Gallstones and Weight Loss
Gallstones cause a host of painful and unpleasant symptoms, from intense pain to fever and nausea. Did you know that how you approach weight loss influences your likelihood of suffering from gallstones?
Family celebrations, job promotions, and a victory for your favorite team can and should cause you to feel elated. You can’t wipe the smile from your face, and all seems right with the world. But it’s just as normal to feel grief, sadness, and mild depression when tragedy strikes. How do you tell the difference between the normal range of human emotions and the type of mood swings that may warrant some professional help?
Dr. Richard Pavelock and our team of expert health care professionals here at Family Medicine and Acute Care of Sandhills can help you navigate your severe mood swings, identify and avoid the things that trigger them, and treat whatever underlying conditions might be causing them.
The joys and struggles of life are generally the things that dictate your moods. But other factors can step in and take over, causing you to experience thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are not in line with the events in your life.
Hormones are responsible for several of your body’s functions, including your moods. There are some predictable points in time when natural fluctuations can affect your mood. For instance, women’s hormones change when they menstruate, are pregnant, or going through the stages of menopause.
Men’s testosterone levels tend to drop when they age, which may lead to mood changes.
Drugs and alcohol use are known to cause bouts of anxiety and depression, but it isn’t just illicit drugs that can put you on an emotional roller coaster. Some medications may also alter your moods. Make sure you tell Dr. Pavelock about any and all medications you’re taking, so we can determine if your moods are linked to your prescriptions.
There are several mental disorders whose primary symptoms are severe mood swings, the type that interrupt your life and cause you to make extreme decisions or actions. Here are a few examples:
These conditions represent just a few of the common mood disorders, and each comes in varying degrees of severity and frequency.
If your mood swings are minor, meaning they are noticeable and mildly annoying, but not so severe that they make you act out or hide out, you may be able to cope with the symptoms on your own by knowing what triggers your moods and avoiding those stimuli. Things like a poor diet, lack of sleep, or a highly stressful environment can all trigger anxiety and depression.
We recommend keeping a diary of your mood swings and a list of the circumstances surrounding them to help you and us make connections that might be helpful in your treatment. A good start in your personal mood swing management includes:
These tips work in two ways: they help you decrease the intensity of your mood swings and may prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions that shouldn’t be ignored. About 20% of all Americans suffer from some type of mood disorder. If your mood swings alter your life negatively or dramatically change your behavior in unwanted ways, call Dr. Pavelock immediately.
We can help you and your loved ones understand why you’re experiencing these shifts and then develop a treatment plan designed specifically for you and your unique set of symptoms. From simple lifestyle changes to talk therapy to medications, we help you find the right combination of approaches that help you keep your moods and emotions in control and in line with what you’re really thinking and feeling.
No matter how mild or severe, you can get help for your mood swings. Call us at 919-295-6862, or request an appointment online. Dr. Pavelock and our team welcome you here in our safe, discreet, professional environment where many people just like you come to gain freedom from their mood swings.
