Anxiety

BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy
BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy is a 96-page, large-print, softcover book is a quick and easy read geared toward helping children and parents find solutions for those who suffer from social anxiety. The story is more for younger people; Danny, a fifth grader, is its main character. Danny comes up with the typical excuses many [...]
Depression and Teenage Pregnancy
Research suggests that childbearing does not necessarily cause psychological distress among teenagers. Dr. Stefanie Mollborn of the University of Colorado and her team investigated stress and depression using a large group of teenage girls and adult women. In the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, they explain that teenage mothers’ high depression rates have received “considerable [...]
Is Anxiety Over Cell Phone Towers Justified?
From the beginning of mobile communications, concerns have been voiced over human exposure to electric and magnetic fields from the cell phone towers. Cancer and other health hazards have been suggested as possible risks, with children thought to be in particular danger. But is this anxiety justified? A 2006 review found that “the strength of the [...]
Top 10 Lesser-Known Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety
Anxiety can be both a blessing and a curse. A little bit of anxiety can give us a nudge, elbowing us forward to accomplish our goals. Too much anxiety can be debilitating, paralyzing progress, inciting panic and forcing individuals to focus on a flurry of negative, doom-filled thoughts. And it becomes a cycle of thoughts, [...]
Anxiety in Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be both an exciting and worrying time for parents-to-be. Pregnant women experience a range of physical and emotional changes, all of which may trigger anxiety. Fear of the unknown, stress, feelings of insecurity over work or money, and daily pressures add to hormonal changes during pregnancy and may make women feel overwhelmed. Couple [...]
Working and Socializing Through Acute Mental Health Episodes
How do depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder affect work and socializing? Mental health problems can have a huge impact on lifestyle, affecting employment, socializing and family relationships. Working and feeling productive provides financial and social benefits as well as a means of structuring and occupying time. But health conditions such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder can [...]
Pregnancy and Psychotropic Medications
Pregnancy can be a challenging time for women with long-term mental disorders. While mental illness is common among women of childbearing age, it can bring increased difficulties and risks during and after pregnancy, such as birth complications and a worsening of symptoms. Dr. Jacqueline Frayne from the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Perth, Western [...]
A Brief History of Anxiety: Yours and Mine
In the U.S., 40 million adults have an anxiety disorder. Author Patricia Pearson is one of them: She is a regular visitor to Flu Wiki, an online community that fears an impending influenza outbreak. She compares her “uncomfortable but meaningless” angst to Edvard Munch’s The Scream . In A Brief History of Anxiety: Yours and [...]
Overcoming Fears, Phobias and Panic Attacks
There are many ways that a therapist might work with someone to help them overcome their fears, a phobia (like being afraid of snakes) or having a panic attack (where a person feels their heart beating, they are short of breath, and feel like they might die). Many therapists use what are called cognitive-behavioral techniques [...]
Living with an Anxiety Disorder
Learning that you have an anxiety disorder may bring relief (finally having a name for your struggles), more questions (why me?) and more worry (not knowing what to do next). The good news is that anxiety disorders are among the most treatable. According to Peter J. Norton, Ph.D, Director of the Anxiety Disorder Clinic at [...]
Anxiety in the Athlete
Michael Phelps is from my hometown, Towson, Maryland and no, I don’t know him personally. I have seen him around town several times and have been known to swim where he trained; however, we aren’t buds. But I can offer you this: I have competed at very high levels in art, pretty high levels on [...]
How To Keep Your Head in a Bad Economy
When a recession hits and then gains momentum, it’s natural to feel scared, helpless or hopeless, and these feelings can get the better of us. People who feel overwhelmed often try to cope by avoiding the difficulties coming at them. Sometimes it’s just too much, and it’s okay to take a break. But excessive escape [...]
Yoga for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression
Can yoga help in the treatment of anxiety and depression? Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. One such practice, yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades. One national survey estimated, for example, that [...]
The Stress of Severe Weather
It’s coming up to that time of year in many places of the country — tornado season. The southern states have already experienced some storms; Oklahoma was struck by a deadly twister just before Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s time to get the flashlights, portable radios, and your tornado safety plan ready. It’s [...]
Managing Worry: Action and Distraction
Everyone worries about things from time to time: the economy, an ill parent, safety concerns. For parents, it seems to come along even more naturally. There are endless things that a mom or dad could worry about from sunup to sundown. This can paralyze you if you let it get too big. At some point, [...]