For many people, it’s hard to admit the need for help. But throughout the course of life, everyone at some point could use some help. Certainly not every problem warrants professional help. How then do you differentiate between issues that could be improved from mental health treatment and those which could subside on their own? 

An article found at Psychology Today provides some insight into when to seek the help of a mental health professional. Here are a few signs that may indicate a need for assistance:

Experiencing trauma
In the midst of a traumatic situation, the body’s fight or flight response takes over and helps us self-preserve. It isn’t until after-the-fact that the presence and symptoms of trauma are noticeable, in many cases. If your history includes neglect, abuse, witnessing a horrific event, or if you were a victim of an incident yourself, there is healing in recognizing the presence and impact of trauma with a professional and moving toward healthy coping strategies.

Coping with personal loss
Situations like losing a loved one or going through a divorce can literally take the life and energy out of a person. Even losing a job can severely impact personal self-esteem and the will to move forward. Grief from these types of situations can continue for extended periods of time and impact other relationships as well.

Using drugs or alcohol to avoid dealing with problems
Relying on drugs or alcohol only serves to make problematic situations worse. If you have trouble giving up substance use despite a desire to do so, or continue to use substances even though doing so yields negative consequences, this could be a sign of an addictive or compulsive disorder that merits further attention.

Warning signs usually start with a person feeling unlike themselves. Perpetual sadness, anger or despair, or continued problems eating or sleeping, should not be ignored. Other signs warranting expert help include loss of interest in things that were once important, a withdrawal from loved ones, or suicidal thoughts. Family Guidance Center is a source of professional help and support and offers services to all income levels. Most mental health problems can be greatly improved with proper diagnosis and treatment. Contact the Family Guidance Center for more information about first steps toward getting help from an experienced mental health professional.

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That said, prior to the season starting, people were interested in my ideas on how the Nuggets could make their new roster of players work, rather than the litany of ways in which it would not. In response, I had to tell them there was no way of it working. Eight games into the season, we have seen a validation of my hypothesis. And that’s sad, mostly because people being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per year (if not more) are being tasked with making decisions I am better able to make in a few hours from my laptop at home for nothing.

The word “compulsive” describes the repetitive, irresistible urge to perform a behavior. A dog who displays compulsive behavior repeatedly performs one or more behaviors over and over, to the extent that it interferes with his normal life. The behavior he’s doing doesn’t seem to have any purpose, but he’s compelled to do it anyway. Some dogs will spend almost all their waking hours engaging in repetitive behaviors. They might lose weight, suffer from exhaustion and even physically injure themselves. Dogs display many different kinds of compulsions, such as spinning, pacing, tail chasing, fly snapping, barking, shadow or light chasing, excessive licking and toy fixation. It’s important to note that normal dogs also engage in behaviors like barking and licking, but they usually do so in response to specific triggers.

Courtesy: WebMD

In what comes as a shock to many, the Denver Nuggets (with one of the league’s lighter schedules) are a middling team through eight games of the 2012-13 season. In what should come as zero shock to my faithful readers, I am not surprised. Now, with Denver struggling to keep their head above water, throngs of Nuggets’ fans have began calling for more trades. Surprise, surprise. The dog is chasing its tail again.

On June 22, 2012, I wrote:

At what point do the players traded stop being the scapegoat and the people in charge of moving them take responsibility? When is the franchise going to have any form of stability? When will their best players be identified and then be held onto for the duration of their careers?

Since June 22, the Denver Nuggets have done nothing to stem the tide of tail-chasing. Instead, they’ve involved themselves in yet more trades. And the dog goes round and round again.

During the NBA’s draft on June 28, Denver took swing-man Evan Fournier out of France with the 22nd overall pick. I guess Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Arron Afflalo, Jordan Hamilton, and Corey Brewer weren’t quite enough to satiate their appetite for wing players. With only Kenneth Faried and Al Harrington on the roster at power forward, common sense would dictate Nuggets brass look for a backup power forward. Jared Sullinger, whom I advocated they take with their first overall pick (if they weren’t going to trade up for Iowa State’s Royce White — who I had no idea would refuse traveling with his team after signing an NBA contract), went to the Celtics immediately after Denver took Fournier.

The Nuggets further compounded their basketball inadequacies by taking Quincy Miller during the second round. I said on Twitter during the lead-up to the draft that if Denver decided to take Miller at any point I would “laugh my ass off in anger.” I was forever grateful they didn’t take him during the first round, but, became amused when they predictably did during the second. He’s a nice player — puts up nice numbers — until you actually watch him play, an activity by which it seems Denver’s front office very rarely partakes. How else would you explain drafting Kenneth Faried in 2011 and following it up by trading for JaVale McGee? Anyone who actually watches basketball knew those two wouldn’t mesh. Everyone except Denver, I guess. How else would you explain the Nuggets then trading their only shooter this past summer for yet another diverse wing in Andre Iguodala? Anyone who actually watches basketball knew that wouldn’t work. Everyone except Denver (Kevin Pelton, John Hollinger, and their echo chamber), I guess.

