It is difficult to pinpoint any one cause for this symptom; there can be so many. Stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine or nicotine induce wakefulness, not drowsiness. Restless legs or a partner’s snoring are other common causes. Certain medications treat other medical complications, but bring on Insomnia as a side effect—analgesics to relieve pain, over-the-counter cough and cold preparations, anxiety, schizophrenia and depression.

Some individuals just go through a “transient” phase, lasting for less than a week; others go through a “short-term” phase, lasting for one to three weeks; and yet others become victims of “chronic Insomnia” that lasts for longer than three weeks.

The reasons for the transient and short-term phases are almost similar—dwelling in mountainous regions, jet lag, inability to adjust to the room temperature (too cold or too hot), noisy surroundings, stressful thoughts, a change in shift at work, recovering from acute illness or surgery, or withdrawal from substance abuse.

Chronic Insomnia sufferers will have to probe for deeper causes. The reasons may be physiological or psychological. As far as physiological reasons go, it could be a circadian rhythm disorder or an imbalance between sleeping and waking. Painful medical conditions come in the way of restful sleep. Psychological causes are stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Clinical trials are underway to find a cure for this ailment.

Victims of sleeplessness exhibit difficulty in concentrating on tasks, inability to remember things, impaired motor coordination, irritation, and hesitancy to interact with others. And all these signs are visible in the daytime. Drivers are at greater risk, for they cause motor vehicle accidents.

While Insomnia can attack all ages, it is more common in women than in men. These individuals are at a higher risk of getting this symptom—aged people, young students, pregnant women, travelers, shift workers and menopausal women.

Dosing oneself with sleeping pills is not the answer to Insomnia. Of course, the physician may prescribe sedatives or tranquilizers or drugs used to treat severe mental illnesses, based on the underlying causes.

Doctors also advise sleep restriction. The person is made to wake up earlier than usual, to lessen the amount of sleep. This will ensure good rest on the subsequent nights. If it is a case of disturbance in circadian rhythms, they have to be re-balanced. It is good to go to bed in a relaxed frame of mind—meditate, listen to soothing music, practice relaxing techniques, or have a nightcap. Making suitable adjustments to the environment also helps. If all these techniques fail, the last resort is hospitalization. However, it is very important to follow up with the physician for a complete cure.

An exploration of the brain stem (the part of the brain that continues with the spinal cord) will reveal a small region known as Substantia nigra or the black substance. An important chemical is released here—Dopamine. This substance allows effective communication of messages from one nerve cell (neuron) to another, resulting in balanced and well-coordinated muscle movements. Reduce the amount of Dopamine, and what happens? The nerves begin to transmit mixed or incomplete messages from the central nervous system to the limbs. The individual suffers a complete loss of control—slow and uncoordinated movements, stiffness in limbs, rigidity and tremors.

The nerves that relay information from the brain to the limbs are referred to as motor nerves. So motor symptoms are more obvious in a person with Parkinson’s disease—difficulty in getting up from a seated position, walking with a stooped and shuffling gait, reduction in arm swinging when walking, bradykinesia or slowed movements, stiffness of muscles, lack of facial expressions, freezing in place (rigidity), resting tremor (the limbs shake even when the individual is not moving), and postural instability. The writing is extremely small and illegible.

It does not stop with motor symptoms only. With everything going wrong, the patient is bound to be depressed and suffer from sleep disturbances. Physiological symptoms are—urinary frequency, constipation, decreased sense of smell, drooling, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and cramped and painful feet. The person is almost inaudible in speech; so others cannot comprehend easily.

More common in women than men, the onslaught on the nerve cells generally begins after 60 years of age. It rarely attacks anyone below 30 years of age. Genetic transfer is rare. Whether mild or severe in nature, Parkinson’s disease is a long-term affliction and needs to be treated with care. With the hope of knowing more about this illness, many laboratories and researchers are conducting clinical trials.

