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What is Dual Diagnosis?

By admin_ka No CommentsPosted in ConditionsTags: , , , , ,

Overview:

Dual diagnosis is a term used to describe people with mental health issues, who also have substance abuse problems. The mental health may be a cause or a result of the drug usage. An example would be somebody with a psychotic illness who also uses cannabis or cocaine.

The symptoms:

Dual Diagnosis is simply the term used to describe a wide array of, usually very different, issues. Depending on which illness and which drug is being taken, the symptoms can vary. Different drugs will produce different symptoms just as different mental illnesses would.

What causes Dual Diagnosis?

 

As mentioned, the mental health issue may be the reason for the drug usage, or, the drug usage may result in the mental health issue. This is likely in cases of cocaine and amphetamine (speed) use, as their effects often cause psychotic illnesses, especially if used for a long period of time.

Cannabis, LSD, stimulants and ecstasy (MDMA) can all intensify a person’s mood when they take it. If they are already feeling low, paranoid or anxious, the drugs may make this worse, although this will depend on their environment and the quantity involved. But it’s also true that these drugs can lift someone’s mood. On balance, however, someone who has a mental health problem, will more likely be in a state where intensification would be unhelpful for them and those around them.

Is there a cure?

 

There is no standardised cure or treatment for dual diagnosis, simply because it ranges across such a large number of problems and involves both substance misuse services and mental health services. The term can refer to many different types of individual cases without similarities.

People with this combination of problems often have a lot of additional difficulties, which aren’t solely medical, psychological or psychiatric. They are more likely to come into contact with mental health services. Medically orientated services can’t always help with multiple non-medical problems like these, which often reflect the social stigma that people with dual diagnosis face. They are not only drug users, but also mentally ill; two of the most stigmatised groups in society.

In a move away from medical definitions, the term ‘complex needs’ is often used when people have these complicated social and lifestyle problems. To tackle these complex needs, successfully, often requires a more holistic, joined up approach, from several different directions at once.

How Stepping Out can help:

Stepping Out are specialists when dealing with complex needs and challenging behaviour causes by dual diagnosis. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out can visit to provide support and general home care, as well as, in more extreme cases, provide their own 24-hour staffed housing accommodation, helping the sufferer maintain a more safe and healthy lifestyle.
Access to therapy and support groups is given and attendance encouraged. The ultimate goal would be to allow the sufferer to grow as an individual and become an independent person in society, living safely, hygienically and healthily. The housing units are primarily based in north London and Hertfordshire.

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What is Dementia?

By admin_ka No CommentsPosted in ConditionsTags: , , , , ,

Overview:

‘Dementia’ is a term used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions.  It is an umbrella term used to describe the effects of closely linked diseases. These include Alzheimer’s disease and sometimes are the result of a stroke. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. How fast dementia progresses will depend on the individual. Each person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way. There are about 750,000 people in the UK with dementia

The symptoms:

* Loss of memory – for example, forgetting the way home from the shops, or being
unable to remember names and places, or what happened earlier the same day.
* Mood changes – particularly as parts of the brain that control emotion are
affected by disease. People with dementia may also feel sad, frightened or angry
about what is happening to them.
* Communication problems – a decline in the ability to talk, read and write.

In the later stages of Dementia, sufferers may have difficulty carrying out everyday tasks, and will eventually need the assistance of another person in order to do even the smallest of tasks.

What causes Asperger’s syndrome?

Dementia can be caused by a number of diseases and conditions:

* Alzheimer’s disease – The most common cause of dementia. During the course of
the disease the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to the death of
brain cells.
* Vascular disease – The brain relies on a network of vessels to bring it oxygen-
bearing blood. If the oxygen supply to the brain fails, brain cells are likely to die
and this can cause the symptoms of vascular dementia. These symptoms can occur
either suddenly, following a stroke, or over time through a series of small strokes
* Dementia with Lewy bodies – This form of dementia gets its name from tiny
spherical structures that develop inside nerve cells. Their presence in the brain
leads to the degeneration of brain tissue. Memory, concentration and language
skills are affected. This form of dementia shares some characteristics with
Parkinson’s disease.
* Fronto-temporal dementia (including Pick’s disease) – In fronto-temporal
dementia, damage is usually focused in the front part of the brain. At first,
personality and behaviour are more affected than memory.

All of the above conditions can be cased as a form of dementia. However, There are many other rarer diseases that can cause dementia. These include progressive supranuclear palsy, Korsakoff’s syndrome, Binswanger’s disease, HIV and AIDS, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Moreover, People with multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease may also be more likely to develop dementia as they get older.

Is there a cure?