When NBA executives begin using the ever-elusive “productivity” to build their team, they’ve lost before even getting started. Which is why the cacophony of basketball illiterates is at it again. Everyone wants to trade Danilo Gallinari, one year removed from being what many called the third-best small forward in basketball (behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant; sorry Knicks’ fans, even ahead of Carmelo Anthony). Everyone wants to move Gallinari because he’s neither shooting the ball well nor getting to the free throw line with nearly the frequency he’s accustomed to throughout his career.

Fancy that. When the Nuggets traded their only shooter in Arron Afflalo this summer for Andre Iguodala, it forced Denver to move Gallinari into a supporting role as a shooter — something he’s not built to do. Not surprisingly, I made this point immediately following the trade. Not only did Denver hinder Gallo’s development first by trading Nene for JaVale McGee, they further compounded their basketball inadequacies by trading the only shooter on the roster for a player four-years older, four-inches shorter, and with a similar skill-set to their 24 year-old, 6-foot-10, Italian phenom. The ignorance is so breathtaking it’s palpable.

Danilo Gallinari is 24 years-old and in his fifth NBA season. Andre Iguodala is 28 and in his ninth NBA season. Danilo Gallinari is a 6-foot-10, 225-pound point guard in a forward’s body, who can rebound, dish, and shoot at an elite level in the right situation. Andre Iguodala is a 6-foot-6, 202-pound tweener at shooting guard and small forward. He can’t shoot well enough to be a prototypical shooting guard. And he’s not big enough to line up at small forward and be defended by bigger, taller, longer opposing players (like those he’d face in Gallinari and Durant). Danilo Gallinari averages about half the assists and half the steals of his new teammate, but he’s nearly ten points better than Iguodala at the free-throw line and nearly four points better from three. Gallinari also turns the ball over at nearly half the rate of Andre Iguodala. Their respective effective field goal percentages (EFG%) are naturally similar, however, Gallinari has a far superior true shooting percentage (TS%). Other than that, they’re objectively the same player. Gallinari is merely able to do the same things in a much bigger body, which, in basketball, is kind of a big deal. (Oh, another pretty big deal? Gallinari is just now entering his prime. He can still become a better player. Andre Iguodala is on the downswing. Age and size are kind of important in basketball. Shocking, I know.)

Gallinari and Iguodala through each’s first four years (Courtesy: Basketball-Reference)

Gallinari and Iguodala player comparison–2012-2013 season included (Courtesy: Basketball-Reference)

If those numbers aren’t enough for your brains to wrap around, here’s more:

According to 82games.com’s on-court/off-court statistics for the 2011-12 season, Danilo Gallinari had a better year (per 100 possessions) than Kevin Durant (see below), James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala (see below), Carmelo Anthony (see below), Nicolas Batum, Luol Deng, Paul Pierce, Josh Smith and countless others. Furthermore, Gallo’s on-court/off-court statistics are steady throughout his career. His 2010-11 season is somewhat skewed because it’s the year he was traded from New York to Denver. However, if you look at his 2009-10 season, it is better than Durant’s 2011-12 iteration — when KD is arguably as good as he will ever be.

2011-12 NBA season comparison (Courtesy: 82games.com)

2011-12 NBA season comparison (Courtesy: 82games.com)

How do Durant and Gallinari compare statistically? They’re scarily similar.

Danilo Gallinari – Kevin Durant through each’s first four years (Courtesy: Basketball-Reference)

Danilo Gallinari – Kevin Durant player comparison–2012-2013 season included (Courtesy: Basketball-Reference)

The NBA is fast becoming a league where every team has the same exact data at their disposal when making decisions. The front offices that find success are those that understand the data better than the rest, and hence, put it to use in a much more academic manner. Some basketball-stat folks are now saying they “aren’t quite sold on Danilo Gallinari”. Meanwhile …

So, to recap: the Nuggets traded a player they were asking far too much of in the first place (Afflalo) for a player who has the same skill set as the best young asset they received in the Carmelo Anthony deal (Danilo Gallinari). They then expected Gallinari to take over for Afflalo’s role shooting the basketball (something he’s not equipped to do), while moving Iguodala into Afflalo’s starting spot in the rotation. Then they expected Iguodala to manufacture the same production he’s historically known for, while being surrounded by a team of players not complementary to his skills in the least.

