We Need More Words To Describe Depression By Tom Wootton

I was recently coaching a couple that had taken our Bipolar In Order workshop when the man said he was depressed. The woman asked for a better description, but he had no words to describe his emotions. I was reminded of how my wife Ellen used to ask me for more details when I said it was just dark. It seems that many of us can feel strong emotions, but have no words to describe them.
A good friend has the opposite problem. He cannot feel emotions. We watched the saddest movie I know, The Hours, but as hard as he tried he could not cry of feel sadness from it. The amazing part is that he suffered from depression many years ago, but had been taught that negative emotions are bad and should be avoided. He could not describe depression as a feeling since he could not feel it at all.
I often say that depression is a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components. While we have no problem explaining the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects, we seem to be at a loss when it comes to describing the emotional part. What we need is a better vocabulary.
When I ask people to describe the physical feelings of depression, I get a huge list of pains from dull, throbbing, stabbing, sharp, and more, to low energy and exhaustion. When I ask about mental issues, I get descriptions of obsessive thoughts, suicide ideations, self talk, hallucinations, etc. The spiritual aspects include life having no meaning, what’s the point, there is no God, life has no value, etc. But with emotion, all I ever hear is sadness or despair. We need more words.
Perhaps if we all contribute, we can come up with a list for everyone to use. That way we can help not only those around us, but also become more clear ourselves about what is happening.
What words do you know that can apply to the emotional part of depression?

Tom Wootton - follow on Twitter - is CEO of Bipolar Advantage. Along with experts in complementary fields, including doctors teaching the next generation of therapists, their mission is to help people with mental conditions shift their thinking and behavior so that they can lead extraordinary lives. Tom is the author of three books: The Bipolar Advantage, The Depression Advantage, and most recently, Bipolar In Order: Looking At Depression, Mania, Hallucination, And Delusion From The Other Side.

5 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise By By Deborah Kotz, USNews.com

1. It reverses the detrimental effects of stress. Jumping on the treadmill or cross trainer for 30 minutes can be an instant way to blow off tension by boosting levels of "soothing" brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. What's fascinating, though, is that exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process, according to a June study from the University of California at San Francisco. The researchers found that stressed-out women who exercised vigorously for an average of 45 minutes over a three-day period had cells that showed fewer signs of aging compared to women who were stressed and not active. Working out also helps keep us from ruminating "by altering blood flow to those areas in the brain involved in triggering us to relive these stressful thoughts again and again," says study coauthor Elissa Epel, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF.

2. It lifts depression. Research suggests that burning off 350 calories three times a week through sustained, sweat-inducing activity can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants. That may be because exercise has been found to stimulate the growth of neurons in certain brain regions damaged during depression. What's more, animal studies have found that getting active boosts the production of brain molecules that improve connections between nerve cells, thereby acting as a natural antidepressant.

3. It improves learning. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors that help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Interestingly, complicated activities, like playing tennis or taking a dance class, provide the biggest brain boost. "You're challenging your brain even more when you have to think about coordination," explains Ratey. "Like muscles, you have to stress your brain cells to get them to grow." Complicated activities also improve our capacity to learn by enhancing our attention and concentration skills, according to German researchers who found that high school students scored better on high-attention tasks after doing 10 minutes of a complicated fitness routine compared to 10 minutes of regular activity. (Those who hadn't exercised at all scored the worst.)

4. It builds self-esteem and improves body image. You don't need to radically change your body shape to get a confidence surge from exercise. Studies suggest that simply seeing fitness improvements, like running a faster mile or lifting more weight than before, can improve your self-esteem and body image.

5. It leaves you feeling euphoric. Yes, that "runner's high" really does exist if you're willing to shift into high-intensity mode. Ratey recommends sprint bursts through interval training. Run, bike, or swim as fast as you can for 30 to 40 seconds and then reduce your speed to a gentle pace for five minutes before sprinting again. Repeat four times for a total of five sprints. "You'll feel really sparkly for the rest of the day."

Click here for more info

Meditation 101

Image via Wikipedia

Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused.  Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.

Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines.  However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits.  And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it.  You could even try it in your own living room!

Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same.  The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus.  This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.

The negative thoughts you have – those of noisy neighbors, bossy officemates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam– are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.

Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them.  You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal.  It may seem deafening at first, since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.

If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening – those with impossibly arched backs, and painful-looking contortions – you need not worry.  The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration.  This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.

If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that would be a good starting point.  While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight.  In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.

Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to choke you up and make you feel tense.

The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere.  It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place that you feel comfortable in.  You might want an exercise mat if you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if you feel more focused doing so, and if the contortionist in you is screaming for release).  You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.

Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine.  Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles isn’t such a bad idea either.

The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra.  This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value.

You do not need to perform such; however, it would pay to note that focusing on repeated actions such as breathing, and humming help the practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.

The principle here is focus.  You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.

One sample routine would be to – while in a meditative state – silently name every part of you body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body.  Mentally visualize releasing this tension.  It works wonders.

In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing).

Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial physiologic effects to the body.  And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study the effects of such.  So in the near future, who knows, that mystical, esoteric thing we call meditation might become a science itself!

Exercise ‘Therapy’ For Depression

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Exercise Therapy For Depression A new study has an old answer for mental health issues: Physical exercise is an underutilized method to reduce depression and anxiety.

According to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies, exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.

“Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health,” says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

“The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be.”

Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, based their finding on an analysis of dozens of population-based studies, clinical studies and meta-analytic reviews related to exercise and mental health, including the authors’ meta-analysis of exercise interventions for mental health and studies on reducing anxiety sensitivity with exercise.

The researchers’ review demonstrated the efficacy of exercise programs in reducing depression and anxiety.

The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don’t reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology.

“Exercise can fill the gap for people who can’t receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don’t want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments,” he says.

“Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged.”

The researchers presented their findings at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America.

Their workshop was based on their therapist guide “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders,” with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009).

“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger,” Smits says.

“Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”

After patients have passed a health assessment, Smits says, they should work up to the public health dose, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity.

At a time when 40 percent of Americans are sedentary, he says, mental health care providers can serve as their patients’ exercise guides and motivators.

“Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program – which can be difficult to sustain – we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits,” he says.

“After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy – and you’ll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise.”

Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.

“Therapists can help their patients take specific, achievable steps,” he says.

“This isn’t about working out five times a week for the next year. It’s about exercising for 20 or 30 minutes and feeling better today.”

Source: Southern Methodist University

Antidepressants May Be Missing the Mark By Rick Nauert PhD

A new study suggests most antidepressants do not target a key brain protein believed to be of importance in maintaining mood.

The protein is monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), a substance that is highly elevated during clinical depression. The new study suggests this chemical is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants.

According to experts, the study has important implications for understanding why antidepressants don’t always work.

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) used an advanced brain imaging method to measure levels of the brain protein MAO-A. MAO-A digests multiple brain chemicals, including serotonin, that help maintain healthy mood.

High MAO-A levels excessively remove these brain chemicals.

Antidepressant medications are the most commonly prescribed treatments in North America, yet 50 percent of people do not respond adequately to antidepressant treatment.

Dr. Jeffrey Meyer, the lead investigator, explains, “Mismatches between treatment and disease are important for understanding why treatments don’t always work. Rather than reversing the problem of MAO-A breaking down several chemicals, most antidepressants only raise serotonin.”

Understanding the Problem of a Persistent Illness

Depression ranks as the fourth leading cause of disability and premature death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Recurrent illness is a major problem. Even under the most optimal treatment circumstances, recurrence rates for clinical depression are at least 20 percent over two years.

The new study also focused upon people who had fully recovered from past episodes of clinical depression. Some people who appeared to be in recovery actually had high levels of MAO-A. Those with high levels of MAO-A then had subsequent recurrence of their depressive episodes.

This new idea of high levels of MAO-A lowering brain chemicals (called monoamines), then falling into a clinical depression is consistent with the historical finding that medications which artificially lower monoamines can lead to clinical depression as a side effect.

In the 1950’s some medications to treat high blood pressure also lowered monoamines and people began to experience depressive episodes. When the medications were removed, people recovered.

From Technology to Treatment

VP of Research Dr. Bruce Pollock highlights the study’s use of advanced brain imaging technology. “CAMH has the only positron emission tomography (PET) centre in the world that is dedicated solely to mental health and addiction treatment and research. As a consequence, we were able to develop this new technology to measure MAO-A levels.”

According to Dr. Meyer, “Since most antidepressants miss MAO-A, we are counting on the brain to heal this process of making too much MAO-A, and that doesn’t always happen. The future is to make treatments that tell the brain to make less MAO-A, even after the antidepressant treatment is over, to create better opportunities for sustained recovery.”

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are an older class of antidepressants used for the treatment of depression. While more commonly prescribed in Europe and other places, they are not commonly prescribed in the U.S. due to the potential for serious dietary and drug interactions. People who take a MAOI antidepressant must eat a restricted diet to ensure they don’t suffer from serious side effects.

The study is found in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Source: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Top Ten Bipolar Blogs 2009 By Sandra Kiume

Every year the entrants for the Best of the Web awards multiply. In 2009, veterans stood tough as new kids dazzled. It was difficult to narrow the list to just ten (and some more faves we want to mention), but here are our picks for the top blogs written by people who have been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder.

1. The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive
Do’s and Don’ts for the Mentally Interesting was a BBC Radio play based on Seaneen’s blog produced last May and just nominated for a Mind Mental Health Media Award. Always a compelling and honest read, it was no fluke or sympathy vote that caused us to place this blog near the top of our list last year - it deserves many accolades. Well done.

2. The Trouble With Spikol
Another great year for Liz Spikol, a stellar writer and enduring fave. Highlights from 2009: Liveblogging Primetime Outsiders, Maia Campbell’s story, Dr. Fred Goodwin, celeb depression confessions, and the streaming kitten cam. A mashup of adorable with hard-hitting, the puppies make the grim stories a bit easier to take in. Check out her cool video series, too.

3. Coming Out Crazy
Sandy Naiman is fierce and fabulous. With a background in print journalism, her blog was new to the net last year and it’s been fun to see her adapt to the medium - and vice-versa. Some of the perennial trolls have been buzzing around her blog, smelling fresh blood, but she deftly slaps them down with precise words soaked in reality and wisdom. Sandy is a dynamo who is an offline mental health advocate and speaker. In Coming Out Crazy, she’s making gorgeous jewelry from her goldmine of experience as a person living with bipolar.

4. Pax Nortana
Joel Sax has built a small new media empire for himself with a blog, Twitter feeds, vlogs and social networking profiles. Outspoken and productive, he’s a great activist (livetweeting the 2009 DBSA conference) and a chatty blogger who writes about more than the labels he’s been given. Joel also manages @Bipolar_Blogs, which aggregates fresh links to posts from many blogs by people who have been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder (add your blog here).

5. All About Bipolar
Amy (@torturedsoul) is a woman from Tennessee who writes thoughtfully about all aspects of experiencing bipolar disorder, but I especially like that she writes humor. Bonus points for a not-too-cluttered layout with useful links and widgets.

6. In a tie: Furious Seasons and Knowledge is Necessity. Apples and oranges, Phil Dawdy and John McManamy have been among the best on the web for years, but 2009 saw them devolve into public feuding so they’re both bumped down the list together. Hopefully next year will bring a renewed focus on what they each do very well, and a truce.

7. Raw Writing for the Real World of Bipolar
Intimate, absorbing and moving, this is a diary-style blog by Cristina Fender that has mushroomed since she began. She’s now welcoming guest posts and building community, and has self-published a book as well. Energetic.

