It seems that video is killing the waiting room. In an effort to shorten wait times, child psychologist are turning to videoconferencing to expand services and reach more patients via "telemental health services." But is this a good idea for the rest of us? Can anxiety disorders and other mental health issues be addressed effectively by videoconferencing? For anyone familiar with psychotherapy, you know the experience is fraught with undesirable details. For example, after making the difficult phone call to seek help, you then have to
Is Psychiatry’s Bible Flawed?
Is there something inherently wrong with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders? Yes. It's bloated. Some people think that mental disorders don't exist, and that some people are just misunderstood. Well, I don't buy that line of thought. The reality is that some people do have mental problems, and they are different, but not because they're a little kookie or eccentric. They have serious underlying genetic, or other issues, that keep them the way they are. The DSM's job is to help psychiatrists classify the various
Panic Disorder: Stories of Hope (1994)
This is a 20 minute documentary video that follows the story of three people with panic disorder. The video is a little dated and somewhat cheesy, but the information it contains is up to date and useful. It's kind of hard to find good media about anxiety disorders, so I was glad to find this video and make it available to you. The bottom line of this short video is that panic disorder can be crippling, but it is also highly treatable. If you can't see the video CLICK HERE. [poll id="7"]
Optimism. It Works.
Being Optimistic doesn't just mean forcing yourself to have positive thoughts. It means being hopeful and open to the future. It's a mind set that can help you cope with anxiety. If you've been pounded by the ravages of anxiety then chances are that you've had to contend with fear, depression, and pessimism. You may have had days were you just felt like giving up. You may have also told yourself that you just can't take it anymore. Or am I just talking for myself? Now, I also want to point out that there is a difference between
The Top 100 Things You Should Know About Anxiety Disorders
Over the course of a decade you can learn a lot about anything. You can become an expert at car repair, kitchen remodeling, hair styling, or in my case you can learn all about anxiety. Since 1999 I have been battling anxiety non-stop and as a result I've learned a thing or two about this topic (I've recovered since then). Many of my thoughts on this issue are short thoughts or blurbs that I've collected over the years and for no particular reason I wanted to jot them down. I can't possibly recall everything but here is a good chunk of
The Time I Became Too Relaxed
Relax, relax, that's what people are probably always telling you to do. And more to the point I'm sure that's what you wish you could do on demand, but anxiety has a way of cramping this aspiration. But do you really want instant relaxation? A boneless body on tap? There was this one time that I became way too relaxed and I want to talk to you about it. Like you and many others I sometimes would lose sleep because of my anxiety and as a result would lie awake on my couch late at night. Well about 5 years ago I had one of these late night
“Overcoming Anxiety Is Feasible For Most Patients”
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent, chronic, debilitating mental illness associated with marked impairment in daily functioning.1 An ongoing evolution of the definition of GAD has resulted in a bifurcation of the historical anxiety neurosis designation.2 A diagnosis of GAD currently implies chronic, excessive worry lasting at least 6 months and 3 of the possible 6 somatic or psychological symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbance).3 GAD typically presents in an
Here’s An Effective Way To Lower Your Anxiety
Over the life of this blog I have talked a lot about how changing your thinking can lead to less anxiety. But what does 'change your thinking' even mean? Today I want to talk about a specific thing you can do (or think) to achieve the goal of less anxiety. Have you ever heard people say that we should all try and live in the present? Of course you have but who cares right? Well not really, because this simple old school saying (like most sayings) is true and effective. It's just that people hear sayings like this so much that they tend to
Take A Look At This Extensive List Of Possible Anxiety Symptoms
Click Here to see the list.