These symptoms serve an important purpose in some situations, but they can feel disruptive and uncomfortable in others. Someone with a mental health condition, for example, may have an overactive fight-or-flight response that can be triggered frequently, even when they’re not in danger. In these situations, there are techniques you can use to calm the fight-or-flight response and alleviate the symptoms of acute stress. Deep breathing, relaxation strategies, physical activity, and social support can all help if you are feeling the effects of a fight-or-flight response....

Fear and anxiety can be normal reactions to specific situations and stressful events. Panic disorder differs from this normal fear and anxiety because it is often extreme, and may seem to strike out of the blue. A person with panic disorder may experience symptoms such as severe feelings of terror, rapid breathing, and rapid heart rate. People with panic disorder may experience these attacks unexpectedly and for no apparent reason, but they can also be preceded by some sort of triggering event or situation....

“I felt like all of my goals that I had made for myself had just gone out of the window. I had this sensation of feeling lost. I didn’t know what to do or where to go,” says Young, who won two gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. In the fall of 2020, she returned to the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, California, but she soon went home to be with her family after her mental health continued to deteriorate....

If you have borderline personality disorder (BPD), it’s likely that you have experienced transient paranoid ideation under stress. It is one of the possible criteria for diagnosis, according to the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Symptoms Symptoms of paranoid thinking can differ in terms of duration and severity. Some people may have very brief, mild paranoid ideations. For other people, these thoughts can be more severe and persistent....

What Is Paxil? Paxil (paroxetine) is an SSRI antidepressant introduced in 1992 by GlaxoSmithKline. Paxil was the first formally approved SSRI for the treatment of panic disorder in the United States. Paxil is available in a generic equivalent, paroxetine, and is indicated for the treatment of: Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia Major depressive disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Social anxiety disorder Generalized anxiety disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder How to Take Paxil Paxil (paroxetine) is usually taken once daily and may be taken with or without food....

Both fears are sometimes confused with medical conditions such as dysphagia and odynophagia, in which a physiological disorder causes difficult or painful swallowing. Symptoms of Phagophobia Phagophobia can cause a number of different symptoms, the most noticeable of which is an extreme reluctance or avoidance of swallowing foods, liquids, or pills. Other symptoms of phagophobia include: Anticipatory anxiety before meals Eating in very small mouthfuls and drinking frequently during meals to aid in swallowing Extreme anxiety and fear at the thought of swallowing Panic attacks Rapid heart rate and breathing Reluctance or avoidance of eating or drinking in front of others Sweating Switching to an all-liquid diet as an attempt to alleviate some of the anxiety around swallowing food Weight loss...

“Pregnancy impacts the woman’s entire being. Early and appropriate access to mental health services can significantly reduce the negative health impacts for both mother and infant,” states Gwenneth Simmonds, PhD, CNM in Atlanta, Georgia. Approximately one in five mothers experience mental health issues during pregnancy. Many don’t have a roadmap to mental wellness to help during this time. While women now use their own self-care methods to deal with mental health struggles during pregnancy, more support could be offered to take better care of both mom and baby during and after pregnancy....

Researchers conducted a review of 56 clinical trials, representing 4,060 participants, that tracked changes in immunity over time during the course of psychotherapy. They looked at eight different psychosocial interventions—such as CBT, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and psychoeducation—as well as seven markers of immune system function, including inflammation, antibody levels, viral load, and natural killer cell activity. They found that across the interventions, there was a strong association with enhanced immune system function, and that persisted for at least six months following treatment....

However, mental health professionals define traumatic events in very specific ways. The guidelines they use have changed and continue to evolve as their understanding of what constitutes a traumatic event has increased. This understanding is especially important when they are trying to learn whether or not a person may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The DSM Definition of a Traumatic Event Compared to previous editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the 5th edition more clearly details the elements of a traumatic event, particularly within the framework of diagnosing PTSD....

Friends and Family as Resources for Phobia Support Friends and family can often be very important sources of support for those battling any disorder, and phobias are no exception. If properly trained, your loved ones can help you manage your fears by performing tasks ranging from talking to you through a guided visualization to previewing a potential trigger situation for you. Unless your loved one happens to be a mental health professional, though, he or she may be clueless about how best to help....

Another factor might be a surprising one. According to a recent small study, published in the journal Science Advances, people who had an instant personal connection also shared similar body odors. “Non-human terrestrial mammals sniff themselves and each other to decide who is friend or foe,” says study author Inbal Ravebry, one of the researchers in an olfaction lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. “Humans also sniff themselves and each other, but the function of this is unknown....

When people are used to relationship boundaries that are at a certain point, they can put up a fight if you try to change your boundaries with them, and people (like children) often try to test boundaries among one another. This can all be stressful, especially when you take into account the toll of conflict on stress levels. However, the end result can be well worth it: relationships that involve greater levels of mutual respect, that meet the needs of all parties involved, and that create much less stress for everyone....

Shame is an intense feeling of humiliation or worthlessness. It’s often accompanied by a sense of powerlessness and helplessness. Guilt, on the other hand, is a feeling of remorse or responsibility for something you’ve done wrong. If you’re struggling with shame and guilt in OCD, there are some things you can do to ease your pain. In this article, we’ll explore some of the strategies that can help. Can OCD Cause Shame?...

We are encouraged by politicians to spend as a way of boosting the economy. And, for some of us, there is an allure of wanting what everyone else seems to have. Consumerism, by our own intentions or not (or some combination), has become a measure of social worth. Although widespread consumerism has escalated recently, shopping addiction is not a new disorder. It was recognized as far back as the early nineteenth century and was cited as a psychiatric disorder in the early twentieth century....

In the United States, nearly 20 people per minute experience physical abuse by an intimate partner, and intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crimes. This crime rate does not include cases of emotional abuse or unreported physical abuse. This article explores some of the risk factors that play a role in relationship violence as well as some of the warning signs that a relationship might become violent....

Millions of Americans aren’t getting enough sleep and 50 to 70 million Americans have one or more sleep disorders. If you or a loved one haven’t been sleeping well, it’s important to visit a healthcare provider for an evaluation. Not getting enough sleep can also affect your academic or work performance, interpersonal relationships, and safety. A 2019 study notes that sleep disorders can have a serious impact on your quality of life....

Phobias like somniphobia are common in the population: 12.5% of people deal with phobias at some point in their lives, and in any given year, about 9% of adults experience a specific phobia. While we don’t know exactly how many people experience somniphobia, research shows more than 40 million adults in the U.S. have a chronic sleep disorder. Symptoms of Somniphobia People with somniphobia don’t just have stress or anxiety about sleep....