Archive for the ‘Mental Health’ Category
Shyness Can Be Overcome Through Self Help
If you are a very shy person, the thought of talking to strangers may make you extremely nervous. There is an instant uneasiness if you think about talking to new people. Extreme amount of shyness can cause social inhibitions which lead to disruption of normal social interaction with people. This problem is called social anxiety and it affects millions of people at some point in their life. Cognitive behavioral treatment is one of the best therapies for curing this disorder.
Earlier on, scientists used to attribute the family environment to the emotional growth and development of a child. Now it appears that nature has programmed people’s personality towards being shy. This disorder is overcome by many people, while at the same time, a number of them actually live with it till their old age. Today’s generation lives in a world which needs less social contact and therefore this contributes to the underdeveloped social conditioning of some people. Internet and its related aspects like email interaction and computer based games, lead to risk of people becoming less social. If you happen to suffer from this disorder, there are a number of things you can do to overcome it.
First and foremost, identify what triggers shyness. Every situation does not lead to shyness in all the people. What time do you feel anxious? Ask yourself the question about when do you feel shy. Do you have negative thoughts and predictions automatically? Before you start believing that the negative assumption you are making is fact, try and challenge your thought process.
A shy person should start thinking in the direction that their thoughts are nothing but guesses. Do not put too much attention on information that confirms your belief in anxiety. One good way would be deflect your thoughts to something useful which disproves your negative thoughts. Everyone cannot be pleased all the time.
Put yourself right in the front and confront the negativity. It is a good idea to expose yourself to the situation as you yourself intentionally put yourself in situations which make you anxious. One of the best ways to deal with this is to constantly start facing situations so that the anxiety softens its grips and erodes away. The end objective should be to attract what you are fearful of and to realize that it isn’t a big deal. You may have a rumbling feeling in your stomach, but it is worth doing as soon as possible. The more you delay it, the more you will torture yourself.
Shyness is classified as a personality characteristic and is not considered to be a psychological or emotional disorder. It has various degrees of shyness. There is a category of people who feel nervous when they face an audience; some are extremely shy in so much as they start living reclusive lives. This is not how one should be living their life. For some people, shyness becomes some sort of a shell. It is quite safe, secure, warm and quiet for them. The flip side is that is can become highly dark, desolate, and confined.
Ask the family and friends to support and guide you. When faced with difficult situations, rely on them to seek pointers and guidance. When you are aware that there is someone out there to support you, life becomes much easier. Slowly and gradually, you will see that you are losing your fears and inhibitions. After gaining a social life, it will be interesting to see how easy it is to meet new people.
In order to overcome shyness, you can try out multiple things. If you want to make shyness a thing of past, start taking one step a day or week. While these pointers are good, there is more that can be done to erase shyness.
You can learn some wise insights in a free course at Wisdom Self Help Insights. Hans S Delane teaches words of wisdom courses and you can learn more at Self Help Courses.
What Are Panic Attacks?
A panic attack is a time when the body experiences extreme anxiety, feelings of fear, and sometimes pain which come on with little or no warning. Panic attacks are unique among anxiety related issues because they happen so suddenly and can be so damaging.
About 3 million people in the United States alone have suffered from panic attacks, and they can strike in any age group. Some people are unaware of what is happening to them, and even fear that they are losing their mind, having a heart attack, or dying.
If people are not aware of the fact they are having panic attacks, they won’t normally get treated for them. This lack of knowledge is detrimental since these attacks do not stop on their own.
Panic attacks are the cause of many issues and usually get worse if left untreated. Every person may have slightly different symptoms but the most frequently seen effects of a panic attack are: Rapid onset panic, breaking into a sweat, overly rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, becoming dizzy, becoming faint, and having pain.
Because the experience of a panic attack is so intensely miserable, it is actually common for people to fear new panic attacks so much that the attacks intensify and become more frequent. Prompt and efficient treatment of panic attacks is required if a person wants to eliminate these attacks and move on with their life.