8. Caught in my Bipolar Burble.
She’s been blogging since 2003 and is consistently brilliant. Intimate and raw, very descriptive and at times hard to read. She’s been through a lot and her treatment-resistant disorder is still not responding to treatments, including a recent failed attempt at ECT (which led to the spin-off blog ECT: Electro-Convulsive Terror). Harrowing.

9. Time for your Meds
“Crazy Tracy” is triumphantly healthy, blogging once again and newly returned to work as a nurse. Her recovery is as dramatic as her dark moments have been. It’s great to see her back, a hopeful example to others who suffer severe bipolar episodes.

10. Crazy Black Woman
“My oddball behavior has been a badge of honor for me to wear,” says Dr. Gina, and I honor her for that behavior too. Her blog has aggressive, hypomanic uproar posts that are fun to read, with extra energy devoted to The Ariafya Universe, a mental health and wellness forum for diverse women. Phew! It’s impressive. Lots to read.

Honorable mentions: Victoria Maxwell’s Crazy for Life, Wellness Writer, Gus Greeper, Bipolar Happens, If You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going, Bipolar: Crazy Mermaid’s Blog, and Patient Anonymous. Cheers to all!

Enjoy the blogs above, and please leave more links with your comments.

Sandra Kiume is a mental health advocate and editor of Channel N who lives in Vancouver, Canada.

An Anxious Life - Your Fears and Your Family By Erika Krull, MS, LMHP

No, you don’t have an anxiety problem. You don’t feel jittery or get sweaty palms every day. How could that be true? Well, a life lived from a base of anxiety and fear might look different than you’d expect. And you might be surprised by the impact your fears have on your family.

When you operate out of your anxieties and fears, you may not see the whole picture. Since you don’t seem to have obvious symptoms of anxiety, you might very likely brush this off. But here’s the key to understanding this viewpoint. People with a perspective largely influenced by fear and anxiety often live life in a tiny “box”. They cut themselves off from most things that could provoke their anxiety. And if they successfully avoid these opportunities, they may not feel classic anxiety symptoms all that often.

They have missed the whole point that their life is lived to avoid feeling anxious whenever possible. They trade interest and excitement for feeling comfortable and safe. If this person’s true anxiety problem isn’t addressed and treated, they may live many years before they understand the bigger impact of their behaviors and choices.

When you have a family, everything you do could potentially impact someone besides yourself. Life is no longer just about you and your absolute comfort level. Marriage pushes you to go beyond yourself and think of your spouses needs and happiness. Having kids presses your boundaries of patience, learning, and maturity. And these are good things, things that can help you develop into a more well-rounded fulfilled human being.

If you regularly refuse to visit family, turn down your kids’ invitation to visit them at school, avoid going to social events, and say no to travel opportunities with your family, start thinking hat that’s about. You know your own life better than I do, so I’m not accusing everyone of having an anxiety problem if they really don’t like their mother in law! No, I’m asking you to consider the bigger pattern. And if you think this might describe your spouse, think about how they generally approach life.

Living life to avoid anxiety is like playing not to lose. You try to keep yourself so safe, you might really cut yourself out of real life. Your kids start getting used to you not being involved in family activities. Your spouse might start assuming you are MIA when it comes to holidays and social gatherings. Your withdrawal creates exactly what you hoped for - distance and low expectations.

Your attempts to make yourself feel safe and unthreatened may actually be the moves that further cut you off from everyone. And when you realize how lonely you are, it may be hard to reconnect. Your spouse and kids may become very frustrated with their hopes to connect with you and your continued efforts to stay safe. And when you do try to connect, they may or may not have much hope it will last.

By withdrawing into a tiny box, you pull away a piece of each family member’s soul with you. This is what untreated anxiety can be like. And without very many obvious symptoms of anxiety - silently pulling the family apart.

Erika Krull, MS, LMHP is a practicing licensed mental health counselor in Nebraska

New Program Helps Mental Health Patients Stop Smoking By Rick Nauert PhD

Experts say that tobacco use among mental health patients account for nearly half of all cigarettes consumed in the United States.

A program developed by the division of addiction psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to address this addiction has received national recognition by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

The program, called CHOICES – Consumers Helping Others Improve Their Condition by Ending Smoking – utilizes peer counselors to promote smoking cessation in mentally ill patients.

The counselors, who receive 30 hours of intensive training, are nonsmokers or former smokers who are moderately impaired or disabled by mental illness.

Their goal is not to provide treatment, but to assist smoking patients who are in mental health centers, psychiatric hospitals, group homes and self-help centers, by linking them to treatment, referrals, advocacy and support for smoking cessation in New Jersey.

“Peers are less threatening than professionals,” said Jill Williams, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and co-founder and medical director of the program.

“CHOICES symbolizes empowerment and personal choice in recovery by involving persons with mental illness talking with peers with mental illness who smoke, and who may have low motivation to address their tobacco use.”

A salient feature of the CHOICES program is the unique peer-to-peer approach to promoting tobacco cessation.

In the October issue of its journal Psychiatric Services, the APA said, “The CHOICES program exemplifies many aspects of a successful wellness and recovery initiative. For example, it targets a group with a vital health care need; seeks to reduce tobacco’s harm in a vulnerable group; focuses its efforts in the community, which best accommodates the target population; employs peers to reduce educational and cultural barriers; and develops successful partnerships with key stakeholders for sustainability.”

According to Dr. Williams and co-founder Marie Verna, the program’s advocacy director and senior training and consultation specialist at UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare’s Center for Excellence in Psychiatry, the CHOICES team has conducted more than 280 community visits, reaching more than 9,600 smokers with mental illness, since the program’s inception in 2005. The team also visits consumer conferences and health-related fairs.

An outcome study of the program showed success at reducing the number of cigarettes smoked by consumers each day and an increase in the number of quit attempts following individualized intervention.

Program participants reported that within six months after meeting with a peer counselor, they had talked to their mental health provider about getting help with quitting smoking. Patients also reported that peer counselors were extremely knowledgeable about tobacco and interested in their smoking. Seventy percent of those surveyed said that talking to a peer about their smoking was much easier than talking to a mental health professional.

