that they are “different,” yet they fight through life struggling to get by.

Reality of Mental Illness

Anyone of any age, religion, race, or socio-economic background can have a mental illness. Being diagnosed with a mental illness does not mean that you are a weak person, or that if you really wanted you could “get over it.”  The reality is that you can recover with treatment. Stop waiting to make the decision to get help; your life is waiting to begin anew.

Atlanta Mental Illness Psychiatrist

Dr. Darvin Hege is a psychiatrist in Atlanta. Call to set up an appointment and make a change for the better.

MedicineNet.com reports that there are at least 4 million adult women with ADHD with up to 75% who have not been properly diagnosed yet. In a separate study the Daily Beast, a highly regarded online e-newspaper, supports the data that adult women with ADHD between the ages of 24 to 36 are the fastest growing population undergoing treatment for ADHD – in fact, between 2008 and 2012 the use of ADHD medication by this age group of women increased by 85%.

Diagnosis of Women With ADHD Often Missed

Girls that are not diagnosed with ADHD typically grow into adult women who continue to avoid proper diagnosis as they are not seen displaying the stereotypical symptoms and behaviors. Many girls and women tend to fall into the inattentive type of ADHD, and even when they do display episodes of hyperactivity, these bursts of energy are funneled into dealing with the multiple tasks involved with, for example, household duties, work, school, raising children, running errands, spending time with their partner, and maybe finding some “me” time along the way.

Women With ADHD Aged 26 to 34 Show Biggest Increases

It has been a common finding that women with ADHD tend to cope until they become unable to do so anymore.  Women between the ages of 26 to 34 find themselves facing multiple life changes and responsibilities such as college, employment, working on a permanent relationship and becoming a mother for the first time. Career, time constraints and financial demands require greater attention as well as add on to the stress of juggling the many hats that a woman wears. Women with undiagnosed ADHD find that they can no longer cope as the pressure and stress of daily life add up and reach a breaking point.

The Personal Cost of Undiagnosed ADHD in Women

There are many significant impacts of adult ADHD on women. The most common personal price that is paid is in developing a low self-esteem or poor self-concept. Women with undiagnosed ADHD are more likely to suffer through divorce and periods of unemployment. These women often have difficulty in making social connections, or in “living up” to their standard of what they think a good wife, mother or partner should be like. They often find themselves frustrated and under attack even when things are going well in their work or home life.

With an increased awareness of how adult ADHD affects women, the numbers of those seeking help is growing at a significant rate. With proper diagnosis and treatment often comes relief with the understanding of how ADHD has impacted their life.

Dr. Darvin Hege is ready to help you change your life now and for the future. Dr. Hege’s flexible office hours include evenings and weekends to better fit your schedule and needs. Call us today!