Even though some people get medicine to stop their panic attacks, the side effects of these drugs can be really severe. Common problems from drugs like these are becoming disoriented, falling asleep constantly, and being incoherent. There are however non-drug methods that can help.
Panic attacks are best treated with a method that uses advanced psychological knowledge of brain function. Panic Away is one of the programs that puts an end to panic attacks by first taking away the constant fear of reoccurring attacks. The techniques teach you to retrain the way your brain reacts and it is possible to put into effect right away.
Panic attacks are not a problem which will ever improve if they just have a bandage put on them: They need a real cure. Following a psychologically sound program like the one referenced above can help you achieve the cure for panic attacks.
Most people who endure anxiety attacks say that they would go to nearly any length to avoid having attacks. The stumbling block is that they simply don’t know what to do. Severe anxiety may not cause significant long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be near intolerable. Learn more about measures you can take to stop panic attacks.
Learning About Abnormal Psychology
Have you heard of F-99? Read up! This new definition of ‘abnormal psychology’ could put you in an asylum! The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to the International Classification of Diseases, revision ten (ICD-10), Chapter Five, “Mental and Behavioral Disorders” as a universal descriptor of abnormal psychology. The description of mental and behavioral disorders presented in this chapter essentially define the abnormal everyman, the abnormal men and women of the world.
The WHO rightfully takes a global view on the individual. All people in the world are equal in the eyes of the WHO. At the outset, this is a troubling position. Abnormal psychology always appears in contrast to a cultural norm. From the WHO’s perspective, the individual’s abnormality must be measured against a universal norm, not a cultural one. A universal norm may indeed represent the behavior of a universal or global culture. As global government emerges on the back of a global economy, a global culture may very well ensue. This means that ICD-10 will become the standard used by global government to identify and treat the abnormal personality.
Since critical treatment of abnormal behavior may result in incarceration, such as in a hospital for the criminally insane, our personal freedom may be taken if our behavior fits into one of the categories of ‘abnormality’, as described in the ICD-10. You can see that it only makes good sense for us to safeguard our freedom and become informed of what the World Health Organization considers abnormal psychology. You may well be shocked to learn that ICD-10 has an ‘unspecified’ category: this means that virtually any behavior might qualify as abnormal psychology and require governmental intervention, correction, and monitoring.
Against the norms of a global culture, the ICD-10 identifies organic, physical, affective, schizophrenic, and neurotic disorders. It includes retardation, developmental disorders, behavioral syndromes, and childhood and adolescent emotional disorders. These are certainly categories of abnormal psychology and most people would not take issue with these. What most people would take issue with, are those people who treasure liberty and would see all governments limited in exercising yet more authority, is the ICD-10, Chapter 5 category, F99, the ‘unspecified’ category. While all the other categories of mental illness point to well known and specific mental disorders, category F99 identifies the behaviors described only as an “Unspecified mental disorder”.
The problem is immediately apparent in the phrase. All behavior that is not in one of the other, specific mental disorder categories of the ICD-10 is unspecified behavior. For example, dissent is not found in any legitimate and specific category, but the behavior fits well into F99. Dissent may represent a minority of the populace, an abnormality. Religious rituals are another form of behavior that fits into F99. Will dissent and religious practice be seen as an abnormal psychology? Will it thus require corrective treatment?
The broad generality of F99 should make it unacceptable to all people of the world. An ‘unspecified’ mental disorder category may have a place in research psychology, but it does not belong in the canon of abnormal psychology. If your personal freedom is important to you, hopefully this brief introduction provides a heads-up on what’s coming.
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What Factors Cause Panic Attacks to Happen?
The exact reasons that people suffer from panic attacks is, in large part, not clear at this time. Even though it does appear that there might be some situations and factors which can cause a person to be predisposed toward panic attacks, there is not one certain factor that is always there.
According to scientific experts, the effects of panic attacks may possibly be related to the action of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. If neurotransmitter are mis-firing, they can make a reaction called “fight or flight” occur. This reaction is typically the precursor to panic attacks. The unknown here is why this reaction would be set off when the time is wrong, and the reasons behind that are still being researched today.