Peer counselors also reported improvements of their own recoveries from mental illness as a result of participating in CHOICES. They reported on the achievement of personal milestones including participation in publications and conferences on wellness and recovery, and pursuing additional formal education.

Source: >Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Bipolar Disorder May Be Outgrown By Rick Nauert PhD

A new research effort has come to the conclusion that bipolar disorder, traditionally thought of as a chronic disorder, may dissipate as young adults mature.

Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, typically display severe and unusual shifts in mood and energy, which affect a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks.

Symptoms often start in early adulthood with University of Missouri researchers now suggesting that nearly half of those diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 may outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30.

The finding is a stark contrast to traditional beliefs that view bipolar disorder as a lifelong condition.

“Using two large nationally representative studies, we found that there was a strikingly high peak prevalence of bipolar disorders in emerging adulthood,” said David Cicero, doctoral student in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science.

“During the third decade of life, the prevalence of the disorder appears to resolve substantially, suggesting patients become less symptomatic and may have a greater chance of recovery.”

By examining the results of two large national surveys, MU researchers found an “age gradient” in the prevalence of bipolar disorder, with part of the population appearing to outgrow the disorder. In the survey results, 5.5 to 6.2 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 suffer from bipolar disorder, but only about 3 percent of people older than 29 suffer from bipolar disorder.

“Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are going through significant life changes and social strain, which could influence both the onset and course of the disorder,” said Kenneth J. Sher, Curators’ Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and co-author of the study.

“During this period of life, young adults are exploring new roles and relationships and begin to leave their parents’ homes for school or work. By the mid-20s, adults have begun to adjust to these changes and begin to settle down and form committed relationships.”

Researchers predict the prevalence of the disorder also could be affected by brain development, particularly the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex, the very front part of the brain, is thought to control perception, senses, personality and intelligence. In particular, it controls reactions to social situations, which can be a challenge for people with bipolar disorder.

“The maturing of the prefrontal cortex of the brain around 25 years of age could biologically explain the developmentally limited aspect of bipolar disorder,” Cicero said. “Other researchers have found a similar pattern in young adults with alcohol or substance abuse disorders.”

While some scholars suggest that the difference could be due to discounting factors such as early mortality, the sheer number of those who are recovering rules out this possibility, Sher said.

The study, “Are There Developmentally Limited Forms of Bipolar Disorder?” was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. It was co-authored by Cicero, Sher and Amee Epler, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychological Sciences.

Source: University of Missouri

Free Meditation E-Course Reveals The Secrets Of Your Health And Happiness.

Free Meditation E-Course Reveals The Secrets Of Your Health And Happiness. Discover how to quiet the mind, supercharge your level of energy and manifest anything you want in your life. Click here now to enroll for FREE

Brain Scans Clarify Borderline Personality Disorder

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Using real-time brain imaging, a team of researchers have discovered that patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are physically unable to regulate emotion.

The findings, by Harold W. Koenigsberg, MD, professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggest individuals with BPD are unable activate neurological networks that would help to control feelings.

The research will be published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers viewed how the brains of people with BPD reacted to social and emotional stimuli.

Koenigsberg found that when people with BPD attempted to control and reduce their reactions to disturbing emotional scenes, the anterior cingulate cortex and intraparetical sulci areas of the brain that are active in healthy people under the same conditions remained inactive in the BPD patients.

“This research shows that BPD patients are not able to use those parts of the brain that healthy people use to help regulate their emotions,” said Dr. Koenigsberg.

“This may explain why their emotional reactions are so extreme. The biological underpinnings of the disordered emotional control systems are central to borderline pathology. Studying which areas of the brain function differently in patients with borderline personality disorder can lead to more targeted uses of psychotherapy and medications, and also provide a link to connect the genetic basis of the disorder.”

According to background information in the article, borderline personality disorder is a common condition, affecting up to two percent of all adults in the United States, mostly women.

Characteristics of BPD include being so emotionally overreactive that they suffer alternating bouts of depression, anxiety and anger, are interpersonally hypersensitive, and are impelled to self-destructive and even suicidal behavior.

Patients with BPD often exhibit other types of impulsive behaviors, including excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders.

The disorder is found in 10 to 20 percent of people in psychiatric care, and about 10 percent of people with this condition ultimately die of suicide. Only recently have researchers begun to identify underlying biological factors associated with the condition.

Source: The Mount Sinai Medical Center

New Grant To Study Depression Treatments

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Depression affects more than 20 million people in the United States. The federal government recognizes the pervasive nature of the disease and has awarded the University of Illinois at Chicago a five-year, $4.8 million grant to develop new therapies to treat depression.

Currently, the most common treatment approach is a combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy.

Symptoms can include sadness, loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed, weight change, difficulty in sleeping (or oversleeping), loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness and thoughts of death or suicide.

The illness can run in families, and it occurs more often in women than men.

What’s needed are antidepressants that work faster, have fewer side effects and that act pharmacologically in new ways, says Alan Kozikowski, UIC professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy (the study of medicines derived from natural sources) and the grant’s principal investigator.

Kozikowski and his research team had been designing and synthesizing novel nicotine-like compounds that target certain receptors in the brain, in hopes that they would improve cognition in Alzheimer’s disease. Studies in animal models revealed that some of these compounds had antidepressant activity.

“We thus chose to focus our program on depression, as this offered a very different target that might lead to something better, with a faster onset of action,” Kozikowski said.

While the main focus of the research now is to develop medications for depression, Kozikowski said it’s likely some candidate compounds may have other clinical applications, including the treatment of schizophrenia, pain and nicotine dependence.

In fact, the UIC drug discovery group — which also includes investigators from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix and from PsychoGenics Inc. in Tarrytown, N.Y. — has already found that some of these novel agents do work for pain in animal models.

Prior research has also shown that many smokers smoke to improve their mood, supporting the notion that nicotine itself has antidepressant properties. This would explain, Kozikowski said, why cigarette smoking is much more common among depressed individuals. A recent study found that smokers are 41 percent more likely than nonsmokers to suffer from depression.