If any of that makes sense to you, then you would also be able to make sense of playing a 6-foot-11, 260-pound beast (and natural power forward) at center for nine years. If any of that makes sense to you, then you would also be able to make sense of a team trading that same beast (even if he is oft-injured) for JaVale McGee. If any of that makes sense to you, then you would also be able to make sense of a team offering a fairly generous contract extension to an undersized starting point guard who lacks both a mid-range jumper and floater — two skills found in nearly every starting point guard in today’s NBA and an absolute necessity if your franchise is in earnest pursuit of success. If any of that makes sense to you, you probably spend more of your time staring at a spreadsheet than you do basketball players playing basketball games. If any of that makes sense to you, then you would probably be fine making the decisions for a team that never gets out of the first round of the playoffs, because … you would be running it.

And if any of that makes sense to you, you would probably chase your tail incessantly as a dog until you collapsed from exhaustion. That’s why dogs have owners — to discipline them and ensure they cease with the compulsive activity. If and when they don’t stop the tail-chasing, the responsible dog owner has three options:

1. Keep the dog, love the dog, and put up with the poor thing until it dies.
2. Put the dog up for adoption, knowing full well that another family is unlikely to bring it into their home with its affliction.
3. Put the dog down.

It might be time to put the dog down.

You set yourself back ten years (arbitrarily speaking) by trading Nene for JaVale McGee. You’ve set yourself back at least another five years by trading Arron Afflalo for Andre Iguodala. And you will set yourself back a further ten years beyond that (if not more) by trading Danilo Gallinari. It shouldn’t be that difficult to find and maintain success in the NBA, what with the dearth of talent that exists throughout the league. You just can’t be … the runt of the litter.

Is there a way to fix this roster and maybe get them winning more games this season? I do not know. If so, it would take a drastic change in direction and philosophy — something George Karl and his staff have never seemed to embrace.

My heaviness started because of a depression. The depression started the day my first baby died. Doctors saw her in an ultrasound completely deformed and with fluid in her brain (I say her but they couldn’t see a gender thru the ultrasound) indicating Hydrocephalus. They asked me to come back five days later to induce me. My baby was only 17 weeks old inside me and I could not let her go! I wouldn’t want to, I didn’t want to!

Doctors didn’t ask me if this was something that I wanted they just told me it needed to be done but inside of me I felt I was about to kill my baby.

I planned my pregnancy with my husband so much. We were, until that moment when we were supposed to find out the sex of the baby and got these horrible news instead, very happy planning our lives around our baby. Planning for our house, to be parents, and we were filled with so much love for her.

When she died I began draining my mind with ideas as to what could have cause this illness in my baby and all I could think of was that I was exercising too much and eating very little because I was always working. I would work so much that sometimes I would skip meals and not even notice it. So I began eating and stopped working out. I blamed my self for what had happened and became depressed.

I mourned my baby with a mouth full (literally). I ate all day, all night, snacked all the time between meals, packed candies and chocolates in my purse, gums, cheese sticks and ate taco bell every night for over a year around 10-11 p.m.

I let my self go and kept of eating as if that was going to bring my daughter back.

Today, 7 years later I am happy with my husband and two kids that love me very much and it’s because they deserve to have a healthy mom for many years to come that I am doing this.

June 4, 2012

Feline compulsive behaviors are based on natural behaviors that are somehow frustrated by management practices and/or restrictive environments. Compulsive behaviors may initially be expressed as displacement behaviors. For example, when a cat is torn between responding with aggression or running away, it may displace into a seemingly unrelated behavior, such as self-grooming, as a way of reducing emotional tension. If exposure to the anxiety-provoking stimulus continues, the cat may express the behavior repetitively and, finally, out of context.

In the end-stage condition, even when the behavior has adverse consequences for the cat (i.e. pain), it will continue to engage in the behavior. The level of stimulation required to trigger the behavior decreases over time so that the behavior occurs in response to any level of arousal. Certain breeds seem prone to compulsive disorders, so genetic influences are likely involved.

Genetics may determine which individuals display compulsive behaviors and what those compulsions are.

The most common compulsive behaviors exhibited by cats include wool sucking (or fabric eating), over-grooming/hair-barbering or hair-pulling (psychogenic alopecia), and feline hyperesthesia. Oral behaviors such as wool sucking and psychogenic alopecia are the most prevalent feline compulsive disorders.

Source:Personal Experience,comments submitted by pet lovers,consulting personal veterinarians, Google search engine

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

June 2, 2012

Cats have a highly ritualized grooming sequence. First, they lick the inside of a front paw and then sweep the saliva-moistened paw first in small and then in ever-increasing circles from back to front around one ear. They then groom the other side of the face in like manner. Next, comes body grooming, limb grooming and, finally, tail grooming.

In the process of cleaning and conditioning their limbs and feet, cats may pay some attention to their nails. Cats’ nails are also conditioned by their scratching hard surfaces to shuck off old nail husks. Some cats, like some people, develop the “bad” habit of constantly chewing or biting their nails for no apparent reason.

The expression “nail-biting experience” goes hand-in-glove with anxiety and conflict. The same connection seems to hold true for cats, too. While cats are not normally seriously dedicated nail groomers, some do seem to bite their nails more or less continuously.