While precise causes may be unknown, it is known that some people are at an increased risk for experiencing panic attacks. Heredity appears to be a factor since panic attacks tend to run in families. The stress related with major life changes such as graduation, getting married, starting a new job, having a baby, divorce, or losing a job can sometimes tend to trigger panic attacks as well.
Some specific medical problems, and medications, may be causative factors in panic attacks. Should you start to suffer from panic attacks, especially if you have never had them, any potential medical causes need to be investigated prior to treatment.
Possible medical causes of panic attacks include: Mitral valve prolapse, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, the use of stimulants, and withdrawal from medication.
If your panic attacks are caused by medical issues which can be easily controlled, your physician will usually choose to make some changes to your medication or ask you to make lifestyle changes to prevent panic attacks from happening again.
For the type of panic attacks that are not rooted in medical problems, which are in fact the majority of panic attacks, it will take an aggressive approach. A program that has a good psychologically based method of stopping panic attacks, such as Panic Away, will usually be the best way to treat panic attacks. Methods like this one use safe and effective techniques to use the tool of your own brain, and it is used in a way that put you in total control.
Because this program works only on the specific brain areas that cause panic attacks, you are able to be in control and make certain you don’t have to deal with unexpected attacks any more.
Those people who endure panic attacks say they would take what ever action is needed to avoid the attacks. The difficulty is that they really don’t know what to do to stop them. Severe anxiety may not cause long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be severe. Learn more about steps you can take to eliminate anxiety related problems.
Battling Anxiety Disorder - And Winning!
Those of you who have coped with an anxiety disorder are all too familiar with the far reaching effects the condition can have. Anxiety disorders can surface at all stages of life and kids can also go through them. Panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder are a few of the manifestations of anxiety disorders. Here is some information to help you learn the basics of generalized anxiety disorder and what those who have this problem can do.
Being continually afraid or concerned over day to day affairs is a normal symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Having an ongoing tense feeling that also makes it challenging to sleep at nighttime is quite common with this. Stomach problems like nausea or diarrhea are often caused by stress. Furthermore, people with anxiety disorder experience chronic muscular tension, consistent, frequent headaches and neck and back pain.
The exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder is still debated by physicians. Since many individuals with generalized anxiety disorder respond well to medicine, it’s thought that the disorder impacts brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Because this disorder is typically inherited in families, experts think that genes and a few environmental issues contribute to basic anxiety disorder. One consideration when making a diagnosis is that a large number of people with this disorder experienced heavy stress before its inception.
Treatment choices exist today that allow patients to enjoy a higher quality of life, even if the causes of their symptoms remain unsure. Drugs used to treat various psychological symptoms, such as depression, are frequently the first step in treatment. Two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also known as SSRIs, which physicians usually prescribe to manage anxiety systems and help keep them controlled, are Paxil and Prozac. However when such medications are not efficacious, physicians can turn to other medications created for this purpose.
Psychotherapy in addition to medication has been proven to work the best in combating this problem. Patients learn to control their negative thoughts when they take part in psychotherapy. The physician in charge of these psychotherapy meetings is commonly a psychiatrist or a psychologist specializing in addressing nervous disorders. Exercises that focus on relaxation such as yoga or meditation can also be very effective and noninvasive ways to treat anxiety naturally. Making use of them in combination will often result in a reduction of symptoms, resulting in a higher quality of life.
Anxiety disorder is a debilitating condition, one that millions of people deal with on a daily basis. If you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder, it’s important that you seek out treatment as soon as possible. Find out about the various approaches to managing the condition at Fighting Anxiety.
What Are Panic Attack Symptoms?
Panic attack symptoms might be different for every person, but most of the time there is more than just the feelings of panic. A person who suffers a panic attack usually feels frightened, out of control, and like they are a prisoner of this serious medical problem.
Some people who suffer from panic attacks have several of the following symptoms but not others, and it’s not uncommon to experience additional symptoms over time since panic attacks worsen if not treated.
