Six old papers for pain clinicians
We’re rather flighty beasts, us clinicians. From looking at the various ads for courses on the interwebs, it seems we’re all ready to jump on to the next newest thing. This same “what’s new” attitude is present in journals as well –  “these references are very old, are there newer ones you can use?” Here’s a question: what happens to the old stuff? Is it outdated and useless? Do really well-conducted studies have a “use-by” date? Are older therapies always less effective than the new ones? What if this urge to “refresh” means we do actually thro...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - August 26, 2018 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Pain conditions Professional topics Research Cognitive Behavioural Therapy function Health pain research rehabilitation Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs

Back to school anxiety
Heading back to school sparks an upswing in anxiety for many children. The average child’s school day is packed with potential stressors: separating from parents, meeting academic expectations, managing peer groups, and navigating loud, crowded school hallways and cafeteria, to name just a few of many challenges. That’s why it’s typical for children to experience some anticipatory anxiety leading up to the new school year — and for parents to notice a rise in worries. For example, your child might ask questions about what her new classroom or teacher will be like, worry about having all of his school supplies ready...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 23, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julia Martin Burch, PhD Tags: Anxiety and Depression Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs

For some, experiencing trauma may act as a form of cognitive training that increases their mental control
By Emma Young That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… It’s an adage that’s backed up in part by studies of people who’ve been through a trauma, such as a car accident or a robbery. While it’s true that around 7-8 per cent of trauma survivors develop chronic PTSD and experience persistent intrusive, unwanted memories of the event, most people recover quickly, and some even report better mental health than they had before (generally when the trauma has been moderate, rather than severe). But what underpins so-called “post-traumatic growth?” A new paper in the Journal of Experimental Psycholog...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - August 22, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Mental health Source Type: blogs

Interviews with 100 CBT-therapists reveal 43 per cent of clients experience unwanted side-effects from therapy
By Christian Jarrett The structured nature of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy/CBT and its clearly defined principles (based on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours) make it relatively easy to train practitioners, to ensure standardised delivery and to measure outcomes. Consequently, CBT has revolutionised mental health care, allowing psychologists to alchemize therapy from an art into a science. For many mental health conditions, there is now considerable evidence that CBT is as, or more, effective than drug treatments. Yet, just like any form of psychotherapy, CBT is not without the risk of unwanted adverse e...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - August 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Mental health Therapy Source Type: blogs

Behavioral Therapy: DBT and CBT and How They Help Fight Addiction
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBD) is a short-term behavioral psychotherapy used as a hands-on approach to re-teach patients problem-solving as well as changing the patterns of behavior and thinking that lead to a patient’s difficulties. It can be used to treat a wide variety of issues from problems sleeping, to relationship issues, to drug and alcohol abuse. CBT is designed to change the patient’s attitudes and actions by focusing on thoughts, images and beliefs and how they relate to the way the patient behaves towards emotional problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ca...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - August 8, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Alcohol Alcoholism Anxiety Behavioral Addictions Drug Rehab Information Drug Treatment Mental Health Relationships behavioral disorder cbt dbt emotions family positive relationships psychotherap Source Type: blogs

Trial By Error: The CDC ’ s Update for Healthcare Providers
By David Tuller, DrPH Last summer, the US Centers for Disease Control removed graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavior therapy from its website as recommendations for treatment of the illness it was by then calling ME/CFS. Its stated explanation for the change–that readers had misunderstood the recommendations–was nonsense. Readers understood all too well what the […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 30, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs

Civilian Casualties Continue to Mount in Governments ’ War on Opioids
I have written  here and here about how patients have become the civilian casualties of the misguided policies addressing the opioid (now predominantly fentanyl and heroin) crisis. The policies have dramatically reduced opioid prescribing by health care practitioners and have pressured them into rapidly tapering or cutting off their chronic pain patients from the opioids that have allowed them to function. More and more reports appear in the pres s about patients becoming desperate because their doctors, often fearing they may lose their livelihoods if they are seen as “outliers” by surveillance agencies, under-t...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 24, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs

Daily Changes to Boost Your Self-Confidence
You're reading Daily Changes to Boost Your Self-Confidence, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles. It is important to know that self-confidence and self-esteem are very similar to each other. So, when you’re doing tasks to improve your self-confidence, your self-esteem will build as well. You don’t need to engage in separate tasks to build your self-confidence and self-esteem. They can be similar tasks to organically build both at the same time. In my practice, lack of self-confidence is a significant issue....
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - July 20, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Dr. Jennifer Guttman Tags: confidence self confidence self improvement good habits pickthebrain Source Type: blogs

