Anxiety

Cognitive dysfunction or brain fog refers to an unusual situation when the brain exhibits extremely poor mental functions. Brain fog is often associated with symptoms like poor memory, forgetfulness, learning disabilities and problems concentrating over an extended period.

However, brain fog is a term that is not used to refer to patients particularly suffering from Dementia or other psychological conditions that commonly cause poor memory problems and confusion. Nonetheless, brain fog can always be used as a synonym to refer to other problems of grogginess and sleep inertia in case an individual is all of a sudden awakened from a deep sound sleep.

Indeed, if truth be told, a lot of psychologists are of the view that brain fog acts as a suitable mode of escape for people who are finding it hard to deal with acute stress-related conditions and conflict-posing situations that cause a threat. By resorting to brain fog they manage to avoid frustration, anger and sadness that are commonly experienced in situations of stress.

Causes of Brain Fog

The exact causes of brain fog are not known. Several factors are believed to be the causes of this distinct disease that leads to learning disabilities, fatigue and poor memory. There are several factors both psychiatric and medical and also those surfacing from other treatments that can lead to brain fog symptoms.

The brain always requires lots of energy so that it may function properly. When a person is acutely tired the brain can significantly suffer causing brain fog. Some conditions that cause brain fog are:

• Adrenal collapse
• Food and chemical reactions
• Nutritional deficiency

Some of the psychological conditions that may result in brain fog are:

• Stress
• Depression
• Denial

Some of the most significant brain fog causes are:

• Large-scale metal poisoning particularly in case mercury poisoning is involved
• Fibromyalgia
• Menopause
• Sleep disorders along with disrupted sleep

Moreover, there are certain spiritual conditions as well that may lead to brain fog and the related problems of poor memory.

Effects of Brain Fog

Brain fog is a common mental condition that tends to affect people of all ages. Brain fog is characterized by an acute state of extreme confusion along with reduced levels of clarity due to poor memory levels and memory skills. Brain fog affects an individual in a way making them exceptionally forgetful and disconnected from the rest of the surroundings. Other than poor memory, brain fog can also lead to depression, fatigue and a feeling of discouragement.

Studies reveal that brain fog is a psychological problem that affects hundreds and thousands of people irrespective of their age. When brain fog affects children it causes serious learning disabilities with poor memory. Brain fog is the root of several problems that students face at the school level. Brain fog may also affect grown-up individuals causing problems at work and also at times hindering the domestic family life. Other than poor memory, learning disabilities and fatigue, brain fog also causes reduced self-esteem resulting in serious relationship problems as well. Some psychologists are of the view that brain fog can at times also cause delinquency and crime as some of the effects.

Often, people who have been suffering from brain fog for a prolonged period start believing that they are stupid and dumb. This forces them to feel inferior and also hinders a proper thinking process. But actually, it is not the case. Individuals who have ample knowledge and experience in dealing with situations of brain fog may also practice self-assertion and start believing that they don’t have learning disabilities or low intelligence levels. But it is all a real disorder that they are suffering from which is causing the poor memory.

Treatments for Brain Fog for Improving Memory

First and foremost, the two most significant causes of brain fog, worry and stress need to be taken care of for suitable improvement of memory. A simple stress-relieving process may help in this context. The patient can be asked to close his eyes and take deep breaths. This way the acute tension will start running out of the body parts and all the muscles in the body. He or she should be paying attention to the breath and this way all other distracting thoughts will start slipping away slowly but steadily.

Next on the list is a little more intense exercise aiming at mindfulness. This is a brief process that takes a couple of minutes but works miracles if used regularly. To effectively do away with brain fog and improve memory one should first and foremost stop whatever he or she is doing at the moment. Thereon they need to concentrate on their feelings and thoughts at the moment. With extended practice, individuals will gain the power to identify those particular thoughts that go beyond consciousness and tend to hinder concentration.

We all get anxious or feel anxiety or get worried during stressful circumstances like before an interview or exam. This is a normal thing. However, if you often feel anxiety and it negatively affects your life then it is a disorder that needs attention. Anxiety also includes other equally significant factors like heredity and psychological traits.

Often it is found that women tend to suffer from anxiety disorders and anxiety depression a lot more than men do. Most of the psychological theories suggest that it is the effect of steroids that marks this exception. However, extended research carried out on studying how women respond and emote to stress anxiety, reveals that women go through a diverse assortment of stressful life events that are filled with an extended level of anxiety and depression as opposed to men.

The observed stressful behavior that is found in children is dependent on several factors that cause anxiety and depression. Such children may be suffering from severe disabilities due to severe anxiety causing problems like autism, Rett syndrome, PDD, PDD-NOS, ADHD and Asperger Syndrome.

