Q: I am a 27 years old male suffering from severe self-distraction for the last 13 years and this is badly affecting my efficiency at work. Loneliness worsens the condition that is often accompanied by anxiety. Something really bad happened to me 13 years back and I have not been able to mention this incident to my family. Neither have I been able to overcome the guilt. Due to this, I have developed a tendency of distracting myself easily so even when I am doing well, I divert myself from work. This makes me feel under-confident. I think my problem is unique but the doctor has put me into the category of depressed persons and is treating me accordingly. At present, I am taking anti-depressant drugs including Zoset 100 mg daily. To add, I am 5.6 feet tall and weigh 82 kg. I just wanted to ask if psychiatric problems completely curable or it is just by a hit-n-trial method that mental illnesses are treated?

A:Psychiatric problems are curable to a certain degree. In psychiatric conditions, we have not been able to find one single cause as we have found for Tuberculosis (for which one takes a course of anti TB drugs and gets better). As most of psychiatric illnesses have multiple causes, the treatment is targeted to not only eliminate them but also strengthen one's inner abilities. Along with medication, seek counseling or therapies to address your problem. From the brief information you have provided it seems you have a kind of anxiety disorder and cognitive behaviour therapy along with medication will give you better results. To keep well one needs to look at adequate fluid intake, balanced diet and regular physical and mental exercise. This will help you to get well soon and remain well.