Q What do you mean by Social Phobia? How it is expressed?

Social phobia is a strong fear of being judged by others, and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that person start worrying about the things he is going to do in front of others weeks before, or it may restrict him from going into public places/school/work etc. Person will have overwhelmed fear that others will judge him wrongly or make fun of him. He might be afraid of eating or drinking in front of others, using public restrooms, going in social functions, performing anything in front of a crowd etc. This may end up with staying away from such situations or completely avoiding them. For some, it is a problem only in few situations, but some may have this fear constantly. This fear can express itself in the form of difficulty in getting acknowledged with others, talking with other people, high level of self-consciousness when in public, worries excessively before weeks or days of any upcoming social function, difficulties in making friends and becoming friendly with others, physical symptoms of fear may appear like sweating, trembling, blushing, palpitations, nausea, etc.

Q Whats causing my palpitations and how can I get rid of them?

The causes for palpitations are - strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, or stress; palpitations often occur during panic attacks; caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal street drugs such as cocaine; some medical conditions, including thyroid disease, a low blood sugar level, anemia, low blood pressure, fever, and dehydration; hormone changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy or menopause etc. In most cases, palpitations are found to be harmless and often go away on their own. Treatment depends on the cause of your palpitations. Some lifestyle changes like exercise and yoga and quitting smoking and alcohol help a lot.

Q Why do my vagina pain when penis is inserted ?

Pain during sex is called as dyspareunia. Most women experience some degree of pain when they have sex for first few times. The main reason for it is fear of sex. This pain subsides with the number of acts. However if the complaint remains even after repeated number of sex then one needs to find the specific cause behind it. The causes can be an infection, lack of proper lubrication before intercourse, due to dryness of vagina, allergy to latex condom, etc. In such cases it is necessary that you consult a gynaecologist for proper treatment.

Q What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a person acts, thinks, and sees the world. People with schizophrenia have an altered perception of reality, often a significant loss of contact with reality. They may see or hear things that dont exist, speak in strange or confusing ways, believe that others are trying to harm them, or feel like theyre being constantly watched. With such a blurred line between the real and the imaginary, schizophrenia makes it difficult even frightening to negotiate the activities of daily life. In response, people with schizophrenia may withdraw from the outside world or act out in confusion and fear.

Q What can you tell me about Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a Mental Health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems. When you have borderline personality disorder, you often have an insecure sense of who you are. Your self-image, self-identity or sense of self often rapidly changes. You may view yourself as evil or bad, and sometimes you may feel as if you dont exist at all. An unstable self-image often leads to frequent changes in jobs, friendships, goals and values. This is because people with borderline personality disorder often have difficulty accepting gray areas; things seem to be either black or white. The common symptom of borderline personality disorder are overwhelming feelings of distress, anxiety, worthlessness or anger, difficulty managing such feelings without self-harming, for example by abusing drugs and alcohol or taking overdoses, difficulty maintaining stable and close relationships, sometimes, periods of loss of contact with reality, in some cases, threats of harm to others. Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals.

Q I have rashes near my leg fold (Pubic region) it pains a lot. I cant even walk properly

You seems to have a fungal infection. Apply over the counter antifungal powder. Use 100% cotton under garments and keep the area clean and dry. If these measures do not help then visit a physician for exact diagnosis and medication.

Q What is an ideal weight for a 3-year-old child?

Ideally, a 3-year-old kid should weigh about 12-14 kg. Do not worry if your kids weight does not increase too much and too quickly after this. After the kid is a year older than this age, the changes in weight can be seen only once a year as growth rate slows down with increasing age.

Q what is sex ?

Sex is an activity initiated with foreplay and ends with sexual intercourse inorder to satisfy sexual urge. The sexual relationship can be developed between two person of the opposite gender or of the same gender. There are different ways to have sex such as vaginal, anal and oral. Sex can include two phases first is foreplay and second intercourse. Foreplay involves kissing, cuddling, touching etc. While intercourse means penetration of mens erect penis into females vagina in case of vaginal sex.

Q My 10 year old daughter continues to wet the bed. Not every night, but i thought it would stop as she grows but still hasnt. I wonder if there is something medically wrong.

If you daughter has nocturnal enuresis sometimes, it may need further evaluation, as this is not so common in teenagers. There are some factors that may affect urine control in teens. These include excessive intake of caffeine drinks like tea or coffee, deep sleep pattern which can be a normal for growing teen, excessive emotional stress or fear of something, inconsistent sleep timings etc. These things can be corrected in order to fix the problem. Other things to give consideration are certain medications, diabetes of other medical diseases, family history of parents having the same problem, urinary tract infection, etc. If she is having this problem since her childhood, then this can be considered as primary nocturnal enuresis and she can be out of 2% of girls who continues with this till they reach their teen. This thing can be improved with proper counselling to her. Making her to use bathroom before going to bed. Limiting her fluid intake before going to bed. She can be effectively treated with moisture alarms while asleep. It will be less likely that she will need medications for this. Proper counselling and educating her may motivate her to take initiation to cure herself. You may take her to physician to rule out underlying disease if any.

Q What is multiple personality syndrome?

Dissociative identity disorder or multiple personality disorder is a very rare mental disorder. It is characterised by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities or dissociated personality states that alternately control a persons behavior, and is accompanied by memory impairment for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness. It is one of the most controversial psychiatric disorders with no clear consensus regarding its diagnosis or treatment.