Such studies suggest that nicotinic compounds that have been modified to reduce their addictive potential while retaining the ability to balance mood could provide a new family of antidepressant drugs, he said.

This new drug class could have greater efficacy and fewer side effects than antidepressant medications currently on the market that work by inhibiting monoamine reuptake, Kozikowski said. Side effects of current antidepressants include headache, nausea, insomnia, dry mouth, constipation and agitation.

In spite of the intensive efforts that have gone into the design and study of nicotinic drugs, very few of the compounds have reached clinical trials, Kozikowski said.

The new grant is part of the National Cooperative for Drug Discovery and Development Groups and is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, one of the National Institutes of Health.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago

Depression: The thief that took my joy

By Christine Stapleton

On my bedside table there are stacks of books, most on depression. On the table next to my beside table, there are stacks of book, most on depression. I have not read any of them. Sometimes I read a few pages from one. Then I put it back on the stack.

I did not buy these books. My friends gave them to me. I appreciate every one of those books. Each book represents someone trying to help me. I am grateful and touched by each book. That is why I keep them on my beside table and the table beside my bedside table.

The oddity of this struck me upside the head yesterday. I accepted an invitation to have lunch with a group of journalists to discuss the fate future of journalism. Someone asked me about writers who have influenced me. I easily named other hard-core news journalists whose work I admire. But mental health writers, I could only think of one: Sylvia Plath - my teenage role model)

It is not because there are no good writers writing about their struggle with mental illness. I mean, William Styron was a brilliant writer. But I only read a couple dozen pages of his classic, Darkness Visible, and then put it down. I haven’t even cracked Kay Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind or Noral Vincent’s Voluntary Madness. I really should read these books. I really want to read these books. I can’t seem to do it.

I don’t want to read about another person’s misery right now. Been there. Done that. Don’t want to read about it. Believe me, I get the irony. Using my own logic, why would anyone want to read my writing? Good question.

I know this: I could not read or write - two of my greatest passions - when I was depressed and that scared the hell out of me. I could not read the newspaper I had been writing for over 20 years. I asked over and over, “It’s going to come back, right? I’m going to be able to read and write again, right?”

“Yes,” my therapist and nurse practitioner assured me. It did, but it took awhile. At first I could read only short, simple stories in the newspaper. Then magazines. Then books. Then I wrote and wrote and wrote. When I decided to write a column on mental health policy and my own experience with depression, bipolar and alcoholism, I wrote from my illness: little words, short sentences, simple thoughts. No long articles. Short columns, digestible thoughts. That is all I could handle when I was sick. That is all I wanted to write.

For all I know Styron, Jamison and Vincent write this way, too. It would do me good to read them. Still, I just can’t seem to do it yet. Someday I will. In the meantime, I’ll stick with journal articles about treatment and research, news events involving mental illness and an occasional movie - like A Beautiful Mind.

I am going to keep these books on my bedside table. They inspire me just sitting there. And they are starting to embarrass me, too. I think it’s time to try again. If I am not ready, I’ll just keep coming back. They’re not going anywhere.

Christine Stapleton has been a reporter for The Palm Beach Post for 23 years and in 2006, began writing a column entitled, Kicking Depression.

PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Use

PTSD does not automatically cause problems with alcohol use; there are many people with PTSD who do not have problems with alcohol. However, PTSD and alcohol together can be serious trouble for the trauma survivor and his or her family.

How do PTSD and alcohol use affect each other and make problems worse?

PTSD and alcohol problems often occur together.

People with PTSD are more likely than others with similar backgrounds to have alcohol use disorders both before and after being diagnosed with PTSD, and people with alcohol use disorders often also have PTSD.
Being diagnosed with PTSD increases the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
Women exposed to trauma show an increased risk for an alcohol use disorder even if they are not experiencing PTSD. Women with problematic alcohol use are more likely than other women to have been sexually abused at some point in their lives.
Men and women reporting sexual abuse have higher rates of alcohol and drug use disorders than other men and women.
Twenty-five to seventy-five percent of those who have survived abusive or violent trauma also report problems with alcohol use.
Ten to thirty-three percent of survivors of accidental, illness, or disaster trauma report problematic alcohol use, especially if they are troubled by persistent health problems or pain.
Sixty to eighty percent of Vietnam veterans seeking PTSD treatment have alcohol use disorders. Veterans over the age of 65 with PTSD are at increased risk for attempted suicide if they also experience problematic alcohol use or depression. War veterans diagnosed with PTSD and alcohol use tend to be binge drinkers. Binges may be in reaction to memories or reminders of trauma.

Alcohol problems often lead to trauma and disrupt relationships.

Persons with alcohol use disorders are more likely than others with similar backgrounds to experience psychological trauma. They also experience problems with conflict and intimacy in relationships.
Problematic alcohol use is associated with a chaotic lifestyle, which reduces family emotional closeness, increases family conflict, and reduces parenting abilities.

PTSD symptoms often are worsened by alcohol use.

Although alcohol can provide a temporary feeling of distraction and relief, it also reduces the ability to concentrate, enjoy life, and be productive.
Excessive alcohol use can impair one's ability to sleep restfully and to cope with trauma memories and stress.
Alcohol use and intoxication also increase emotional numbing, social isolation, anger and irritability, depression, and the feeling of needing to be on guard (hyper-vigilance).
Alcohol use disorders reduce the effectiveness of PTSD treatment.
Many individuals with PTSD experience sleep disturbances (trouble falling asleep or problems with waking up frequently after falling asleep). When a person with PTSD experiences sleep disturbances, using alcohol as a way to self-medicate becomes a double-edged sword. Alcohol use may appear to help symptoms of PTSD because the alcohol may decrease the severity and number of frightening nightmares commonly experienced in PTSD. However, alcohol use may, on the other hand, continue the cycle of avoidance found in PTSD, making it ultimately much more difficult to treat PTSD because the client's avoidance behavior prolongs the problems being addressed in treatment. Also, when a person withdraws from alcohol, nightmares often increase.

