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Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Mental Health

mental health

Definition of mental health:
 A state of balance between the individual and the surrounding world, a state of harmony between oneself and others, a coexistence between the realities of the self and that of others people and that of environment.

Criteria (signs) of mentally healthy   persons
    1. Self satisfied:
        (i) He feels comfortable about himself.
        (ii) He feels reasonably secure.
     2. Self respected.
         (i) He knows his ability.
         (ii) He is ready to accept his shortcomings.
    
  3. Self confident:
                 (i)            He should not overestimate or underestimate himself.
               (ii)            He should grow interest to himself and his surroundings.
             (iii)            He should able to take decision and can stay on it.
   
4. Self controlled:
                 (i)            He holds his own emotions (fear, anger, joy, guilt and love etc.)
               (ii)            He should be able to tolerate criticism by others.
5. Self conscious:
                 (i)            He is conscious about the environment and can adjust with it.
               (ii)            He feels himself as a part of the society and takes interest of other as well as takes hardship responsibilities for them.
      
6. Self adjusted:
   (i) He should enjoy his marital relationship with love and care; also bring up his offspring’s with love and affection.
  (ii) He is friendly with everybody.
  (iii) He trusts others.
7. He is not nervous of unknown future.

Types of ill mental conditions:

   1. Psychiatric conditions
      Broadly mental disease (psychiatric conditions) may be divided into 2 groups.
   i. Major disorders:
a)      Schizophrenia
b)      Manic depressive psychosis
c)      Paronia
ii. Minor disorders:
     (a) Neurosis or psychoneurosis
     (b) Personality and character disorders.

2. Pre – psychiatric conditions
      (i) Inability to take decision
      (ii) Inability to take responsibility
      (iii) Inability to make and keep friends
      (iv) Inability to expose fear
n  Additional pre – psychiatric conditions :
i.   Always worried
ii.   Unable to concentrate
iii. Continuously unhappy without any justified       cause
iv. Lose temper easily
v. Regular insomnia
vi. Wide fluctuation of mood from depreciation to elevation.

Difference between major and minor illness:


Major
Minor
1.       
The patients are insane.

The patients are insane.
2.       
They are detached from Reality.
They are not detached from reality.
3.       
They are detached from Reality.
They should be allowed to peruse a normal life.


Epidemiology of mental diseases:
  • A.    Age and sex distribution
  • B.     Marital status
  • C.    Socio – economic condition
  • D.    Occupation
  • E.     Contributory factors


A.    Age and sex distribution
      Age: In Bangladesh mental disease is common in 20 – 40 years due to strain of puberty, adolescence, marriage and wage earning.

      Sex: Common mental diseases are prevalent in females; unusual diseases are common in males.
  1. Marital State: Married persons, widows and divorces have more problems.
  2. Socio – economic factors: Mental diseases are highest in low income group, moderate in middle class and low in high income group.
  3. Occupation: Neurosis is more common in educationists, doctors, administrators and executives than in laborers. Psychosis is more common among laborers.

Preventive mental health:
 A. Levels of preventive psychiatry
       i. Primary
       ii. Secondary
       iii. Tertiary
 B. Procedures of achieving objects of   preventive psychiatry
        1.      We can effect primary prevention by –
a.       Improving the living condition and social and social environment.
b.      Tackling emotional problems due to maladjustments.
c.       Promoting physical wellbeing.

        2.      We can effect secondary prevention by –
Early diagnosis of mental illness and of social and emotional disturbances this can be achieved through-
(a) Screening programmers in
       (i)   Educational institutes
       (ii)  Industry and
       (iii) Defined community
The following are entrusted in diagnosis:
    -- Parents
    -- Moulabi saheb
    -- Law enforcing officer e.g. police officer
    -- Lawyer
    -- Labour leader
  
(b) Family counseling, offered by family based health services.
(c) Treatment intervention by specialists.

3. We can effect tertiary prevention by –
    (a) After care supervision and help for livelihood of the discharges parson.
    (b) Prevention of reappearance of illness by coping with stress. 




All About Physical Therapy Aides


Physical therapy aides, also called assistants work alongside physical therapists to help rehabilitation patients. They work with a variety of people from injured athletes to disabled children and the elderly. Their duties include helping patients with exercises, giving massages, applying hot and cold packs, and recording patient progress for the physical therapist. They may have to work on evenings and weekends, as those are the times when patients are more likely available for rehabilitation appointments.


Education

To become a physical therapy aide, you’ll need a strong background in science and an associate’s degree to become a physical therapy aide. You may also be required to have an internship at a physical therapy clinic or hospital to gain some experience in the field. For someone considering becoming a physical therapist, a job as a physical therapy aide is a good place to start. In order to become a licensed physical therapist, you need at least a bachelor’s degree.


Skills

Physical therapy aides must be patient, good communicators, and in good physical shape. Much of their job involves giving patients instructions and helping them perform exercises, which requires these skills.


Salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average salary of a physical therapy aide in 2009 was $48,590.


Job Prospects

Job prospects for physical therapy aides are expected to be much better than average. With the aging baby boomer population, more people will need physical therapy and rehabilitation services. There are also lots of jobs for physical therapy aides because they can do much of the work that a physical therapist can do for less money.
Brenda Lawrence is a physical therapist whose specialties include rehabilitation and weight loss. She owns the site <a href=http://www.physicaltherapyaide.org>Physical Therapy Aide</a> for students interested in a career as a physical therapy aide.

Saturday, 14 January 2012

Immunity


Immunity
Immunity is the relative ability of the body to resist almost all types of organism or toxins that tend to damage the tissues and organs.

   

Immunity is also defined as the ability of the body to recognize, destroy and eliminate the antigenic material foreign to its own. It is normally a defensive mechanism of the body.
   