Specific drugs can provide a significant amount of relief to patients. In case the response to drugs is poor, surgery is recommended. Known as Deep Brain Stimulation, this procedure helps to alleviate the fluctuations in symptoms.

There are non-pharmacological treatments too for Parkinson’s disease. The physiological symptoms are tackled by the concerned doctors. Specific therapists involved in the treatment are a physical therapist, speech or language therapist and an occupational therapist. Mobility aids or Orthotics may be used by the physical therapist to regulate movements and improve posture, as well as stretch and strengthen the weakened muscles. Specific voice training programs that have specifically designed for the patients of Parkinson’s disease are utilized by the speech or language therapist. It is the goal of the occupational therapist to ensure better motor coordination. So the prognosis ought to be quite good, isn’t it? 

With the destruction of nerve cells in the brain, its functioning becomes impaired. It is the seat of emotions that is largely affected; hence, bipolar disorder. This peculiar mental illness can destroy performances in educational institutions, cause work to suffer, affect normal relationships badly and result in umpteen suicides.

Now, what exactly is witnessed in an individual suffering from Bipolar disorder?

During a manic mood episode, the person is on an emotional high, so much so that there is an unrealistic perception of one’s own powers and capabilities. The word, “failure” does not exist in this patient’s dictionary. Sleep is limited due to enhanced energy and a deep sense of restlessness. Thoughts keep running into one another, and there is difficulty concentrating. The rapidity with which the person speaks indicates poor judgment and grandiose ideas. Overt behavior may be extremely irritable or extremely provocative.

The depressed mood episode is just the reverse. There is absolutely no motivation to do anything. The individual is unable to sleep, since he/she is depressed over his own sense of worthlessness. Daily tasks seem tedious and difficult. The ultimate state is where the individual is contemplating suicide. These symptoms may not disappear within a day; they may last for one or two weeks too.

Since school has been mentioned so often, it is easy to comprehend that Bipolar disorder attacks those in their late teens or in early adulthood. It is possible to exhibit symptoms even during childhood, or quite late in life. But the majority of cases are below 25 years of age.

The illness can be a lifelong one, but with good treatment, the victims can deal with their erratic moods in a much better way, and even get back to productive lifestyles. There are mood stabilizers that have to be taken regularly. It has to be stated here that the illness can recur, but the patient can be re-treated. Current clinical trials may yet come up with a miracle drug to cure Bipolar disorder completely.

It is important that all those involved in the individual’s treatment—psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse and family members—keep track of the medications and treatment. It helps to have a chart to record daily mood swings, sleep patterns and so on. The psychiatrist then finds it helpful to stick to the same drugs or to change the course of treatment, accordingly. And of course, psychotherapy forms a very essential part of the treatment too.

Dementia starts with a loss of memory. Gradually, there is a loss of cognitive functions such as learning, perception and reasoning. It is a disorder, for it really cannot be termed a disease. Routine activities or the activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing and feeding become difficult to tackle. Household chores cannot be performed to satisfaction. Since the brain is affected, there is no control over emotions. In severe cases, even the personality may undergo unexpected changes.

Abnormal functioning of the brain could be due to prior medical complications such as head injuries, chronic diseases and infections, strokes, overdose and continuous use of strong drugs, and even nutritional deficiencies. Depending on the extent of damage, the disorder can be mild, intermediate or severe. The earliest stage is recognizable because of difficulty in verbal expression, inability to perform the simplest of tasks, misplacement of things, sudden forgetfulness, refusal to socialize, rapid mood swings and disorientation.

In the intermediate stage, there is an increase in the severity of the symptoms mentioned above, along with sleep disturbance and the inability to absorb or retain information. The individual’s behavioral patterns may become difficult to handle—anxiety, depression, agitation, aggression, delusions and hallucinations. Even sexual behavior cannot be termed appropriate. Naturally, the senile patient is prone to accidents because of confusion and disorientation.