Additional Mental Health Issues

Individuals with a combination of PTSD and alcohol use problems often have additional mental or physical health problems. As many as 10-50% of adults with alcohol use disorders and PTSD also have one or more of the following serious disorders:

• Anxiety disorders (such as panic attacks, phobias, incapacitating worry, or compulsions)
• Mood disorders (such as major depression or a dysthymic disorder)
• Disruptive behavior disorders (such as attention deficit or antisocial personality disorder)
• Addictive disorders (such as addiction to or abuse of street or prescription drugs)
• Chronic physical illness (such as diabetes, heart disease, or liver disease)
• Chronic physical pain due to physical injury/illness or due to no clear physical cause

What are the most effective treatment patterns?

Because the existence of both PTSD and an alcohol use disorder in an individual makes both problems worse, alcohol use problems often must be addressed in PTSD treatment. When alcohol use is (or has been) a problem in addition to PTSD, it is best to seek treatment from a PTSD specialist who also has expertise in treating alcohol (addictive) disorders. In any PTSD treatment, several precautions related to alcohol use and alcohol disorders are advised:
The initial interview and questionnaire assessment should include questions that sensitively and thoroughly identify patterns of past and current alcohol and drug use.
Treatment planning should include a discussion between the professional and the client about the possible effects of alcohol use problems on PTSD, sleep, anger and irritability, anxiety, depression, and work or relationship difficulties.
Treatment should include education, therapy, and support groups that help the client address alcohol use problems in a manner acceptable to the client.
Treatment for PTSD and alcohol use problems should be designed as a single consistent plan that addresses both sources of difficulty together. Although there may be separate meetings or clinicians devoted primarily to PTSD or to alcohol problems, PTSD issues should be included in alcohol treatment, and alcohol use ("addiction" or "sobriety") issues should be included in PTSD treatment.
Relapse prevention must prepare the newly sober individual to cope with PTSD symptoms, which often seem to worsen or become more pronounced with abstinence.

Where can you get help?

For a listing of professionals in the USA and Canada who treat alcohol disorders and PTSD, we suggest consulting the membership directories of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies or the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists. For veterans experiencing problems with PTSD and alcohol use, the Department of Veterans Affairs has a network of specialized PTSD and substance use treatment programs. For information on these programs, contact the local VA Vet Center or the Psychiatry Service at a VA Medical Center. (For addresses and telephone numbers, look under the "United States Government" listings in the telephone directory.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
EMAIL - ncptsd@va.gov
CALL - THE PTSD Information Line at (802) 296-6300

Helping Yourself with Depression Help

Image via Wikipedia

If you're currently feeling so out of it, totally out of your normal system and just basically hating and ignoring almost, always everything and anyone that comes along, try to get yourself checked by a psychiatrist because you those little mood swings and erratic Ally McBeal-ish behavior that you're trying to ignore for some long may actually be symptoms of depression. Act fast because if you do, it'll certainly be a lot harder for you to be able to have yourself cured from this illness, especially once self-delusion starts to kick in.

Actually start by hauling your depressed ass into the hospital and get yourself diagnosed by a reputable psychiatrist, one that'll actually help you with your depression concerns, answer all the possible questions that you may have when it comes to depression as well as provide you with the best available to depression treatment that'll make you give yourself some good-old, yet extremly effective depression help. All it needs is the right attitude.

After actually being honest with yourself when it comes to actually being a patient who is suffering from depression, quit turning yourself into a victim and find out from these various types of depression the actual one that you're suffering from: Manic or Bipolar depression - characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one's mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell, Postpartum depression - characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this, Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it's been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately, Cyclothemia - characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one's moods, Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person's mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. But in spite of how scary or how daunting a task is the road towards a sound mental health is, depression help abounds and is just up to you if you’re willing to take in some of that depression help, may it be from your family, friends, support group and mainly starting from yourself, there really is a lot of depression help to go around.

The old adage, slowly but surely greatly applies in trying to treat depression, as the patient continues taking the prescribed medicines for his/her depression treatment, as well as the corresponding therapy sessions with the cognitive behavior therapist, a patient being treated from depression needs all the support and depression help that he or she can get.

While being treated for depression, the patient as well as his or her family and other loved ones are advised to make realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap. Depression help begins with trying to understand the patient’s situation and continue on being patient as well as always extending your help because depression help is never easy nor is the depression treatment itself, which is why both patients and loved ones need to help each other out through every step of the way. Never set goals that are high above your reach, give yourself some depression help by not being too hard on yourself, believe that you are good and strong enough to achieve your goals but only one step at a time.

Timothy Kendrick International

Depression: 5 Steps to Prevent Relaps

Image via Wikipedia

By Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.

If you’ve struggled with depression in the past, you are likely all-too-familiar with how easy and subtle it might be to slide back into a depressive state. It can sneak up out of nowhere, kick you into auto-pilot and before you know it you feel like you are “back to square one.” When working with depression it is very important to get in touch with our relapse signatures that are the tell tale signs that we are beginning to slide. When I ask people to think of their signatures they say that more negative thoughts begin to visit them, there may be a feeling of wanting to isolate from friends and family, or the phrase “what’s the point” comes up over and over again.

Here is a step-by-step process of increasing awareness of when relapse is happening and what you can do to pre-empt it:

1) Relapse Signatures - Take a moment right now or make a plan to write down some of your relapse signatures just to increase awareness when they’re happening.

2) Breathing Space - When you notice one of these signatures occurring it is going to be important to ground yourself to the present moment so you can increase you chance of making a choice in that moment. Here is where you introduce mindfulness and bring your attention to the breath to anchor yourself to the present moment. Then take a moment to sense into the body to check-in with how you are feeling physically and emotionally.

