diseases
Worth knowing about basic symptoms, syndromes (a collection of symptoms) as well as entire clinical pictures can be found here to get a first impression of some of the focal points of the practice.
Fears and agoraphobia
Fears have an important function in everyday life by drawing attention to potential dangers and helping to take protective measures at an early stage. In anxiety disorders, this “early warning system” is out of whack, and signals of physical danger are sent out for no apparent reason.
This is the case, for example, with agoraphobia or panic disorder. Agoraphobia is an intense fear of places and/or situations where leaving the situation would be difficult or very uncomfortable, or where help would be difficult or impossible to access (e.g. on an airplane, on public transport or in department stores). .
Panic disorder is characterized by recurring unexpected panic attacks. Sufferers experience repeated episodes of intense anxiety that begin very suddenly and peak within minutes. You feel helpless in the situation and experience a loss of control. Various physical symptoms are experienced during these panic attacks. These include heart palpitations, sweating, tremors, chest pain, dizziness and lightheadedness. During and after the panic attacks, those affected are very afraid of going “crazy” or dying. Agoraphobia and panic disorder can occur together or independently.
Individual panic attacks can also occur with other mental disorders, but if they occur more frequently, it is a panic disorder.
depressions
Depression is characterized above all by a depressed, pessimistic mood and a loss of interest and is often accompanied by a lack of drive. In many cases, this leads to social withdrawal. Despite a lack of energy, sufferers often have trouble sleeping. They often suffer from a loss of appetite and unintentionally lose weight. Concentration and attention problems are often the result. Many sufferers lose self-confidence and are tormented by feelings of worthlessness.
In particularly severe cases, depression can even turn into suicidal thoughts and -try to culminate. All of these symptoms can appear for a short time in the course of life (e.g. after severe strokes of fate). However, if they persist for more than a few days, and if you feel you cannot pull yourself out of this crisis, then it is important to seek professional advice.
There are many different forms of depression. It can be characterized by a one-off phase or by recurring episodes. In some of those affected, the depression is not as pronounced, but the depressed, pessimistic mood persists for years
Somatoform Disorders
Do you often have physical complaints over a longer period of time that cannot be clearly explained? Do these symptoms severely affect your everyday life? Do you go to the doctor very often in the hope that one day they might find a solution to your problems? Do you have various, persistent and recurring physical complaints for which no clear organic cause was found despite careful medical diagnostics?
There is no such thing as THE somatoform disorder. This term hides many different symptoms that lead to different diagnoses. The two most common somatoform disorders are pain disorders and somatization disorders.
Pain Disorder Here, severe, distressing, disabling pain is felt in at least one area of the body. There are only unclear or no medical reasons for this pain. This disorder is the most common of all somatoform disorders. Approximately one in ten suffers from a pain disorder at some point in their lives.
Somatization disorder This disorder is a combination of different complaints from the various areas already mentioned. About 8-9% of the population suffer from such a disorder at least once in their lives.
burnout
The term "burnout" comes from the English and means "to be burned out". Affected people feel mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted due to work-related or otherwise justified constant overload; Despite their best will, they can no longer or hardly cope with their tasks.
It is not uncommon for this feeling and the state of being "burned out" to be accompanied by restlessness, tension, inner emptiness, feelings of anxiety, sleep problems and low motivation for everyday tasks.
In the long term, work performance suffers massively, and there are usually frequent or long-lasting sick leave. Joie de vivre and self-esteem are also usually impaired.
trauma
A mental trauma means one heavy mental injury. You can be the result of one exceptionally stressful personal experience. Such an experience can have a traumatizing effect if your own possibilities to cope with the situation are not sufficient, and those affected are massively overwhelmed as a result. This creates an extremely high mental strain (stress). In such situations, people often feel fully helpless, experience great fear or are horrified.
Possible traumatizing events are Situations of exceptional threat or catastrophic proportions that would cause deep despair in almost everyone. Examples can be natural disasters, serious accidents, wars, the death of close relatives, life-threatening illnesses and physical or sexual violence.
People can be affected by extremely stressful events in a variety of ways. You can be affected yourself, have observed this (e.g. as a helper) or be affected by the news of the actual or imminent death of people close to you.
Many immediate psychological reactions to very stressful experiences are normal and not an expression of a mental illness. Whether an event has a traumatizing effect also depends on the circumstances and the individuals with their personal experiences. The sight of a seriously injured person can be traumatic for a passer-by, for example, while it is usually part of routine for rescue workers and is not experienced as traumatic. The social support that those affected experience after very stressful events also has a major influence on whether psychological problems (so-called trauma disorders) arise.
Seeks
The term addiction is fraught with prejudice in our society. Many of those affected find it difficult to admit their own dependence. Addiction is a disease that can have various causes. The consumption of “psychoactive substances” plays an important role in this. Psychoactive substances are substances that affect the human psyche. Some of these substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, medicines and other drugs, can lead to dependency. If these substances are consumed excessively, one speaks of a health-threatening abuse, which can lead to considerable social and professional difficulties.
One consequence of frequent substance abuse is addiction, which increasingly changes the everyday life of the person concerned. The substance is consumed in ever-increasing amounts or over longer periods of time. It is not uncommon for a “tolerance” to develop for the substance, which means that more and more has to be consumed in order to achieve the usual effect.
If not consumed for a long period of time, withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, sweating, cramps, etc. may occur. Those affected often try unsuccessfully to control the use of the substance or to stop it altogether. It is also characteristic of addiction disorders that the problems are concealed or played down.
obligation
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is usually divided into two forms: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts or images that keep coming up unintentionally. Those affected have the feeling that they have to give in to compulsive thoughts, for example carrying out certain counting rituals before the front door can be unlocked.
Compulsions are actions that “must” be done to prevent harm or a bad event, or to gain control over a situation. Common compulsions are intensive and excessively frequent washing or excessive checking, for example whether the stove is switched off or the door is properly locked. Victims return to the stove or door 10, 20, 50 times before the anxiety subsides. In some cases, people hold onto certain actions until the anxiety subsides, they are too exhausted to continue, or something or someone interrupts them.
obligation
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is usually divided into two forms: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts or images that keep coming up unintentionally. Those affected have the feeling that they have to give in to compulsive thoughts, for example carrying out certain counting rituals before the front door can be unlocked.
Compulsions are actions that “must” be done to prevent harm or a bad event, or to gain control over a situation. Common compulsions are intensive and excessively frequent washing or excessive checking, for example whether the stove is switched off or the door is properly locked. Victims return to the stove or door 10, 20, 50 times before the anxiety subsides. In some cases, people hold onto certain actions until the anxiety subsides, they are too exhausted to continue, or something or someone interrupts them.
obligation
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is usually divided into two forms: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts or images that keep coming up unintentionally. Those affected have the feeling that they have to give in to compulsive thoughts, for example carrying out certain counting rituals before the front door can be unlocked.
Compulsions are actions that “must” be done to prevent harm or a bad event, or to gain control over a situation. Common compulsions are intensive and excessively frequent washing or excessive checking, for example whether the stove is switched off or the door is properly locked. Victims return to the stove or door 10, 20, 50 times before the anxiety subsides. In some cases, people hold onto certain actions until the anxiety subsides, they are too exhausted to continue, or something or someone interrupts them.