How Can I Fight Facebook Addiction?

You have come to find that when you wake up, the first thing that comes to mind is Facebook. When you walk out of the house, you can't even manage to move a long distance without updating your Facebook status or checking up the recent posts from your friends and contacts. Are you a victim of Facebook addiction? Is your situation beyond correction?
Serious signs of Facebook addiction
If you are a victim of Facebook addiction, there are some sure signs that can show you that you need to do something quickly. The commonest ones include the following:
1. Spending long hours on Facebook: You can even spend a full day on Facebook without caring about other important activities which might suffer in the process.
2. Failure to accept Facebook absence: When there is no Facebook, you just feel a sickening yearning that motivates you to go to any lengths just to have access to Facebook.
3. Updating your status at awkward times: You don't seem to care that much about where you are when you want to update your status. Even when you are in class, church, attending some serious gathering, you still want to have access to this social network.
4. Endless glances at your Facebook wall: This is normal when it strictly monitored. But the problem comes in when it is too often to allow you to focus on important activities.
5. Attempting to comment or like every status: You get involved in almost every conversation you come across. In the end, you are also forced to constantly check up on what others are posting.
Dangers of Facebook addiction
The word addiction usually indicates that there is a problem that needs immediate attention. Therefore, the famous dangers of Facebook addiction include the following:

• Failure to concentrate: You will find it very difficult to focus because you are always involved in multi-tasking. Even studying or concentrating in class becomes a real challenge and your performance gets affected.
• Fatal accidents on the road: Some of the deadliest road accidents occur because of people on social networks while driving. This is almost the same as drinking and driving because your attention gets divided.
• Loss of real friends: Unfortunately, if you are always on a social network, people around you find it difficult to communicate with you. This easily leads to strained relationships and loss of friends.
• Taking matters casually: Even when a matter is serious, as long as it comes when you are on Facebook, you won't give it the needed attention. This means that even your assignments will suffer because of Facebook.
• Loss of reliability: If your boss comes to find that you are always on Facebook, that might give him enough reason to avoid giving you a post. Unless your work deals with social networking, your employer can easily lose confidence and trust in you because your efficiency reduces.

Get over the addiction today
There are no mysteries when it comes to fighting Facebook addition. First, you need to adjust your mindset by opening other physical avenues of socializing which are not even related to the internet. This includes activities like, walking, exercising, reading interesting books and many other activities. To do this, you need to give a specific time frame specifically for Facebook. Then the rest of it goes to other more critical activities which can keep you occupied and excited. Improve on your relationships with people you meet physically and organise activities that will keep you focused all the time. There are no pills that should cure this addiction. The whole remedy lies in your hands and right in your mental status or attitude.

Ernest Mwaba has written many articles about academic issues, relationships, general knowledge and consumer related issues. You can read more of his articles at http://wwwmwabaernest.blogspot.com/

OCD Schizophrenia - The Fact Behind Differences and Similarities

By Sigmond Powell

Schizophrenia and Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are not alike. Yes, you've read it right. They are two different things but often co-occur with one another. Statistics show that approximately 15 out of 100 people who suffer from OCD also have schizophrenia.
What really is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a grave mental sickness characterized by a gradual breakdown in a man's process of thinking and emotional awareness. This is believed to be influenced by risk factors such as heredity, depression, environment, drug addiction and a remarkable increase of dopamine levels in the brain. Signs and symptoms are typically manifested during childhood and young adulthood which include hallucinations, paranoid delusions, disorganized speech and catatonia. These in turn result in a person's both social and occupational dysfunction. Schizophrenia is being classified by health professionals into paranoid type, disorganized type, catatonic type, undifferentiated type, residual type, according to the individual's existing and presenting signs and symptoms. People who suffer from schizophrenia often have big troubles in establishing and maintaining both personal and public relationships. If the situation happens to get worse, hospitalization is often necessary.
OCD and Schizophrenia: Compared
While these two disorders equally affect both males and females they are often mistaken and interchanged, OCD as schizophrenia or schizophrenia as OCD. This is because obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia have a lot of things in common and their manifesting signs and symptoms often overlap, same as with the concerned pharmacotherapy and the brain area being affected by both disorder. It is important to note, however, that many clinical studies show that those who suffer from OCD are less likely to develop schizophrenia, although those with schizophrenia are more likely to develop OCD.
In some cases, symptoms of OCD and schizophrenia may overlap adding to the difficulty of exploring and finding out the clear relationship between these two disorders. However, one significant manifestation of schizophrenia is the presence of delusions. Delusions are truly false irrational thoughts or beliefs contained by the sufferer even with the presence of strong evidences that suggests those are incorrect. While obsessions in OCD are usually associated with ideas of contamination, sexual impulses, symmetry or asymmetry, and hoarding things, delusions on the other hand are typically related to illogical thoughts of being a super hero with special powers and ideology associated with persecution wherein the individual with schizophrenia believes that whatever is happening around has always have something to do with him or her.
As it is difficult to diagnose the illness ourselves, it is much advisable to consult experts. Seeking help from a respected psychologist or psychiatrist would be better. They are the ones most eligible in finding natural, traditional, and modern techniques in the course treatment of OCD Schizophrenia.

