Reality Isn ’t Always What You Think! How Cognitive Distortions Harm Us
We all see reality through a personal lens shaped by our beliefs, culture, religion, and experiences. The 1950 movie Rashomon was a brilliant example of this, where three witnesses to a crime recount different versions of what happened. When couples argue, they usually can’t agree on the facts of what happened. Additionally, our mind tricks us according to what we think, believe, and feel. These are cognitive distortions that cause us unnecessary pain.
If you suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or perfectionism, your thinking can skew your perceptions. Cognitive distortions reflect flawed thinking, often st...
Source: Psych Central - June 30, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT Tags: Anxiety Psychology Self-Esteem Self-Help Cognitive Distortions Insecurity Low Self Esteem Perfectionism worry Source Type: news
Book Review: Ending The Diet Mindset
A quick survey of obesity statistics and annual spending on diet and weight loss products in this country tells us two things: we have a crisis of obesity, and the way in which we are attempting to treat it is not working.
According to Becca Clegg, a psychotherapist, eating disorder specialist and author of Ending The Diet Mindset: Reclaim a Healthy and Balanced Relationship with Food and Body Image the reason is that diets cause us to eat more, not less.
“Dieting leads us to feel terrible about ourselves, belittles our self-worth, decreases our motivation, and harms our bodies in the process,” writes Clegg.
Dieting ...
Source: Psych Central - June 20, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Claire Nana Tags: Binge Eating Book Reviews Bulimia Eating Disorders Healthy Living Mindfulness Self-Help Diet Book diet mindset ending diets Source Type: news
Book Review: The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques
Managing anxiety symptoms with medication can be effective, but is not always a great long-term solution. Anxiety happens for a variety of reasons. It may be experienced when there are too many stressors making someone feel overwhelmed with no change in sight. Or it may be a matter of cutting down on caffeine intake. Unfortunately, not knowing the cause or fix for anxiety typically tends to make people more anxious.
In The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It, Margaret Wehrenberg acknowledges the complexity of managing anxiety and offers...
Source: Psych Central - June 17, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tina Arnoldi Tags: Anti-anxiety Book Reviews General Happiness Healthy Living Mindfulness Neuroscience Self-Help Anxiety Management help for anxiety Source Type: news
Book Review: The Human Magnet Syndrome
The experience of falling in love can be indescribable. We don’t know why, we can’t explain it, but we just feel irrisistably drawn to someone. However, according to Ross Rosenberg, these magnetic attractions can allure us into sacrificing our own dreams, desires, and even freedom for what quickly begins to feel a lot less like love.
In his new book, The Human Magnet Syndrome: The Codependent Narcissistic Trap, Rosenberg delves into this seductive love force to uncover what it looks like, why it happens, and how we can turn it around.
“Since the dawn of civilization, people have been magnetically and irresistibly dra...
Source: Psych Central - June 16, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Claire Nana Tags: Abuse Addictions Book Reviews Codependence Narcissism Relationships & Love Self-Help human magnet Source Type: news
Book Review: Anxiety Relief for Kids
Many parents look for books that offer guidance and understanding about psychological problems their children may be experiencing. Mental health professionals also frequently recommend such books to families receiving counseling and other therapeutic services. Unfortunately, parent-advice books are often poor quality, difficult to understand, and not informed by contemporary evidence-based practices. I am happy to say that Anxiety Relief for Kids is not one of those books. Rather, it is an exceptionally well written and practical resource that actually does what its title says.
Author Bridget Flynn Walker is a psychologist...
Source: Psych Central - June 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Book Reviews Tags: Anxiety Book Reviews Children and Teens Family Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Panic Disorder Parenting Self-Help Social Phobia Source Type: news
5 Mind-Body Exercises for Anxiety Relief
Anxiety can drain a lot of energy, making it hard to keep doing what we want to or to feel connected to others. What’s worse is that it can pull us into feeling like it might never change. It can take different forms, ranging from nervous and worried thoughts, to self-doubts and feeling not good enough, to a frantic and restless sense of needing to do more, or to a purely physical experience of becoming dizzy or tight in the chest or throat. However we experience it, anxiety is a phenomenon that involves both mind and body.
I want to share a few exercises here for helping get some relief from anxiety, that you could do f...
Source: Psych Central - June 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Soph Sam Davis, Ph.D. Tags: Anxiety Mindfulness Relaxation and Meditation Self-Help Source Type: news
’ 13 Reasons Why ’ : Critique by a Recovered Depressive
I almost had the same fate as Hannah Baker.
After having teetered so close to the edge of death, I am surprised a lot of days that I am actually still alive, that I didn’t perish in the bathtub when I dropped the hairdryer into the water.
I finished watching the second season of 13 Reasons Why last night, and this show has stirred up a storm of thoughts and emotions for me, given my experience, so I thought I might contribute to the conversation that this show is igniting.
I first started having suicidal thoughts when I was a junior in high school. As I drove home from school, I often thought about swerving into o...
Source: Psych Central - June 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kristen Davis Tags: Children and Teens Depression Essays Genetics Neuroscience Personal Stories Students Suicide 13 Reasons Why Adolescence Depressive Episode Media Depictions Teen Depression Teen Suicide Source Type: news
Why Do We Worry So Much?
Worrying seems to be commonplace for many, if not, most people today. The question I often asked myself is, why do people worry? A little worry is probably necessary in order to motivate us to do things that need to get done. On the other hand, excessive worry tends to keep us incapacitated to the point of indecision and inaction.
In asking myself the question of Why Do People Worry? I draw upon my 25+ years of experience in working with clients, as well as personal experience. My conclusion is that people worry in an attempt to solve their problems. Given this, why is that worry actually hinders us from solving the very p...