 

There isn’t a cure for dementia. However, for some types of dementia there are medicines that can treat your symptoms and prevent them coming on as quickly. The treatment you’re offered will depend on which type of dementia you have.

Group and individual therapy is also recommended. these aim to stimulate the mind (this is sometimes referred to as cognitive stimulation therapy)

Reminiscence therapy may also help. Discussing past events in groups, usually using photos or familiar objects to jog the memory, although there are conflicting opinions on whether this is effective

How Stepping Out can help:

Stepping Out have the facilities and staff to care for anybody suffering with Dementia. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out are able to provide home care, helping with daily tasks which a Dementia sufferer may find difficult.
Or, in extreme cases where the sufferer needs full-time support and care, Stepping Out provide their own 24-hour staffed provisions.

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What is Cerebral Palsy?

By admin_ka No CommentsPosted in Conditions

Overview:

Cerebral palsy is not a disease or an illness. It is a disability caused by damage to the brain that can take place before, during, or in the early days after birth. There are many causes of cerebral palsy which include an infection while still in the womb, such as the pregnant mother contracting German measles, a difficult birth, a genetic disorder, a bleed in the baby’s brain, or the baby’s brain forms abnormally for no apparent reason.
Damage to the brain may not only affect the child physically, but may result in visual, perceptual, auditory and learning disabilities. Some children may also have seizures (epilepsy). The physical disability may affect the child’s interaction with and exploration of the world about him. It can also affect the child’s ability to learn and develop intellectually, although this can often be minimised if the appropriate management is given.

The symptoms:

Most children with cerebral palsy have either spasticity or athetosis or a combination of the two.

Children with spasticity (hypertonus) feel stiff and may have difficulty moving, although their muscles are not paralysed. Some movement is possible but the variety is limited. This limitation prevents the child from participating in many activities. It is often difficult or impossible for children to stop themselves from falling if they lose balance.

Children with athetosis move too much. They may have difficulty controlling their movements or maintaining their posture.

Cerebral palsy affects the messages sent between the brain and the muscles. It is often difficult for a doctor to predict accurately how a young child with cerebral palsy will be affected later in life. Cerebral palsy is not progressive – the condition itself does not become more severe as the child gets older, although some of the effects on the body may become more noticeable and function may deteriorate.

* Children with cerebral palsy may have problems with constipation, spasms or
sleeping. The doctor or health visitor should be able to offer advice about this.
* People with cerebral palsy may have problems with speech and associated
difficulties in chewing and swallowing. They may also have problems
understanding the spoken word. A speech and language therapist may be able to
offer advice.
* Some people with cerebral palsy may also have epilepsy. Often medication can
help to manage this.
* Some people with cerebral palsy may have difficulty distinguishing and
comparing shapes. This is to do with visual or spatial perception, which is about a
person’s ability to interpret what they have seen and not a problem with their
eyesight.
* People with cerebral palsy may also have some form of learning difficulties,
making them slow to learn. The difficulties can be mild, moderate or severe.
There may be a ‘specific learning difficulty’ or problems with a particular activity
such as reading, drawing or arithmetic because a specific area of the brain is
affected.
* It is important to remember that even someone severely physically affected by
cerebral palsy may have average or above average intelligence.

What causes Cerebral Palsy?

The main causes are as follows:

* Infection during pregnancy
* Starvation of Oxygen to the brain
* Premature or difficult birth
* A cerebral (brain) bleed during pregnancy or birth
* Abnormal brain development
* A genetic link (very rare)

Is there a cure?

Today, there is no cure for cerebral palsy. If children are positioned well from an early age and supported to move in a way that helps them to improve their posture, movement and muscle control, they can develop and achieve more independence for themselves as they grow. Physical therapy is also beneficial.

How Stepping Out can help:

Stepping Out have the facilities and staff to care for anybody suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out are able to provide home care, visiting and helping with daily tasks which an Cerebral Palsy sufferer may find difficult.
Or, in extreme cases where the sufferer needs full-time support, Stepping Out provide their own 24-hour staffed housing accommodation, which are primarily based in north London and Hertfordshire.
Also, Stepping Out now have a mobility and disability aid store. Our specially chosen products will benefit anybody with Cerebral Palsy, physical and mental disabilities or mobility problems.

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What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?

By admin_ka No CommentsPosted in Conditions

Overview:

Anxious/Avoidant Personality Disorder is a condition characterized by extreme shyness, feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to rejection. These individuals feel themselves to be inferior to others. This disorder is only diagnosed when these behaviours become persistent and very disabling and/or distressing. This diagnosis should be used with great caution in children and adolescents for whom shy and avoidant behaviour may be appropriate. An example of this would be a new immigrant.