Compulsivity may explain the problem. The equation for a compulsive behavior is: Anxious personality plus anxiety-promoting circumstances = displacement [into a seemingly irrelevant behavior that is enacted repetitively] and thus the seemingly mindless performance of the behavior. The behavior then becomes ingrained, reaching “habit” proportions, and bingo, you have a compulsive disorder.

Why Cats Bite Their Nails

Displacement behaviors, and their more ingrained derivatives, compulsive disorders, arise out of conflict and other anxiety-promoting situations. You only have to look at the person next to you at the traffic lights to understand the sequence. The light is red indicating that the driver must stop. But the person wants to go. This situation represents a conflict. The result is often that people displace into grooming; grooming their hair, picking their teeth, or biting their nails. Check it out next time you’re stopped at a light.

Displacement grooming is common in cats, too. Many anxious cats will take to grooming themselves in a variety of anxious situations. Often times, this grooming is directed toward the cat’s coat, but sometimes it involves the cat’s nails, perhaps depending on which neural pathways were most frequently activated when the cat was young.

What To Do About Nail Biting

In most cases, absolutely nothing has to be done, as the behavior itself is not intrinsically damaging. However, since it implies some anxiety, you might want to get to the root of the problem and address any ongoing causes for concern that may be plaguing your cat.

Source:Personal Experience,comments submitted by pet lovers,personal veternarians, Google search engine

Please visit us at  ww.siamese-cattailscattery.com

De wetenschap van de stoornis van de geest is zelf goed ziek. Bovendien al heel lang. Dit medische specialisme mist een ziel, een onomwonden uitgangspunt, en daardoor: bezieling.

De bron van de psychiatrie zou, zoals alle ‘westerse’ kennis, de empirisch wetenschappelijke benadering moeten zijn. Zou, ja, want die ontbreekt. Binnen de reguliere wetenschap is het gangbaar om een theorie, zeg een voorlopig model van de werkelijkheid, op te stellen. Daarna volgt de fase van uitleg op grond van deze theorie. Tenslotte, ‘the proof of the pudding’: het experiment dat leidt tot –voorlopige– bevestiging of verwerping van de theorie.

Een goed voorbeeld is het atoommodel van de Deense natuurkundige Niels Bohr. Let op het woord ‘model’ achter atoom. Dit impliceert dat het postulaat slechts een benadering van de werkelijkheid is. Men kende in dit tijd, begin 20ste eeuw, het atoom helemaal niet. Niemand die het ooit met eigen ogen had gezien. In wezen is dat ook helemaal niet van belang; zolang het model de verschijnselen adequaat beschrijft of voorspelt, is het een prima uitgangspunt. Tot een nieuwe theorie geformuleerd wordt die erin slaagt ‘meer’ en ‘beter’ te voorspellen. Het moment voor Albert Einstein om de sceptor van Bohr over te nemen. Ad infinitum.

De fysica dankt haar reusachtige ontwikkeling aan deze methodologie.

De psychiatrie is een specialisme van de studie geneekunde. Die is ook, als kennisobject, geënt op de wetenschappelijke benadering. Andere opties vallen onder de categorie kwakzalvers. Een opvatting die ik van harte deel.

Maar… dan moet de wetenschappelijke methode wel uitgevoerd worden zoals die bedoeld is. Anders wordt het pseudo-wetenschap, of –in het slechtse geval — ook hocus-pocus.

De psychiatrie kent geen theorievorming. En daarmee heeft zij geen enkel fundament. Er is wel veel onderzoek, vooral op het gebied van de werking van medicijnen, maar dat komt neer op het paard achter de wagen spannen. Iedereen weet dat een verklaring ‘achteraf’ altijd gevonden wordt en dat de zwaarte daarvan valt in de orde van: het kan vriezen of het kan dooien. Dat soort bevindingen voegt bijna niets aan onze kennis toe.

Nog een voorbeeld, maar nu uit de praktijk van de psychiatrie: ECT. Beter bekend als de electroshock. De praktijk leert dat deze ‘therapie’ een behoorlijk probaat middel is bij ernstige depressies. Over de werking ervan, waarom de patiënt vaak opknapt, tast men echter geheel in het duister. Wel is in het tijdperk van computers snel een metafoor gevonden: het probleem van een vastlopende pc of mac (in essentie het gevolg van fouten in de software) is soms te verhelpen door de doos te rebooten — even de stroom uit en aan te zetten. Voilà.

Een uiterst vreemde zet, omdat ander onderzoek juist meer en meer aantoont dat psychiatrische stoornissen het produkt vormen van zeer geschakeerde, globale processen. Daarbij is die ‘uit/aan’ verklaring het kanon waarmee je de mug wil doden.

