THE '22 TIMES

Death can essentially be referred to as the cessation of vital processes in a person. Facing impending death can evoke many emotions in a person, and these emotions can differ vastly depending on age. One of many such emotions is death anxiety, also known as thanatophobia. Thanatophobia is characterized by the fear of one’s own death or the process of dying (B. Cadman, 2018).             There can be several ways to deal with death anxiety depending on the manifestation of it in patients. These manifestations may be physical, emotional, behavioral or cognitive. The most important step in managing anxiety is recognizing that it exists. After recognizing these signs, it is important to provide medical, psychological, social and spiritual support (C. Tidy, 2015).  It is important to note that though some patients may be open about their fears, others may not. The physical manifestations of death anxiety which include insomnia, palpitations and hyperventilation, can be allevia

Stress is something we can all relate to because at a certain point in time we have all had to deal with some amount of it. It is usually a transient overwhelming feeling of incapability in busy life periods but can easily become a chronic condition if left unresolved. It is so prevalent in our lives and so it becomes important for us to develop ways of dealing with it. Not dealing with stress properly whether it be by avoidance, drinking or smoking will eventually manifest as illnesses. It can increase the chance of hypertension, gastrointestinal issues and can also worsen conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, for those with children, chronic stress can put your children at risk of developing Asthma. Excessive stress can even cause premature death. This article will suggest some healthy and straightforward coping mechanisms. One method of coping with stress is known as the problem-focused coping approach or in other words is to actively alter the stressful

Technology has changed the way things are normally done in medicine and healthcare. Sometimes for the better, other times for worse. Technology has made collecting data and managing of health records easier with computerized methods instead of the age-old, hard copy hospital file which is quite difficult to find at times. Technology also makes us aware of ailments of global importance with social media updates to inform us of spread of these ailments and prevention techniques. Improvements in technology has aided to the discovery of cures for many diseases and better treatment methods for conditions such as cancers. All these may affect the paradigm of medicine we are used to in some ways. The true challenge however is the scourge of the internet and mobile phone applications that tend to replace the actual visit to the hospital or the input of a health professional. Doctor visits can be expensive and a bit inconvenient at times so why not just use the internet or an applicat

I come from a society that strongly believes in the proverb when two carry, it does not hurt . The strongest and most basic unit in the African society is the family. Family is our strength and our pride, it is our link to the past and a bridge to the future. The family unit is the rock that stays steady, it is the glue that binds and keeps individuals together. It is an institution that works! Due to the value the Ghanaian society places on the family, its role with regard to supportive care cannot be underestimated especially in the event of chronic illness. Chronic illnesses generally do not fix themselves and usually have no cure. For instance, heart disease and stroke can be life-threatening and may result in physical impairment requiring long-term lifestyle changes and intensive management. Families therefore, provide instrumental support such as transportation to the hospital, paying bills and assistance with the daily needs that are associated with the diagnosis (Given, 200

Mood disorders are a category of illnesses that describe a serious change in mood. Though many different subtypes are recognized, three major states of mood disorders exist: depressive, manic, and bipolar. Bipolar disorder previously referred to as manic depression is a multifactorial illness with uncertain aetiology. It is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs like depression and mania. The cycling between both depressed and manic moods is what characterises bipolar mood disorder. Epidemiology Epidemiological studies have suggested a lifetime prevalence of around 1% for bipolar type I in the general population. A large cross-sectional survey of 11 countries found the overall lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders was 2.4%, with a prevalence of 0.6% for bipolar type I and 0.4% for bipolar type II. There are several types of bipolar and related disorders including cyclothymic disorder but the two types of bipo

Feeling sad or anxious at certain times is a normal part of life. However when these feelings persist for more than two weeks, disrupting an individual’s relationships and daily routine, they could be considered as symptoms of depression (Pietrangelo et al., 2017). According to the World Health Organisation, about 300 million people around the world have depression (WHO, 2018). It is also estimated that 15% of the adult population will experience depression at some point in their life (Morin, 2019). These statistics therefore make depression one of the most common problems faced by populations worldwide. There are a lot of negative effects that depression has on the health of individuals. Research has documented many of these deleterious effects and this article will highlight a few of them. One major long term effect of depression is suicide. In the US, suicide is ranked as the 10th leading cause of death and the second cause of death among people ages 15-24 (Morin, 2019).

Stress can be said to be any physical, mental or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension (Whiteman, 2018). Stress is experienced in our everyday life and it is the body’s own way of adjusting to sudden changes in its demand. Stress could be from a stimulus in the environment, like meeting deadlines, expectations after a job done or may   be internal such as   from an illness   or due to a medical procedure. Whichever way, the body’s reactions remain the same irrespective of the stimulus. These reactions originate so as to alert the person of a possible danger and to mobilize the body’s response to the threat. Chronic exposure to the stress and subsequent reactions produced as a result become unhealthy for the individual. During stressful situations, the hypothalamus in the brain causes the pituitary to release adrenocorticotropic hormone. This hormone causes the release of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal glands. Cortisol causes les

There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds. - Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss That is all I want in life: for this pain to seem purposeful. - Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation Are you happy? You wake up, survive the morning traffic, begrudgingly get to work, achieve things at work, gain more responsibility but are you any happier? You get yelled at by your boss, struggle to meet deadlines, you work harder, gain even more responsibility, get paid even more all while counting down the seconds till the clock strikes 5, dreading the struggle of the impending traffic on the commute home, you are annoyed, you want to vent out your frustrations but the local culture reveres the emotionless and stoic man, so you put up a brave front, unbeknownst to anyone that it is just a façade, a feeble attempt at masking the massive emotional bleed within you. Are you happy? Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common