Antigen: An antigen is a substance which when introduced into the system is capable of including an immune response leading to the formation of antibody with which it reacts specifically.
    
Antibody: An antibody is a modified globulin (immunoglobulin) produced in response to an antigen with which it reacts specifically.
    
Immunization: It is a technique by which immunizing agents are introduced into the body for the production of antibody to prevent diseases.
  
Toxin: It is the product of bacterial metabolism and is toxic, i.e., inhibitory or lethal to the cells of the host.

Toxin may be –
    (i) endotoxin
    (ii) exotoxin
   
Toxoid: It is a derivative of the toxin which is devoid of toxigenicity but still possessing the antigenicity.Toxic are used for the purpose of immunization.
   Examples: Tetanus toxoids, diptheria toxoids


Classification of immunity:
  • Innate or nonspecific
  1. Genetic
  2. Mechanical
  3. Humoral
  4. Cellular
  • Acquired or specific
a.Active
  1. Natural
  2. Artificial
b.Passive
  1. Natural
  2. Artificial


Cold chain:

Definition: Cold chain is a system of storage and transport of vaccine at low temperature maintaining their potency from the manufacturer to the actual vaccination site.

Usefulness: Cold chain is necessary because vaccine failure may occur due to failure to store and transport under strict temperature controls.
Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) / universal child immunization
  1. Introduction
Ø  In May 1974, the WHO officially launched a global immunization programme, known as ‘Expanded Programme on Immunization’ (EPI) to protect all children of the world against six vaccine preventable diseases, namely – diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis and measles by he year 2000.
Ø  In Bangladesh, EPI was formally launched on 7th April 1979. The following Table shows the achievements and targets of EPI under 1 year in Bangladesh.
  1.   National EPI Policies
  2.    1. To immunize all children under one year of age throughout the country.
  3.    2. To immunize all women of child bearing age including the pregnant women throughout the country.
  4.    3. To extend service delivery point up to the community to cover all target population.
  5.    4. To involve community level health and family planning workers as vaccination.

Table 14.13. National EPI Vaccination Schedule:

Name of the vaccine
Quantity for each dose
Interval between doses
Number of doses
Time of starting
Time of complementation

BCG
0.05ml

1
After birth
1 year

DPT
0.05ml
4 weeks
3
6 weeks
1year

HBV
0.05ml
4 weeks
3
6 weeks


OPV
0.05ml
4 weeks
4
6 weeks
1 year

Measles
0.05ml

1
After 270 days
1 year



  • Vaccination should be completed within 1 year of age.
  • The vaccine given before the interval between doses is uncountable and that dose of vaccine is valueless.
  • Doses of OPV are 4. The 4th dose should be with measles vaccine.
  • There is no maximum limit of days between intervals of doses. If there is delay in coming to take the scheduled dose of vaccine, the vaccination should be completed according to vaccination schedule.  


Disinfection and disinfectants

  • Disinfection is the killing of infectious agents outside the body by direct exposure to disinfectants.
  • Disinfectants or germicide is a substance which destroys harmful microbes (not usually spores) present on the surface of inanimate objects.
  • Sterilization is the process of destroying all living organism – pathogenic and non – pathogenic including their spores.
  • Antiseptic is a substance which destroys or inhibits the growth of potentially infectious microorganisms.
  • Disinfestations is the process of destroying small animals particularly arthropods or rodents.


Classification of disinfectants:


  • Natural
  1. Fresh air
  2. Sunlight
  • Physical
  1. Heart
  2. Radiation
  • Chemical
  1. Solid
  2. Liquid
  3. Gaseous





Saturday, 7 January 2012

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS

  
Occupational health hazards may be divided into five types:
   (i) Physical hazards
   (ii) Chemical hazards
   (iii) Biological hazards
   (iv) Mechanical Hazards, and
   (v) Psychological hazards

A.    Chemical hazards
Arsenic

Skin disorders, Lung cancer
Peripheral neuropathy

Beryllium

Beryllium can cause pneumonitis and inflammation of : conjunctive, nasal pharynx, trachea, bronchi.

Cadmium

Pneumonitis, pulmonary oedema,lung disease, renal tubular damage.

Lead

Nervous system abnormalities , anaemia , Nephropathy

Mercury

Neurological disturbances, renal abnormalities, skin and mucous membrane abnormalities.


B.     Physical hazards
Heat

Burn, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps

Cold

Change in skin, erythrocyanosis, frostbite, general hypothermia.

Vibration

Dead hand, finger tremor

Ultraviolet radiation

Intense  conjunctivitis, keratitis

Light
Lacrimation, congestion around cornea, eye fatigue.

Noise

Auditory, fatigue, deafness

Physical agents

Hazards

Lonizing radiation

Genetic changes, malformation, cancer, leukaemia

Altitude
n   High altitude
n   Low altitude

Pulmory oedema
Air embolism


Biological Hazards
 1. Bacterial diseases:
    a. Brucellosis
    b. Leptospirosis
    c. Anthrax
    d. Tetanus
    e.Tuberculosis.
 2. Rickettsial and chlamydial diseases:
    a. Rocky mountain spotted fever,
    b. Q fever
3. Viral diseases:
    a. Hepatitis
    b. Rabies
4. Fungal diseases:
    a. Coccidioidomycosis
    b. Histoplasmosis
    c. Candidiasis
    d. Aspergillosis
  5. Parasitic diseases
     a. Hook worm infestation
     b. Ascariasis
D. Mechanical hazard due to machineries in the industry
    1. Crushed injury
    2. Different types of accident.

E. Psychological hazards
    1. Psychosis
     2. Hypertension
     3. Peptic ulcer


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