Dr Terence Leong

Many conditions can result in poor attention. Insufficient or poor quality sleep Attention deficit disorder Depression Anxiety Even medical conditions such as thyroid & other endocrine disorders, nutritional deficiencies etc. I would suggest a psychiatrist consultation to evaluate, diagnose and then treat appropriately.

Hi, Most people present to their family doctor, school counselor/teachers, or are noted by their family/friends to be suffering from psychosis, a condition which tends to start in adolescence or early adulthood. Their symptoms may be seeing or hearing things that others do not (hallucinations), believing in unusual things such as being irrationally suspicious of others (paranoia), talking irrationally, acting in bizarre, non-characteristic ways, having an unusual change in personality, or unexplained changes in their mood.

Hi, The best way is to simply adjust the dose or type of antipsychotic. I suggest Confirm that the cause of the hyperprolactemia is due to anti-psychotics and not due to a physical cause such as a prolactinoma, and once confirmed, Clinically assess if the person can still do well with a lower dose of the existing anti-psychotic medication and/or Switching to another antipsychotic that carries a low risk of hyper-propactinemia. E. g. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), especially olanzapine, quetiapine, or even clozapine.

Such behaviours do decrease with age for most children. You can best help him by bringing him to see a psychiatrist or psychologist for assessment and appropriate treatment. Perseveration is a symptom. We need to identify the underlying disorder. By treating the underlying illness, the symptoms (including persevation) will decrease. Meanwhile, as a parent, here are some tips: i) Talking about it: talk to the child when he is not perseverating, describe the observed behavior and situations in which it causes problems.

A circadian rhythm sleep disorder (CRSD) arises when either the person's body clock is disrupted or when it is misaligned to the external environment. This results in an impairment of biological rhythms that affects a person's desired work/study and daily life schedule. typically have disturbed sleep, which can be either (a) Hypersomnia (excessive sleep), which affects their usual daily life, work or studies etc or (b) Insomnia at night, resulting in daytime fatigue. 6 main types of CRSD have been described: i.

The best way is to adjust the antipsychotic regime by either lowering the dose or switching to another antipsychotic (one that has a lower risk of increasing prolactin levels), while maintaining the person's well being and good symptom control. Sometimes, a combination of two antipsychotics may be needed to achieve good control of the illness while reducing the risk of hyperprolactinemia. It is also important to exclude other possible causes of raised prolactin, such as a prolactinoma, hypothyroidism, chronic liver or kidney disease.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is a psychological disorder that results from suffering prolonged repeated interpersonal trauma. Examples of such trauma include childhood sexual abuse, chronic emotional or physical abuse, chronic domestic violence etc. I. e. C-PTSD arises from suffering multiple episodes of interpersonal trauma while PTSD arises from witnessing or experiencing a single traumatic event. Chronic PTSD merely means the PTSD symptoms have lasted for more than 6 months.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health (psychiatry). To qualify to be a psychiatrist, we must first complete medical school and qualify as medical doctors. Subsequently, we undergo 5 to 6 more years of post-graduate training and examinations to specialize in psychiatry. A psychologist is not a medical doctor, but a mental health professional who has either a Master's degree or a doctorate (PhD) in psychology.

One out of every two adults has nightmares on occasion. The decision of whether or not to seek help rests on these questions: i) are your nightmare(s) causing you significant distress? ii) are they interrupting your sleep on a regular basis? iii) do you suffer from conditions that may cause nightmares such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep apnoea, chronic sleep deprivation or restless legs syndrome (a strong urge to move one's legs)?

You need to take good care of your own emotional health too, as you are clearly suffering from care-giver stress. Otherwise, if both parents become depressed, who will care for your child? I suggest that you see a mental health professional for assessment and discussion of treatment options. This will include learning how to cope better and how to help and protect your child. We also have mental health support groups in Singapore, including for caregivers. You can contact the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

Perseveration is what happens when a child is "stuck" with a particular idea or action. The best treatment is via a combination of judicious medication (such as serotoninergic antidepressants, antipsychotics) and psychotherapy. Some tips that may be useful for you: i) Talking about it: talk to the child when he is not perseverating, describe the observed behaviour and situations in which it causes problems.

Depression by itself does not actually cause memory loss. Concentration, attention and the ability to retreive stored memories is affected when a person is depressed. In extreme cases, it may result in a condition called pseudodementia, which may mimic dementia, However, with appropriate treatment, people can and do recover well from depression. Their cognitive function will then return to normal. Early and effective treatment of depression is important, because if left untreated, pseudodementia is a risk factor for future development of true dementia.