As far as the advanced stage of the disorder goes, the individual becomes totally dependent on a caregiver, so much so that walking or moving about alone is also an impossible task. Along with a total loss of memory, both short-term and long-term, there are physiological complications—difficulty in swallowing, malnutrition, dehydration, increased risk of aspiration and choking, injuries due to accidents or falls, loss of control over bladder, seizures, infections and sores, and so on.

The majority of the victims of Dementia in the US alone, are beyond 85 years of age (30% to 50%); just around 1% of those aged between 60 and 64 are affected. To prevent the numbers going up in future, clinical trials and researchers are hunting for permanent cures.

Now, this is not to say that Dementia has no treatment, or that its effects cannot be reversed. Medications can reverse the process, if not completely, at least partially. It is also possible to cure this disorder via cognitive-behavioral therapy, involving the patient and his/her family members. Retraining and reversal of former behavioral patterns will help the individual, as much as the family, in coping better with the illness.

Schizoaffective disorder is not a very common occurrence, and there is some controversy regarding the exact cause. Observation has revealed that parents with a previous history of the same disorder can pass it on to their children too; heredity/genetics is the contributing factor in this case. Immature individuals, who succumb to stress easily or cannot form relationships easily, are easy victims too. So, environmental factors can bring about Schizoaffective disorder. Sometimes, the imbalanced chemistry in the brain is the culprit. There are certain substances known as neurotransmitters in the brain; their function is to transfer messages from one nerve cell to another. If these chemicals are disturbed, wrong messages or incomplete messages are sent out.

The symptoms of Schizoaffective disorder are extremely varied. The signs of schizophrenia are all there—poor diction and poor communication, absence of facial expressions while speaking, complete immobility or dragging movements, presence of delusions/hallucinations and the refusal to accept reality, lack of motivation and general indulgence in odd behavior. The maniac is just the reverse—rapidity in speech, disarranged or racing thoughts, presence of a superiority complex, exhibition of agitation and restlessness in relation to work, social activity and even sexual activity, easily distracted and general indulgence in behavior that can prove dangerous to self or to others. In an advanced stage, the individual can contemplate suicide due to extreme depression and a general feeling of worthlessness. Sleeping patterns are very disturbed. Thus, all areas of life are affected.

This mental disorder does not affect the aged in general; it affects people between the ages of 16 and 30. Women get it more frequently than men. Children rarely fall prey to it.

Medications are required for stabilizing the mood swings. The choice of drugs can be varied, ranging from anti-depressants to anti-psychotics. Schizoaffective disorder cannot be treated only with medications, however. It is necessary to get the individual and family together for group counseling. Individual psychotherapy is also practiced. It is advisable to give training in special skills so that the patient can concentrate more on work and forget about illness. Hospitalization is advised for the severely affected.

This is a life-long disorder and chances of relapses are there, despite proper treatment. But social functioning is improved, and the person learns to deal with his/her illness. Hopefully, clinical trials and research may yet provide a complete cure in the future.

These are quite common occurrences, however, and not really a cause for worry. The trouble begins when these lapses in memory begin to increase in frequency and other complications make their appearance. Medical experts refer to this as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Now, there is a specific protein known as beta-amyloid protein, which circulates in human blood, as well as the cerebrospinal fluid. Suddenly one day, this protein decides to make its home in the brain, the area which is responsible for our thoughts, language and memory. As a result, the nerve cells here begin to die.

The process is slow, for the manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease are visible only after the age of sixty and beyond. Recent events are just wiped off from memory. Familiar faces seem unfamiliar, and even names are forgotten. After some time, even family members are treated as strangers. Routine daily tasks such as combing the hair or brushing the teeth are skipped because the person cannot remember. The severity of the disease can be understood when there is no lucidity in speech, and reading and writing become difficult tasks to perform. The individual may wander away from home and fail to return, or even forget the way. When anxiety and aggression become dominant features of the person’s personality, it is time to seriously think about a personal caregiver or admission into a skilled care facility. Thus, planning, reasoning, sense of judgment, language and perception—are all affected.