The American Psychiatric Association says in their official manual of diagnosis and statistics that panic attacks will frequently begin with the feelings of panic and then will be accompanied by four or more other related symptoms.
In a medically defined panic attack, these symptoms will peak within 10 minutes. During the 10 minutes, all symptoms will take place at some point.
Panic Attack Symptoms
Usually some of the other effects of a panic attack are some of the following: Heart pounding, sweats, chills, overheating, having breathing issues, feeling of choking, chest pain, feeling of nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, feeling like insanity is setting in, and numbness or a tingling feeling in the extremities. These symptoms may be simultaneous or may happen in rapid succession, it varies by person.
Because panic attack symptoms are truly nightmarish for many, the attacks can really interfere with quality of life. Treatment is vital, and stopping future attacks is also important.
Anyone can eradicate panic attacks from their life, but it will take a dedicated approach and often will need the use of a method such as Panic Away. This program uses the brain’s inner workings to get control of panic attacks and will allow the best chance to beat them.
People who endure panic disorder say that they would go to nearly any length to avoid having the attacks happen. The difficulty is that they really don’t know what to do to stop them. Panic attacks may not cause major long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be intolerable. Learn more about the steps you can take to prevent anxiety.
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The Power of Encouragement
I was walking the winding looping steep trail at my local park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The trail is about a half of a mile and very steep in some portions. A great workout. So here I was walking at a very fast pace. A stranger in workout gear was running the opposite direction. He was very fit and looked like he was having a good run. As he passed me he yelled out “way to go!” He was looking directly at me. I was somewhat shocked at being addressed by a stranger. Who was he anyway? On the second lap I earned a smile and a ” keep going!” On the third lap a big wave. So here I was starting to feel good about the encouragement of a stranger! This was an amazing experience and really got me thinking. I wanted to do well for my new “coach”. I actually ran the last lap to please him.
Think about it. All people need to feel good; to get and give energy, to have encouragement, appreciation and acknowledgement. So here is the big issue; many leaders don’t take the energy and time to provide any form of encouragement at all. None! Encouragemant as a tool can have great power. I want you to think about being the Head Motivator. Now you are saying to yourself- “here goes the motivational seminar stuff.” Nope. I am just saying that in a leadership role, your job is to get results. That is it. Results. So how do you get these great results?- through people.
So do you want to be effective as the Chief Encouragement Officer? Here are tips and techniques that can work really well in order to help you fullfill your new role.
Talk to people- I have been at company meetings several times and have watched a key executive walk into the room, walk by everyone and go across the room to speak to other executives. It was as if the “small people” weren’t worth addressing or acknowledging. Shocking and foolish. In my opinion this is a big strategic error and can and will create resentment. So when you are working daily or in one of your offices, do you take the time to say hello to people as you pass them? If not do you at least nod at them giving positive non verbal signals?
Take note of their efforts- Lower level employees often tell me they never ever get any credit for their work. So when employees work really hard do something “over and above” the call of duty, make sure to notice and say something about it. When people do wonderful work let them know! It’s important to publically and privately (one on one) acknowledge people when they do great work. I was once a Vice President at a big company that had 80,000 employees. At times when I saw something I felt was great, I would find out who did it and I would write them a short handwritten note of appreciation, thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. When I traveled I would go in someone’s office (or cube) and well look at that- I woulde see the card I wrote pinned up on their wall. This taught me an important life lesson- that everyone wants to be appreciated.
Bees and honey- There is an old saying in the south “you attract bees with honey not vinegar.” It’s not a comment about bees it’s a comment about humans. It is easy to be critical really easy. Most people screw up alot. But the problem is these people already beat up on themselves on a regular basis. Why do we need to keep adding on to that? It is the big morale killer. It’s probably just being human but its not helping at all. As a leadership expert I encourage leaders to try and find a balance between the honey and the vinegar. In many cases there is no honey at all. So some balance- please!.