The author is a psychology teacher for 15 long years and have had taught many about this field. She believes that despite technological advancements, we should not set aside natural ways of healing. To know more about natural and safe alternatives for addressing OCD SCHIZOPHRENIA, CLICK HERE.

Depressed or Lazy?

By Anna Brown

Anyone with a teen knows the constant battle to motivate them. The constant struggle with the laziness and un-cooperation of the teen years. As parents, we have to stay vigilante to be sure whether they are depressed or lazy.
Teenage depression rates are very high. It really is no wonder with all the added stress of hormones, peer pressure, chores, and homework along with any extra curricular activities. Add to that the fear of failure and the pressure of deciding what to do with the rest of your life.
The signs of teenage depression are actually different from adult or childhood depression. These signs often make them appear as if they have become very lazy.
Unfortunately, they may not even realize that they are depressed. The idea of needing help for it will not occur to them if they do not understand how serious an illness it is.
Most often, it is up to the adults in their lives to figure out whether they really are depressed or lazy. To do this, we must watch for and recognize the symptoms of depression in teenagers.
These signs may vary between the sexes, but there are some symptoms that are common to both male and female teens.
Signs of Depression That Are Usually Common to Both Sexes:

1. Excessively negative
2. Antisocial behavior
3. Retreating to their rooms constantly, or wanting to leave home
4. Carelessness about their appearance.
5. Disinterest in family get-togethers and activities.

Signs of Depression That Are Usually More Common in Males:

1. Unusual aggression and agitation.
2. Getting into trouble at school or with the law
3. Reckless behavior including misusing illegal substances

Signs of Depression That Are Usually More Common in Females:

1. Becoming sloppy in their appearance.
2. A new or unusual preoccupation with death or suicide.
3. Extreme behavior with the opposite sex (either promiscuous or isolated from them)

Some Other Signs That Might Appear:

1. A lower self-esteem than normal
2. References to suicide (in some extreme cases)
3. A general negative outlook on life.

Although teens are struggling to be independent, a teenager that is dealing with depression will need your help. It will likely be up to you to push them to open up about their feelings. At least enough that you can decide what type of help to offer them.
Some ideas for discovering and coping with depression in your teen

• Be upfront. Tell them that you are concerned about their recent behavior. Talk about depression, make sure they understand that it is a treatable illness.
• If their depression is severe, or they talk about suicide, wanting to die, etc. - seek professional help.
• If your teen will not talk to you, talk with their friends or their parents. They may have opened up to them about their problems.
• Suggest some one-on-one time by offering a favorite activity or outing.
• Ask them straight out if there is anything they need to talk about.
• Don't put on an act for them, just let them know you are concerned.
• Be vigilant. Watch for signs of suicide and take extreme measures if you see them.
• If they are reaching out, take the time to be there for them and listen.

The only way to be sure if your teen is depressed or lazy is to be observant. Watch carefully for changes in their behavior. Even though they are usually good at hiding depression from us, this should help you to catch it at an early stage.

Anna Brown is an independent writer that enjoys writing on a variety of topics that provide useful information to the reader. To read more about teenage depression or to see the variety of information that is available, visit her blog at http://bartbecks.com