As with other diseases, Alzheimer’s disease can be hereditary. If a family member has already had it, it is possible to be passed on. Fortunately, this is still a rare occurrence.  For those who are already suffering from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure or hypertension, diabetes or obesity, Alzheimer’s disease is an associated risk factor. Those afflicted with Down’s syndrome have no escape; the illness is going to hit them by age forty. A surprising new fact that has come to light is that someone with less than eight years of education could also succumb to this disease.

Considering that there is still much to be discovered about this disease, doctors cannot promise a surefire treatment to cure it. After all, it is associated with aging. But, there are specific drugs that can delay the process and offer a better prognosis. Most important of all, one can take heart from the fact that every aged person need not necessarily fall prey to Alzheimer’s disease; it chooses its targets.

One of the main differences is that this type of headache can last for several hours at a time and sometime are accompanied with an intense throbbing pain to the sides of the forehead.  For some people it may even last for several days.  The person that is suffering from a migraine will most likely have a very difficult time functioning normally in his or her daily life. In some cases it can be very difficult to complete even the simplest of tasks because it may be difficult to keep one’s eyes open when suffering from this sort of pain.

Excruciating pain in the head is usually not the only pain that is experienced by migraine sufferers.  Most individuals will also report tingling in their arms, flashes of light, and difficulty in speaking and thinking straight.  An upset stomach, vomiting or even a severe sensitivity to light and noise may also be present.

Unfortunately, another fact is that at this time there is no known cure for this type of pain.  Many sufferers will report that they have success with medications that can reduce the symptoms they are experiencing, or the frequency of headaches may also be reduced significantly.

For many, the difficult lies in determining the triggers for these sort of headaches and hoping that by doing so they can eliminate them from their lives so that they can get back to their lives. By simply charting your activities, the food you eat, there is a chance that you might be able to identify patterns that may become an effective way to decrease their occurrences.  For some individuals it may be as simple as removing certain foods from their diet while for others they may need to work on decreasing some of the stress that they are experiencing in their lives or even change your environment completely.  

If you suffer from migraines, or know someone that does, it is highly recommended that you seek out a health care professional to help you move towards a finding some relief. 

Schizophrenia is actually a brain disorder that can be very debilitating and it affects approximately one percent of the general population. This condition does not show any prejudice against men or women but most of the time men seem to develop the symptoms much earlier than women do.  These symptoms can generally be very frightening for the individual that must deal with them since he or she may begin to hear voices or believe that others are actually controlling their minds. Because they may often become unorganized, seem distracted, or may even engage with the voices they hear, they may frighten others that are around them.

There are a few very important things that people need to remember when it comes to schizophrenia.  First and foremost, the symptoms that a person may experience will vary from person to person, depending on the type of symptom and severity of which the person is experiencing. It is important to also note that people suffering from this condition may never fully recover from the symptoms that they are having but will rather have to learn to live with them.  This means that they will need to learn how to manage their lives and cope with the situation that they facing. This can be a very lonely and daunting thing to have to deal with. Friends and family members will need to remain positive and help reinforce a supporting environment in which this can occur.

It is very important to remind yourself that your loved one is still a person no matter what he or she may be experiencing. You may need to learn more about the world as it is viewed through the lens of the person suffering from this disease so that you can better deal with issues as they arise. The following is a list of things that you will need to keep in mind when dealing with schizophrenia.

•    Their reality is actually much different than yours.  He or she may be suffering from hallucinations or delusions so you will want to remember that if the person seems to be distant or preoccupied it is because they are engaging with an alternate reality that is not actually real.

•    This person will not be able to focus or to concentrate like they once did so at times it might be difficult  for him or her to do their job or to perform the tasks that they once did with ease.