Source: Psych Central - June 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Irving Schattner, LCSW Tags: Anxiety Habits Self-Help anxious thoughts Rumination worry Source Type: news
How to Find the Right ADHD Coach for You
You also procrastinate. You’re constantly running late. Planning makes you break out in hives (figuratively). You feel like life is pulling you in a thousand directions, and you’re all over the place. You feel like you’ve yet to reach your potential, and accomplishing even small goals feels really hard. Or you’d like to advance in your career, or start your own business.
These are all challenges, obstacles and opportunities that ADHD coaches can help with. According to Bonnie Mincu, a seasoned ADHD coach, an ADHD coach is a catalyst for change. They’re able to discern the kind of solutions each client needs, and ...
Source: Psych Central - June 2, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Attention Deficit Disorder Disorders General Motivation and Inspiration Self-Help Stress Treatment ADD Coach Academy ADHD coach ADHD Coaches Organization Adhd Coaching ADHD success ADHD training ADHD traits finding ADHD coach Source Type: news
Managing Dental Anxiety
Fear of going to the dentist is a common health-care related anxiety. Patients often express a broad range of triggers, such as the fear of pain, claustrophobia, needles, sounds, or sensations. Unfortunately, long term avoidance of oral healthcare can lead to deeply debilitating problems that can be physically, psychologically and socially impactful. Our mouth represents a center point for our survival, by impacting our ability to eat comfortably and communicate. So, caring for this immensely important part of our bodies is crucial for both our general health and psychological wellbeing.
Often minor dental problems can b...
Source: Psych Central - May 31, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Dr. Samuel Rosehill Tags: Anxiety General Habits Healthy Living Panic Disorder Phobias anxious thoughts Coping Skills dental anxiety dentist anxiety overwhelm Personal Hygiene worry Source Type: news
Learned Helplessness and C-PTSD
In 1967, Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive Psychology and his research group carried out a fascinating, if somewhat morally dubious experiment in his quest to understand the origins of depression. In this experiment, three groups of dogs were confined in harnesses. The dogs in group 1 were simply placed in their harnesses then released after a period of time, but the dogs in groups 2 and 3 did not have it so easy. Instead they were subjected to electric shocks that could only be stopped by pulling a lever. The difference was that the the dogs in group 2 had access to the lever, whereas the dogs in group 3 di...
Source: Psych Central - May 30, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Fabiana Franco, Ph.D. Tags: Bullying Psychology Psychotherapy PTSD Trauma Treatment C-PTSD complex post-traumatic stress disorder learned helplessness Martin Seligman Source Type: news
Maintaining a Healthy Relationship When Your Partner Has Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a difficult, complicated illness. And like any illness, it can naturally spill over into your relationship. As couples therapist Julia Nowland noted, “Bipolar disorder can be an emotional roller-coaster ride for the couple, with many ups and downs that mimic the disorder itself.”
But this doesn’t mean your relationship is doomed to fail.
Having a strong and fulfilling relationship is absolutely possible when both partners are committed to working as a team and creating a supportive, encouraging and accepting environment, said Lauren Dalton-Stern, LPCC, NCC, a therapist at the CARE Program at the U...
Source: Psych Central - May 28, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Bipolar Disorders General Relationships & Love Self-Help Stress Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder and relationships bipolar marriage Marriage Tips partners with bipolar disorder Relationship Tips Stressors treatment plan Source Type: news
Confronting Narcissistic Abuse
The objective of narcissistic abuse is power. Narcissists may intentionally diminish or hurt other people. It’s important to remember that narcissistic abuse stems from insecurity and is designed to dominate you. Abusers’ goals are to increase their control and authority, while creating doubt, shame, and dependency in their victims. They want to feel superior to avoid hidden feelings of inferiority. Understanding this can empower you. Like all bullies, despite their defenses of rage, arrogance, and self-inflation, they suffer from shame. Appearing weak and humiliated is their biggest fear. Knowing this, it’s es...
Source: Psych Central - May 22, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT Tags: Abuse Bullying Codependence Narcissism Personality Psychology Relationships & Love Confrontation Emotional Abuse Gaslighting Manipulation Narcissistic Personality Disorder Source Type: news
What You Need to Know About the Newest Antidepressants
In addition to therapy, medication can be an invaluable treatment for clinical depression. It may alleviate symptoms and literally save lives. Which is why having an array of medications to choose from is vital.
Recently, in the U.S., three antidepressants were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat depression: vilazodone (Viibryd) in 2011; levomilnacipran (Fetzima) in 2013; and vortioxetine (Trintellix; formerly called Brintellix, but renamed to avoid confusion with the blood-thinning medication Brilinta) in 2013.
In general, these medications are well-tolerated and effective. However, they’re no mo...
Source: Psych Central - May 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Depression Disorders General Medications Antidepressants Clinical Depression Fetzima Levomilnacipran Major Depression Major Depressive Disorder newest antidepressants Trintellix Viibryd Vilazodone vortioxetine Source Type: news
What ’ s Under His Suit? Depression and Anxiety
Let’s get candid about male mental health.
Men don’t get a lot of compassion — not as a gender, not toward one another, and not toward ourselves. We are the more impulsive, less refined gender that has not progressed much since our cave-dwelling days. We’ve learned to use a salad fork since then, however, and we pretend to enjoy chivalry.
Sadly — and perhaps due to our ruffian status — men are often perceived as an expendable lot, regularly sent to do life’s dirty work like unclogging municipal sewers, diffusing IEDs, repossessing tractors, or mining for coal and ore miles below Earth’s sur...
Source: Psych Central - May 18, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jon Patrick Hatcher Tags: Addictions Anxiety Career Depression Men's Issues Personal Stories Sleep Stress Suicide Source Type: news