Give surprise rewards- Give people rewards when they least expect it. Find small ways to reward them. This can be a gift card, a few extra hours off, taking someone to lunch, or even buying the team a box of donuts in the morning. Just make sure it is when they least expect it and it is positioned as a reward. Say “well I just want you to know that I know how hard you have been working on the project. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Thanks.” Done properly it will be the discussion at dinner at home that night. “Hey guess what my boss did at work today? You will never believe it.”
The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.
So go ahead -get busy!
Shawn Doyle is an expert Motivational Speaker and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn’s book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.
Secret Cures For Depression For Each Individual
Millions of people all over the world suffer from depression. If you think that you are one of these people, or if you have been diagnosed with depression, there are several treatment options available. Cures for depression range from self help to medication. The symptoms that you have will determine what strategy is used to help you.
While treatment is available in a variety of forms, the first step in recovery is admitting that you suffer from depression.
Individuals normally choose medication and therapy as a means of treatment. Understand that the medication is meant help bring you to a point where you can work through whatever is causing the depression.
Prescribed medications consist of: SSRI, antidepressants, antipsychotic medicines and anticonvulsants. These are only meant to be used for a brief period of time.
For therapy, cognitive behavior, talk, magnetic, nerve, light and ECT may be used.
For those who do not want medication or to see doctors, there are self help books. Self esteem, living in the present, things you are grateful for, inspiring quotes and affirmation are some of the subjects available.
Natural approaches are also used. Herbs, exercise, meditation and aromatherapy are an option.
To treat depression, one has to know there is a problem.
If you can come up with reasons that you are unhappy, you are creating conditions on your happiness.
Believing that you would be happy if certain things were to happen is a problem because once they do happen, you tend to set new conditions. Working towards your desired goal should bring you happiness in itself.
Depression can be resolved with the proper treatment. Confidence and self esteem play an important role in the recovery process.
Pointers to guide you along your way include: Being true to yourself, let go of the past, live in the present, focus on the good things and not the bad, allow yourself to move on, works towards improving self esteem and confidence and make a list of everything that you are thankful for.
Suffering from depression makes happiness seem unattainable. If your depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance, you should know that there are steps you can take to try to fight your depression.
Look at your life right now. Surely you can find things that you are grateful for, even if it is something as small as having a roof over your head or food in your stomach. Write these things down on paper and remember them. These items can bring comfort which sometimes can alter your mood.
Stop living in the past and worrying about the future. Look at joyful moments and live in those present moments. What is it about that particular moment that gives you pleasure? Living in the moment will help the past and future fade.
Instead of thinking about negative what ifs, think about the positive ones. What if you make a new friend, get the job or something good happens? Look at the positive outcomes. With time, positive thinking will take over.
Find something good about every situation.
Here are some examples. I hate my job but at least the hours are flexible. He talks excessively but at least he is truthful. This reinforces positive thinking. Depression makes everything dark. This method can aid in bringing a little ray of light into the darkness.
Realize that there are somethings that you are not able to do but with depression, it is not that you cannot do it; it is more likely that you simply do not want to do it. Figure out why you do not want to do it. Then start correcting yourself and you will see positive results.
Realizing what can or cannot be changed and acting on that will make you happier.
Look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine what it is going to be like when things get better. As long as you believe it is possible, you can make it happen. Most of the time, the only thing stopping us from achieving our goal, is ourselves.
These tried and true methods may not cure all depression; but, learning to implement them in your life will definitely help in the battle. You can be happy and overcome depression. Remember that you are not alone in your fight. Millions suffer every day and most recover so can you.
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Cure Panic Attacks - Treatment Options
Anxiety is a serious medical problem. Panic attacks, which are one of the effects of Anxiety disorder, must be treated or they will often become much worse. It is not uncommon for anxiety attacks to spin out of control until they have taken over a person’s life. Getting help to stop panic attacks is essential, so that they are not allowed to worsen.
As with treatments for other conditions, it is important to find the right anxiety treatment for you ? a treatment that is not only effective but one you are comfortable with. The good news is that there are many effective treatments for anxiety available ? you have options. If one approach is not desirable or as effective as hoped, it is very likely that another approach will be.
Being at ease with your anxiety treatment is of course a key element of how successful it will be.