•    That he or she may become insensitive or desensitized to the world around them and people in general, becoming rude or acting like they do not care about the world around them.

The sooner that you understand what is taking place, the better off you will be when it comes to supporting this person and dealing with your own thoughts and feelings related to this condition. If you suspect that you or someone you know has this condition it is important to seek out medical advice. There may be suitable medication and programs that will help minimize the symptoms and make life generally easier for everyone.

Diabetic neuropathy is a term used to describe nerve damage in the legs and feet of someone that has diabetes.  There are numerous symptoms that an individual may experience if they are suffering from this condition.  Some people may have numbness in these areas, while others may experience a lot of pain.  Either one of these things conditions can be very uncomfortable for the person and can result in more issues later down the road.

When someone is suffering from diabetes, they need to understand that their blood vessels and nerves interact with one another in a very complex manner that is helping to cause this condition.  While this interaction is not fully understood by professionals, it is thought to be one of the main causes of diabetic neuropathy.  High sugar content in the blood also makes it very difficult for the individual’s nerves to work the way that they are supposed to and makes it difficult for them to send messages to the brain and other areas of the body like they need to.

There are a few other things that have been known to contribute to diabetic neuropathy.  Some of these cannot be controlled by the individual but some can, so it is important to mention them here.  For example, a family history of nerve damage may be part of the problem.  This is a genetic factor that a person does not have any control over.  However, smoking and drinking can also result in nerve damage and it is therefore recommended that people suffering from this condition refrain from doing so.

Any person that is suffering from diabetes will want to pay very close attention to the way that their legs and feet feel.  They will want to let their health care provider know if they are suffering from any numbness, tingling, pain, or swelling. As soon as any symptom does appear it is recommended that they consult a doctor as soon as possible to ensure that the possibility of diabetic neuropathy discovered and treated sooner rather than later.

First of all, individuals that suffer from depression need to realize that everyone is different.  It may affect you one way but it can have a completely different effect on someone else.  Sometimes people feel like they are very tired and have no energy and may even find it difficult to concentrate and complete normal everyday tasks.  Other individuals may display signs of extreme irritability and agitation, and may snap with outbursts of anger, feeling like the whole world is working against them. In many cases they will be in denial of their feelings and will tend to shy away from interacting with people.  No matter what type of symptoms you or someone you know experiences, if they continue for two weeks or more, you need to contact a doctor and to help assess the situation and to determine what you may be able to do in order to feel better.

It is not uncommon for people to become even more depressed when they discover that they have clinical depression.  They feel like they are defective in some way and may even become angry because they do not know why they have to deal with such a terrible feeling all of the time. It can become a vicious cycle that in some extreme cases can lead to suicide, which is why this condition should not be taken lightly.

In order to help decrease some of these negative feelings, it is important to fully understand what can cause depression.  Most people may be surprised to find that it may be caused by something that they really do not have any control over. One common cause may be a family history of depression which would make one more susceptible to it. Having a family history may also help you better understand how to cope with it and may help family members provide better support. Other causes may include a traumatic event or stress in your life. To reduce the effects of this will require you to work through this trauma and deal with it, rather than avoid, in order to begin feeling better.

One way to reduce depression and its symptoms is to watch your thoughts. For example, someone that continually has a negative outlook on life may become depressed. So for this person, it may be very important to begin changing his or her thinking and catch themselves when this happens. Happy thoughts, even if you are faking it, can lead towards having a healthier, happier, life.  While this is not necessarily a cure, it does help. Sometimes surrounding yourself with positive people will also help uplift you rather than perpetuate your condition.

Before you begin working towards any type of treatment, you need to receive an accurate diagnosis.  Then you will want to educate yourself as much as possible. Work with professionals to learn about all of your options and just know that treatment can take time. Simply remain patient and know that any life situation can be overcome and that your condition does not define who you are.