Within the field of psychology, several major theories tend to explain related areas that lead to severe anxiety like,

• Psycho-dynamic anxiety evoking factors
• Psycho-analytic anxiety evoking factors
• Behavioral attributes that lead to anxiety disorder
• Cognitive disparities which influence symptoms of anxiety disorder

Nature of Anxiety Disorders

The first and foremost thing that can be said about anxiety disorders is that it is heterogeneous. Hence the various factors that lead to anxiety and depression tend to vary in the relative role they play in this context. Some of the typical anxiety disorders include panic disorders and these often show traces of a very strong genetic link. However, the actual responsible genes that cause these symptoms of anxiety disorder are not yet known. Other than panic disorders most other kinds of anxiety depression are caused by factors that are rooted in the stressful events of the day to day life.

Manifestations of Anxiety Depression

Anxiety disorders are possibly the most common and frequent manifestations of anxiety depression. Anxiety disorders comprise a distinctive set of conditions that characterize extreme anxiety. In fact anxiety is one of the prime factors that initiate mood disorders and mood disturbances causing emotionally charged stress anxiety.

Anxiety is often taken to be the pathological equivalent of the normal fear that healthy individuals may experience on different occasions in the day to day life. Stress anxiety manifests itself in the form of mood disorders. It also leads to disturbances of social behavior, and thinking and hindrance in normal physiological actions.

Panic disorder also falls within this category of manifestations of stress anxiety. Patients who have a history of agoraphobia may have greater chances of contracting symptoms of anxiety disorder. On the other hand, patients suffering from agoraphobia may either have panic or stress disorder or both. Secondary manifestations of anxiety disorder include specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder.

Talking of anxiety depression, severe anxiety, stress anxiety and anxiety disorders, are symptoms that are omnipresent across all human cultures. Stress disorders particularly tend to have a longitudinal course. The symptoms of anxiety disorder are characterized by an onset at a very early age, repetitive and relapsing illness along with a chronic nature and also not to forget regular and revisiting periods of disability that hamper social and professional life. Moreover, agoraphobia may also be associated with suicidal tendencies in the patient who is suffering from severe anxiety.

Common panic attack syndromes in anxiety depression and severe anxiety disorders

Panic attack particularly refers to an acute stage of intense discomfort, severe anxiety and fear that manifests several psychological as well as physical symptoms of anxiety disorder. These stress anxiety symptoms include,

• Sweating and palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Severe trembling
• A feeling of smothering and choking
• Dizziness and chest pain
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Nausea followed by vomiting
• Blushing and chills
• Hot flashes and a tingling sensation from time to time

How to deal with Anxiety and Behavioral disorders?

Treatment of Behavioral disorders carries through a series of steps including psychotherapy, hospitalization, medications and self-help.

• Psychotherapy is a treatment that is often chosen by people to deal with anxiety and the associated behavioral disorders. This process teaches the patients new and effective ways of coping with the situation, regulating their emotions in a better way, and coping with other significant changes that occur in their lives.
• Hospitalization is chosen particularly to treat people suffering from behavioral disorders of the borderline kind. These are people suffering from severe kinds of depression which may at times get fatal.
• As far as medications for behavioral disorders are concerned, commonly used medicines are high-potency neuroleptics, anti-anxiety and antidepressant agents, etc.
• Self-help, though not much encouraged by many medical practitioners in the field, yet encouraging the individual to gain confidence and social support can help them emerge faster out of the anxiety disorder in the first place.

Brain fog is a very common condition which is accompanied by confusion and lower levels of clarity. It has been affecting people of all ages and leads to individuals being detached and forgetful. Brain fog often results in feelings of depression and discouragement. A lot of people throughout the world have been trapped by this problem and are suffering from personal, professional and relationship stress due to it. Various causes lead to this state.

Fatigue is one of the causes that result in brain fog; people who do not get adequate sleep have a hard time concentrating on things. Fatigue can hurt the ability to concentrate and usually leaves the person struggling with memorizing and finishing the task at hand. A quick nap can be helpful in fighting fatigue. Alzheimer’s disease is another problem that is faced as the person grows older and affects memory. People with recurrent brain fog may get this problem. Alzheimer’s is a problem that gets worse with time and should be treated immediately.

Brain fog also afflicts pregnant women, especially when they are in the final trimester of pregnancy. There is no certain cause found in pregnant women but it has been considered as feeling caused by changing lives with a new baby. Brain fog subsides once the woman delivers. Like a lot of other problems, brain fog is caused due to stress too. With so much to handle in our daily lives, sometimes stress takes a toll on all other things and hinders in concentration. Dealing the life by trying different ways can help in soothing the stress.

Chemotherapy is known to be another cause of brain fog. Aggressive chemotherapy leaves the individuals struggling with memory skills and thinking power. But this is a temporary problem and usually stops when chemotherapy is over. Lack of a nutritious diet leaves a person in a brain fog. People with anaemia and iron deficiency often face the problem of completing and concentrating on tasks. Fluctuating sugar levels contribute to muddled thoughts too.

Brain fog is also caused by Autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia that affect brain functioning and result in anxiety, depression and overwhelming fatigue. Viral infections are also found to be the reason behind disrupted mood and thinking. Parasitic organisms that are found in the brain can lead to acute illness. The parasitic infections that are caused outside the brain leading to brain fog are trichinosis, ascaris psychosis, Lyme disease and giardia.