Here are the main options for the treatment of anxiety:
Anti-anxiety medications
Quite a few different drugs are prescribed for the treatment of anxiety. These drugs are most often ones that are made especially for anxiety, and include Klonopin, Ativan, and Valium. Normally, the prescribed dosage is “as needed”, but sometimes your doctor will have you take a daily dosage for mild anxiety problems. Sometimes, anti-depressants are prescribed for anxiety problems because they can have a positive effect on stress levels, but such drugs were not made for this purpose.
Medications such as these can be quite successful in handling anxiety and panic, but they do not cure the problem, they merely medicate it when it occurs. These medications are also highly addictive, so caution should be used when taking these drugs.
Anxiety Treatment With Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a completely natural and for many, highly effective option for treating anxiety. Hypnotherapy combats anxiety by inducing deep relaxation, allowing underlying causes to be explored and responses to be retrained through hypnotic suggestion.
However, anxiety can present a real problem in hypnosis. Many people who suffer from anxiety are unable to relax sufficiently to be hypnotized. Hypnotherapy is also less effective on panic attacks. Especially in the case of severe panic attacks, hypnosis alone will not generally be sufficient to combat the problem. Most hypnotherapists who take on new patients with severe panic attacks will insist on the patient getting concurrent cognitive therapy or psychological counseling.
Some patients who have anxiety which is not accompanied by panic attacks find that self-hypnosis can be a helpful method of reducing anxiety. Self-hypnosis is not considered a valid treatment option for panic attacks.
Treatment Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is often used in anti-anxiety treatment and is one of the more popular treatments today. CBT based programs help the patient to respond differently to their anxiety and panic attack triggers. CBT looks for the faulty thought patterns that allow anxiety to occur,and help the patient to change these patterns.
While CBT is a highly effective way to treat anxiety and panic attacks for many people, it does take time. Usually, the patient will need to commit to brain exercises, done on a schedule. If the patient is willing to put forth the effort, however, this is a way to stop anxiety and panic attacks for good.
More than three million people in America have suffered from panic attacks. Panic attacksare poorly understood. Get further information on methods to stop anxiety episodes and live without anxiety.
How To Recognize The Symptoms Of Panic Attack
There are millions of people in the world today who have already been diagnosed as having symptoms of panic attack but then there are many others who are experiencing them but who have no idea what the problem is. It can be hard to recognize the symptoms of panic attack especially if you have no idea what you are looking for. People need to be self educated and aware of the different symptoms of panic attack to avoid it becoming a real big problem. This way they will be able to tell when they are dealing with symptoms of panic attack.
While speaking about the symptoms of panic attack there are a few worth mentioning which are common. If you were to develop this problem you would be able to recognize it by noticing these common symptoms of panic attack. Their breathing will noticeably pick up and many times have trouble with breathing or they feel their heart beating profusely, like it is going to break through their chest. The intensity of a panic attack can sometimes cause heart and chest pains that feel like a heart attack which makes for a terrifying feeling.
Aside from dizzy or weak feelings there are other common symptoms of panic attack as well. Athough it sometimes only lasts a few seconds it feels like a lifetime if you are the one experiencing it, and there are no warning signs usually but people often feel lightheaded when dealing with a panic attack. They may also begin to feel as though they are getting very warm and at the same time a lot of people blush and turn bright red when they are having a panic attack. It really all depends on the person and the situation because everyone is different.
It is important for anyone who experiences, or thinks they are experiencing a panic attack needs to seek the opinion of a medical proffessional. Whether it be panic disorder or something else, they will already know. You will need to work together with your healthcare provider in order to find the treatment that stands to offer you the best results and you really don’t want to go into this blind. Make sure to remain in a positive attitude and be keenly aware what options you hold before proceeding with anything to be certain that the move you are making is not jeopardizing your health any further.
As you can see, those tips are very powerful, and before we continue, I just want you to know that you can find some great resources in the resource box below this article.
Learn how you can keep yourself from ever ever getting a panic attack again and even stop the symptoms of panic attack.