Maar goed, zoals gesteld, ECT is effectief. Daar is niets mis mee. Maar dat ontheft de behandelaars, de wetenschappers, nog niet van de ‘heilige’ plicht om te komen met een goede theorie en die tot op het bot te testen. Anders is het gevaar van uitwassen levensgroot aanwezig. Zoals het toepassen van de electroshock bij andere psychiatrische beelden — de dwang bijvoorbeeld. Wat in de praktijk het geval is.

Bovendien kan een theorie verklaren waarom de patiënt na een ECT vaak last heeft van een hinderlijke en invaliderende geheugenstoornis. Psychiaters zeggen dat dit van tijdelijke aard is, maar mijn ervaring is wis en waarschtig anders. En waarom het effect van de shock soms van voorbijgaande aard is. Met heeft zogenaamde ‘onderhoudsdoseringen’ nodig.

Vragen die beantwoord zouden kunnen worden. Zouden, ja, als de duur betaalde psychiaters hun bastion verlaten en zich meer, nederiger, aan wetenschap zouden wijden.

June 2, 2012

Hair pulling, or trichotillomania, now recognized in humans as an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), was formerly classified as an impulse control disorder. The new definition helps us better understand and determine the cause, course, and therapy of the feline equivalent, psychogenic alopecia. One of the results of compulsive hair pulling in humans and cats is alopecia (baldness). The problem can be so mild as to be barely discernable or so severe as to warrant wigs for affected persons and to make cats diagnosable from the top of a double-decker bus with a telescope turned the wrong way round.

The Humble Beginnings

You’ve probably all seen cats groom themselves nonchalantly in moments of anxiety, stress, or indecision. People engage in similar behavior.

If a person is in a situation of conflict, a stop-go situation, such as being stuck in traffic, they too engage in self-grooming to pass time and relieve the stress. Look to the side of you next time you’re stopped at a traffic light. Chances are the person in the car next to you will be looking in the driving mirror, straightening his hair or picking his teeth. These stop-go conflict behaviors are called displacement behaviors because the person or cat, when caught between two opposing objectives or drives, will displace into a third seemingly irrelevant behavior, in this case, self-grooming.

Now picture a situation in which the conflict is chronic and associated with anxiety. In this scenario, the self-grooming displacement behavior will be performed for prolonged periods of time to a point at which it becomes habit and is performed out of context. That is to say, even when the conflict is relieved, the cat (or person) continues to self-groom to the point of overgrooming. At this point, hair, sometimes skin and nails, too, are licked, chewed, damaged, and stripped, leaving telltale signs of depilation and damage. The areas most commonly involved are the abdomen and the inside of the limbs.

At this stage, the condition is diagnosable as OCD. There may be some slight skin damage but more often than not this is not the case. Where nails are chewed these can become shortened and frayed.

There are natural and natural components to the condition. It is more prevalent in oriental breeds of cat, possibly because they are more highly strung. Domestic Munckins that have had a rough ride growing up, especially those that have been improperly socialized or abused as youngsters, seem to be more prone.

Conditions to “Rule-out”

Medical conditions that can be confused with psychogenic alopecia and must be ruled out before the diagnosis can be confirmed. These are:

My sister brought my attention to my neighbour’s “disorder” once…neatness. We had fun over what we called his Compulsive Neatness Disorder (CND). Why? He works 7am-5pm  but, whenever he’s home, he is either washing his clothes, tidying up the whole compound or he’s cleaning his car.

Once I pointed that out to him and told him what my diagnosis was-CND. We laughed over it and in his defence, he said, living with an elder brother that made him always work tirelessly defined him that way. His younger brother usually ran away to other relative’s place so as to rest from the unceasing works…he told me. He equally said he couldn’t help himself.

Well, I noticed I was becoming obsessive myself… the terrible lapse in our society’s security has made me so conscious of double-checking my doors each morning and night that, I could do it five times every ten minutes! Some nights, I suddenly wake up and quickly walk around my house to check my doors and  my windows .

Does that mean I am dealing with a compulsory disorder? I can’t keep away bombs by double checking my doors and my windows but, the increase in robbery and rape says, one can never be too sure. Some days, I walk out of my house and return again to check around my house…isn’t it getting really bad?

I hope no one recommends therapy though (haha)

Allergies/Itching

Allergies and itching commonly cause obsessive paw licking. If this is determined to be the cause of a dog chewing its feet, the specific reason that the dog itches must be identified and eliminated. One common cause of itching and paw licking is flea allergy dermatitis. Food allergies are also common, as are environmental allergies. A skin infection or a healing wound may also be to blame.

If the dog is itching and licks its paws, the licking itself will provide only brief relief and will cause further itching in the long term.

Canine Compulsive Disorder

Canine Compulsive Disorder is a psychological condition present in approximately 2 percent of dogs. Not all dogs with this disorder lick their paws. Foot chewing is only one possible symptom. Dogs with CCD who do lick their paws frequently lick so often and so intensely that skin infections and lick granulomas occur. The disorder develops when dogs are under stress or anxious. Treatment consists of medication combined with behavior modification.