Jul 18, Aaron T. Beck: Today in the History of Psychology (18th July 1921)
Dr. Aaron T. Beck was born. A world renowned pioneer of cognitive therapy (CT) Dr. Beck's prolific body of work consisting of over 600 articles and 25 books has profoundly influenced our understanding of the psychopathology of depression and suicide. Among his many professional accolades, Dr. Aaron T. Beck was cited as 'one of the five most influential psychotherapists of all time' by The American Psychologist and in 1989 he received the American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for the Application of Psychology. (Source: Forensic Psychology Blog)
Source: Forensic Psychology Blog - July 18, 2018 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: blogs

Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing – Theodore Roosevelt
I’m not certain Theodore Roosevelt actually said that – but who cares?! It’s a great statement. For the person living with persistent pain, though, it can be the last thing you want to hear. After all, it’s tough enough getting up and just doing the normal things let alone challenge yourself! So… how can a health professional help? Let’s briefly recap. Self efficacy is the confidence I can do something successfully if I wanted to. It’s a robust predictor of many health behaviours including exercise, stopping smoking, eating healthily and coping well with persistent pain (Jackson, W...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - July 15, 2018 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Back pain Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Coping strategies Professional topics Research Resilience Science in practice biopsychosocial function healthcare pain management physiotherapy rehabilitation self effic Source Type: blogs

How Can I Get Rid of Anxiety?
As an advocate for OCD awareness, I get lots of emails from people. One of the most frequent questions I receive is some form of “How can I get rid of this terrible anxiety that is ruining my life?” While I’m not a therapist, I have learned a lot in the eleven years since my son was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and one thing I know for sure is that is not the question any of us should be asking. The reason? Well, for one thing, a life without anxiety is not only an unattainable goal but an unhealthy one. Anxiety serves a purpose and a few of the ways it can benefit us include: Our bodies instinctive...
Source: World of Psychology - July 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Janet Singer Tags: Anxiety and Panic Self-Help Source Type: blogs

The confidence that you ’ ll succeed if you try …
Self efficacy. It’s a word bandied about a lot in pain management, and for a group of clinicians in NZ, it’s been a shock to find out that – oh no! They’re not supporting self efficacy with their patients very much! It means “confidence that if I do this under these conditions, I’ll be successful”. Self efficacy is part of Bandura’s social learning theory (click here for the Wikipedia entry) where he proposed that much of psychological treatment is driven by a common underlying mechanism: to create and strengthen expectations of personal effectiveness. Bandura recognised that...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - July 8, 2018 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Coping strategies Motivation Pain Pain conditions Professional topics Research Resilience Science in practice biopsychosocial Chronic pain function healthcare pain management rehabilitation Source Type: blogs

Psychologist Dr. Yip Speaks on Border Crisis & Its Impact on Children
The ongoing border crisis remains, despite fading from the front pages of news websites and newspapers. Thousands of innocent children, brought to the border by desperate parents trying to escape poverty and violence, remain separated from their families. This separation will likely have a life-long impact on most of these children. Dr. Jenny Yip is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, as well as a nationally recognized OCD and anxiety expert. Dr. Yip has dedicated her professional career to treating families and individuals with severe OCD and anxiety disorders. She knows a thing or two about how anxiety can affect a...
Source: World of Psychology - July 6, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Children and Teens General Interview Mental Health and Wellness Policy and Advocacy border crisis Emotional Impact jenny yip Source Type: blogs

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation
“The real meditation practice is how we live our lives from moment to moment to moment.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn As someone who strives daily to be the best I can be, to be present in the moment, minimize stress and appreciate the beauty and preciousness of life, I’m always keen to learn about scientifically-proven new health benefits of mindfulness meditation. Get better sleep. Anyone who’s suffered the lingering mental and physical effects of a poor night’s sleep on a regular basis, as I have on numerous occasions in the past, can appreciate this all-important benefit from mindfulness meditation: better sleep. In fa...
Source: World of Psychology - July 5, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Suzanne Kane Tags: Mindfulness Research Self-Help Stress Source Type: blogs

Managing sleep problems – a medication-free approach (i)
I’ve recently completed two posts on assessing sleep problems in people experiencing persistent pain, and today I turn my attention to strategies for managing sleep problems – without medication. Why without medication? Because to date there are no medications for insomnia that don’t require a ‘weaning off’ period, during which time people often find their original sleep problems emerge once again… I’m not completely against medications for sleep or pain – but I think they need to be used with care and full disclosure about the effects, side-effects, and the need to eventuall...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - June 24, 2018 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: ACT - Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Cognitive skills Coping strategies Pain conditions Professional topics Research Science in practice biopsychosocial CBT Health se Source Type: blogs