3) Thoughts are not facts - It is important to remind yourself that thoughts are not facts. We know this because the same event can happen (e.g., a friend walking by us without saying hello) and our interpretation would be different depending on our mood. Therefore, it’s important to remind ourselves that thoughts are not facts, they are mental events in the mind that are temporary and mood dependent. What is a fact is that negative thoughts are circling and however we are feeling physically and emotionally.

4) Take Action - Now that we are grounded to the present moment and have come down from the mental rumination, we want to take action with 2 things that can support us in this moment. That is either an action that brings us pleasure or an action that brings us a sense of mastery or accomplishment. Here you want to make a list with two columns. Column 1 will include actions in your life that you consider to be pleasurable (e.g., having tea with a friend, taking a walk, giving yourself a manicure/pedicure). Column 2 will include those things that give you a sense of accomplishment (e.g., paying the bills, getting exercise, going to the post office). These lists may overlap in some areas, but have the list down so you have access to it and don’t have to think as much when you notice this relapse occurring.

5) A letter of encouragement - Sometimes when relapse is happening, the thought “what’s the point” comes on really fast. When you’re feeling well, write yourself an empathic letter spelling out the importance of engaging in this process. Be kind to yourself in this letter see if you can think of the words that would be supportive and helpful for you to here when in the midst of a slide into relapse.

Remember, this is a process to engage in when you are noticing yourself sliding into relapse and you have not fallen into the depths of depression. See if you can keep your lists and letter in a space that you can remember and have easy access to. Community is also an important aspect of this work, so share this plan with friend so they can gently help point out when they notice relapse signatures. Or look into online communities such as Therese Borchard’s Community at Beyond Blue.

As always, please share your thoughts, stories, and questions below. Your interactions here provide a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist and conducts a private practice in West Los Angeles. Check out Dr. Goldstein's acclaimed CD's on stress prevention, depression, and addiction -- "They are so relevant, I have marked them as one of my favorites on a handout I give to all new clients" ~ Psychiatrist. If you're wanting an interactive program to find relief from anxiety and stress, check out Dr. Goldstein's progressive online behavioral change program in Aliveworld. If you're wanting to integrate more mindfulness into your daily life, sign up for his Mindful Living Twitter Feed. Dr. Goldstein is also available for private psychotherapy.

Click Here For More Solutions

The Myth of Chronic Anxiety: "Disorder" — Or Evidence That Your Brain Works Fine? By Robert Mantell, Ph.D., C.M.Ht.

The Myth of Chronic Anxiety: "Disorder" — Or Evidence That Your Brain Works Fine?
By Robert Mantell, Ph.D., C.M.Ht.

Phobias.
Panic attacks.
Agoraphobia.
Post-traumatic stress.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Social Phobia.

Pretty scary sounding stuff for most of us. And even more scary if you are among the 1 in every 12 Americans who suffers with some form of chronic anxiety problem serious enough to seek professional help.

When a person finds him or herself experiencing disturbing levels of anxiety too often, the first thing most people do is open the Yellow Pages and start looking around for a counselor or psychotherapist. Upon a first meeting, the well-meaning therapist listens, takes notes, looks for emotional and behavioral patterns, and armed with that information, consults a professional manual known as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV).

Based on the presence of one or more prescribed elements therein, the therapist develops a diagnosis of one or more mental disorders to explain what's "wrong" with you. And, of course, once you've been diagnosed, the therapist uses the totality of his or her knowledge base and experience to attempt to help you "recover".

Depending on the branch of medical or psychological help consulted, the doctor or therapist may choose to begin individual or group psychotherapy. Many purported specialists in the field of anxiety treatment may go a step further in utilizing an approach called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (or CBT), currently considered the "state-of-the-art" in anxiety treatment. Using a process known as progressive desensitization (also called graduated exposure therapy), or in its most protracted form, flooding, this approach often requires the patient to endure extended periods of direct exposure to their feared stimulus. Many such specialists will suggest or prescribe medications such as Xanax, Paxil, Klonopin, Celexa, Zoloft and others to augment the psychological interventions being employed.

* * * *

How exactly the therapist attempts to "cure" such a person is not the point of this article. The fact that he or she is even attempting to cure something that he or she thinks is "wrong" with you and needs to be "cured" is the point.

You see, I have questions about whether or not the presence of chronic, even debilitating anxiety — or any other emotional or behavioral problems, for that matter — are truly evidence that a mental disease or disorder is present in the first place.

Don't get me wrong — I know that people with these kinds of problems are feeling ways they don't want to be feeling, and/or behaving in ways they don't want to be behaving — and that, ostensibly, they've sought professional assistance in alleviating their symptoms because they can't seem to help it.

But is that evidence that there's something actually wrong with the person? That they have a mental disease or a mental disorder? I don't know.

You see, when you take the time to carefully examine a person's history, almost without fail, you begin to see how the presence of anxiety-related symptoms in a person's life could actually make a lot of sense.

Let me tell you what I mean by this.

I believe the brain has a positive intent for everything it does — everything — including causing a person to experience chronic and debilitating forms of anxiety such as phobias, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress, agoraphobia, social phobia, and OCD. (By the way, I believe this notion extends to emotional problems that most would consider even psychotic by nature, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and so forth.)

I believe the positive intent on the part of the subconscious mind for objectifying any chronic emotional or behavioral symptoms in a person's life is simply to protect that person from pain — specifically, the same kind of pain they experienced earlier on in life, usually (but not always) in childhood. Thus, the positive purpose for the presence of the various expressions of anxiety in a person's life is to act as a kind of protective barrier, if you will, from the kinds of situations, circumstances, people or things the brain greatly fears will lead to pain, based on past experience.

From this standpoint, the presence of clinical anxiety could be considered a useful, and even a healthy response.

LET'S TAKE AN EXAMPLE

Suppose Lisa has been a little too busy, with too much on her plate, and has not paid nearly enough attention to creating balance in her life. Over the preceding weeks, months or even years, Lisa has been plagued with chronic psychosomatic symptoms such as headaches, backaches, tight muscles, stomach cramps, and so forth. These kinds of psychosomatic symptoms, by the way, are often the brain's "signal" — it's calling card, if you will — that one has organized their life in such a way that it is terribly out of balance, and requires some serious balancing now!