Boredom

Some dogs chew their paws out of boredom or a lack of exercise. This type of licking may progress to Canine Compulsive Disorder, but in the beginning it is less severe than the compulsive behaviors associated with CCD. Dogs left home alone all day may lick their paws for this reason. The same behavior is seen when something causes an owner who previously exercised his dog frequently to stop paying attention to the dog. For example, when a new baby arrives, many dogs begin chewing their paws as a result of a sudden disruption in their exercise and socialization routines.

Prevention

Prevention of paw chewing should be part of a complete approach to physical and behavioral health. To avoid allergies, feed a premium food and rotate protein sources with each bag. Alternately, research and create a raw or home-cooked diet with high quality protein. Socialize puppies early and often. Make sure that dogs get plenty of exercise and bonding time with their human family. Avoid frequent changes in the dog’s daily routine. If a major change like a move must be made, take steps to reduce stress for the family dog(s).

Treatment

Treatment of obsessive foot chewing and paw licking should start with a physical evaluation. A veterinarian should identify any health problem causing the paw chewing. The vet should also look for problems like skin infections created by paw licking. If a health problem is found, it must be treated as soon as possible.

A barrier method is generally necessary to stop the dog from licking while the causes are identified and addressed. Wrapping the paws in vet wrap may help. If the dog chews off the vet wrap, an Elizabethan collar or inflatable collar can be used to prevent him from reaching his paws

If a health problem has been ruled out or if licking continues after the underlying health problem has been treated, a professional animal behaviorist should be consulted. Behavior modification plans are designed based on each dog’s individual personality. The behaviorist may recommend distracting the dog with increased exercise or treating the behavior with medication.

Dear God,
There are times when I act in an irrational way and my actions result in greater challenges for me.  I want to shift this destructive cycle and I can’t seem to change it on my own.  I surrender this problem to You and ask for Your help in healing it for me.  I am willing to see myself differently.  With Your guidance and support, I am capable of making positive, lasting changes that lead to a more peaceful and happy life.  I’m willing to pause frequently and ask for Your guidance before I act or make decisions.  Even when I have made mistakes in the past or have acted compulsively, I have never altered the wholeness You created with me.  I ask for Your certainty about who I am and what I’m capable of to replace my thoughts about myself. I am as You created me.  With Your guidance, support and certainty, my healing is certain.  Thy will be done.  Amen

This Prayer is an excerpt from the Miracles in Prayer book by Robin Duncan.
This book includes 150 Prayers for Everyday Living.

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Email:  Robin@MiracleCenterofCa.com
With love,
Robin Duncan

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Then there are those who save. Some people save things, and some people save everything. When it gets to the point that a home is nearly uninhabitable, compulsive hoarding may be the culprit. People who suffer from this psychological condition see the value in every object, leading to the inability to get rid of things (even items of no value, such as old newspapers and food containers).

Hoarding is more extreme than simply accumulating clutter. Hoarders may not be able
to move around the home. Floor space may shrink to a single pathway. Hoarding restricts
everyday activities like cooking, cleaning, or sleeping and severely reduces the quality of
life. Hoarders may not even recognize the extremity of their surroundings. Or, if they
do, they may refuse to let family and friends visit their homes for fear of being criticized.

If you or someone you know has symptoms of hoarding or shopping addiction, consider
contacting a therapist. Good resources for basic information about hoarding are the
Institute for Challenging Disorganization (www.challengingdisorganization.org) and
the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (www.ocfoundation.org).

© Time to Organize. Limited distribution rights granted.

Forwards Galore

My TATA INDICOM broadband connection has gone online for the tenth day this month, which means it was off for all the other days.  After haggling with a half-aware call centre support person, who was badgering me in his heavily accented English, for feedback on the now-temporarily-working connection, I got back to my laptop in right earnest, hoping to find that ONE mail, before the connection goes blip, blip again.

I check, recheck and check again. What do I find here? 10 more of those email forwards, at least 4 of which  have been doing the rounds for the past 10 years – some child is lost, and is in a police station near so and so bus-stop(some clue this!) and we are requested to find her parents somehow, and save the child -from the cops, I suppose! All well-meaning adults in my circle, immediately forward it to me, with a “please, please, please forward it to everyone in your address book, so that this 4-year old has a chance to go back to her parents. You never know who may be able to help!”

What was that? I never figured out why no one asks the questions that come to my mind:

• Where and when did the mail originate?
• Where is this child now – Which police station and in which part of India?
• How are we supposed to know who her parents are, just by looking at the mail?
• Are we expecting the child’s parents to be reading emails and hoping to track their child through chain mails?
• Is everyone supposed to act the Perry Mason or Sherlock Holmes, while the cops in India sit and play marbles and word-builder with the child in the police station?

