Patient Education
Welcome to the Patient Education Library of Serenity Psychiatric & Counseling Services
We invite you to explore our comprehensive list of resources and educational materials designed to help educate you about psychiatric and counseling services and the various conditions treated by our practice. Choose a topic below to learn more.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your condition or treatment, please contact Serenity Psychiatric & Counseling Services in the greater Charlotte area, NC and Virginia today at (704) 322-4020. To request an appointment, fill out our secure online appointment request form.
This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation, examination, or the medical advice of your doctor. This information should not be relied upon to determine a diagnosis or course of treatment.
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Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that develops in some people that witness or experience a horrifying life-threatening event. Acute stress disorder causes an assortment of symptoms including re-living the event through memories and nightmares and feeling ... Read More
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Adjustment Disorder
Adjustment disorders are psychological disturbances that develop after a life stressor. They may develop after an identifiable stress, such as the death of a loved one, or after an unexpected catastrophe, such as a hurricane. Depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, behavior ... Read More
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Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a type of phobia and anxiety disorder. People with agoraphobia have a continuous fear of being in a place or situation that may be difficult to leave or find help in the event of a panic attack. People ... Read More
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Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder. People with eating disorders have problems with their eating behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They have a distorted body image and attempt to control their weight by controlling their food intake. People ... Read More
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurologically based condition. People with ADD have difficulty paying attention, maintaining their focus on a task, and are easily distracted. They may move from one task to the next without completing any of them. ... Read More
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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a neurologically based disorder. People with ADHD have difficulty maintaining attention, act before thinking, and are hyperactive or restless. Untreated ADHD can be problematic and disrupt school or work performance, as well as social ... Read More
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Binge-Eating Disorder
Binge-eating is a disorder of eating. It involves episodes of eating an enormous amount of food in a very short period of time. People may feel out of control during binge-eating and guilty or depressed afterwards. People with binge-eating disorder ... Read More
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Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder characterized by alternating moods of depression and mania, often with normal moods in between. Depression may cause feelings of sadness, worthlessness, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts. Mania may cause excitability, rage, and racing ... Read More
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Bulimia
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder. People with eating disorders have problems with their eating behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They have a distorted body image and attempt to control their weight by controlling their food intake. People with bulimia ... Read More
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Compulsive Overeating
Compulsive overeating is a disorder of eating behaviors. People who compulsively overeat will continuously eat throughout the day or experience repeated episodes of consuming very large amounts of food. They are most frequently overweight and males. Compulsive overeating can lead ... Read More
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Concussion (TBI)
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs from a direct hit to the head. Concussions can also occur when the head or body is forcefully shaken. Brain injuries can lead to temporary confusion, headaches, and much more. ... Read More
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Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorders are one of the most common psychological disorders among children and adolescents. Children or teenagers with a conduct disorder display a consistent disregard for the rules of society or rules at home. They may continually demonstrate socially unacceptable ... Read More
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Depression
Depression is a real medical condition that is treatable. Depression is not a “normal part” of every day life. Common symptoms of depression include feeling sad, irritable, tired, and uninterested in activities that used to be enjoyable. Everyone feels this ... Read More
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Eating Disorders and Weight Management
People with eating disorders have problems with their eating behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They may use food as a coping mechanism for negative emotions. They may attempt to control their weight by controlling their food intake. Eating disorders are a ... Read More
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is a common type of anxiety disorder. People with generalized anxiety disorder experience excessive worry and anxiety over daily circumstances. They may feel that they have little control over their internal tension and it may interfere with ... Read More
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Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to achieve a restful and sustained night’s sleep. You may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning. A lack of sleep may make you feel tired during the day, ... Read More
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Menopause
Menopause is a normal and natural part of a woman’s aging process. Menopause, commonly called “the change of life”, occurs around the age of 50. During this time, hormones change and menstruation (“getting periods”) stops. Common symptoms include hot flashes, ... Read More
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Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a neurological sleep disorder that consists of sudden unexpected episodes of daytime sleepiness. The episodes typically last about 15 minutes, and a person may have several episodes at any time or place during the day. Uncontrolled narcolepsy is ... Read More
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder. People with OCD experience obsessive thoughts, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are recurrent thoughts, ideas, feelings, or sensations that play over and over again in a person’s mind. Compulsions are actions ... Read More
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Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. People with panic disorder experience recurring unexpected sudden episodes of intense terror and physical symptoms. The physical symptoms can be so severe that many people question if they are having a heart ... Read More
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Phobias
Phobias are a very common type of anxiety disorder. People with phobias have a continuous fear of a specific type of object, place, activity, or situation. Common phobias are a fear of flying, giving public speeches, heights, dogs, or snakes. ... Read More
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It develops in some people that witness or experience terrifying life-threatening events. PTSD can cause a variety of psychiatric and physical symptoms. People with PTSD may experience sudden vivid memories ... Read More
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Psychotherapeutic Medications: An Overview
Medication will not cure mental illness, but it can help keep symptoms under control. Your treatment may involve medication, therapy, or both. Medication can help make therapy more effective. Psychotherapeutic medications may be used for short periods of time or ... Read More
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common and under-diagnosed sleep disorder. It causes repeated episodes of stopped breathing (apneic episodes) and startling or gasping for air during sleep. People with sleep apnea frequently do not realize that they have it. The consequences ... Read More
Copyright © - iHealthSpot Interactive - www.iHealthSpot.com
This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.
The iHealthSpot patient education library was written collaboratively by the iHealthSpot editorial team which includes Senior Medical Authors Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard, OTD/OTR/L and Valerie K. Clark, and the following editorial advisors: Steve Meadows, MD, Ernie F. Soto, DDS, Ronald J. Glatzer, MD, Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, Christopher M. Nolte, MD, David Applebaum, MD, Jonathan M. Tarrash, MD, and Paula Soto, RN/BSN. This content complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. The library commenced development on September 1, 2005 with the latest update/addition on February 16, 2022. For information on iHealthSpot’s other services including medical website design, visit www.iHealthSpot.com.
