Although your desire to be invisible may be strong, would that really solve anything? If you have SAD, perhaps some of these things are already true. What is the opposite of being invisible? Being seen? Heard? Could you handle that? Probably not right away, if you have been invisible for a long time. But gradually and slowly, you can stop being invisible and face your fears. All of your needs, wants, opinions, and desires would go ignored....
For many people with GAD, finding anxiety relief is a constant battle. Some with GAD self-medicate in order to soothe their nerves and get through their regular routine. This can include using harmful substances like alcohol, drugs, or nicotine. Can nicotine cause anxiety? Smoking can be a harmful way to manage your anxiety, harming your overall health and putting you at risk of developing lung cancer. Smoking rates for people with anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, are higher than those for the general population....
Changes in Treatment Because of the risk of contagion, it appears that all but a few providers of the lower levels of care—individual outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs—are moving to virtual treatment models, meaning that patients have video sessions from home. Some of these programs usually provide up to 11 hours per day of programming along with meals. Patients in such programs will now be living at home and have greater responsibility for their own meals....
Though this therapy is still somewhat controversial, continuing research is showing it to be a potentially promising treatment. Energy psychology techniques were first popularized in the early 1980s by Roger Callahan, PhD under the name of “thought field therapy.” David Feinstein, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has developed an energy psychology program that provides training for mental health professionals and non-professionals. Types of Energy Psychology There are a number of different types of treatments that are part of energy psychology....
There has been a considerable amount of attention paid to the “made” aspect of the debate. According to many researchers, expertise is acquired through dedicated practice. But how exactly does someone go about becoming an expert? Can anyone be an expert with the proper study and training? This article explores what expertise is and how people become experts. It also discusses how long it takes to become an expert....
Mandatory payments and interest on federal student loans have been suspended since March, but loan repayments are expected to resume on January 31, 2021. The financial strain of these loans has caused significant stress, anxiety, and depression in borrowers who have struggled to keep up with their payments along with their other obligations. As the cost of higher education has skyrocketed in recent decades, average wages have generally not increased to match it, especially at lower income levels....
Friday Fix: Episode 200 The first two years and 200 episodes have been an amazing adventure! When we started the podcast during the pandemic, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a long-term project. I wanted a way to get the message out on mental strength during a time when most of my speaking engagements were being postponed. And, a podcast seemed like the fastest and best way to do that....
What Do Health Psychologists Do? Health psychologists engage in many different tasks related to health and wellness. The specific type of work that a health psychologist does on a daily basis may depend on work setting or specialty area. Many health psychologists work directly in clinical settings to help individuals or groups prevent illness and promote healthy behaviors. Others conduct research on health-related issues or influence public policy on health care issues....
Structured Clinical Interviews The gold standard for structured clinical interviews is the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, also known as SCID. It is a semi-structured interview guide that is administered by a psychologist or other mental health professional who is familiar with the diagnostic criteria of mental health conditions. Purpose Structured clinical interviews have a variety of uses, including: Assessing patients in order to make a diagnosis based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) Practice for students going into the mental health field to become better interviewers Research to study certain groups of people who all have the same symptoms or clinical trials...
Knowing exactly when a relationship should be ended is a difficult task. It depends on the people involved and on the situation they live in. But there is fairly consistent evidence about the signs of relationship breakdown, unearthed by Dr. John Gottman. The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse Gottman discovered four negative communication styles that spell disaster for any and all relationships. He dubbed these “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse....
When in search of closure, the main goal is to get answers to unresolved matters; but is it worth the hassle, or is it better to leave things as they are and move on? This article aims to answer these questions and discuss why closure might keep you from healing, what happens when you seek closure, and how to get closure. Closure Can Prevent Your Healing ICF Certified Life & Relationship Coach Rachel Kuhlen of Realize You Coaching says that seeking closure from someone can be a trap for the following reasons:...
Versed is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which are central nervous system depressants and Schedule IV controlled substances. When combined with alcohol or other depressants, or when taken in large dosages, Versed can cause a loss of consciousness and respiratory failure. So, it’s important to know how long it remains in your system to avoid dangerous drug interactions and potential overdoses. How Long Does It Take to Feel Effects?...
Other stats can offer insight on married couples’ sexual satisfaction, as well as relationship satisfaction and how it’s related to sex. This article discusses how often married couples have sex. It also covers how sex frequency is related to relationship satisfaction and communication. How Often Do Married Couples Have Sex? Americans in their 20s (whether partnered or not) have sex about 80 times a year, or more than once per week, says a 2017 study....
Among these challenges are the effects insufficient food, clothing, shelter, and care in childhood can have into adulthood, particularly when it comes to brain development. Because a large part of brain formation occurs very early, within the first six years of life— the conditions a child faces growing up can impact the state of the brain years later. This article discusses how poverty affects children, regarding brain development and mental health....
Random Selection vs. Random Assignment How does random selection differ from random assignment? Random selection refers to how the sample is drawn from the population as a whole, while random assignment refers to how the participants are then assigned to either the experimental or control groups. It is possible to have both random selection and random assignment in an experiment. Imagine that you use random selection to draw 500 people from a population to participate in your study....
Donna Stewart, M.D., a professor and chair of women’s health at the University Health Network, explained, “Freud was a man of his times. He was opposed to the women’s emancipation movement and believed that women’s lives were dominated by their sexual reproductive functions.” “The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?...
There are many reasons why others might not find you approachable. Sometimes this perception has less to do with you and more with the other person’s feelings of inadequacy, lack of self-confidence, and poor self-esteem. In other cases, being unapproachable might be linked to having poor interpersonal skills or an anxiety disorder. If you have social anxiety disorder (SAD), you may struggle to look approachable. Perhaps you’ve never considered the signals you send through your body language, or feel powerless to control your body because of your anxiety....
While most of her books focus on becoming happier, her newest book is titled “How to Be Sad.” In it, she shares her experience with grief and sadness. She shares science-backed strategies for coping with sad feelings. Why Helen Russell Is Mentally Strong Helen is no stranger to grief and loss. She lost her sister when she was a child, and her parents divorced. She grew up to become fascinated by happiness....
And even though the majority of people recognize the importance of staying indoors, honoring the healthcare workers, and following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or local government, experts are beginning to see some areas where people are pushing the limits and returning to their pre-pandemic ways. If comparing this experience to a marathon, you could easily say that many of us have “hit the wall....