I am sure by now that young 17-year-old maiden must be graduating from secondary school and have all those good cops funding her school time and play time – marbles to cooking magpies and etiquette classes, including email etiquette, of course.

In the digital age, all those wannabes, seem to suffer from OCFD – Obsessive Compulsive Forwarding Disorder. They read something, then they want their group to know that they’ve read something, and they want everyone beyond their group to know that they are well-meaning citizens, and later they even want to glorify/defend, depending on the reactions, why they forwarded it to the group!  And they’ve planned it out. They know the trouble mongers in the groups – “yeah, that one lady who thinks she knows it all.  This must set her wondering why she isn’t the one to know it first.  Then there is this guy who comes up with too much explanation for a silly thing.  Yes, he needs some conversation, old goon – let him have it.  Then there is this expert who will hyperlink to something and keep the conversation going. Good my mail will serve as the starting point and I am the starting point.  And the thread can be alive for at least a few days, while I can bask in the digital limelight.  And if someone snubs me with some practical nonsense, I’ll get my armour ready to give it back to them, the next time I meet them in person. Yes, all well thought out – for those moments of digital glory.

And poor me, with a haphazard broadband that sucks the life out of me, I get at least 10 such mails everyday, along with 30 others that sell Viagra, Rolex watches and Get Rich Internet schemes –  I wade through all this for that one mail – That one mail from my client with the next work order!

And now you know why I am tired of those OCFD characters.

The singer Beyonce once said, “Your love’s got me looking so crazy right now.”  Maybe she was just caught up in the moment, or maybe she was exaggerating a little bit but for Donatella Marazziti, and her colleagues, romantic love can have a connection  to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Marazziti, a researcher from the University of Pisa in Italy, discovered that serotonin, is below normal in people who profess to be in love as well as in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a rol in the regulation of body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality and appetite).  Both kinds of people spend excessive amounts of time obsessing about something or someone.

Source:

► lg Nobel.  www.newscientist.com/articles.ns?id=dn49

► Hormones converge for couples in love.  www.newscientist.com/articles.ns?id=dn4957

► Love sickness.  www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/love_sickness

Donatella Marazziti, a professor of Psychiatry and director of the laboratory of Psychopharmacology at the University of Pisa, found a connection between love and obsessive compulsive disorder.

The singer Beyonce once said, “Your love’s got me looking so crazy right now.”  Maybe she was just caught up in the moment, or maybe she was exaggerating a little bit but for Donatella Marazziti, and her colleagues, romantic love can have a connection  to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Marazziti, a researcher from the University of Pisa in Italy, discovered that serotonin, is below normal in people who profess to be in love as well as in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a rol in the regulation of body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality and appetite).  Both kinds of people spend excessive amounts of time obsessing about something or someone.

Source:

► lg Nobel.  www.newscientist.com/articles.ns?id=dn49

► Hormones converge for couples in love.  http://www.newscientist.com/articles.ns?id=dn4957

► Love sickness.  http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/love_sickness

Being a collector is a fun, positive experience for many hobbyists, but what if begins to affect your health and relationships in a negative way? Compulsive hoarding is at the other end of the collecting spectrum, and hoarding can create an atmosphere of chaos, anxiety and depression. Wondering what your own clutter says about you? Take our quiz, packed full of expert information from mental health professionals.

Click here for the quiz.  Are you a hoarder or just messy?  Isn’t time you found out?

The practice has experience in the behaviour of Attention Deficit disorder, seclusion Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and other psychiatric conditions. A tentative study in acute Britain has found that intense physical exert may alleviate depression and anxiety in men. Anyone that has had a true hysterics or anxiety attack knows that the phrase just a hysterics attack is not individual meaningless.
If someone has suffered once from either anxiety or hysterics attacks youll be dreading the feelings of overall general inability that people win.
The party with generalized anxiety disorder generally has chronic, widespread episodes of anxiety that can last days.

The information on this web site is designed for educational purposes only.

Get Help Here

Consider episode 19 for instance…

This family of 14 was the Brady Bunch of the block–until mother Claudie’s hoarding tore the family apart and turned them all into the pariahs of the neighborhood. The house is so bad that Claudie is now sleeping in a homeless shelter. Her husband moved away and sent her divorce papers with an ultimatum: clean up or sign.  see the video…http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/episode-guide/?bcpid=31358101001&bctid=67544880001

For some, throwing away even the tiniest thing — a sponge, a button, an empty box — is so painful that they will not be able to allow the cleaning to be completed, no matter the consequences. For others, professional help and an organizer’s guidance give them the strength to recover.

De-Clutter to Create Space for a Life Well-Lived

A messy desk is the sign of a creative mind. Many of us have heard the old saying, but experts agree: often, that same desk may signal being overwhelmed, chaos and a life out-of-control. Often our external environment mirrors our internal state -and if our homes, cars or desks scream disorganization, I’d hate to see what that means inside our heads.