Because the brain does not speak English, Lisa doesn't get what's really going on here — the message being delivered from her subconscious mind by way of these physical symptoms: "Mellow out, slow down... Stop working so hard, so often. Slow it down for awhile and smell the roses for a change! If you don't, I'll soon be unable to manage all the stress you're creating, and eventually I won't be able to keep it suppressed any longer!"

Suppose Lisa doesn't get the message being offered by her subconscious mind, and eventually, sure enough, all that pent-up stress finally boils over. This is called a panic attack, folks.

And suppose Lisa unexpectedly experiences this panic attack while she's in the car driving. If you've never had a panic attack, I can tell you that it usually comes upon a person for the first time seemingly from out of nowhere — often at the most unexpected times, and in the most unexpected places. I can also tell you that the experience of a full-blown panic attack is extremely fear-provoking, often causing a person to imagine that he/she is losing her mind, or perhaps that he or she may even be having a heart attack! Yup... Scary stuff, for sure.

REMEMBER PSYCHOLOGY 101? LET'S REVIEW CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Recall that the brain's “prime directive”, if you will, is to protect the person from pain in any way possible. One of the ways the brain does this is to link fear with whatever's going on in the environment when the person is in such distressed state. Utilizing a well-known learning process called classical conditioning, the person's brain makes a mental note (sort of like a taking a mental snapshot) of what exactly was going on in the person's environment when he/she was so terribly uncomfortable.

This kind of powerful neuro-associative pairing is so deeply ingrained, that days, weeks, months or even years could go by before the person may find him or herself in a similar situation or context, and when they do, BAM! The person goes right back into the same kind of traumatized state they experienced the first time they encountered the fear-provoking situation.

Thus, now, whenever this person even THINKS about returning to the same kind of environment wherein she experienced the original trauma, she experiences great fear and will (for example) avoid the actual experience of getting back in the car and driving at almost all costs.

Why? Because fear is the brain's most effective tool for keeping a person away from things that could potentially cause the same kind of intense pain they experienced earlier in life. Well, if once upon a time a person had experienced great pain in a particular situation or circumstance, now, whenever the person so much as thinks about being in such a situation, he/she experiences tremendous anxiety.

In the example of Lisa's panic attack in the car, because that experience was so terribly upsetting, her brain linked up pain with the idea of being back in the car. Now, every time she thinks about what it would be like to be driving (essentially mentally recreating the same conditions that were present in the earlier painful experience), she experiences intense anxiety. The positive purpose for the brain's objectifying that tremendous fear is to protect Lisa from possibly returning to the same sort of context that led to great pain for her in the past.

This fear is what some people would now think of as a phobia to driving.

(Ever drink too much whisky, wine or beer, and get very, very sick?? if so, I'm willing to bet that now, whenever you so much as THINK of that substance, you can feel yourself getting sick. In a not so dissimilar way, your aversion to that substance can be thought of as a kind of "phobia" to it.)

And even though the ongoing fear of driving may not necessarily be a desirable mental "program" to maintain over time, the fact is, considering this person's past, this fear — this phobia — seems to make a lot of sense, doesn't it? In fact, this phobic behavior could even be considered healthy, reasonable and biologically adaptive — hardly justification to diagnose someone with this kind of problem as mentally ill, with a phobic “disorder” of some kind!

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO THE RESOLUTION OF CLINICAL ANXIETY

Rather than treat this kind of challenge as evidence of a mental disease, as though something is truly psychologically "wrong" with the person, we find it preferable to view this person's anxiety-related symptoms as nothing more than the brain's best strategy — the brain's best self-defense mechanism, if you will — to keep a person out of the same kind of intense pain they had when they were younger. And fascinatingly, it's almost always effective! It's ingenious, in fact. (In fact, if it weren't effective, the brain wouldn't continue to invest energy in maintenance of the behavior — the anxiety symptom would disappear, all on its own.)

Thus, rather than try to “fix” something that is regarded as wrong with the person, we believe that the anxiety-related behavior simply requires to be recognized first by the subconscious mind as an old and outdated strategy for protection, and then released when the brain comes to understand that it is no longer necessary to be maintained as a protective mechanism. And because the brain works on something called the Principle of Economy of Effort (more on this later in another article), the brain will be only too glad to stop wasting energy on maintenance of a behavior that it finds is not worth the investment.

For example, although the response may have made a lot of sense when the person was younger, the brain may come to understand that it's probably OK to let the behavior go at this point because, chances are, the person is now bigger, better, stronger and faster then they ever were when they were younger. And they are probably in possession of far greater resources now, should they encounter the same kind of troublesome situation, than they ever could have brought to bear in their younger years due to their relative inexperience at the time.

There are many ways to communicate and demonstrate this to the person's subconscious mind. These brief therapeutic treatment modalities range from hypnosis, to direct behavioral intervention, to outright disruption of a person's mental “recipe” for creating their age-old anxiety-related response.

Regardless of the specific method used to make the change, the bottom line is that when a person learns to perceive differently whatever they used to fear, they can't help but feel, and therefore respond, differently to it.

Is it really appropriate to think of this as "fixing" what's gone mentally wrong with a person?

We prefer to assign no more meaning to it than simply the process of helping our client to change a behavior that clearly doesn't work for them. This approach is more congruent with how we like to think of our clients. We like to think of our clients as individuals who are simply doing the very best they can at any given moment in time with the resources they have available to them. We feel our job is merely to assist our clients to gain access to greater and more powerful resources, and in the process, enjoy greater behavioral choice and flexibility in the old, formerly troublesome contexts.


http://timothy61.brtlife07.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=BG

Dr. Robert Mantell is the Founder and Executive Director of BrightLife Phobia and Anxiety Release Center

Brought to you by Timothy Kendrick International