The symptoms:

– They tend to live alone
– Contact with family and friends can be enjoyable, but only for a short period of time
(minute or hours) and anxiety can be aroused at any moment.
– They avoid contact with strangers. They are extremely kind when such contact
occurs and they do everything possible to make sure that such contact is brief.
– They develop at least one phobia (for animals or objects) whose origin is connected
with the earlier appearance of anxiety attacks in social situations. The animal or
object connected with such situations unleashes the anxiety and this assumes phobic
characteristics.
– They are aware that they have abdicated certain experiences in life in order to avoid
suffering.
– They often fantasize about the situations they avoid and yet would like to experience – in their fantasies they exclude the anxiety-provoking stimuli.
– They can be professionally successful, but they could be even more successful if
they did not turn their backs on opportunities.

What causes Avoidant Personality Disorder?

The cause of avoidant personality disorder are not clearly defined. They may be influenced by a combination of social, genetic, and biological factors. Avoidant personality traits typically appear in childhood, with signs of excessive shyness and fear when the child confronts new people, situations and environments. These characteristics are also developmentally appropriate emotions for children, however, and do not necessarily mean that a pattern of avoidant personality disorder will continue into adulthood.

Many of those diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder have had painful early experiences of chronic parental criticism and rejection. The need to bond with the rejecting parents makes the avoidant person hungry for relationships but their longing gradually develops into a defensive shell of self-protection against repeated criticisms or rejections. Ridicule or rejection by peers further reinforces the person’s pattern of social withdrawal and contributes to their fear of social contact.

Is there a cure?

The indicated treatment is psychotherapy. However, difficulties often arise, such as the sufferer being unmotivated and unwilling to change.

How Stepping Out can help:

Stepping Out have the facilities and staff to care for anybody suffering with Avoidant Personality Disorder. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out are able to provide home care, helping with daily tasks which a sufferer may find difficult. Avoidant Personality Disorder can sometimes be accompanied by other conditions and Stepping Out are aware of, and prepared to deal with such instances.
In extreme cases where the sufferer needs full-time support, Stepping Out provide their own 24-hour staffed housing accommodation, which are primarily based in north London and Hertfordshire.

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What is Autism?

By admin_ka No CommentsPosted in ConditionsTags: , , , , , , ,

Overview:

Autism is known as a complex developmental disability. Experts believe that Autism presents itself during the first three years of a person’s life. The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, affecting development of the person’s communication and social interaction skills. People with autism have issues with non-verbal communication, a wide range of social interactions, and activities that include an element of play and/or banter.

Autism is sometimes referred to as ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder/Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This covers a wide range of disorders all categorised under Autism/ASD. A person with an ASD typically has difficulty with social and communication skills.

The symptoms:

Autism (or ASD) is a wide-spectrum disorder. This means that no two people with autism will have exactly the same symptoms. As well as experiencing varying combinations of symptoms, some people will have mild symptoms while others will have severe ones. Below is a list of the most commonly found characteristics identified among people with an ASD.

However, the following may occur at an early age:

  • no babbling or pointing by age 1
  • no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
  • no response to name
  • loss of language or social skills
  • poor eye contact
  • excessive lining up of toys or objects
  • no smiling or social responsivenessAnd at a later ages:
  • inability to make friends with peers
  • absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
  • stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
  • restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
  • preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
  • inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals

What causes Autism?

General consensus among the medical and scientific community says that no true cure has yet been discovered for autism. On the other hand, many children who, having been diagnosed on the autism spectrum at a young age, later “outgrow” their diagnosis. Some writers and researchers claim that children with autism can be “recovered” (another term for cured) through specific biomedical treatments including special diets, supplements and other alternative methods. The question of whether and how these children were cured, however, is still open.

Is there a cure?

The general consensus among the medical and scientific community says that no true cure has been discovered for autism. However, many children who, having been diagnosed on the autism spectrum at a young age, can later “outgrow” their diagnosis. Some writers and researchers claim that children with autism can be “recovered” (cured) through specific biomedical treatments including special diets, supplements and other alternative methods. The question of whether and how these children were cured, however, is still open. So although there are promising avenues opening up for a possible cure for autism, as it stands today there is no cure.

How Stepping Out can help with autism care:

Stepping Out have the facilities and staff to care for anybody suffering with Autism. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out are able to provide home care, helping with daily tasks which an Autism sufferer may find difficult.
Or, in extreme cases where the sufferer needs full-time support, Stepping Out provide their own 24-hour staffed housing accommodation, which are primarily based in north London and Hertfordshire. If you would more information on autism care, contact Stepping Out.

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