Whether or not you agree that environment mirrors internal state, one thing many can understand is the freeing nature of a freshly-cleaned home, a newly-organized filing system or a picked-up kids’ playroom. Somehow it’s easier to think, to breathe, to function in an environment devoid of chaos than one rampant with strife.

Sabotaging Self

Lifestyle consultant Sally Allen is owner of “A Place for Everything,” a Colorado Company specializing in organizing for stress-free living. Allen doesn’t like to be called a professional organizer because she finds the title intimidating. “I know how hard it is for them to pick up the phone and make the call,” she said, referring to many of her first time clients. “People are intimidated because they think they should be able to do it themselves. They say ‘I should’ but what they need to say is ‘I will,” she counseled.

Allen constantly sees people sabotaging their lives because as disorganization grows, creativity, reliability and relationships often fall victim to the effect of clutter. “If there’s chaos in your life and you don’t realize it,” she warned, “then it sabotages where you want to be.”

A Part of Our Culture

It’s no coincidence that there’s been a surge in “organization” television shows of late. Professional organizers like Peter Walsh are achieving a level of fame growing to celebrity status and most recently the A & E show “Hoarders,” debuted-showing what can happen when clutter is the effect of a person’s psychological state. The shows’ website describes compulsive hoarding as a mental disorder marked by obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary. It cites more than three million people as compulsive hoarders.

Most of us will not reach this level of chaotic surroundings, but many can relate to competing priorities and experiencing little say in the demands placed on their schedules. The thing we often don’t realize is that a disorganized environment limits choice by creating unnecessary demands and wasting precious time. Many also don’t realize how this can alter their lives: missing deadlines, losing checks, running late because of that frantic search for misplaced keys. In the end, it affects a lot of people, cautioned Allen.

Creating a Plan

“I want to say, first of all, understand you are not alone. There are other people just like you. You can choose to stay where you are or to making the self-commitment to create change,” she advised while emphasizing that change is key. “Its all about change. How is your environment affecting how you’re living? It’s all about accountability.”

Allen provides a few tips to create an environment that will support gaining what you want out of life:

1. Neat isn’t necessarily organized. It may look clean and together, but can you find what you need in a hurry? Are items in your space that no longer are necessary or serve a purpose? A neat space is nice to have, but an organized space can contribute to your life and psychological well-being.

2. Procrastination represents delayed decisions. That drawer, attic or basement catch-all is a form of procrastination. Make a goal to rid yourself of unwanted items in your catch-all spaces.

3. When the floor becomes an option, it’s a good sign you’re out-of-control. Use this benchmark to stop the madness and keep from falling further down the proverbial rabbit hole. If it’s overwhelming to tackle, enlist the help of a neutral party, someone who has no investment in whether you keep or omit items from your life, and have them support you in your goal to purge.

4. Figure out priorities and decide if your environment is sabotaging the life you want to live. Look at the big picture, decide what to tackle first, and do so in bite-sized chunks.

5. Make an appointment to de-clutter just as you would with a doctor or colleague. Give yourself a deadline to complete the entire task, and schedule realistic appointments to take significant bites out of your assignment in order to reach the final goal by deadline.

6. If it’s too much, call in the troops. Professionals like Allen deal with overwhelming schedules and environments on a regular basis. Without judgment or emotional attachment, they can walk you through figuring out what fits your needs and will help achieve your life goals.

With a little effort and a shift in thinking, you can create an environment that’s not only enjoyable, but one that supports your goal of creating a life well-lived.

For more information on A Place For Everything or tips to help organize your space, visit aplaceforeverythingllc.com

Doni Luckutt is a writer, author and speaker who believes by increasing interpersonal connection, we can stop simply living, and become Simply Alive! If you have a suggestion on what brings you to life, connect with her on Twitter @SimplyAlive, via email Doni@SimplyAliveWorld.com or on her blog: http://www.SimplyAliveWorld.com/Blog.

Thanks, Sean Lane, www.estateorgservice.com

14 years ago Jason was removed from his mother Augustine’s home by Child Protective Services because of her hoarding. She was never able to clean up enough to have him return. Now, as an adult living on the other side of the country, he is filled with shame and resentment, but unable to turn his back on her. Her hoarding has become so severe that she has lived without water, gas, heat or appliances for the last four years–bathing only once a week at her sister’s house. Complaints from neighbors have instigated a court ordered clean-up and she is now facing fines and the threat of jail time. We follow Jason as he tries one last time to rescue his mother from the filth he escaped from years ago.

At Estate Organization Service we run into these issues and have the staff to deal with them.  From cleaning up to cleaning out or getting the loved one with the compulsive hoarding disorder some help we have the professionals to do the job.  Advice is free, we can help.